Page 56 of A Glimpse of Music

Softly, she said, “I hope you accomplish that. Otherwise, I fear we will never see the two of you again.” The thought struck a blow to her heart. She wanted them in their lives. The feat seemed impossible.

Fire continued to simmer within Bastien’s eyes, yet the carefree mask returned to his face as he tipped his chair back and kicked his feet up on the table. “Tomorrow is a full moon.”

Father swatted at his feet with a napkin. “Get those filthy things off the table.”

“It’s my table.”

“And this is supper, you heathen.”

Bastien snorted, his chair hitting the floor with a thud as he stretched his legs beneath the table instead. “Every month during a full moon, the fae in Attleglade eat, sing, and dance until dawn. I hope to see the four of you there.”

“Yes!” Maisy cried, standing up on her chair. “Can we go, Mama? Please?”

She bit her lip, wondering if they would be welcome among the fae for a single night or shunned. Her daughters didn’t need any mistreatment. “I don’t know… Ask your father.”

The strange, foreign words escaped her mouth before she realized what she’d truly said with ease. Yes, he was their father. Even if not by blood.

Beside her, she met Joel’s gaze, the faintest smile on his face. He gently squeezed her hand beneath the table. “We’ll probably never get the chance again. I think it’s a great idea.”

With a shrug, Bastien added, “Everyone will probably be too drunk to notice or care about Sun Fae beneath the stars. If you and Joel want to have some alone time…” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I can watch the children for a bit.”

Fluster heated her face, which incited a snicker from her brother. She stammered her next sentence. “I’m not handing the children off to my drunk brother.”

“I’m in the patrol guard. I’m not allowed to get drunk.”

“What does drunk mean?” Maisy asked.

Nyana sighed, shaking her head while pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. But we can’t stay too long past their bedtime.”

A part of her wondered what her life might have been like if she’d lived here with her father and brother. Hopefully, tomorrow night, she would get the smallest taste. It would also be the perfect time to gift Joel the flute.

Just the thought sent her heart fluttering. The impromptu kiss had been one thing. The flute was another thing entirely. A gift of gratitude. Dedication to him. A desire to make their relationship into something more than friendship.

But Joel had taken a chance on her. She wanted to take a chance on him, too.

After supper, Nyana found herself sitting across from her father beside the glowing, blue hearth. With her eyes closed, she practiced taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly.

“The first step is locating your magic within yourself,” he said in a raspy tone, as if desperate for a glass of water. “For many of us Forest Fae, it feels like a fresh spring hidden within the vast forest. Once you tap into it, it will invigorate your senses. Sharpen your eyes. Broaden your smell.”

“What can I do with it?” she asked, trying to keep her frustration at bay. She swore she could feel the fresh spring within herself, but there was no entrance. Rather, thick, thorny vines blocked her path, followed by heavy chains locking a steel gate. The gate only seemed to unlock when responding to her emotions.

“You can take the life essence of plant life. You can give it as well. Even more, if you are like me, you can control the living earth around you.”

Nyana cracked one eye open to find her father leaning back in his wheelchair, his eyes closed with a look of longing in the wrinkles around his mouth. He must miss his magic.

“I can’t do that.”

“You’ve never had the chance to try.”

Yet, when she reached out to her magic, the steel chains blocked her attempts.

A growl of frustration slipped from her mouth. “Something is in the way. I don’t know how to get through it.”

Her father opened his eyes, the silver in them enhanced by the blue light of the hearth. “Fear is the most common block of magic. What are you holding onto? What do you fear?”

Liam.

Just his name in her mind sent a shudder down her spine. He’d doomed Calle to the Pits just for having magic. Or at least it was a portion of the reason. She’d spent all five years of Maisy’s life hiding her magic as well, afraid of what Liam might have done to her had he found out.

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