She nodded, but I could see in her eyes she’d forgiven him. It was a good lesson for the both of us. No one knew what someone was dealing with in private.
Master Clarke showed up then carrying a stack of papers, and Ayden and Hayes were not too far behind. Clarke led us down to a locked room that turned out to be a temperature-controlled basement with two large tables and aisles upon aisles of books. After reading the rules posted on the far wall, we got to work. We all had to wear gloves so that we wouldn’t get oil from our skin on the pages, which wasn’t a problem for me, since I was already wearing gloves.
We split up into two groups. Ayden and Hayes took the task of trying to find out more about my powers, what I might be capable of, and how I could have switched abilities with Ariyon. Eden and I tried to find out more about Maven healers and their abilities.
“Holy Fae,” Hayes breathed an hour later.
I’d been so deep into my own book, I’d forgotten the world around me and was actually startled at his voice.
“What?” Eden asked. Other than a shy “Hey,” they hadn’t spoken to each other.
Hayes peered at me with wide eyes. “Not relevant to our task, but with training, a Bane royal could be able to control someone’s will, bending it to their liking. This book talks all about how they do it and a bunch of other stuff about them going dark.” He traced his finger along the page.
I swallowed hard, chills racing up my arms. Master Clarke stopped grading his papers and stood. Walking over to Hayes, he peered over his shoulder, reading the line.
“I’ll take that and look for anything else that might help. I’m sick of grading papers anyway.” He snatched the book out of Hayes’s hands and then went back to his seat.
Hayes frowned, clearly not done reading, and I chewed on my bottom lip.
“I would never do that,” I told the group, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
“We know that.” Eden rubbed my shoulder encouragingly.
Control someone against their will? It was a horrifying thought. One that would probably get me killed if Solana found out that I could do it. Assuming I even could.
I looked up to see Master Clarke casually slip the book into his bag and wink at me.
It seemed he was thinking the same thing and was trying to protect me.
“I got something!” Ayden shouted so loudly we all jumped. “Sorry,” he muttered, seeing our reaction.
He stood and started to pace the room as he read.
“A Bane royal taps into an ancient power, magic that accumulates over every generation. It’s built upon for eons, so every Bane who comes after is more and more powerful and has access to their predecessors’ magic.”
“Oh,” I said as my stomach dropped. I carried the same magic that my mother used to kill over a hundred people? The thought was petrifying.
“I think it’s badass. In a cool but terrifying way,” Ayden commented, and then went back to reading. “Then there is some type of lineage with a list of their powers. Devious Bane, born 1506, master of shadows. Known for his ability to mutate into shadows, blah blah. Bellacourt Bane, born 1609, queen of the undying fire. Known for her power over fire, blah blah.” He looked up at us with a grin. “It lists every Bane family member for generations and what they add to the mix.”
I looked up at him, “Please tell me one of my ancestors had this freaky ability to swap powers and that explains what happened,” I said, hope starting to beat in my chest.
He spun the book in my direction and held it open to my face. “Amethyst Bane, born 1967, lady of the switch. Known before her death to have mastered the ability to switch powers with another and switch them back again.”
Amethyst Bane.Holy Fae, she would have been my…grandmother? Maybe.
Eden held out her hand to Ayden, and they high-fived.
We had a name.
“Well done,” Master Clarke said. “I’ll try to find anything I can on Amethyst Bane and her powers.”
“This means that whatever power Fallon’s ancestors mastered, she now carries that magic?” Eden asked, looking fascinated.
Ayden nodded. “If Amethyst Bane had mastered switching magic with another, then it means Fallon can do it too, and swap powers back with Ariyon.”
“Once we figure out how to get to him,” Hayes added.
Excitement and hope began to build up inside me. Reaching into my bag, I finally pulled out the book that Avis had loaned me,Miraculous Tales of Healing: True Stories.
