“I’m sorry to hear about her health. I know what that’s like. I’m not sure how much my council told you, but my father died sixteen years ago, and it set Mother on a downward spiral.” I cleared my throat as memories of the last decade came back to light. “She became unresponsive after a while, barely managing to eat and drink enough to keep her alive. My twin brother and I had all but given up hope of her mind ever returning to her.”
Galen gave me an incredulous look. “Your mother? The same woman I met today?” He motioned back to the dining patio we’d long left behind.
I laughed. “I know it’s hard to believe. Leo and I hardly believed it ourselves, at first. You know my parents ruled the empire before Emperor Gayl, right?” He nodded. “There was…bad blood between them. Gayl is actually the reason my family went into hiding. It’s a long story, but we think Gayl had some sort of magical hold over Mother. When he died, his magic broke, and it released something in her. Almost like an…unlocking, of sorts. Over the last few months, she’s returned completely to normal.”
“That’s incredible,” he said, eyes wide. We walked a few more yards and came upon a wooden gazebo with a swinging bench. Dark vines clung to the railings, with lanterns and fireflies emitting small bursts of light every othersecond.
“Can you tell me about it?” he asked as he took a seat on the bench. “The magic in your home?”
“Well, there are six different types,” I responded, sitting next to him. We slowly kicked our feet, and the bench swung back and forth, the breeze tickling my neck. “My mother and I are Shifters, which means we can turn into our given animal forms at will. My brother is an Alchemist—someone who casts spells and enchantments. There are Shadow Wielders who can manipulate shadows and Lightbenders who create light magic. Then there are Striders, which is what we call people who can transport themselves from one spot to another in the blink of an eye. And then Illusionists, who cast illusions into your mind, making you see something that isn’t really there.”
“I can’t even imagine.” He breathed out as he ran his fingers through his hair. “And you get to see this magic all the time? What’s it like?”
“I’ve never really thought about it,” I said with a shrug. “It’s just always been there. You go to the nearest market and watch people wield shadows or light, see Shifters walking around as animals or Striders vanishing into thin air… You get used to it, I suppose. It’s a part of us.” I hesitated before admitting, “Coming here has actually been more difficult than I thought.”
“Why is that?”
“Because magic doesn’t exist beyond the Veridian Empire. Once we left the borders, our powers stopped working. It’s like a piece of me has disappeared.” I glanced down at my hands.
“And you’resureyou don’t feel it here? Any magic at all?” he asked, his forehead creasing.
“No,” I said. “How could I?” There wasn’t such a thing as magic in Mysthelm. Or anywhere except our empire.
Unless…
I abruptly shifted the conversation back to what had been nagging me all day. “Galen, do you know what happened on our ship? The dead fish and birds, the wild storm coming out of nowhere. Nobody will give me answers, but Iknowthat wasn’tnatural. I just want to know if something is going on here. Maybe it’s something I can help with, if you’ll explain it to me.”
His tongue flicked against his bottom lip. “Storms happen, Clarissa. I’m not sure what else you want me to say.”
I kept my voice calm, my tone mild, although it felt like the ghost of my fox half was trying to growl its way up my chest. “You know that’s not my point, Your Majesty. You and Lord Reaux have both been avoiding my questions.Multipletimes.” My head cocked to the side. “It makes me wonder what you have to hide.”
He stood quickly, causing the bench to sway forward. I held out my arms to keep from ramming into his side.
“Don’t—don’t touch me!” he bit out, lurching away from me. I dug my heels into the ground to slow the momentum of the bench, my heart jumping to my throat at his aggressive outburst.
“I have nothing to hide,” he ground out, but his eyes flashed a warning. “There are certain things about this kingdom I can’t explain. That I can’t make you understand yet.”
I pushed to my feet, adrenaline racing. It felt like we were teetering on an important precipice, if only I could figure out what was going on. “Try me.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, but before he could respond, his gaze flew to something over my shoulder.
“Your Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion,” a gruff male voice said behind me. “Your mother requires your assistance.”
I whirled around to face the unfamiliar guard, thinking for a split second he was speaking to me, but Galen passed me in a hurry.
“Lord Reaux will answer any questions you may have about the tour. I’ll see you tomorrow, Clarissa,” he said hastily, then disappeared down the dark path.
Frustration roared back in full force. What was he keeping from me? What was so terrible, so secretive, that he couldn’t explain? I was once again left with more questions than answers, more thoughts to send me spinning.
My eyes caught on a strand of vine that had fallen from the topof the gazebo. I knelt to the wooden floor and examined the dead greenery, its stem now blackened and crumbling between the small slits in the wood.
Every kingdom had their secrets. Their skeletons in the closet, their unspoken truths. This king wanted to keep them buried. To distract me with pretty words and fancy dinners and innocent strolls in the garden.
But I was used to dealing with what waited beneath the surface. And I was going to dig these bones up, piece by brittle piece.
14
Thorne
