Page 126 of Across an Endless Sea

“Oh, this is brilliant,” Bram chuckles, coming into view behind our oldest brother and pinning me with a grinning stare. “Let me guess, this is the first time your magic has worked?”

“I need to undo it!” I panic. “I just told them to be nice, and this was…”

“Excellent progress,” Jaro reassures me. “I’m sure you can undo it with a bit more practice…”

“When you do, they’ll be so embarrassed,” Bram adds. “Most of them are unseelie. They’ll never live this down.”

One of the knights makes a sudden dive for my youngest brother, already loudly professing how glad he is that he’s still alive. Bram flinch-shifts, becoming a fox to evade the commotion and dives under the sofa.

That—more than my protests—is what convinces everyone that this has gone far enough.

“That’s enough for now,” Florian orders, and the knights snap to attention—though they’re still obviously dewy eyed. “Go home, and take the rest of the day off. We’ll summon you when Rose is rested and ready to undo this. Remember, you cannot speak a word of the Nicnevin’s power to anyone.”

They bow, first to me, and then to Florian, before all four of them relax and head for the door.

“I’m going to do all of the family laundry,” one of them announces on his way out of the door. “My mate is always struggling with it. It’s time I pulled my weight.”

“You’re right,” another agreed. “I should really help out more. We’re expecting in two months, and I still haven’t turned my male-cave into a nursery like I said I would…”

I have no idea if I just made their mates’ lives better or worse. The noise of them greeting and complimenting everyone they pass grows quieter and quieter as they get farther away.Hopefully better? Although males trying to be helpful can sometimes be the least helpful of all…

Bram’s black nose peeks out from behind the sofa before he wriggles out. Shifting back, he gathers his pile of discarded clothes and starts dressing, cheeks red with embarrassment. I know from Jaro that shifters aren’t ashamed of nudity, so I suspect his mortification is over the accidental shift than anything else. Whatever the reason, none of us brings it up.

“Jaro… I think the threat has passed,” Florian comments, looking pointedly at the glowing shield still surrounding me.

My wolf curses, dropping the golden bubble. “Didn’t even know I’d summoned it,” he grumbles under his breath.

My stomach drops, but Florian doesn’t address the elephant in the room—that my Guard are slowly but surely still losing control of their powers—instead choosing to focus on me instead.

“They were definitely charmed,” he observes. “That’s great progress.”

Is it, though?“It was a complete accident,” I reply. “It’s the only time I’ve managed to use this stupid power at all so far, even though I’ve apparently been charming people for weeks without meaning to. How is one more accident good news?”

“How do you think most young fae learn about their gifts?” Bram asks. “Accidents. Trial and error. You think Jaro was magically good at creating shields overnight?”

“I once accidentally shut myself in a shield for six hours,” the wolf agrees, sheepishly. “My mother only managed to get me out of it by baking my favourite puddings and leaving them on the other side.”

“Yes, but how old were you when that happened?” I ask impatiently.

“Six?” he guesses. “But that’s still six years more time spent living in Faerie with Danu’s magic all around me than you’ve had.”

I slump back down into my seat, knowing he’s right but hating it all the same. I suppose I should be grateful. At least all the time I’m failing to use my magic, I’m not brainwashing Caed.

“Anyway,” Florian continues, changing the subject. “We’ve got the final plans for your pilgrimage ready, if you want to see?”

“Pilgrimage?” I ask, confused.

“To visit the courts,” he explains. “You’re leaving the night after your coronation.”

He takes a spot on the long chaise opposite me and spreads a scroll out on the table in front of me, turning it and pinning it in place with the artfully sculpted weights.

It’s a map of Faerie, annotated in bright red ink.

“I thought Lore would just…”

“I wish,” Jaro mutters. “No. It’s traditional for us to pass through practically every town and village on the route so you can bless their temples and shrines. It’s symbolic of the new Nicnevin reconnecting the land to Danu after the death of the old. Besides, blinking our full party every two miles along the route would just waste Lore’s magic.”

“Surely we’re at war,” I mumble. “And I already reconnected the land to Danu. Couldn’t blessing all of those shrines wait until after we’ve achieved peace?”

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