Facets of Power, page 12
part #3 of The Dragon Portal Series
He gave her a pained expression. “It’s still a tempting thought.”
Rika sniffled and wiped away her tears. “I don’t understand. You’re saying this isn’t real?”
Sabine gave Rika a small smile. “Not completely. I believe you’re worried about me, but not quite as much as you believe. Focus on yourself and allow your seer abilities to shine through. You’ll be able to break through the illusion with your will.”
Rika closed her eyes for a moment. Sabine could see traces of magic sliding off the seer’s skin like rain. Rika opened her eyes, her expression filled with wonder. “You were right. I’m still worried about you, but I don’t feel as hopeless and lost.”
Malek angled his head in Blossom’s direction. The pixie was crying so hard, her entire body was shaking. Glittering red smears of pixie dust coated his palm, dripping from Blossom’s tears and wings. “Do you want to try to tell her it’s an illusion?”
“It won’t do much good,” Sabine admitted with a sigh. “When pixies get this worked up, they usually keep going until they pass out. She won’t respond to words, only magic. I’d normally let her just cry it out, but we need her.”
Sabine withdrew her knife and cut a small lock of her silvery-white hair. She dangled it over Blossom, accompanying the gesture with a soft wave of magic. Blossom froze. The pixie lifted her head, her eyes widening at the sight of the hair. She sat up and snatched the offering out of Sabine’s hand.
“So much magic,” Blossom whispered, clutching the hair tightly against her chest. “It’s so pretty. So sparkly. So soft.” She rubbed it against her cheek and trilled softly. “Is it really all for me?”
Sabine bit back a smile. “Yes, but I need you and Rika to stay here while I handle the rest of the ritual. If there’s a problem, you’ll need to use that magic to send a message to Balkin.”
Blossom eagerly nodded, her dust already turning back to its normal golden color. She flew to Rika’s shoulder, still cuddling the lock of hair against her cheek. Blossom would likely have it braided and worn as jewelry by the time Sabine stepped into the next room.
Sabine turned toward the door leading to Dagmar and the ritual. Now that she’d recognized the influence over everyone’s emotions as being false, the magic was already dissipating. She suspected this next part of the test wouldn’t be so simple to overcome.
Malek took her hand and murmured, “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
She smiled up at him, grateful he was willing to accompany her. He might not be able to help, but his support helped strengthen her resolve. “I’ll need to suppress our bond so I don’t accidentally draw upon your power. If you have any insight during the course of the ritual, you can share them with me. Dagmar is technically sworn to serve my family’s line, but I don’t know the details of that obligation. Until we can be sure about her, try not to arouse her suspicions about your identity.”
“I’ll help you however I can,” Malek murmured. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll follow your lead as much as possible, but there are limits. I won’t allow anything to happen to you.”
“I know.” She moved into him and brushed a light kiss against his lips. “I’m glad you’re going with me, Malek.”
“I’m still tempted to take you away,” he whispered, running his thumb over her hand. “I’d follow you to the underworld and back if it kept you safe.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” she said and led him through the doorway.
Dagmar grinned at Sabine the moment she crossed the threshold. “Oh, good. You passed the first test. Mum said I might have to wait a few hours before you figured it out. I was hoping it wouldn’t take that long.” She gestured at the nearby seating area. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. It’ll take me a few minutes to get everything prepared. I hope you like the room. It’s one of my favorites. The colors are so pretty compared to the other suites.”
“It’s lovely, Dagmar. You’ve cared for everything beautifully,” Sabine said, sweeping her gaze around the room.
The ritual room wasn’t what she’d been expecting. It appeared much like a living area found in most residences in Faerie. In fact, it reminded her of her mother’s sitting room back home. The silver and deep-blue colors belonged to her mother’s line, and nowhere else in Faerie could such a combination be found.
Crystal chandeliers cast their dancing silver lights upon the walls and furnishings. Elegant and plush seating had been artfully arranged throughout the room. Subtle traces of welcoming magic filled the air, inviting people to sit and relax.
Sabine tried to ignore the pang of homesickness that filled her as she ran her fingers across the midnight-blue fabric draped over a lounging bed. Her mother had told her these rooms had once been accessible directly from their home in Faerie.
Unfortunately, the knowledge of how to create new doorways to the in-between had been lost for generations, ever since the gods had abandoned the world. The few doorways that still remained could only take them to predetermined destinations, and most of them were well hidden. It was only by sheer luck she’d found a few of them over the years.
Dagmar walked to a low table on the far side of the room, which contained a collection of baubles and trinkets. She removed a dark-blue cloth and revealed a large clear crystal situated in a silver stand. A circular design, inlaid with a triangular pattern, had been etched on the floor around the table. Dagmar walked around the circle, placing several small red crystals over top of it before turning her attention back to Sabine.
She clasped her hands together and said, “Okay. Before you enter the circle, you have to remove all metals, clothing, jewelry, and anything other than what you come by naturally. Then you can step inside the circle.”
Sabine swallowed and stepped away from Malek. She removed her weapons and handed them to him, and he placed them on a nearby table. Her fingers shook slightly as she unlaced the bindings on her shirt and removed the rest of her clothing. Her nerves were getting the better of her, and she needed to calm herself. He took her clothing, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze before putting her garments beside her weapons.
Dagmar gestured toward the crystal sitting on the table. “Only the true queen of the Unseelie can activate the crystal. You can try to use any of the items within the circle to connect with the magic of Faerie. Your guard can give you advice, but he can’t enter the circle. If you’re a pretender, the protections of this suite will strike you down where you stand.” She winced. “Sorry. I don’t make the rules.”
Taking a steadying breath, Sabine entered the circle and approached the table. The prickle of foreign magic caressed her skin as she passed through the crystal barrier, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She’d participated in similar tests during her youth, but most of them hadn’t ended with death if she failed.
She studied the items on the table but was careful not to touch anything. The crystal was larger than her hand, smooth and polished like a precious gem. It was pretty but unremarkable in its current form. The lack of color was the most telling thing about it. It wasn’t blue, which would indicate it was dormant. An active magic worked within it, but that was all she could determine simply by looking at it.
Sabine turned her gaze to the other items. Two silver bowls were on each side of the table. One of them was filled with clear liquid while the other held a small sample of soil, possibly from the Silver Forest. She leaned over and sniffed the bowl containing the liquid, but it was completely odorless. Water, maybe?
A small brazier and feather sat beside the bowls, while a silver box was tucked farther back in the corner of the table. The box was decorated with an unusual lattice design, a stunning piece of artwork on its own. She peered inside the open box and found a ceremonial knife lying on a velvet cloth. The hilt was affixed with glowing red gemstones, the color reminding her of blood.
Sabine paused, considering it carefully. A knife would be necessary if she needed to create a blood sacrifice to power the spell. The rest of the items could be used as focus devices to harness each of the elements toward the crystal. It was the simplest and neatest solution.
She started to reach for the knife but froze. No. Something was wrong. She swallowed and pulled her hand away, sensing this entire thing was a trap.
“Dammit,” she muttered, frustrated by the puzzle in front of her.
“Are you all right?” Malek asked from his place outside the circle.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m just trying to figure out what’s expected of me. Something about this isn’t quite right.”
Malek was quiet for a moment. “All right. Talk it out with me. What’s on the table?”
“Other than the crystal, all four elements are represented in the form of water, soil, a feather, and brazier,” Sabine said, her gaze gravitating toward the box again. “There’s also a silver box containing a dagger, possibly for a blood sacrifice. The dagger has glowing red stones in the hilt. I think they may be power crystals.”
“Are you supposed to use all of them?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. There could be multiple ways of activating the magic within the crystal or just one.”
“All right,” Malek said, moving closer to the circle but remaining outside of it. “If this test is designed to determine whether you’re the true queen of the Unseelie, your blood is probably the key to unlocking it.”
She nodded, having already come to that conclusion. “I agree, but it doesn’t feel right to me. Blood is used as a sacrifice to power magic, not to determine the rights of succession.”
Malek frowned. “How is succession determined?”
Sabine considered his question. The Wild Hunt always proclaimed the right of succession, even over the wishes of the current monarch. She’d encountered the Wild Hunt thrice, and that was twice more than most people. The Hunt might be able to track her using ties of blood, but something else had proven to the Huntsman her right to rule. It was strange she’d never wondered about it until now.
“I believe it’s determined by right of birth and the type of power you possess. Those with the closest ties to the gods have the purest form of magic.”
Sabine stared at her hands, remembering the last time the Wild Hunt had sought her out. She’d had to expel her magic into the ground, draining it almost entirely. Only after she’d sacrificed her magic completely had the debt been resolved.
She froze. Lifting her gaze, she studied the items on the table in a new light. “That’s it. They’re clues and a trap.”
“What is?”
“All of it,” she said, gesturing at the table. “None of this is real.”
Sabine waved her hand, stripping aside the glamour crafted with Unseelie magic. A rush of magic trailed along her skin, causing it to prickle in awareness as the power subsided. If she had been anything other than the queen of the Unseelie, she wouldn’t have been able to discard the illusion with such ease.
Each of the items sitting on the table were actually crystals, pulsing in red and black colors. Their appearance had been modified to hide their true intent. If she had touched any of them, she would have died instantly. Only the clear crystal in the center remained unaltered, and this was the true part of the ritual.
Sabine’s mouth curved into a smile. “I know what needs to be done.”
Malek frowned. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “The right of succession has already been determined. I simply have to claim it as mine.”
Pressing her hands against the cold crystal, Sabine closed her eyes. She took a steadying breath, remembering the mental exercises she’d learned in her youth. She exhaled slowly, allowing the serene quiet to fill her mind. It was a place between waking and dreaming, a place of visions and forbidden magic. The etchings on her skin warmed and a gentle wind caressed her hair, bringing with it the strong scent of night-blooming flowers.
Sabine abandoned all pretenses and opened her eyes. It was time to accept the person she’d been born to become. She was both Seelie and Unseelie, a creature of the light and dark. Her magic was as multi-faceted as the crystal in front of her. The ground trembled under her feet, and she channeled her power outward, using the crystal as a focus for her might.
Magic erupted from her, and she threw her head back, unleashing all her reserves. Burning pain shot through her fingers and up her arms, the marks on her skin pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She cried out as she fused her power with the crystal, merging her mind with the magic of Faerie.
It embraced both aspects of her power, disregarding the boundaries that had divided the Fae into light and dark for millennia. For a brief moment, a flash of understanding and awareness filled her. The line separating the Seelie and Unseelie Fae had deepened with every dispute, until their very survival was now threatened by greed and ambition.
The dwarves, demons, merfolk, and others who claimed alignment with the Unseelie weren’t immune either. They had once been unified in their intention to protect the world but were now separated by cultural differences and misunderstandings.
The magic contained within the crystal in front of her was a reminder of their shared origins. They’d chosen to divide themselves into different facets of their powers, fracturing their strength when they were stronger as a whole.
A profound sense of loss gripped her. They’d somehow forgotten.
The crystal in front of her began to glow with a silver-and-gold light. Sabine staggered but didn’t release it, sensing Faerie wasn’t finished with her yet. In the distance, she heard something that sounded like the ringing of bells, an announcement or proclamation of some sort.
Power rushed out of the crystal and back into her. Her back went ramrod straight, and she inhaled sharply against the onslaught. It was both foreign and familiar at the same time, tugging at the edge of her memory. Somewhere in other parts of the world, the Unseelie had heard her call. They were all reaching for nearby crystals, channeling their power toward her and infusing her with their strength.
It went beyond that. She felt the awareness of the dwarves through the crystals they created. The cool power of the merfolk flowed through her too, brushing against her absorbed power. A heated blast of demonic might rushed over her, but it was the call of the Fae that spoke to her the loudest.
Tears sprung to her eyes, and elation rushed through her. These were her people, her family, her entire reason for surviving. She was their protector, their leader, their queen. Until now, she hadn’t fully understood. They were one. A single heartbeat, all beating with a singular purpose. They were Unseelie.
The mantle of responsibility settled heavily upon her shoulders, and the magical containment field around the table faded away. She released the crystal and lowered her head, her emotions raw and untethered. Her legs started to give out, but Malek was suddenly there, pulling her into his arms. She leaned heavily on him, grateful for his strength.
She stared down at herself, somewhat surprised to find she was fully clothed. Faerie had adorned her with clothing fit for a queen. Her midnight-blue dress had intricate silver stitching in a pattern reminiscent of moonlight. She touched her head, the weight of the crown a reminder of the burden she now carried.
Sabine looked up and into Malek’s captivating blue eyes, the color reminding her of the sky at twilight. He was gazing at her in wonder, the love and adoration in his eyes mirroring her feelings for him. She lifted her hand and brushed her fingers against his cheek, marveling at the sense of rightness at having him with her in this moment. Faerie had even chosen to adorn him in new attire, only slightly less brilliant than her own.
“You’re all right?” he asked, searching her expression.
She smiled and nodded, pulling him down to kiss him. “Yes.”
She turned and found Dagmar on her knees, her head lowered in fealty. The dwarf peeked up at her with a wide grin and said, “Welcome to Razadon, Queen Sabin’theoria. I think Faerie’s pleased you’ve finally arrived.”
“We’ve tried to account for everything you might need while you’re here, but we don’t get visitors from Faerie often anymore. Maybe three times a century if we’re lucky. But only the royal family is allowed to stay in this suite. It’s special.”
Sabine absently listened while Dagmar continued boasting about the suite of rooms where they’d be staying for the duration of their visit. Once the ritual had been completed, Rika and Blossom joined her and Malek. Faerie had also adorned them in new clothing, and their old ones had been spirited away to an unknown location. Dagmar said such things happened all the time and their belongings would eventually turn up freshly laundered and folded in their rooms.
“Everything’s so pretty in here,” Rika said, leaning close to a crystalline lantern designed to reflect the current phase of the moon on the far wall.
Blossom zipped around, exploring every inch of the room. She peered under and behind the furniture and even studied inside the crystal chandeliers. She lifted her head and called, “No evil dust bunnies up here.”
Dagmar’s eyes widened. “I would hope not. I had to drag the ladder out just the other day to clean inside them. This entire wing has been my clan’s responsibility for eight generations now. We take our duty very seriously.” She gestured toward two hallways on opposite sides of the room. “To your left are the servant’s quarters, kitchens, and laundry areas. Since you don’t have much of a staff with you, my clan will happily fill in. To the right, you’ll find the main bedchamber, bathing room, and five more dignitary rooms. Faerie sometimes changes the layout or number of rooms without telling us, so it might be a little different.”
Rika made a soft noise of exclamation, her wings fluttering even more frenetically. Malek gripped her shoulders and pushed her back down. “Calm yourself, little butterfly.”
“Sorry. I got excited,” Rika said with a sheepish grin before turning back toward Sabine. “Is it safe for Blossom and me to explore? I’ve never been in a magical place before.”
