Chapter 19
“How sturdy do you think the rope is?” I asked, as we all looked down the well. We didn’t run into the others, so I assumed they either made their way back, or they were further in the village.
“Not sure, but Emrick and Maddox are out, they are to big to fit and would snap it in seconds.” Bowen said, looking at Gerwyn and sizing him up.
“I have to go. It’s my magic that needs to find it.” I reminded them. They all four narrowed their eyes at me and frowned.
“You or I?” Bowen asked Gerwyn, completely ignoring me. They all started arguing amongst themselves and I figured if I wanted to get it done, I may as well do what I needed to. I focused my magic on strengthening the rope, before I grabbed on and slowly made my way down.
“You idiots realize she’s gone, right?” Allwyn sneered at them.
“Bella, what the hell are you doing?” Maddox yelled down at me.
“You forget I’m the queen. I do not need permission and I told you this was something the spirit said I had to do. Me. Not Bowen and Gerwyn.” I calmly explained, projecting my voice. I focused on slowly climbing down the rope. I could feel the blisters already forming from the rope rubbing my hands raw.
I finally hit the bucket at the bottom of the well and realized I had about five feet left to drop. Apparently the well was deeper before the land changed.
I jumped down carefully, falling onto my butt like the graceful queen I am. I brushed off my backside as I stood and I heard grunts coming from the opening above. I looked up to find Bowen making his way down the rope towards me.
“Don’t worry, fair queen, your knight has arrived.” His smooth voice made it seem so much more suggestive.
“What would I have done without you?” I laughed. Just as I was turning to look around I heard the rope snap and Bowen curse. He was already most of the way down, but fell at least eight feet. I rushed over and found him groaning on the ground.
“Are you hurt?” I inquired as I ran my hands over his legs and arms, checking for breaks.
“Just my ego, darling.” He said in a tight voice. He clearly was hurt, but refusing to tell me. He managed to stand and winced as he straightened up.
“Are you alright, down there?” Maddox bellowed down at us.
“Fine, but we won’t be coming up that way. We shall find another way out, head further into the village with the others and we will meet you there.” Bowen shouted back at them.
I took the opportunity to look around, but it was too dark to make out anything beyond the circle of light that beamed down from the well opening.
“We need light, help me look for a torch. There should be one mounted to the stone somewhere nearby. The wells have a way to enter in order for the guards to check the water.” He explained as he walked off. I untied the rope from the bucket and took it with us, in case we needed it to create our own torch. I followed the sound of Bowen’s footsteps, since I couldn’t actually see him.
“I can’t find it in this, and I do not have a flame affinity, I can’t make much more than to light a simple fire.” Bowen complained. I concentrated for a moment, reaching into my magic like Andras taught me. I focused my magic on forming a ball of light to illuminate the area we were in. I opened my eyes and saw a ball of light floating about six feet above my head.
“Well that works.” Bowen stated, walking back to me. I looked around and realized we were in an underground cavern.
“This is hardly just a well. Most wells on Earth aren’t attached to an underground lake.” I said as I looked around. The water was gone at this point, and I didn’t see anything that seemed special. “I need to concentrate my magic.” I explained.
I sat down in the middle of the dry lake, immediately calling on my magic. I sent out the tendrils of magic in all directions, feeling for the magical reaction I found yesterday. I stood up as soon as I felt the stone’s magic. Hoping that Bowen wouldn’t let me crash into the cave walls, I walked forward with careful steps. The pulse of magic got stronger as I made my way forward, until the pulse was so strong I could barely stand it. I opened my eyes to find a small metal box half obscured by stones.
“Did you find it?” Bowen asked from behind me. I held up the metal box to show him, before trying to pry it open. It wasn’t locked, but the latch had rusted shut from years of being submerged in the water.
I tried for a few minutes before leaning down and picking up a rock from the ground. I slammed the rock into the latch a few times until I felt it finally give. I picked up the dull green stone.
“Not very impressive, is it?” He grimaced at the dull, dirty stone.
“She said I had to cleanse it, they would be corrupted.” I held the stone in my palm and pushed my healing magic into it, the same as I tried in the gardens. I could feel a sickly, thick magic mixed into the stone’s natural magic. I pushed with force until the final pieces of corruption were gone. It took almost quite a bit of my magic, but I was still steady on my feet. I opened my eyes to examine the stone. It was now a vibrant green.
“I stand corrected. Do you add it into your crown now?” He pulled the crown off of my head and looked at the four indentions. The stone I held was the first so I figured the first spot would work. I pushed the stone into the crown. When they made contact a pulse of magic shot out, knocking Bowen a few feet away and lifting me into the air again. The crown started glowing a vibrant rose gold as the first stone melded to its spot.
“Are you doing alright, darling?” Bowen asked, sounding nervous. I tried to answer, but the magic I felt coursing through my body was too immense to handle. I gave up trying to speak and gritted my teeth together. The glow faded, but the magic remained. I could feel it coursing through me as my body descended back to the ground.
“Bella?” Bowen sounded frantic now, throwing himself on his knees so he could reach me. I just turned my panic eyes on his. I could feel the tremors in my body as it fought the magical overload. I was sweating with the effort. “We need to get to the others, I don’t know what to do. Here, let’s put this on and I will carry you.” He took the crown out of my grip and placed it on my head. As the magic pulsed impossibly stronger, I managed to clamp on his wrist as I screamed.
We were both surrounded by a green, swirling light and I heard Bowen yell out beside me. As the light receded, so did the magic. I could feel it drain away until it felt manageable.
I let out a breath of relief as I looked to Bowen. He looked like he was in shock, staring at his wrist. I looked down to see what his gaze was locked onto. It was a vibrant green tattoo, matching the royalty symbol on my back. I looked up into his eyes, shocked.
“I’m so sorry, Bowen. I had no idea it would bind me to you. I didn’t mean to take your choice away. You will be king now, but that doesn’t mean you have to be with me. I’m so sorry.” I sobbed, I realized as soon as I saw the tattoo, that it meant I had found my king of the Spring Court.
Instead of an answer, Bowen lifted my chin so he could meet my eyes. His eyes softened as my tears coursed down my face. He leaned forward and captured my lips. His kiss started out gentle but deepened quickly. I felt a warmth and sense of peace spread through my body.
Bowen broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. “Don’t worry, I told you I would protect you, and I can think of no woman I would rather share my life with. I’ve lived too long and seen far too much to be scared away by this. I’ve felt a connection with you since we first locked eyes. I’m yours, my queen.” I looked at him with wide eyes. Did he truly mean that?
“I’m still sorry. The way she explained it I thought I would find them all before choosing the kings. I thought it was more of a duty thing, not a magical bond.” I explained, fidgeting nervously.
“Stop, Bella. The spirits chose me and I am honored. We will be fine. We all talked about this last night. We all felt the connection, you are special and something about your magic draws us in. Trust in us and trust in Faerie.” He ran his fingers gently down the side of my cheek before pulling me in for another kiss.
“Thanks Bowen, let’s get out of this cave.” I said, standing up. He stood up and linked his fingers with mine. We turned toward the only cave opening and we walked out of the cavern, with the light orb illuminating our way.