Page 43 of Magic Claimed
Maybe the Fae King wrote the Prophecy to end the world instead of saving it. It would be the biggest trick to play on humanity. I couldn’t blame him. The scientists of the old Earth did rip a hole between dimensions and then set about killing everyone who came through. Fear was a great motivator of horrible things.
“Desperation will lead to death,” I said.
“That is why we need to help you, Serafine. I’ve never felt magic so strong before. That’s the strength of magic that can overturn empires,” Anise said.
I shuddered. They didn’t know what they were up against when it came to Esoti and The Six. “You will die if you try.”
“Then help us, Serafine. Yes, we are desperate, but isn’t freedom worth everything?” Anise said.
My plan was to giveanythingfor freedom. “Anise, you said the magic is tethered inside me and can only be released through bonding magic. What happens to the magic if I don’t bond?” I asked.
“It will stay inside you until the day you die.” Anise smoothed her skirts.
“Esoti has tried that many times.” I scoffed. “The number of times I wished he would get it out. That he’d succeed and then I could truly die in peace.”
Silence reigned in the room. I looked up to see all three wolves watching me with that preternatural glow in their eyes. Eike looked especially pained, but of the three, he was the one I could read best. He had a softer heart than Alerick. Definitely softer than Jarom, and I was afraid he’d succumbed the most to this bond.
They’d heard me. I had to remember they had superior shifter hearing. They could probably hear a cricket on the other side of the forest if they concentrated. Embarrassment heated my cheeks. I hadn’t meant to say so much. I’d let down my guard, but it wouldn’t happen again.
I brought my attention back to Anise, straightening my shoulders. “The point is, whatever Esoti has done to me hasn’t worked.”
I was half amazed that knowing I couldn’t die hadn’t put them off. That something that repelled so many. Then again, if the bond so strongly manipulated them, I suspected they didn’t have a choice.
Anise looked pained. A frown marred her forehead as she slid her hand over mine. Slowly I removed my hand from beneath hers, uncomfortable. She clasped her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers. “The day of yournaturaldeath, Serafine. That could be when you are grey and old, or it could be tomorrow. Only the divine knows when that day will come.”
I’d lost faith in the divine years ago, so that didn’t bother me. The divine source was a fabrication people liked to believe in because it made their hard lives easier to bear. Such a benevolent being surely wouldn’t have let me live like I did. “What happens to the magic when I dienaturally?”
Anise shrugged. “It will be lost forever. Serafine, death magic is powerful and only done through utmost desperation. Whatever is inside you was worth dying for, but putting such a potent magic inside you was worth the risk of it being lost forever.”
“But…why would I be chosen for this? I find it hard to think someone would have chosen a slave for something so important. I remember nothing of it,” I said.
“You are important, Serafine.” Eike’s lips lifted.
He would be the hardest to leave, if I were honest. A memory flashed through my mind, jolting me from losing myself in his smile.
“What is it?” Anise asked.
“A memory of my mother, I think. I’m not sure. I don’t remember her at all,” I said.
Anise sat straighter, pinning me with her gaze. “Have you had flashes like that before?”
My cheeks heated and I looked into my lap. “That was the second one.”
“And you started to remember her when you met your mates?” Anise leaned forward, her eyes trailing over my face.
I cringed, not looking at the wolves. That’s exactly when I started to see these images in my mind. I nodded. “How…did you know?”
“The bond is already weakening the death magic and you haven’t fully bonded,” Anise said.
Not yet. I heard her unsaid words in my mind.Not ever!
“I think recovering your memories might help.” Anise looked so excited, it was almost contagious. Almost.
My heart fell when Eike stepped toward me. Alerick came around from the other side of the desk and Jarom crossed his arms, his expression blacker than before.
“Are you sure, Anise?” Alerick asked.
Anise nodded. “It’s a step in the right direction, at the very least. It won’t get the ancient magic out, but it will help her use her natural magic. Anything we can develop will help.”
