Page 56 of Petals of Innocence

Etain could not even picture most of what he spoke of, but she was excited to find out. After the chaos of the Lunar Ball, they truly could use some fun.

“Shall we, little witch?” Ciaran asked as he spread his wings and made to pick her up.

She nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, preparing for the gut wrenching feeling she experienced the last time they had taken off. As he took to the sky, she didn’t get the same feeling of having her stomach in her throat. Instead she felt freer than she had ever felt before. Adrenaline flowed through her, and she let go of Ciaran’s neck. She spread her arms wide while she threw her head back and bellowed with abandon. Ciaran smiled at her wild display with a look of amazement in his eyes.

Etain told Ciaran everything she learned about her power earlier that night. She told him of the multitude of colors she saw and what each one made her feel. Then, she finally told him of the black markings on her arm he had asked about earlier when he had her naked beneath him. At the time, she had been unable to formulate thought, much less explain the intricacy of her magic. She had simply told him she would tell him later.

He was intrigued by the eye marking just under the crease of her elbow, and she told him how it marked her as a seer. She had yet to have any visions; she was not sure how she would react to one. Would she lose all connection to her surroundings while a vision took over her mind and body? Or would it be something more in the background? She was equally nervous and excited to find out. She hoped her first one would be in private, or at least with the few trusted beings she had in her circle.

That was also something new. She had never had enough people she trusted to even have “a circle.” She was also beginning to understand she was a part of their circles, too. It was nearly overwhelming to have made such connections in such a short period of time. It would still take her some time to adjust to leaning on those around her when she was in need of help or guidance. As soon as they got to their spot at the falls, she would show Ciaran her back and the mark that apparently meant she could sprout wings. She didn’t think he had noticed her back earlier during their earlier tryst.

It was a clear crescent night free of clouds. They were able to see far more villages below them this time, she could see far off cities, which had their own palaces. Etain had not realized there were other cities. She asked Ciaran about them and if there were other rulers of the Night Court.

Ciaran explained every city had a palace for the king and queen to stay in when they visited from the capital city. Mostly, the palaces were used to house the fae nobles from all over the court. Most high fae resided in Nightfell, the capital city of the Night Court. He pointed out to the lit up city in the distance and told her that one was called Lunarmist, city of the moon and falls. It was the city closest to the falls Ciaran loved so dearly.

Etain suddenly felt like she was highly unprepared to be queen. It had never occurred to her to learn about the Night Court as a whole. She had not thought other cities existed; she hadn’t even remembered the name of the city she had been living in these past few nights. She was beginning to realize how vast this court truly was, and she had so much more to learn than she originally believed. She was incredibly overwhelmed.

Ciaran must have sensed her panic, because they were suddenly on their rock. He had her turn to face him with his hands softly rubbing up and down her arms. “What is it, little witch? What has you so troubled?”

“I know very little of your realm, court, its beings, and its traditions. I fear I am entirely unqualified to be queen.”

Ciaran gave her worries just a brief thought before responding. “I would argue that you are uniquely qualified to be queen. You did not grow up in the Fae Realm, and you also did not grow up with your powers. This gives you a point of view no being in this realm could ever have. This is not a weakness, this is an advantage. Where I might completely overlook something I have become blind to, you will likely not. This is why I am appointing you as a member of the Council. It’s a place the queen should have in general, but I am also leaving a chair open for you to appoint the next council member. I wish for our rule to be one of prosperity and wicked enjoyment.

“The lay of the land, the creatures who reside here – all of that can be learned easily. As far as our traditions, many of them are vile. The Night Court is for the wicked, which does not necessarily mean the evil. You’ve had me thinking about what the Night Court was like many generations ago, and if the curse on the ruling line had begun to poison the realm, or at least this court. I am beginning to believe whatever is rotting our land has been around longer than the curse on my family line. I wonder if we are destined to make great changes for the court, and possibly the realm. You, the strongest witch born in generations, and me, the one to break the curse – feels like we are fated for something big.”

Etain was stunned by his words. He hadn’t only made her feel worthy, but also capable. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her whole body into his. She hoped the gratitude she felt at that moment poured into him.

“Thank you for that, Ciaran. You have greatly eased my doubts.” Etain considered everything he had said and realized she felt it, too. She had been feeling a dread of something to come, which had been overshadowing the feeling that together they were fated for something realm altering. “I feel it, too.”

They stood embracing on the side of their rock that jutted out far over the falls, and found a moment of peace. Eventually Etain’s mind began to grow loud again with questions, and Ciaran began to laugh.

“Little witch, I can almost see the questions running laps around your head. What is it you wish to know?”

Etain smiled up at him. “Well, for one, is fae power like witch power? Do you see different abilities wrapped in different colors?”

“No. Many things are mostly the same for every magical being, but the type of power is different. While witches see their power represented by colors, fae have something like elemental power. Every fae has a specific connection to an element of our realm. Kes is connected to the air. He can effortlessly manipulate the air to speed his flight along, or twist it into a great cyclone and take out much of the battlefield. He can also take the air away from any being. Since he, too, has a deep well of power, he can also create spell after spell for hours on end before fully exhausting himself.”

“Magic and power are not the same then?”

“No – whatever type of magic you have is a skill you are born having, with the exception of blood magic. That’s obtained somehow, but it’s been out of use for a very long time. The cost of using it threw our realm’s balance off, and had something to do with the last war between the courts. I don’t know much. It has been generations since someone has used it, and there isn’t a lot of information about the last war between the courts that survived the purge.” Etain had never heard about either blood magic or the purge. Ciaran shook his head at Etain’s questioning look.

“The purge is an entirely different story. I will tell you another time.” Etain was about to object, but then Ciaran continued on as if the purge hadn’t even been mentioned. He appeared frustrated by the topic. “Naturally, you can become tired physically, though there is no end to the amount of your magic you can use. Power is something not all fae have, and the amount of power differs greatly. Your well of power has an end and once you hit the bottom of your well, you fall into a sort of comatose sleep. Nothing can wake you, and you have no say in the matter. This is why most fae do not like to reach near enough to the bottom of their well, because it leaves them vulnerable. It’s what happened to me after I used my power to heal Kes. It took nearly every drop of it that by the time I ported him to his bed and found you gone, I was unable to come after you immediately. This was likely the precise plan of the Day King.”

“It seems rather strange that the Day KingandSeamus had been able to sneak around the palace undetected. Well, perhaps it would be easy enough for a king, but Seamus was just a simple-minded human man. How was he able to get around and simply carry me away?”

“We have traitors in the palace. I have never trusted anyone beyond Kes, and I still find it difficult to fully trust him, even though he has consistently proven he is worthy of it. Backstabbing and plotting against each other is common practice in this court – well, realm. However, plotting in favor of the Day Court against the Night Court ruler is treason. Two of those responsible have already been dealt with, but I fear there are more to be discovered.” Ciaran’s mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he said, “This is the exact reason their heads have been mounted in warning in the main hall. I will find the rest of the beings involved with the Day Court, and remind others what I am capable of when crossed.”

Etain’s face scrunched up in disgust. She had no desire to pass through that hall and see Ciaran’s gruesome display, but she did see the point of it. If a random fae was thinking about going against the crown, then saw the results of such actions, they would perhaps think twice. Then again, he had once told her some members of the court crave only wickedness and have no care even for their own lives. It was possible they would find working with the Day Court weak and not wicked at all, which she thought was likely.

“Well, I will leave the severed head art installment to you, my prince.”

Ciaran laughed at Etain’s colorful way of describing his warning or his brand of gruesome art, as she liked to think of it.

“Ciaran, I haven’t told you everything about the black smokey magic. Not only did it give me the sign of a Seer, but also…” She began to loosen the straps around her bodice.

“Allow me, my little witch. You know undressing you is like unwrapping a gift. Please don’t rob me of the pleasure.”

She let his hands take over. “Okay, but no funny business. I have something I need to show you on my back.” She tried to give him her best serious face.

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