“And a compassionate future queen,” my father added.
I hugged them both and then slipped away, back into the palace before anyone else needed to be emotionally manipulated.
That’s what it was. Suggestive magic was a kind term for what I did. Mind control, brainwashing was more accurate.
I’d never tested the limits to my magic, to how far I could physically be from a person before pulling the emotions back, but we were about to find out. Because I had about twelve more hours before this portal opened. The danger there was that anything anyone told my mother or father over the next twelve hours, they would probably agree with. They could advise my father to cut out my mother’s heart and he might think it was a fabulous idea.
The thought made me sick.
I just had to make it to tonight, then I would pull my magic back and the emotions I forced on them would disappear.
Assuming I could.
My parents would probably realize what I’d done and head back here, but by then I’d be gone.
* * *
The day passed quickly and night fell on me along with a bundle of nerves. I’d packed my bag with maps that Master Duncan had given me and a few Ethereum coins. I wore the leather-corseted outfit I’d trained in and I’d broken the glass case holding the red carnelian faestone-encrusted dagger that I would need to carve out the heart of the Ethereum lord, and to return home again. After sharpening the dull blade, I stashed it in a sheath at my waist and made my way to the throne room.
My steps echoed as I strode toward the raised dais at the end of the cavernous stone chamber. If Queen Liliana hadn’t found out about my weak heart,there would have been a grand ceremony to see me off.
Queen Liliana, my parents, the masters I trained with over the couple last months, as well as my friends and courtiers from the Fall Court would have all been in attendance. But instead I was sneaking away in the middle of the night like a criminal.
There were no well-wishers to wave goodbye and offer me support. No final hugs or tears of pride from my parents. It was only me and perhaps a few mice who had ventured out into the open now that the palace was empty.
The palace had never been so quiet and it was eerie to know that I was the only fae remaining here. In all of our history there had never been a time when the Fall Court had been abandoned. I understood my father’s decision to evacuate our people. They were the beating heart of the Fall Court and it was our duty to protect them. But complete abandonment of our lands felt wrong. Like we were giving up.
I would never give up.
As I walked up the steps to the dais only the moonlight streaming through the windows lit my way. I reached the thrones, skimming my fingers over the top of my mother’s and father’s gilded seats. They were the same height, signifying that they both ruled over the Fall Court equally, even though everyone knew it was my father who kept things running.
My father was a just and fair ruler and if I made it back—no,whenI made it back—I intended to be just like him.
Passing the thrones, I went to the back wall. The door to the mirror room was cleverly hidden within the wall, blending seamlessly into the mortar between stones.It was almost impossible to find if you hadn’t been shown where it was. Many of the residents of the palace didn’t even know it existed. And why would they? A Fall princess had never served as champion before.
I ran my fingers along the stones, feeling for the break at the door’s edge. It took a little bit of time to find in the low light, but eventually I worked out where it was and pressed in the stone that would cause the hidden door to pop open.
The door groaned as it slowly moved, as if protesting at being woken after such a long rest.
When I entered the windowless room the air was stale and filled with dust. The space was empty except for a full-length mirror propped up against the wall.
I was relieved to see that the portal hadn’t opened yet, and the mirror looked perfectly normal. Its ornate frame was probably impressive at one time, but now was caked with so much dust that its luster and details were hidden.
Using my sleeve I cleared some of the dust from the mirror’s surface, and when I stepped back I was immediately underwhelmed. All I saw when I stared into the mirror was myself. A petite girl with fair skin and a mane of braided red locks hanging over her shoulder.
I hated to admit it, but she didn’t look fearsome or mighty, both things I believed a warrior should. She looked breakable, like a delicate piece of porcelain that was beautiful to look at, but rarely used because of its fragility. And in her eyes, inmyeyes, I saw the most un-champion-like emotion of all.
Fear.
In that moment, I wished I could work my own magic on myself. I’d infuse my body to the brim with courage, wiping away the uncertainty shining from my eyes.
I wanted to step through the portal, knowing I could complete my mission, rather than fearing I’d fail like the champion before me and be forever cut off from the people and land I loved, or worse. I knew I only had thirty days to find an Ethereum lord and carve out his heart before the portal home would close and trap me there forever.
Before my eyes the glass in the mirror started to ripple. I caught my breath and took an involuntary step back as metallic swirls appeared within the frame.
It was exactly how Master Duncan had explained it would be.
It was time.
