A circle of emerald crystals lines a pool, bleeding phantasmal green energy into the water. The pool sits in the middle of a cavern. What isn’t covered by crystals is jagged black stone.
Sira, the Queen of the Below, beckons me to follow her. There’s a slight change to her regular attire. Today, a sparkling green cape flows off her shoulders.
The color of the magic that fills the pool.
My father’s magic.
And my own.
“Come along, Caspian.”
I follow my mother, taking in the immense cavern. Green crystals scatter the rocky earth and crawl up the walls. Each one grows toward the giant crystal ring surrounding the pool.
The crystals have been growing for over twenty-five years. Each time I step foot in this place, they’re bigger than before, pulsing with arcane energy.
“It’s coming along wonderfully, isn’t it?” Sira says, following my gaze. “If only Aurelia could see the fruits of her sacrifice.”
These crystals grow through the Below all the way to Aurelia’s green crystal cage, which, drop by drop, sucks her power.
“We’ve been patient, my love,” my mother continues, “but it is almost time.”
Patience wasn’t what my mother had in mind when she first captured the Queen. She’d tried to takeallof Aurelia’s magic at once, but the Queen almost died before the power could be taken. My mother has since perfected her method.
I make my way to my mother through a small gap between the crystals and look down into the depths. The water bubbles and pops on the surface, and not for the first time, I wonder just how deep it goes.
“Shame, I forgot my bath salts.” I grin.
My mother ignores me, instead transfixed on her own beautiful reflection wavering in the water. Honestly, it’s no surprise she was able to seduce the Baron of the Green Flame into—whatever this is. With their mutual love of world-ending destruction, it’s no wonder they found such camaraderie.
“Soon, we will have drained enough of her essence for the gateway to open,” she continues.
I keep silent. Mother has been raving about this for years, but she’s never been able to fully open the passage between worlds. By what means she reached the Baron of the Green Flame at my conception—or howeverhereachedher—remains a mystery to me. All I know is he can’t materialize here until Mother gathers enough arcane energy to power this gateway. I pray this feat is beyond even her.
“When it does, your father will step through and finally teach you how to take full control of your magic.”
Yes, my magic. The Green Flame that writhes within me. I’ve only used the magic a handful of times, and mostly by accident, such as when Keldarion betrayed me, and I created a giant chasm in the Winter Realm. Though, there were other times on purpose, like when my sister threatened Rosalina, so I obliterated her Dread Knights with the flick of my wrist.
My mother believes that I don’t know how to awaken it. She doesn’t understand that every moment of my life, I’m trying to repress it.
“The Green Flame has conquered many worlds before,” Mother continues, “and soon he will aid us in ruling this one.”
“You know,” I say, staring into the pool, “I don’t know a lot of conquerors, but my understanding is they don’t love to share power. How do you know he won’t destroy us too?”
“You are his blood. He made you to rule.” She strokes my arm. “If he tries, you will destroy him. You are more powerful than anyone in this world or the world beyond. You have his magic and mine.”
And hers.I absently stroke the thin rose-gold bracelet on my wrist. “No pressure then.”
Sira’s heels click as she circles the pool. “We must take risks to achieve our vision. You know I was once of the Above. They were content with mediocrity. I had the gall to dream, to create, and I was heralded as a demon for doing so. Aurelia wanted me down in the dark. Well, now she’s learned things can still grow in the darkness.”
Standing above the pool, bathed in green light, she looks akin to a god herself, and I can’t help but tremble.
“Once all the divine weapons are secured, we will open the way to the Above and I will build my own empire from its ashes.” Sira’s voice darkens, terrible and deep, full of malice. “Your sister will rule the Enchanted Vale, and you, my darling boy, who cannot survive in the light, will claim the Below as your kingdom.”
Or I could throw my body over hot spikes, which sounds just as fun asthatfuture. Truly, the greatest disappointment of being sired by a primordial being is that his blood just doesn’t seem to like the Enchanted Vale—at least not in my pathetic half-fae body. Maybe I’ve got some tether to this damned pool, or maybe the godblood running through my veins rejects the surface world, but while Sira and all of her pure faeness can go where she pleases, I keep throwing up black gunk whenever I stray too far. “Ah, Birdy and Kairyn; who wouldn’t want those two as their new rulers? So sane of mind, the pair of them.”
Sira crosses to me. “I know you are jealous of your sister taking both Spring and Summer, but did you really have to destroy one of Kairyn’s airships?”
She says the words so calmly, as if she hasn’t had me whipped and beaten so terribly that it took my body weeks to recover. But I stay silent. It’s one of few mercies that she believes jealousy was the reason I brought the airship down. If she knew what Rosalinaisto me …
