After we navigated through the first crowd and ventured deeper into the village, she moved her horse closer to mine.
“I don’t normally travel without an armed guard,” she admitted, glancing around nervously.
Her skittish behavior immediately put me on high alert. “Is everything okay? Is there a reason to fear your subjects?” I asked, scanning the streets for any signs of a threat.
She turned to me, keeping her voice low. “They all know about my gift. There are so many with ailments or sickness, especially now that we’re housing so many refugees from cursed lands. The last time I went out in public, I was nearly trampled by fae begging for healing. I’m incapable of saying no, so I helped as many as I could until I passed out from exhaustion.”
A knot tightened in my chest. She had such a tender heart that I could easily see her giving to the point of endangering herself. And that terrified me.
A surge of protectiveness rose within me. “Trust me, I would die before letting you be trampled.”
A pink blush crept up her cheeks, and she ducked her head, smiling softly.
“Even so,” I said, “I think keeping your identity hidden is a good idea.”
She nodded, then a look crossed her face, as though she’d just remembered something.
“I hope you don’t think it rude of me to ask, but have you had any difficulties with your magic since arriving in Faerie?”
The comment startled me. How would she know about that?
“I have, in fact, been having some issues. Ever since I’ve come to your world, my powers have been … unreliable.” I hated to sound weak, especially after promising to protect her. “I’m not sure what’s been going on, but I can assure you I’m still capable of protecting you.”
Her eyes went wide at that, and a blush began to darken her cheeks. “No, no, I’m not questioning you,” she said in a rush. “It’s just something Queen Liliana said when I was her prisoner.”
The mention of the queen immediately blackened my thoughts. What I wouldn’t give to have her in front of me right now. Unreliable powers wouldn’t stop the retribution that I’d rain down on her for what she did to Lorelei.
“Please, don’t be upset,” Lorelei said quickly, misinterpreting my anger toward the queen.
I forced a smile, shaking the murderous thoughts from my mind.
“I’m sorry. I’m not upset with you for bringing it up. Only the mention of the queen ignited a spark of my rage. It was nothing you did,” I assured her.
She nodded in understanding. “It’s just that I think I may know what’s going on with your magic.”
I raised my eyebrows, twisting a little in my saddle to look at her more fully. “Truly?”
She nodded. “The queen said that she learned if an Ethereum lord were ever to venture to Faerie, the curse would begin to pull on his magic, weakening him.”
So that was what was happening? The curse was taking my magic?
A furrow appeared between Lorelei’s brows, concern clear on her face. “She said it would eventually deplete you of your magic entirely.”
A rush of alarm shot through me. Was that even something I could survive?
The worry on Lorelei’s face deepened, and she looked close to tears. Seeing her so distressed was like a knife to my heart. I forced a fake sense of levity into my voice and a broad smile onto my face. “Well, I can assure you I still have a deep well of magic to tap into. If that is, in fact, the truth, it will still be some time before I have to worry about that.”
Relief immediately softened her features, and then her gaze shifted to my hands. “Do you mind me asking what kind of power do you have? I heard the Ethereum lords have—” She stopped herself, biting her lower lip as if unsure whether to continue.
A rush of desire shot through me at the sight, and I shifted in my saddle, clearing my throat. Forcing my gaze away from her mouth and back to her eyes, I urged her gently, my voice a little deeper than usual. “Go on.”
She paused for a moment before saying, “Dark powers. Shadow magic.”
Ah, yes. I wasn’t surprised that’s what she thought. The fae in Faerie had been villainizing Ethereum and its lords for hundredsof years, spreading misconceptions and outright lies to justify killing our lords time and time again. From speaking with my brothers’ wives, especially Isolde, I knew that many in Faerie believed Ethereum—and especially the lords’ magic—to be dark and evil. It wasn’t. It was just different from the magic here, and I believed that, in time, Lorelei would start to see the stories she’d been told about my realm for what they truly were:lies.
I glanced at her and smiled, hoping to put her at ease but feeling a bit nervous that I might scare her. “In relation to your healing magic, yes, mine might seem dark. I can shoot and control black lightning. And I can also manipulate shadows, though not as well as some of my brothers. The lightning is my primary power.”
Her eyes widened at that. “Lightning? From your hands?” She didn’t seem afraid—more curious, and for that, I was relieved.
