Page 63 of The Kingdom's Crown

I reached for the prism conduit, the magic thrumming in response, a brief tug of war between my Hunger and the prism's.

"Your Highness, no!" Nathan cried, eyes widening and feet stumbling forward.

I reached into my pocket with my other hand, pulling out a pocket watch I'd tucked away there.

"Bryony!" Aric and Cress both snapped.

But I was already a current of magic, greedily stealing a great mass from the conduit and letting it rush through me. It wasn't as comfortable as my own, more electric, like when Aric had placed glamours to disguise me, but it didn't hurt, and there was a kind of harmony to my magic and what I'd taken from the prism. We were related after all, this magic and I.

The pocket watch in my palm whirred and clinked and disassembled in my palm, the men's eyes going wide. Kenneth overcame his fear and rushed closer, held back from me by Aric's arm. The pieces of cogs and metal multiplied until there were too many to hold in one hand. I cupped my palms together as the collection grew and pieced itself together in new ways, aimlessly guided by my own petty spite for the mages and their rudeness.

I knelt and at last, the men bowed, their eyes tracking the creations in my hand. Three little miniature men. One tall and thin and gawkish. One stooped and toddling with a cane. One rounded and leaning back with his belly displayed proudly. Three golden mechanical mages marching about in useless circles on the tiled floor as their inspiration watched from above.

"Clever," Aric said, a soft, relieved whoosh of air accompanying his praise. A hand dangled in offering out of the corner of my eye, and I reached for it, letting him pull me up and into his side.

"I'm fine," I said softly. "I took more than I really needed so those little buggers aren't likely to stop anytime soon."

Simon was the first to recover after the miniature clockwork Kenneth marched determinedly into the toe of his boot over and over. He did so with a roar of laughter, standing up straight and slapping his thigh as Kenneth and Nathan continued to gape.

"You—you can't just…" Nathan trailed off, undecided on what I could not do.

Simon grinned, bending over to send little Kenneth in the real Kenneth's direction before picking up his own replica. "How much intention did you have?"

I startled, realizing he was speaking to me even, as he set the Simon toy into his palm. The little golden man sat down with thick legs hanging over Simon's fingers, kicking aimlessly.

"None to start, and then only a little," I admitted, embarrassment starting to outweigh indignation. "I was showing off."

"I should say so," Nathan hissed, but he was fixated on the toys and not me.

Simon plucked the toy in his hand by its arm and then raised it to the air, shaking it roughly. It clinked and rattled a little, but when he returned it to his palm, it was every bit as calm as before. "At least you didn't breathe real life into it, although I think it's safe to say, Your Highness, this is work no mage could manage."

I glanced at Aric, and he nodded to me, clearing his throat and drawing their attention. "I…I could. Not as Bryony did, with a whim, but with a great deal of intention and magic moving from her to me directly."

For some reason, unknown to me, this made Kenneth stare at me in absolute horror, before wailing and taking off to the door from which he'd appeared. It slammed shut behind him, and Simon sighed, looking to Nathan.

"I see. Isee," Nathan said. "Very dangerous, I should think."

Simon hummed and shrugged. "With a dangerous intention. Not everyone has one, Nathan. And in the right situation, dangerous can be a positive."

"What would be createdwithoutintention, though?" Nathan continued.

"I could show you."

The men both turned to me again, and I had a feeling they'd forgotten me in the brief conversation.

"While I was at the Winter Palace, much of the magic did its own work until Aric taught me how to contain and control it."

"She transformed the palace and the grounds. Brought an abandoned orchard back to life," Cresswell said, taking my hand in his.

"The Winter Palace…the north!" Simon barked, staring at Aric, who nodded.

"You could send Kenneth to get a soil sample. Everywhere north of Indiva is fairly rich with a healthy stock of magic."

Simon wheeled around to Nathan again. "I told you! I told you those kinds of harvests don't come by chance."

"We have a theory about the harvests," I said.

Simon threw a grin in my direction. "Oh, Your Highness. I love a good theory."

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