“Are you able to changeanything?” I asked, “Or are there limitations to what your magic can bend?”
She moved across the room, dragging her fingers across the backs of the chairs. “What is it you seek? First, you must speak.”
“Can you bend the magic given to me? Shape it to appear as Divine?”
She turned and looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Do you not possess Divine ability? Has your land forsaken you?”
“I bear magic, just not the magic I want,” I snapped.
“I cannot provide you with Divine magic. That is from the land itself,” she said matter-of-factly. “My people rely on the magic of Macabre, one which the fae do not recognize.”
The woman was useless to me for what I needed. Leanna would take the throne if I married Audryn. Though we had the chemistry, if she wasn’t my mate, I wouldn’t gain access to her land magic.
“What is your heart’s desire, boy?” Elowen pressed. “And what are you willing to give up for it?”
I considered the alternative. If she couldn’t provide me with magic, then I’d be forced to get it a different way.
22
AUDRYN
Knuckles rapped on my door, interrupting my afternoon reading session. I had become so bored sitting around that I finally leaned into the books I’d acquired. The Rivale text focused more on the current Sutton generation than the kingdom’s history, which was unsurprising.
Fisher stood at the door and gave me a tight smile. “Prince Sutton assigned me to your post for the rest of your stay. Advise if you need anything. I will be in the hall.”
“What do you mean?” Confusion washed over me. I didn’t need him trailing me around the castle. How would I get access to the book with a guard as my shadow?
“There was an incident this morning.” Fisher tilted his head and peered down the corridor. “There are details assigned to each of the women until the prince orders otherwise.”
“What type of incident?” I asked.
“Members of the resistance were found on castle grounds,” he said solemnly, “beyond the gates.”
My head spun. If they’d taken Jaspar, my entire plan would need to shift—I’d need to get him out. “Who?” I whispered.
Fisher narrowed his eyes at me. “What do you mean?”
“Whodid they find from the resistance? Do you know their names?”
“Two women.” He hesitated. “Why are you asking?”
“Well, I thought I saw someone walking outside my window last night,” I lied quickly. “It must’ve been a guard.”
“Someone was outside your room? I’ll alert the prince and get a guard stationed there straight away.”
I waved a hand. “No, really. I was mistaken. You know how shadows deceive at night.”
He looked toward the window pensively, as if he could see straight through the aqua fabric draping over it. He huffed and settled in against the corridor wall, across from my door.
“Will you be standing here all day?” I asked, pausing at my doorway.
He nodded.
“How about if I leave the castle, then you’ll go with me?”
He gave no response.
I pressed against the doorframe. “I don’t think there’s any point in staring at a door all day.”
