“Well,” Auraelia began. “The immediate plan is for Daemon to go back to Kalmeera and prepare his people for what’s to come. We don’t have much time, so we need to act fast. I was hoping you could show him some wards he could place around the islands.”
“I can, but I want to go with him.”
“Xander—”
“Rae, let me do this. Not as my sister, but as my Queen. Daemon and his people are important to you, right?”
“Of course, but—”
“Then let me help. I want to be there to make sure they’re done properly…no offense.” The latter was directed at Daemon, who shrugged in return.
“What if I need youhere?” A tinge of panic laced her words. Her taking risks or putting herself in imminent danger for the ones she loved was one thing. Letting someone she loved do the same was something else entirely. He’d onlyjustbegun to heal. She’d only just gotten her brother back from the brink of death. What if something happened? What if Davina attacked the Isles while he was there?What if…what if…round and round the thoughts spun, adding unwanted confusion to an already restless situation.
“Auraelia.” The way Xander said her name, soft and full of understanding, pulled her from the tumult. She hadn’t even realized he’d moved to sit on the table in front of her, his knees bumping against her own. “You don’t need me here. You’re one of the smartest people I know and have enough magic to protect our people. Piper will be able to see any threats, and I’ll place wards around the city before we leave…which is when exactly?” His question was directed at Daemon, but Xander’s eyes stayed locked on hers.
“I had planned to leave this evening.”
Xander redirected his focus to Daemon, and Auraelia met Piper’s wary gaze from over her brother’s shoulder—she seemed just as apprehensive of this plan as Auraelia was.
“So it’s set then.” The finality in Xander’s voice pulled her back to the conversation at hand.
“What’s set?” she asked.
“Daemon and I will be leaving tomorrow for Kalmeera. After lunch, you and I will head out to place wards around the boundary lines. We’ll start at the harbor and work our way out in opposite directions. Once they’re all placed, we’ll meet back at the harbor and place the final rune in the center of the city.”
“Then what?”
“Then, dear sister,you’regoing to seal them. With me leaving, they would hold better if you did them. Not to mention that your magic packs more punch than mine.”
Auraelia’s face blanched and she clenched her fist around the cut on her palm that still throbbed. The thought of drawing more blood formorerunes made her head spin.
Seeming to sense where her thoughts were headed, Xander let out a light chuckle. “No more blood runes, Rae. Promise…well…kind of.” When she quirked a questioning brow, he walked across the room to grab a roll of parchment and a satchel from one of his shelves.
With practiced fingers, he unrolled the map of Lyndaria, spreading it out on the table between them. Magic swept across her skin as Xander extended a shield around them and began. “We need to construct and bury runes at all of the compass points out of emerald shards.” As he spoke, he pulled emeralds the size of robin’s eggs from the leather pouch and placed them to the north, south, east, and west of the Court of Emerald.
“Then, at the halfway points between, we will bury a singular emerald.” He added, placing pebble-sized stones on the corresponding map markers. “Once all of them are in position, we will convene in the center of the city and place a final emerald marker here.” He placed another stone in the city’s center, then leaned away from the map and waited until Auraelia met his gaze. His eyes bore into hers with sharp intensity, like if he stared hard enough he could force her to understand the gravity of his next words. “From there, you’ll need to funnel your magic into the stones. It will branch out to all the other points and connect them like a giant shield. But Rae, it’s going to take a lot of power to create a shield that large. I’m not sure how deep your well of magic is; I’m not even sure if you are yet. So, I need you to promise me that you will stop if you feel yourself drainingor even remotely close to the end of your abilities. We can find another way.”
Auraelia’s mouth popped open, her mind reeling as it attempted to process through what she’d just heard. Xander was right. She had no idea how deep the well of her power stretched. Hadn’t had the chance to find out, even with Ser Aeron making her dig deeper into the seemingly endless chasm that held her magic every time they trained. But this? This was different.
This was a potentially deadly unknown that rocked her to her core. But it was also the only way sheknewwould protect her people from any more attacks. And if that meant draining her magic down to its last dregs, meant weakening herself and putting herself in danger for the safety of her people, then that’s what she would do.
“Xander—”
“Rae, promise me. I won’t show you the runes unless you do. That’s my line in the sand. I know you want to protect our people, but it’s my job to protectyou.Even if it’s from yourself.”
Auraelia let out a resigned sigh, her eyes falling back to the stones on the map. Letting them wander over how the inky lines within them seemed to swirl and move through the gems like rivers, dividing them into segments. Each of them is home to both light and dark as if they needed to embody the chaos of the world around them.
“I promise.” The lie was sour on her tongue, and the look on Daemon’s face, as her gaze drifted to his, said that he knew. Knew that she would say whatever her brother needed to hear, regardless of the consequences. Understanding shone in his eyes, but behind it was sadness. It sat on her heart like a boulder, growing heavier with every second that she held his gaze. She knew he wouldn’t try to change her mind, but a small part of her still wished that he would.
Over the next hour, Xander sketched out the runes they would need to make and the order in which to place the shards. It was simple enough, made mostly of straight lines that connected together at a series of points to create sharp angles.
When Xander was confident that Auraelia understood what to do—and the correct order to do everything in—they left the secure space of his suite to gather the necessary materials.
The treasury was located across the castle in the Queen’s wing and heavily guarded, not by physical guards but by ancient magic that was more powerful than what protected the archives. But what stopped Auraelia in her tracks was the door leading inside. It was a massive expanse of oak and gold artistry.
The wood was stained a deep brown, and the ornamental gold swirls that decorated the door accented the natural swirls in the wood. It was the most ornate entrance in the castle, and no one other than a privileged few ever got to see it.
Pressing her finger to the sharpened point of an emerald shard that protruded above the knob like the needle of a spinning wheel, Auraelia let the blood pool and drip onto the runes that were carved into the floor in front of the massive oak and gold door. The magic that sealed the entrance vibrated against her skin as the drops of crimson trickled into the delicate carvings, spreading out between the stones and staining the runes. The air seemed to still around her as she waited…and waited. It was as if the wards were scrutinizing her. Judging her worthiness of entering despite the fact that she was the only one capable of opening the door.
