A Crown of Ice and Fury, page 17
part #1 of A Crowns of Magic Universe Series Series
“Let’s go,” Isolde said. “I’m starving!”
The rebels arrived three bells later.
“I understand we can’t all stay at the castle,” a rebel asked as we made our way through Myrr, “but why are we so far from it?”
Many of these fae were used to being in the same castle as Thyra at all times, some having her steps down the hallway. They hadn’t enjoyed learning that they’d be separated from her, and I suspected that any distance short of across the street would not be suitable.
“These three buildings have many little homes inside,” Bac replied. “They will house all of you in the same place, which is the best we could do.”
“You? Not us . . . you’re not staying with us, are you, Bac?”
I cringed. We’d thought that such news would be better coming from Bac. He was one of their own. Perhaps we’d been wrong.
“I’m not,” Bac replied. “Nor are Brynhild or the three Valkyrja who accompanied you. They’ll be advising and protecting the princesses. However, I’m here almost daily checking in. And the princesses have visited.”
Once and only briefly. They wanted to come down more often, but magic and combat practice took up most of their time.
Grumblings sounded off and rippled through the throng of traveling rebels. Things weren’t going well, and not just with those new to the city.
As we made our way through the snow-free streets, I couldn’t help but notice many of the citizens of Myrr were watching us. Precious few with welcoming smiles on their faces. No, these looks of dislike were born from turns of rebel actions towards the Myrranese and other outlying towns. Of word spreading further and wider of exactly who was being allowed to live in the city.
I did my best to ease the anxiety choking the streets, waving and smiling at some fae, and when we reached the buildings where the rebels would stay, I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the experience was over. That soon the rebels would be safe and the citizens of Myrr would not see them as a threat.
Things will be fine, I thought, just as the first rotten apple soared into the crowd behind me and slammed into a youngling’s head. She cried out, and rebels burst from the group and towards the supposed offender. So fast. As if they’d been waiting for an attack.
“Stop!” Sian shouted as he and Filip darted toward those in this city. Fae they had influence over. “Everyone stop!”
Luccan, Bac, and I veered for the rebels, who were the only ones armed since they’d had to walk for days through the kingdom. The fae Valkyrja joined us, sandwiching themselves between my line and that of Sian and Filip.
Bac thrust his hands toward the few rebels who had surged out of the protective bounds of the Balik soldiers. “Where will you go if the high lord throws you out of Myrr?”
“They started it!” a female, the mother of the struck youngling, if the way she clutched the crying child to her was any sign. “We’re trying to get to safety.”
“Like you deserve it! Look at those weapons!” a citizen of Myrr shouted. “Might even be the same steel that cut into my son two turns back!”
I swallowed. That fae might be right. I had no way to be sure, and I doubted the rebel did either.
“And she looks like an orc!” A male thrust a finger at Tonna, one fifth of my mate’s Valkyrja.
To Tonna’s credit, her facial expression didn’t change in the slightest. I suspected that outside the home she’d made with the rebels, Tonna was used to being feared and mocked.
“Quiet! I demand quiet!” Filip held up his hands, and because he was the next lord of the southlands and everyone in the city recognized him, people did, in fact, fall quiet.
“My father has pardoned these people! We’re in an alliance with the Princesses Isolde and Thyra Falk, and these fae are loyal to them. You will not harm them. You will not violate them. And if you do, there will be severe repercussions.” Filip stared into the crowd, as if daring them to say otherwise. “We are allies now, and the people of the Golden City will treat them as such!”
Grumbles came from those who called Myrr home, but no one spoke out. No one struck again.
“Now,” Sian broke the tension-filled silence. “If the Myrranese could give us some space to get these people settled in, it would be appreciated.”
A few bowed or curtsied to their lordlings, chastened. Notable others, however, tossed sour looks over their shoulders as they left. Only when the last subject of Myrr was gone did I relax.
“Bac, Luccan, and the Valkyrja, get the travelers settled please.” They nodded at my command and shuffled people into the apartment. Once I stood alone with the Balik males, I spoke freely. “We’ll need to set up a larger guard right away. I don’t trust that nothing will happen if we leave the rebels alone. But I don’t want them to feel as if they can’t leave to do something as simple as taking a walk either.”
Myrr might not be their forever home, but it was their home for now.
“Agreed,” Filip exhaled. “We’ll leave half the guard that came with us, and I’ll speak to my father about creating a rotation.”
Sian gave his younger brother an approving look. “They’ll be safe. We promise. It might take the Myrranese some time, but they’re a peaceful people.”
Yes, but uncertain times could change people. War could too. Still, there was nothing to do but proceed with the plan, and hope that we’d made the right choice in bringing everyone to the Golden City.
Chapter 20
ISOLDE
My fingers trembled as tendrils of shadows spun from their tips to retrieve a goblet.
“Almost there, Isolde.” Thyra leaned so far forward on the settee in my quarters that she was in danger of tipping off. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
After days of reading the book bound with Shadow Fae skin and practicing as often as we could, my sister and I had both managed to call tendrils of shadow magic out of our bodies. And about fifty percent of the time, those emerging shadows would listen to what we wished.
The end effect was much like when we used Sassa’s Blade. However, this power came from within us and not a bloodthirsty sword that King Érebo imbued with his magic for his mate. Then again, using the dark tendrils didn’t sit particularly right with us either.
My sister and I agreed that shadow magic felt oily and off. Nothing like our crisp and clean winter magic. Like something that had forced its way into us and was not truly a part of us. Not yet anyway.
Had Falks in the past felt that too? Had they known about this dark power hidden deep within our lineage and embraced it? I didn’t think we’d ever find out. They wouldn’t risk writing about such things. Not even in personal journals. The Shadow Fae had a poor reputation, and wielding their magic would not be in favor.
Will not be in favor, I reminded myself as I focused on the goblet, the rim stained with red wine. I commanded the tendrils to pick up the vessel and bring it to me.
The shadows swooped around the vessel, caressed it, and I felt the coolness of metal and glass against my own fingers, smooth and faceted. An odd sensation since I wasn’t touching the materials, except through my magic. I tried not to let that strangeness distract me and instead made my request again.
Pick it up. Bring it back.
The tendrils tightened their hold and the goblet hovered in the air and floated my way. I held my breath. Thyra’s excitement seemed to mount as the object of focus got closer and closer. When the shadows stopped in front of me, I reached out and took the vessel in my hand. I turned to my sister and beamed.
“Nice job.” She returned my smile. “I think we’ve got a handle on this. At least for small tasks.”
“Repetition is key,” I agreed.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine. Not tired.” When we’d first started practicing with shadow magic, our attempts had wiped us out within minutes, but I had built up a tolerance.
“I felt stronger too. We should try to move larger objects. Or perform more complex tasks.”
In learning to use shadow magic, Thyra had progressed further than me, and she wanted to move on to something that might tip the scales in the days to come. To use the shadows in battle.
“I’m all in for lifting bigger things, but I’m not ready to spar yet.”
“Maybe we should study the book more and see where we can stretch our powers next.” She gestured to where it sat, pages open and waiting. Not only did it have the basics of Shadow Fae magic in it, but the tome possessed lessons on advanced magic, some of it quite wicked and gory.
I opened my mouth to reply as a knock sounded at my door. To my horror, my shadows flew at the handle. Wrapped around it.
“Wait!” I cried, but my control over them was gone. The tendrils opened the door, shot past Astril, the Valkyrja on guard, and hovered—right in front of Saga and Marit.
Marit’s eyes went wide, and Saga’s mouth dropped open. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so bleeding horrible.
Pushing my will into the shadows, I commanded them to dissipate. To vanish. They did, but the damage had been done.
Saga made to step into my room, and Astril held out a hand to stop her.
“Let her.” There was no way around this.
Saga breezed past the vampire and pulled Marit in behind her. The door shut, leaving us alone, and the princess studied me with interest. “You have some explaining to do.”
“We will,” I assured her.
“We? Do both of you have them?”
I wanted to slap myself, but there was only one thing to do. Tell the truth and beg them to stay quiet until we were ready to let others know.
“Yes,” Thyra said. “We only recently found out. We were waiting to spread the word, but Isolde’s shadows had something else in mind.”
Saga nodded. “It would seem so. Tell me what happened.”
So we did. We told Saga and Marit what only a select few knew. Once we finished, Marit breathed out a long breath.
“This might hurt your cause.”
“We expect that,” Thyra replied. “That’s why we’re trying to master the power. It’s only a matter of time before the Shadow King likely outs us anyway.”
“Well, I’ll stay quiet,” Marit said.
“As will I, but now I have something to admit,” Saga said slowly.
My eyebrows flew up. “Do tell?”
“I think I’ve seen that magic before.”
You could have heard a sewing needle drop in the suite.
“It was a long time ago, so I might be wrong,” Saga filled the silence. “I was on a blessing journey.”
“A what?” I asked.
“It’s where royals go on ships to bless the maiden voyage,” Saga explained. “It was my first journey of the sort and pirates attacked. I thought they were mages, or at least part mage. Their kind can wield darkness too, and it looked just like that. I mistook it for smoke during the fight. Only later did Sayyida call them shadows, and I agreed. The dark masses we saw looked more like that. Less hazy and more like a bending of dark light. They were the oddest thing I’ve seen, and very much like what you just wielded, though larger.”
I cut Thyra an incredulous glance.
“I wonder if I wasn’t seeing Shadow Fae?” Saga’s tongue pressed against her cheek, making it bulge out. “Sayyida might remember more.”
“That’s all you can tell us?” Thyra pressed.
“I can tell you the entire tale, but what’s important is the magic looked the same, and many of those on board looked like fae. I didn’t leap to the Shadow Fae conclusion because why would I? As far as everyone knew, they were gone.”
“Mages, or part mages, does make more sense,” I agreed. “We’ll ask Sayyida more when she arrives.”
“Now, I must ask, what brought you two here?” Thyra changed the subject.
“Ah! Right!” Saga’s lips formed a cunning smile. “I come with news of the Frør Crown.”
Thyra stiffened. “How?”
“I’m a seer. I see visions of the future. Possible futures. And sometimes I’ve seen the past. In one such vision, I saw your mother and father talking about the Crown.”
I blinked. “When did this happen?”
“Before I met you. It was one of my first visions. And to be fair, I didn’t know who the fae I was watching were. I thought they were a lord and lady looking at a crown their ancestors once wore before the Unification. I haven’t seen the Hallow in person, but today Clemencia showed me a painting of the Frør Crown, and I recognized it immediately. The people in my vision must have been your parents.” Her tone dropped at the end, unease taking over.
I blamed Saga for nothing and would not have her feeling guilt over her parents’ actions. She hadn’t even been born when her father overthrew my family.
“What did you see?” I asked.
“It was a long time ago, so my memory is fuzzy, but . . . The Frør Crown can show you things that happened, right?”
“Yes,” Thyra said. “Though it’s only done so once. To Isolde when she first put it on.”
Inside a vault in Avaldenn, the Crown had shown me the scene between King Érebo and Sassa Falk. However, despite trying the Hallow on multiple times since, I’d seen nothing else. Neither had Thyra, and she had tried to use it far more times than I had. The only other time the Crown showed signs of life was when it had heated—just as Sassa’s Blade had—as we drew close to where King Érebo had been trapped in the tree.
“Well, your father, King Harald, mentioned that the Crown can also see the future. Even manipulate it in small ways.”
I sucked in a breath. Manipulate the future—like by working with the Blade to draw us into a mountain where an ancient enemy waited. Vale had called the Crown scheming, for it seemed to have led us to the Shadow Fae King, the very faerie it had shown me in the vision. Maybe he had been right.
“Are you sure that’s what he said?” I asked.
“It always stuck with me because how can a crown be manipulative?” Saga shrugged. “Anyway, King Harald also said that within your family, it was called the Seer’s Crown. I got the sense that he was explaining it so that your mother would try to use it.”
“Does that mean only seers can use it for the future?” Thyra asked.
“Mother was a healer.”
“Some people have multiple talents. Perhaps she had visions and our father wanted to test the bounds of possibility.” My twin paused, and I got the sense she wanted to say more but did not.
Before the Shadow King freed shadow magic within me, I had only been able to use winter magic. However, there were indeed many fae with multiple talents. Like Saga, a seer with winter magic. Or Thantrel, who could speak with animals, use air magic, and had other small magics too.
“Besides, Isolde used it, so I think that makes it clear that you don’t need to be a seer. More likely the power is tied to your family name,” Saga said. “Maybe the first ruler to use it had been a seer and imbibed some of that magic into a Hallow of the realm? More importantly, if you learn how to use the Crown properly, small things might be able to change.”
A pebble tossed into a pond caused ripples. Small matters might well change the course of our lives. Of many lives.
“What else do you know?” Thyra demanded.
“Nothing. I was ripped from that vision of the past and never looked for it again. Not until I saw that painting.”
“Can you try to learn more?” I asked. “Maybe look for people speaking of the Crown in the past? Or see the future with clarity?”
“I doubt it,” Saga said. “Some of the best seers could, but I’m far from that. I won’t develop my magic all the way for turns to come.”
“But could you try?” Thyra pressed.
“Of course I can try, but I make no promises.”
I shot my sister a sidelong glance. It was a step. In which direction, I wasn’t sure, but at least we had an idea of what the Crown could do in capable hands.
“Please do,” I said to my friend. “We’d appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Saga looped her arm through Marit’s. The latter still looked thunderstruck to have walked in on Thyra and me using shadow magic. “Well, I suppose we’ll let you get back to practicing.”
“Uh, yes. Good luck,” Marit said, as though she barely believed the words coming out of her own mouth.
I laughed dryly. “Thanks. We’re going to need it.”
Alone again, Thyra turned to me. “There’s something I must tell you. Something few people know but might be useful knowing what we now know about the Frør Crown.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m a dreamer.”
Having grown up alongside humans, I hadn’t known many fae, and some magics were more common than others. Like elemental magic.
“What is that?” I asked.
“I see visions, but only when I am asleep.”
I gasped. “A seer.”
“Not in a very useful way, though. I bet I have weaker control over my magic than Saga.”
I did not doubt that. Seer magic was unpredictable and often took many decades to learn how to manage.
“Still, this means the power could run in our family to this day. Have you worn the Crown to bed?”
She laughed. “It’s uncomfortable, and why would I think to do that?” An elbow hit my side. “I’m not that full of myself.”
“Debatable.”
My twin stuck out her tongue. “Faetia forbid a lady like herself.”
“You should try it tonight,” I said, ready to get to the meat of the matter. “With what Saga told us, it makes some sense.”
Thyra stared at me, and after a few seconds, nodded. “I’ll give it a try.”
Interlude
LADY SAYYIDA VIRTORIS, HOUSE OF THE SEA SERPENT
The eastern winds blew her curls around her eyes as Sayyida Virtoris strode through the throngs of dockworkers, gaze downcast to draw minimal attention.
