Elyssa reluctantly turned her gaze to Farren. As if she wanted nothing more than to throw it away, she accepted the book and started translating it. “It says that through channelling the power of certain magical artefacts and herbs, witches can remove powers from anyone or anything without draining their life force completely. The spell can be found in another book. Tarnan is bringing it.”
“Anything includes blood contracts, right?” Amira asked, hopeful.
“It should, but we’ll have to ask King Tarnan once he gets a hold of the actual spell,” Farren said, reading over Elyssa’s shoulder. Worry sneaked into Amira’s heart. They had a plan, but it hinged on too many things that could go wrong. But what other choice did they have? Theyhad tobreak Lora’s contract. Amira didn’t want to see anyone else dead.
Closing the book, Farren took out a white crystal from his pocket and held it out to Amira. “I have something for you.”
Staring at the clear quartz, Amira asked, “What does it do?”
“It has been spelled to determine a witch’s strength,” Farren replied as he put the crystal in Amira’s hand. The coldness almost made Amira drop it.
Elyssa looked up from the pages. “What does she have to do?”
“She needs to call on her powers,” Farren explained. “The crystal will change colour. The cloudier it gets, the stronger the witch’s potential.” His eyes lingered on the crystal. “I don’t know how familiar you are with witchcraft.”
Amira huffed. “I tried to train with Elyssa, but I have a long way to go.”
“El is a good teacher… if you want to learn how to kill someone. I prefer sleeping spells myself.” Farren gave Elyssa a knowing smile, earning himself an eye roll. “It’s similar to fae powers, but we’re not limited to one or two specific powers. Our power is harder to channel. It doesn’t come from within us like Lora’s fire power, for example. It comes from pulling on energy.”
Elyssa had said something similar. “How do I avoid pulling from my own life source?” Amira asked.
“You pull from the energy around you, from the elements—from anything, really,” Farren said. “Once you learn how to pull energy from anything and how to wield it, your power is almost limitless depending on how strong your potential is and what kind of energy is around to draw on. Not all witches have the same level of raw skill, but even the strongest witch is powerless if untrained.”
Elyssa tapped her finger on the clear crystal in Amira’s hand. “Well, princess, give it your best shot.”
Closing her eyes, Amira tried to focus while avoiding looking at the crystal. She didn’t know what she was hoping for; being powerful would mean that she would have a bigger responsibility in their upcoming plan. But wasn’t that what she wanted?
She felt her powers coursing through her, making her skin buzz. The crystal warmed to her touch. Quickly, it became burning hot, and Amira had to fight the urge to drop it.
“By Caelo,” Farren exclaimed in wonder.
Elyssa’s chuckle sounded close to her ear. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
Amira opened her eyes hesitantly. In her hand, the crystal was almost completely opaque.
Chapter54
Eyden
This was definitely the strangest mix of company Eyden had ever had in his apartment. His sister, her witch best friend, a declared fae princess who was actually a witch, and a half-fae princess whose heart was bound to Earth.
Hishalf-fae princess, who might slip away from him once they succeeded in their mission. But he’d rather Lora live her life protected and safe on Earth than step into the position of queen and continue to fight more battles that were sure to come.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Lora asked next to him. They had retreated further into the kitchen while Farren was teaching Amira some basic spells. It seemed Amira was more powerful than Eyden would have given her credit for. But from what he’d gathered, the princess was wholly untrained. Elyssa was watching the two witches intently, a content smile on her face. It was the kind of smile Eyden hadn’t seen on her in quite some time.
“A penny? That’s not much, is it?” Eyden replied, a smile of his own turning the corners of his mouth upward. A penny was less than a silver coin.
Lora bit her lip, throwing a quick glance at the group sitting on his sofa before meeting his gaze again. “I would offer somethingelse,but we do have company…”
Heat shot through his body, his eyes unwillingly going to the bed they’d shared less than an hour ago. “Hold on to those thoughts,” he replied in a low voice, his gaze travelling over her face and landing on Lora’s lips. A lot had changed between them, but some things were still up in the air. He remembered what Halie had told him.
Eyden tore his gaze back to her bright aquamarine eyes. “I was thinking about what Farren said.”
“About me becoming the Queen of Turosian?” Lora’s fingers wrapped around the alexandrite crystal on her silver necklace. “As you said, it wouldn’t make sense.”
“And if you could choose, you wouldn’t be here. In Turosian.” There. He’d said it.
Lora let out a long breath. “You’re right. I wouldn’t choose to stay here for good.” As Eyden took a shaky breath, Lora’s eyes seemed to soften to him. “But I do chooseyou.I don’t know what that means, exactly. I have to go back and see my family, but I’m not opposed to coming back here. To you. If you want.” She moved the crystal back and forth on her necklace as if she was uncertain about what his answer would be.
