Page 24 of Crown of Slumber

My eyes opened slowly, my lashes fluttering as I took in the concern etched into his face. Gods, why did he even care? Wouldn’t he rejoice if I spiraled into a chaotic fit and collapsed into a heap on the ground?

Shame and guilt coiled within my chest, making it hard to breathe for an entirely different reason. I’d been downright hostile to him, but none of this was his fault. Even after he swore on his own blood, I still had treated him poorly.

I had gotten along with him just fine in the forest when we danced. Perhaps I could try to see him as that handsome stranger in the woods instead of the prince of an enemy kingdom.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my cheeks heating. Mother was right; I behaved abhorrently toward other courtiers. And my sour attitude wasn’t helping anyone. “Please forgive me, Fennick. I should not be so cruel to you.”

Half his mouth quirked into a smile, his eyes brightening. “Think nothing of it, Your Highness. Andplease, call me Fenn.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest, and I nodded. “Very well, Fenn. And… you can call me Aurelia.”

His smile widened, and for a moment, he was nothing more than the charming man I’d danced with in the forest.

The tent flaps slid open, and I stepped away from Fenn, my face flushing as I wrung my hands together, suddenly flustered.

The dark-haired witch appraised us both with a sharp look. “The sage will see you now.”

Something had happenedbetween Aurelia and the witches, and whatever it was, it still haunted her. As curious as I was about it, I knew she would never tell me. I was the last person in the realm she would trust with that.

Perhaps it had to do with her fae magic. I wasn’t sure what her power was. Maybe it was dangerous and volatile. Maybe she had little control over it.

I could understand possessing a power you didn’t want.

Yes, my powers of persuasion were convenient. But after years of using them for my own gain and for the benefit of my people, I started to feel exactly like the filthy deceiver Aurelia believed me to be. And it became harder to tell the difference between people who genuinely agreed with me, and those who were coerced into it by my magic.

Aurelia and I entered the sage’s tent, and the flaps closed behind us. To my surprise, the dark-haired witch remained outside, leaving us alone with the sage.

The tent was bigger than I’d pictured, spanning the size of my bedchamber. In the center of the space was a bubbling cauldron, though I saw no fire burning underneath it. Shelves lined the perimeter of the tent, filled with ancient books and texts as well as various magical objects such as crystal balls, jars of sinister-looking fluid and body parts, and black candlesticks.

Atop a stool in front of the bubbling cauldron was a petite figure with white hair. Her eyes were closed, her fingers hoveringover the steaming contents of the cauldron as she whispered words in a different language.

Beside me, Aurelia shifted her weight on her feet, clearly uncomfortable. I thought of how she’d nearly stopped breathing from her panic earlier, and I stepped forward to speak.

Before I could, the woman said in a low, ethereal voice, “I know who you are, Prince of Midnight.”

I stilled at that. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which were a piercing silver as they fixed on me. “Your kind have shunned my people for centuries. And you dare set foot on our holy soil?”

I swallowed. “Whatever animosity exists between the royal family and the fae witches does not extend to me,Shalani.”

The sage straightened, her eyes flaring wide.Shalaniwas a term of respect in the witches’ holy tongue. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed me with closer scrutiny. “And yet,” she said slowly, “you have done nothing to quell such animosity, have you? A prince of noble breeding such as yourself would have remarkableinfluenceon other people, wouldn’t you agree? But you choose not to use it.”

I frowned at the way she’d saidinfluence.As if she knew exactly what my fae magic could do. My spine was rigid, my skin prickling with awareness. I said nothing more, partly because I had no response—she was right, after all—and partly because I was afraid what I would give away by speaking. It already seemed she knew too much about me.

The sage’s eyes slid to Aurelia. “Lady Aurelia. I am surprised to see you here, given what occurred the last time you visited our lands.”

Aurelia’s cheeks flushed, and she bowed her head. “Forgive me, Samiria. I would not intrude if it were not urgent.”

“You’re referring to the sleeping curse.” Samiria slid off the stool, sweeping her emerald cloak to the side as she strode toward us. Though she only came up to my chest, her presence was still commanding.

Aurelia sucked in a sharp breath. “You know?”

“Of course I know, child. When a powerful magical presence enters my domain, Ialwaysknow.”

“Then, what is it? How do I break the enchantment?”

Samiria said nothing for a long moment. She dragged a longfinger along the rim of the cauldron, seemingly unbothered by whatever heat emanated from it. Finally, she murmured, “I do not know. It is no magic I have seen before.”

Aurelia’s shoulders sagged, and her breathing turned shaky. “There is nothing you can do?”

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