Page 165 of Enchanted Heir
Needing the hair dryer that Krew was already using, I took a break to steal a forkful of the chocolate cake dessert.
“Guys,” Keir said, loud enough over the sound of the hair dryer.
Krew fired it down and we both moved in behind where Keir sat at the table.
“Look.”
Theon’s experiments have been thankfully mostly unsuccessful. I fear based on recent behavior he is going to force me to siphon my magic to him. We both know there are only two things in the world I would ever willingly give up my magic for. My sons. Theon knows what taking all of my magic will do, that it will likely weaken me beyond repair. But if it makes him stronger, he will do it anyway. No matter the cost to me.
I sucked in a breath.“What?”My eyes went to Krew’s. “He took your mother’s magic? Not just a drop, but all of it?”
Keir moved to stand; Krew and I both stepped back to let his chair come backwards.
“She wasn’t sick,” Keir offered, his magic spreading across him in a flash. “We thought that she was sick, that was why she was slowly deteriorating.”
“She wasn’t sick,” Krew agreed. “He just tore her magic from her. Bit by bit. And likely kept doing it until she wasted away to nothing, her body too worn out to recover or recoup the magic.”
My heart ached for this woman who I didn’t know but had grown to love through the journals she’d left us.
“So it’s not just any magic he’s wearing, it’s your mothers?” I asked softly.
Keir and Krew looked at one another, communicating some message in just a glance.
“What is it?”
Krew shook his head and looked at me. “The reason my father likely chose my mother to begin with, was because she was powerful. More powerful than any of the other consorts.” He paused. “If he holds his magic and hers...”
“We can’t beat him,” Keir finished. “Even if he’s wearing only her magic, we won’t beat him. Not unless we can get her magic away from him.”
We were all quiet for a moment as we took that in. Krew’s magic was beginning to match Keir’s and I wasn’t sure who’s was brighter. “You both are glowing,” I whispered. “Can I help?”
“No,” Krew said, striding for the balcony.
Keir and I followed him.
Krew turned to me and kissed me hard. “I’m sorry, love. I know how you feel about this.” He paused. “I just found out my father killed our mother. I need to go use some serious magic or I will walk down that hallway right now and get myself killed.”
“I’m coming too,” Keir agreed, giving me an apologetic glance.
I was still standing there, not knowing how to help them, when the princes took off over the balcony. First we had the suspicions about the king poisoning the other countries, now this. Was there no end to the king’s depravity?
I grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders and went out onto the veranda. Within minutes, I could see blue magic lighting up the night.
CHAPTER41
Iclomped through the hardened snow on the way to feed Rafe.
“He just needs a minute,” Owen offered gently as he put up a moving sound barrier around us. “His hate for his father has reached new heights recently, and I’m not sure that was even possible to begin with.”
I let out a sigh and breathed in a deep inhale, taking in that woodsy smell which still somehow smelled fresh, even in the winter. “I know.” I paused. “It’s just that sometimes when he gets all withdrawn like this, I think he knows he’s going to go try to kill the king. So every time he pulls back, I begin to worry it’s going to happen soon.”
Owen shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. Because of what the three of you found out, his plans have never been farther away from happening. Which he also likely resents.”
It had been more than a week since we found out the king had stolen their mother’s magic. It had brought a screeching halt to all the disloyal scheming, and we were now focusing all our energy on ways to figure out what object the king was in possession of which held their mother’s magic.
Krew had even bribed a staff member to steal the king’s dagger, the same one he sunk into Nico’s chest, so we had one of the suspected objects in hand. Hatcher was having it tested, but based on the king’s lack of noticing or caring, we were wagering it was not the dagger.
“I’m still betting on it being the ruby,” Owen stated. “For the record.”
