“Regular power?” I asked. “Or actual magic?”
“Both.” Silas clasped my hand in his, pressed it over my heart. “A crucial part of the Fae Queen coronation ceremony is the giving of a heartbeat. Any living thing on the island can voluntarily offer one of their heartbeats to their queen.”
“That sounds morbid.”
“It doesn’t hurt anyone. Usually,” Silas said. “Not to mention, it’s completely voluntary. It is a way of bonding the queen to the constituents of her court. The people who live here will become a literal part of you. You will hold a heartbeat from every individual in your court. It is a lifetime bond.”
“That’s a big responsibility.”
Silas gave a slow nod. “It’s part of the reason Fae Queens make for such wonderful and kind rulers. I am not a mother nor am I a woman, but I’ve heard it described as similar to motherhood, as if you have little pieces of your heart walking around the earth.”
I couldn’t help the sudden thought that my mother had missed that piece of parenting information, but, alas, now was not the time to dwell on what-ifs and past hurts.
“For you, those pieces of your heart are your court. It is why Fae Queens can almost always be expected to act in the interests of their people. Hurting them would hurt you in many ways. Physically, magically, powerfully. A Fae Queen cannot rule without the power of her people, and in turn, she protects them with her life.”
“It sounds… terrifying and magnificent and beautiful.”
Silas squeezed my hand. “It is all of those things.”
It was my turn to nod. “I think…in that case, I think you’re right. If it will help, I think we should hold the ceremony sooner rather than later.”
“I’ll get it scheduled. Millie will handle everything; I’m sure she’ll have plenty of help.”
We sat in silence a moment longer, the idea of the coronation ceremony percolating in the background. It made me a little uncomfortable, mostly because I wasn’t the sort of person who thrived on becoming the center of attention. I liked to be a helper, in the background, not necessarily the one wearing the crown—but as we already knew, there wasn’t much choice when it came to that. Either way, the coronation ceremony needed to happen.
“The spirits tonight,” I said, changing the subject. “Have you seen anything like that before?”
“The Darkest Lord’s true power comes from his spirit army.” Silas didn’t exactly answer the question, but I got the impression he knew what he was talking about. “I’ve seen…things like it before, but not like this. Not them bursting into our world.”
“Do you agree with Ranger X that it’s due to the wards being finicky?”
“Yes, I think that’s a huge part of it. We’ve always had wards to protect against them, but when we destroyed the crystals, obviously those wards vanished. Your wards are set in place, but they’re new wards, and you’re still learning the ropes of Fae Queen magic. I believe tonight, when you opened that portal, it shook those new wards and weakened the barrier enough for him to breach in a sensitive spot.”
“But those creatures couldn’t come on land,” I said. “It seems crucial to the Darkest Lord’s plan that they find a way to exist in our realm. Is there a way that’s possible?”
Silas seemed hesitant to share. “I believe so.”
“You didn’t say anything earlier.”
“I need to check with some contacts,” Silas repeated. “I’ve heard of a terrible process that might do the trick. A form of magic called flesh-weaving.”
I shuddered. “That sounds absolutely disgusting.”
“It’s not the technical term. It’s just what I’ve heard it called on the streets, in back alleys. It’s a process where spirits, usually nefarious ones, are given a body to inhabit.”
“Where do they get the bodies? Do they take…ours?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. That’s where the weaving comes in,” Silas said. “They’re synthetically—magically—crafted. The spell that I’ve heard of does require fresh blood of an innocent sacrifice. A spell this size, it’s not unusual that it would take the blood from three individuals.”
I sighed, glanced down at my arm. The spirits of the three innocent, mortal fishermen who had perished at the hand of the Darkest Lord had given me a mark, the blindingly white Triskelion Sigil, permanently on my arm. It was both an honor and a somberness, that they’d had to give their lives so unnecessarily.
Silas took my wrist, studied the sigil. “No one can doubt this.”
“It seems like the symbol itself has been up for debate.”
“Yes, but if you review, the place this first appeared is for the Triune Queens. It’s in your textbooks, and it’s marked permanently on your arm. Originally, it must have been the symbol of the Triune Queen. Over the centuries it’s been adapted by others as its original meaning has slowly been lost or diluted.”
“Adapted, like by the Harbinger of the Underworld.” I sighed. “Do you think they were trying to frame me by using this sigil on the boat?”
