I wasn’t trying to impress her, but my time here was limited. Each moment I was gone from Weldsbane could make a difference. We needed to travel to Lydel, though I had no idea what waited for us there. Aunt Vera and an eager army?
I let go of Jessia’s hands.
She staggered, her gaze sweeping down my body. “You truly are one of the wicked fae.”
“I am.” This time, I lifted my chin. “And I’m going to use all my wicked fae magic to protect the Nullens I still claim as my own.”
“We need an ally among those fiends.” She rounded her desk and sagged in her chair.
“My blade is yours.”
“And mine is yours.”
Drumming up a bit of power, I paused, thinking about how I could best use it. With a flick of my finger, I created two journals like those I’d used here at the fortress during my classes. I magicked pencils to go with them.
Jessia stared at them lying on her desk. “What do you expect to do with these?”
“We’ll use them to communicate,” I whispered, though I was confident no one was listening. “The journals are magicked to reveal their contents only to us.” Striding around the desk to stand beside her, I opened one and wrotehelloon the first page.
When she opened the second journal, the word appeared, fading after she’d read it. She reeled backward in her chair, her hands lifting away from the journals as if they were coated with poison. “This is . . .”
“Amazing, right?” I flashed her a smile that faded quickly. “If I learn anything you might find useful, I’ll send it to you. Please do the same for me.”
“I mentioned that I’d played a bit with magic,” she pinched out. “But I’m not sure how I feel about it in general.”
“The thought of being fae and doing things like this not only stuns me but, in many ways, horrifies me. Like you, I grew up here with the same hatred of the fae and their abusive power.” We had good reason; we just hadn’t known exactly why, though we did now. Our feelings had been ingrained in us for many generations after they suppressed our power. “This journal and paper are weapons we can use to protect others. I’m not going to toss a chance like that away.”
She stared up at me before biting down hard on her lower lip. “Alright. I’ll stay in touch.”
“We’re going to defeat this threat.”
“Any ideas how?”
“That’s what I still need to figure out.” I tucked my journal and pencil beneath my leather tunic. “Do you need anything else from me?”
“I can’t think of anything yet.”
“Send me a message if you do.”
She sighed. “Things felt simpler when I took over this job. I understood my role here. I know how to lead. I also know how to kill dregs and Lieges. Despite their increase in attacks, it was more of the same. But things have changed.” A tremor came through in her voice. “I’m worried we’ll reach the point where we can’t keep them from overrunning us and swarming across the continent. It horrifies me to think that’s been the plan all along.”
“We’ll stop him. We’ll survive.”
“And what will be left of us after we’ve finished?”
“I don’t know.” I wasn’t confident I’d survive long enough to find out, so I couldn’t give her the happy answer she was seeking. I’d do all I could to make it through this. There had to be something better waiting for us once this threat was eliminated, and I’d find it.
“At least you’re honest.”
“I’ll share all I can.” In that, I was much like Vexxion. I’d only hold things back if she was safer not knowing.
“I wish you luck.”
I was going to need it.
With a parting nod to her, I flitted from her office, landing in the channel leading away from the cave where Kinart was murdered.
12
