“This is huge.”
“That’s all you have to say?” I ask. “Is this even possible?”
“Of course, it’s possible.” She throws her hands. “Shadow and Lumor Wielders have reproduced for centuries. But, it’s rare, Briar. Like, really rare.”
I let out a heavy exhale.
“Many people might try to tap into both powers their entire lives and still never produce a light or shadow,” she explains. “As far as we knew, Dusk Wielders didn’t really exist anymore, because people stopped trying when magic fizzled out.”
“Okay, so I’m somehow just able to do that without even knowing I can?” I stand, unable to sit through the nerves coursing through me.
“I guess so, but we all know you are powerful, and clearly, fear was amplifying your magic even more, which makes sense.” Maines shakes her head. “Did anyone see this happen?”
“No, but Yara knows about it,” I admit.
“That isn’t ideal.” Maines rubs her head once more, tunneling back into thought.
“I don’t think she would tell anyone. Plus, who cares if she did? Maybe it would persuade Malachi to help us.”
“I don’t want to alarm you, Briar, but if people feared you before...”
I close my eyes and let a moment of darkness fill my vision as thoughts flood my mind. My heart pounds against my ribs, and a headache begins to twinge between my brows.
“Great. Let’s add this to the list of reasons people want me dead.”
Maines makes a distressed face and nods.
My mind drifts back to my childhood in Daramveer. We had various training sessions and schooling opportunities as young children. I especially remember a few lessons about Dusk Wielders. They were born from a Shadow and a Lumor Wielder. The infant often showed clear signs of power at birth, usually with hair that was either coal black, representing shadows, or icy, symbolizing Lumor magic in their veins. However, as the child grew into their powers by early adulthood, a specific aura would take over, casting the child in a different light. Eitherstreaks of the opposite power appeared from the child’s head, or their eyes changed color.
If my feet weren’t rooted to the floor, the urge to rush to the bathing chambers would take over. My eyes, like autumn leaves, have become increasingly noticeable since I reawakened my powers. Perhaps the lapses in my abilities after my mother’s death caused the change to happen more slowly. People in Daramveer mostly avoided making eye contact with me over the years, so it’s possible that no one noticed my transformation. Or maybe no one cared.
My father rarely looked me in the eyes, and I always assumed it was because I favored my mother so much. But, what if it were for deeper reasons—a gut feeling he had over the years that caused him to envy me?
A loud knock on the door echoes through the room and makes us jump. Maines snaps her attention to me and waits for my approval for someone to join us.
“Come in,” I shout.
The door slowly opens, and Fen pops her head in.
It relieves me that it isn’t Silas just yet. I haven’t even begun to think about how I’m going to tell him this news. However, one piece involves Fen, and seeing her makes me uncomfortable.
“Am I interrupting?” she asks with a smile, her expression is so similar to Silas’s that I feel anxiety once more.
“Nope,” Maines answers. “Briar was just getting changed, and we were catching up.”
Fen nods and asks, “Could you two join us at the table again? Sorry to rush you, but we need to talk about the plans for the ship that's on its way.”
I pause for a moment, recounting Hux pulling him away. “Where is Silas?”
Fen peeks down the long hallway as if checking to see if they’ve come back inside.
“Still speaking with the guys on the balcony,” she replies. “Hux told me to come get you so he could speak with Silas a bit longer.”
My blood boils. He’s keeping him away from me on purpose.
“Just give us one more second,” Maines says with a smile. “Then we will join you.”
“You got it.”
