Page 104 of Enchanted Heir
As the magic wrapped around my father’s throat to finish covering him entirely, he said, “I’ll always love you, Jorah girl. No matter what.”
And then right before me, the black magic finished covering him entirely, and in a blast of power, the magic and my father both dissolved into ash.
My father was nothing but a pile of ashes before me.
I screamed and ran forward. “No! No, no, no. I could’ve helped. I could’ve made the magic disappear.”
“Jorah.”
I spun toward my mother. It hadn’t been her voice but was another I knew well.
“Jorah.”
“I’m so sorry, Father,” I told his pile of ashes. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you.”
“Jorah,” the voice repeated, and I felt myself getting tugged.
“I’m sorry.”
Gasping, I came to. Krew was in bed next to me leaning over me. The moonlight reflecting into the room from the veranda doors gave just enough light to see his worried face.
And then the tears that had already been there in the nightmare came full blast in real life.
“Jorah,” Krew said gently. “I’m here, love. I’m here.”
Without asking, I curled into his chest and bawled my eyes out.
He ran his fingers through my hair. “Try to match your breathing with mine, okay?”
I took a shuddered breath, not sure that was possible through the tears streaming down my face and taking my body captive. “I’ll try,” I whispered.
For countless minutes I laid there, realizing the dream had only been just that. When my father had been alive, I hadn’t even known I had Iron Will and could make magic vanish. But still. It had felt so real.
“Can I ask if it was about my father?” Krew asked, his voice lethal.
I sighed. “Yes, but no. It was aboutmyfather. I watched my father get paralyzed and trapped in magic.” I paused. “Magic that was black.”
Krew was quiet, letting me continue.
“I knew all I had to do was touch it, and then it’d vanish. But it was always just out of reach.” I shuddered. “I watched the magic cover him entirely and turn my happy and healthy father into nothing but a pile of ash.”
“I’m so sorry, Jorah.”
I sat up abruptly. “Wait. Can magic actually do that? Can you turn someone into a pile of ashes with your magic?”
He shook his head. “No. I can make them feel as if they are on fire though they are not. I can immobilize them. A strong Enchanted can freeze someone entirely like I did with Michael. Not that my father would advertise this, but our magic inherently does not kill. The blow that takes a life or saves it has nothing to do with the magic and everything to do with the wielder.”
That did make me feel a bit better. “So it just immobilizes your prey and makes them much easier to kill?”
Krew moved to sit up with me, running a hand down my back. “Yes, exactly.”
Was my dream my projections of my worst fears about magic coming to life? I’d been tryingnotto think about what Owen had said about bonding with Krew and helping them take down the king. I didn’t want the power that came with magic. I didn’t want it to change who I was. But I also didn’t want Krew to die. So which was more important to me? It was like my dream was reminding me of everything that had me skittish about magic to begin with. Everything that made me fear holding that kind of power.
Krew was up and out of bed, returning in just a moment with a glass of water to hand to me.
I took a sip, realizing that had been exactly what I needed after a good cry. “Thank you.”
“How can I help?” Krew asked.
