Page 130 of The King’s Queen

“How?” I asked. “I only ever heard magic when Noctus used his magic to heal me.”

“What about when you try to use one of his heirlooms?” Ker asked.

I paused. “I don’t think so, but I haven’t tried to listen—I was too focused on attempting to draw a weapon.”

“Then give it a shot,” Ker coached, her eyes on Aristide and Noctus even though she still had her arm on my shoulders.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“There you go.” Ker patted me on the back, then cupped her hands around her mouth so she could shout. “Better watch yourself, Noctus! He nearly got you, and you need to be looking cool for your future queen, or she’ll be disappointed!”

I didn’t see Noctus’s reaction. I shut my eyes—focusing on the warm sensation that oozed from my collar.

Using the collar as a starting point, I traced Noctus’s powers back to him, engulfing myself in the inferno of magic that was his being.

Since I’d done this a few times now, I was faster at finding the pins-and-needles sensation that marked out the gateway to Noctus’s arsenal, and when I opened my eyes again, the portal of hazy white magic had opened around my right hand.

As usual, I could see a little around my wrist—just enough to catch a glimpse of a few of the shadowy shapes of Noctus’s many,manymagical weapons and heirlooms.

Okay, so I’m tapping Noctus’s powers…can I hear magic?

I stared at my feet as I tried to mentally shut out the sounds of Aristide’s cackles, Noctus’s low voice as he responded to whatever potshot the vampire had said, and the occasional thunderous noise of a gunshot that echoed in the enclosed training grounds.

There was no choir, no song played by the wild magic. I couldn’t hear magic at all.

Well, that’s disappointing.

I did, however, feel the attention of Noctus’s many heirloom weapons. Their scrutiny seemed to hit me in the chest.

“Hello,” I said out loud, having concluded thinking a greeting to “Truck” in my earlier rendezvous didn’t seem to work at all. “I apologize for interrupting…whatever you are doing. It’s just me again. Chloe Anderson,” I said, speaking to them as I would Ms. Booker—pandering, maybe, but I wasn’t about to upset Noctus’s magical weapons.

Ker was watching me with raised eyebrows, but I didn’t care.

Truck.

Once again, I felt the low-pitched word bloom inside my chest.

“Ah, yes. Greetings, Truck,” I said.

Whatever weapon was saying “Truck”, it didn’t bother to follow up with anything helpful or useful.

In fact, just as they had every time I’d tried this, I could see the shadowy forms of weapons whisk past my fingertips. Noctus had said that meant they were judging me, but I knew it for what it was: whatever test they were using I was failing because none of them stopped or attempted to forge a connection with me.

Concentrate. This isn’t about judgmental weapons, but the bond!

Since I couldn’t hear magic, I couldn’t really ask magic for help, but the weapons did represent a different part of Noctus’s abilities. Maybe I could get my magic to react to it?

I stood still as the weapons kept on judging me, and I tried to sense if any of my magic was stirring.

Come on, I helpfully thought.Go to Noctus! Follow the connection!I could feel Noctus’s magic through my collar, and I thought of routing my powers through it.

I waited, holding my breath.

Nothing happened.

I tried two more times, but I still couldn’t feel any tangible sensation of my magic moving.

Disappointed, I started to withdraw my hand from Noctus’s pocket realm, freezing when the ten-thousand-needles sensation that brushed my senses intensified.

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