Page 27 of Eternal Thorns

Balance,the shadow mocked.Is that not just another word for limitation?

Silas wanted to scream warnings into the dream. He could feel the weight of future consequences hanging over this moment, could see the first cracks forming in something beautiful. But he was trapped in the role of observer, watching helplessly as temptation wound tighter around his ancestor's heart.

The dream began to fragment, colors bleeding into shadow. Through the dissolution, Silas caught glimpses of what was to come.

But just before everything dissolved completely, something changed. Thorne turned, looking not at Marcus but directly at Silas. The guardian's eyes held centuries of grief, but also something else.

Choose differently,that look seemed to say.For both our sakes.

Silas jerked awake with a gasp, the key burning against his skin. He was back in his own bed, moonlight painting silver stripes across the floor. For a moment, the boundary between dream and reality felt tissue-thin. Forest magic still sang in his blood, and he could have sworn he felt Thorne's presence lingering like frost on a window.

10

WHISPERS AND WARNINGS

Kai found the hidden study exactly where Silas had described, though getting past the manor's awakening wards proved more challenging than expected. Each step deeper into Thornhaven stirred magic that recognized him differently now.

The room itself pulsed with ancient power. Scrolls and artifacts lined shelves that seemed to shift when viewed directly. But it was the journal open on the massive desk that drew his attention.

His grandmother's handwriting filled the margins, notes cramped between Marcus's elegant script. The sight made his throat tight - here was proof she'd been more than just a hedge witch serving noble whims.

“Finally ready to accept your inheritance?”

He spun to find Agnes watching from the doorway, her clouded eyes seeing far too much.

“I'm not...” he started, but she waved away his protest.

“Blood isn't the only thing that carries power,” she said, moving to examine the journal. “Your grandmother understoodthat. Why do you think she arranged for you to be Silas's companion all these years?”

“I thought...” The truth he'd been avoiding crystallized. “The watching. The reporting. That wasn't just about protecting him, was it?”

“No.” Her smile held secrets and sympathy both. “Some magics require balance of high and low, noble and common. Your friendship with Silas was cultivated for more than just companionship.”

The implications staggered him. “Does he know?”

“He will.” Agnes touched the journal gently. “When the time comes, you'll both understand why true balance requires all barriers to fall - not just those between realms.”

Through the study windows, the Eldergrove loomed dark and watchful. But for the first time, Kai felt its magic reach for him not as servant's son or noble's friend, but as something new entirely.

Something waiting to be defined by choice rather than circumstance.

“Tell me about her,” Kai said finally, his fingers hovering over his grandmother's handwriting. “What was she really doing all those years in the manor kitchens?”

Agnes settled into one of the study's ancient chairs, her practical dress a stark contrast to the room's grandeur. “Building foundations. Creating connections. Every herb she grew, every remedy she mixed, carried traces of old magic. She was teaching the household to trust power that came from common hands.”

“The headache cures.” Understanding dawned in Kai's eyes. “The sleeping draughts for noble children. Even the kitchen gardens she helped tend...”

“All preparing for this moment.” Agnes gestured at the journal. “She knew what was coming. That true balance wouldrequire noble and common magic to merge. Just as your friendship with Silas creates bridge between classes.”

“But why not tell me?” A hint of betrayal crept into his voice. “All those years, watching me stumble through lessons she could have taught directly...”

“Some knowledge has to be earned through experience.” Agnes's clouded eyes held surprising warmth. “Would you have understood, really understood, the importance of bridging worlds if you hadn't lived it first? If you hadn't chosen friendship with Silas for its own sake, rather than some grand magical destiny?”

Kai's hand finally settled on the journal's pages. Magic hummed beneath his fingers, familiar as kitchen herbs and powerful as noble spells. “She wrote about everything, didn't she? Every small moment that helped build toward change.”

“Your first meeting with Silas in the woods. The times you helped him navigate court politics from behind scenes. Each choice that drew you closer despite social barriers.” Agnes smiled. “She saw how your natural friendship would help reshape what magic could be.”

“And now?” Kai looked toward the Eldergrove, feeling its power reach for him with new purpose.

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