Page 32 of Eternal Thorns

“Like a silver aura thing. It's faint but it is there.” Kai set the tray down carefully.

Silas absently traced one of the key's engravings with his thumb, a gesture he'd seen Marcus make countless times in the dream. Tiny motes of light spun around his fingers, dancing like fireflies before fading.

“Okay, that's definitely new,” Kai said. “Should I be worried? I feel like I should be worried.”

“It feels natural,” Silas said, surprising himself with the truth of it. “Like remembering how to do something I always knew, but forgot.”

Silas closed his eyes, trying to find words for the extraordinary experience. “I had a dream last night. But it felt too real to be just a dream. I was watching my ancestor, Marcus, here in Thornhaven, but not how it is now. It was alive with magic - both human and fey working together.”

“Wait, you had some kind of magical vision about your ancestor?” Kai straightened, alarm replacing curiosity. “After being threatened by an ancient forest spirit? And now you're glowing?”

“I don't know if Thorne sent it or if the key somehow showed me. But I saw him teaching Marcus about forest magic. He was different then, Kai. Not the bitter spirit I met. He was...” Silas struggled to describe the contrast. “He was almost luminous with the joy of sharing knowledge. The way they worked together, it was like watching two halves of something whole.”

“And you think this wasn't some kind of trap? A way to mess with your head?”

“You should have seen how the magic worked.” Silas watched the motes of light still dancing around his fingers. “Marcus didn't try to control it or bend it to his will. The forest magic responded to trust, to invitation. They created something beautiful together.” He paused, remembering. “At least, until something went wrong. There was this shadow at the edges of everything...”

“Okay, stop.” Kai held up his hands. “Let me get this straight. You had an incredibly vivid dream about your ancestor learning magic from the same being who basically threatened to kill you two nights ago. Now you're literally glowing and making lights appear, which you couldn't do before. And somehow you're not terrified?”

“I know it sounds crazy. But it felt true, Kai. Like I was watching something that really happened, something important that everyone forgot. Or chose to forget.”

“Or something that someone wants you to believe happened,” Kai pointed out. “How do you know these weren't manufactured memories meant to lower your guard?”

“Because the manor remembers too. Look at the carvings, the frost, even the way the light moves. Everything we've seen since arriving makes more sense now. This place wasn't meant to be a barrier between realms. It was meant to be a bridge.”

Kai studied his friend's face for a long moment. “You're really not afraid of this, are you?”

“I'm terrified,” Silas admitted. “But not of the magic, or even of Thorne. I'm afraid of not understanding what went wrong back then.”

“And this doesn't strike you as potentially dangerous? Magic that changes how you see things, memories that leave physical traces?”

Without really thinking about it, he lifted the key toward the nearest shaft of sunlight. The metal caught the dawn and transformed it, sending ribbons of gold and silver dancing across the walls.

“Holy shit,” Kai breathed.

“It's not dangerous,” Silas said with quiet certainty. “At least, the magic itself isn't. It's like Marcus wrote in his journal - forest magic wants to be worked with, not against. All those centuries of conflict came from trying to control something that was meant to be a partnership.”

“If you start speaking in riddles like that witch, I'm leaving.”

“Says the guy who spent years pretending he couldn't see magic,” Silas shot back, grinning at his friend. “How many times did you 'accidentally' lead me away from trouble in the woods?”

“That was different.” Kai crossed his arms, trying and failing to look innocent. “I was protecting your noble ass from getting eaten by whatever lived in those trees.”

“Right. And all those 'shortcuts' that somehow avoided the guard patrols?”

“Pure coincidence.” But Kai was smiling now too. “Besides, someone had to keep you from getting caught during your rebellious phase. 'Oh look at me, I'm Silas Ashworth and I'm going to expose corruption while wearing my fanciest coat.'”

“That was one time!” Silas protested, though he was laughing. “And that coat was practical.”

“It had gold buttons.”

“Which reflected exactly zero moonlight when we were sneaking around, thank you very much.”

They grinned at each other, the familiar banter easing some of the tension from the magical discoveries. Even here, surrounded by ancient power and facing unknown dangers, they were still just Silas and Kai - noble heir and servant's son who'd chosen to be brothers despite everything.

“Just promise me one thing,” Kai said, growing serious for a moment. “When you figure all this out with your terrifying forest spirit boyfriend-”

“He's not my-”

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