Page 46 of Enthralled

“Perhaps,” she smiles back. “Temporarily. But I don’t understand.” Her brow darkens once more. “Why would Ivor want to control the Eight-Crowned Queen?”

“Why do you think? Conquest. He fancies to set himself up as High King of all Eledria.”

“Of course!” Revelation dawns on her face, followed swiftly by horror. “Of course he is Illithorin’s heir! He must have been plotting all this time, back even when he first begged me to teach him how to read. He intended to take control of one of the Noswraiths. And who could stand against him if he succeeded? There are no great mortal mages left.”

“Well, maybe one or two,” I remind her.

“Yes,” she acknowledges. “Oscar. Ivor must have learned about him from Estrilde. He must have set about seducing him just as he tried to seduce me.”

“And if he’d succeeded, he would have had two Noswraith-creators at his beck and call, a formidable force indeed.”

Clara shudders, seeing visions of terror and darkness sweeping across all Eledria. No corner of the fae realms would be safe. “It doesn’t matter though,” she persists. “The gates were all broken. Vespre is cut off from the worlds. Ivor can do nothing now.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“What?”

I rise, leaving her cold and shivering on that pile of garments, and step to the door. Though it is locked and warded, we both know what a feeble barrier it provides against the Noswraiths. But other power shimmers around it, alive and responsive to my touch. I reach for it and feel the magic reaching back. My own magic . . . and my mother’s.

Clara pulls her feet under her and closes her chemise across her breast. I’m very aware of her studying gaze on me. She is so sensitive to magic, particularly that of her own kind. Frowning, she rises, slowly approaches the door, and reaches out a hand, not quite daring to touch it. “What is that?” she asks softly. “It’s not a ward, is it?”

“No.”

“It feels like . . .” She hesitates, as though afraid to name her suspicion, afraid to let herself hope.

“It is the last remnants of the gate between this library and the library in Aurelis,” I supply. “The one Ivor and Oscar passed through. The one Lodírhal destroyed when he set off the reaction that broke all other gates to Vespre as well. But when it came to this one, while he certainly broke it down, he did not have the means to destroy it. Not entirely. It was not his creation. He did not even know of its existence until he discovered it that day.”

“How could Lodírhal not have known about it?”

“Because my mother and I kept it secret,” I answer with a grin. “We worked together to make this gate as a means to visit one another without my father’s knowledge. An innocent enough intention; he was so disapproving and protective of his Fatebound wife. He did not care for her to frequent Vespre more than absolutely necessary, but she enjoyed her time in the library among the other librarians. Besides she felt responsible for the denizens of the city as well as the dangerous books collected here.”

Clara runs her palm up and down the door frame, never quite touching it, simply feeling the reaction of magic against her skin. “Does it still work?” she asks. Those big eyes of hers turn to me, shining with sudden hope.

“No. But I believe I could get it to open one last time. Vespre is so far out in the Hinter now, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold it.” I grip her shoulders, my words low and urgent. “Clara, this is the only chance for the people of Vespre, and a slim chance at that. But if you can get as many of the city folk as you can up here to the library, I will open the gate and send them through to Aurelis.”

I can almost see the images passing through her mind—the faces of her children, those scallywags she fought so hard to claim, to protect, only to abandon. Her need to save them is strong, far beyond any instinct for self-preservation. “How many?” she asks. “How many do you think you can send through?”

“I’ll hold it open for as long as I can. Now that we’ve spent the last delightful hour together and my vitality is restored, I hope I can maintain the connection for some minutes. Even so, it must be done soon. The farther Vespre drifts, the harder it will be.” I tip my head, holding her gaze, needing her to hear and understand my last words. “It may already be impossible.”

She nods. Her complexion is very pale by the moonfire glow, and dark circles ring her eyes. But her brow tightens in that determined knot I know too well. “I’ll do it,” she says. “I’ll bring them up. But you will come with me, won’t you?”

My heart twists. “I cannot. I must remain and guard the gate. If Ivor is still out there, I cannot risk him finding it and getting through to Eledria.”

“But surely he cannot open it! He is no king.”

“He bears the blood of kings in his veins. With a simple gate like this, all he would require is someone on the far side listening for his call.”

“Estrilde,” Clara whispers.

I nod. “So you see, I cannot risk it.”

“But for all we know, Ivor is dead already.” She takes my hand in hers. “For all we know, the Eight-Crowned Queen devoured him.”

“Let us hope so.”

But we both know we cannot count on such a stroke of luck. I see the understanding in her face, even as she wants to fight me. I can’t blame her; the last thing I want after everything we’ve been through is to part from her again. I want to take her in my arms, to hold her fast, to never let go.

Instead I set about packing her satchel with blank books and fresh quills. Then I assist her back into her dress, taking my time over the buttons, kissing the curve of her neck and shoulder. She responds to my touch. I feel the heat spark within her, and it’s all I can do to keep myself from ripping these garments away once more, from losing myself in the delight of her closeness. The final button fastened, I wrap my arms around her from behind, and pull her against my chest. “If you would let me, Darling,” I whisper, “I would open the gate now and send you and our child through. It would be a relief to know that you are safe.” She stiffens, protests forming on her tongue. “But I know you would never allow it,” I continue hastily. “I know you won’t leave your other children behind.”

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