chapter twenty-one
LUNA
I woke with a start. Ember meowed loudly, nudging my legs toward the door as I stood and pushing me toward the kitchen. Phillip wasn’t in there. He wasn’t in his chair, either. The fool! Did he go outside?
Ember meowed and jumped up onto the couch, grabbing the long stem of a blood red rose in her mouth and bringing it to me. I fell to my knees. “Did you get this? Where is Phillip?”
Suddenly, I knew exactly where he was. “He retrieved the rose for me.”
She dropped the rose into my hand and I closed my palm around it. He’d even removed the thorns.
“Is he dead?”
I felt through Ember that he wasn’t.
“My sister has him?”
She meowed loudly.
Damn her.
I felt her at my mental wall today. At the time, I laughed when she couldn’t get past the barrier, but now that I knew she had Phillip, the thought made me sick. I knew what she was up to. She would keep him alive and use him as a pawn until I came for her. I knew in my heart that if she made him whole, I wouldn’t use the potion. I would agree to remain tethered. I would give up anything if she spared his life. But if she refused to heal him, I had no other option but to make the potion. I would separate us and kill her to try to release him from her poison.
I laced my boots, grabbed a large sack, and ran to the spell room to gather the ingredients. Then I flew as fast as I could to Malex’s cave, where he was waiting for me. He sensed my distress.
“What’s wrong?” Looking past me, his brows furrowed. “Where is Phillip? Where is Ember?”
“Ember is at my cottage, and Aura has Phillip.”
“How did she capture him?” he asked, eyes wide.
How did I tell him that Phillip had sacrificed everything to get the rose for me? “He retrieved the rose.”
“Ahhh,” he said, nodding his head. “Because he was already dying. It was a very noble thing for him to do,” he said quietly. “Poetic.” He licked his bottom lip and nodded to the bag. “You have everything?”
“I do.”
Malex waved me further into his cave, to a room that looked much like my spell room. On shelves along the cave wall were containers full of various ingredients. In a tall glass jar, a toad tried to climb the glass, sliding back down the sides. A cage of bats hung from the ceiling. No doubt he had plenty of supply in this place. There was a mortar and pestle, larger than any I’d seen. Herbs and liquids. I knew the names of many, but some I couldn’t place.
In the center of the room, on the cave floor, was a stone circle with fresh firewood laid in it. A cauldron sat on stones atop the wood. “You have to light it,” he said. “All the magic we do has to come from you. I can guide you, but I can’t do it for you.”
I nodded. I knew that. He’d said the same thing in the spring. I had to get the ingredients and work the spell, though he could help with the wording if I needed it. “We’re making a potion?”
“A difficult one, but not one you can’t handle. Most potions are meant to be ingested, but something tells me our little Aura would spit it back out. We’ll have to make one that, much like her toxin, can be inhaled. She doesn’t have to drink, but she does have to breathe,” he added with a devilish wink.
“I wish I could break the curse of slumber. I have a feeling this fight will last more than the hour we share just before dawn and at dusk.”
“I haven’t found a spell to break that curse, but I do have one that might be helpful for a few hours. It’s an ancient spell, as old as the original fae Kings.” His tone set me on edge. “It calls for the moon to appear during the day and eclipse the sun. It will cause complete darkness for only a few moments, but you’ll be free from slumber during the whole celestial event, and so will Aura.”
“I want to do it. Do you think she’ll keep Phillip alive that long?”
He nodded. “I do. I think she’ll use him as a shield against you, and she’ll probably slow the effects of the toxin so she can. He’s her biggest weapon in this fight.”
Malex was right. “I want to call the moon,” I decided.
He inclined his head. “After we make the potion,” he promised.
I stared at the firewood and it ignited, flames licking up the cauldron’s sides. The water inside looked dark and oily. Malex grinned, standing across from me. “Let’s begin,” he said ominously.
I untied the twine around the bag, memories fluttering through my mind.
After Aura killed William, I left Virosa, flying into the forest. The only things I saw other than a palace larger than ours was woodland, until I saw the clearing and dipped low enough to see a crumbling, abandoned cottage.
I made it my home. I readied it for summer when I would be sleeping, and for a year lived as peacefully as I could, physically away from Aura’s presence. Last spring, one year to the day that William was killed, Malex showed up at my doorstep and introduced himself as the fae Prince who ruled over this forest and owned every structure in it—including my cottage.
Ember didn’t care who he was. She tried to claw him apart. Her reaction was so violent, I had to lock her in the bedroom. In awkward silence, Malex and I listened as she slowly but determinedly shredded the door.
Malex was definitely fae, but I still didn’t know if I could trust him.
He said that I was welcome to stay as long as I told him why I was there. I told him I’d tell him if he proved he really was the fae who ruled the forest. The fae were tricky and liked to play games. And even though he claimed to be a prince, to me he was a stranger.
Malex invited me to his palace, so I flew us there. It was clear he hadn’t lied about his identity. His servants bowed to him graciously, offering kind smiles. He proved he was exactly what he said: a fae prince. That night, he sat on a throne in a glistening great hall as faeries of every kind came to him for help. Forest fae, fae of the water, fae of the air, and of the seasons. Seelie and Unseelie. He helped them all in exchange for favors and for their pledged fealty.
They all respected him. They trusted Malex.
It was also clear, as he dealt with his people, that he had an uncanny ability to discern truth from lie. So I decided to be honest when I told him about myself and my sister, of our powers and the curse of slumber that we suffered from.
He was royalty and his subjects seemed very loyal; reverent, if not afraid. But he wasn’t cruel. His decisions were fair and he didn’t turn any of his subjects away, even when the night grew long and he must have grown tired. When the palace was finally quiet and the great hall sat empty, Malex gave me a tour of his home, asking if I was now confident about his identity.
I was sure he hadn’t lied and glad I had someone to confide in who understood some of my powers and the situation I found myself in with Aura.
On the way home, just before the sky began to lighten, he showed me the place most important to him: his cave. It was where he went to escape the expectations of being a fae prince for a little while. He and I seemed more alike than we were different, and it was Malex who gave me hope in breaking the tie and curse.
“Where is your father?” I asked curiously. “Why are you holding court instead of him?”
“The fae courts do not work the same way as the human courts do, Princess. I rule the land surrounding my palace. My father rules over many lands, including mine; however, he’s far too busy to deal with mundane tasks such as listening to his subjects.” He winked. “He leaves that to me.”
Another similarity. We had both raised ourselves, it seemed.
“There is a way to sever the tie between your lives,” he offered as I was preparing to leave his cave. “I can help you, but not until you awaken in the autumn. You will have to gather what I need and your magic must be used to end it, not mine. I can guide you, though.”
“How will I find you?” The following night was the last night of spring.
“At my palace or here. Sometimes I travel to nearby villages, but only on occasion. If you want to find me, I have complete faith that you will, sweet Luna.”
“What will it cost me?” I asked, fully aware of his proclivity to amass favors.
“I have an entire summer to think about that.” The possibilities running through my mind made my palms sweat. “The sun is about to rise. I will come to your cottage tomorrow night and give you bone dust and a sealing spell. With it, you can make sure Aura can’t leave the palace grounds if you seal her inside them. It might spare some human lives.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for trusting me with your secrets,” he said as I sat on my broomstick.
I flew away from his cave as fast as I could, but I had lingered too long. When the sun came up, I was still a league from home, but that didn’t matter. I crashed to the earth and fell into a deep sleep in the middle of the dark forest. Rumors swirled about me from that day on.
Fae and human alike were terrified of the powerful witch of the dark forest, who hovered above the ground in a deep, enchanted sleep.
When Malex asked for the dragon’s egg, I shook off the memories and tried to focus. I removed it from the bag and walked to the cauldron.
“Crack it and let the slippery yolk slide into the water,” he instructed.
It took a couple of tries, but the membranous shell gave way and the yolk slid out of its shell and into the water. The surface bubbled and hissed, steam rising and dampening the air around us.
“Dragons are the fiercest of creatures. May your heart be as strong and sure, and fearsome as a dragon, Luna of Virosa,” he said.
“What’s next?”
“Add the eye of the wolf.”
I hated the feel of eyeballs. Grimacing, I pulled the gelatinous orb from the bag and chucked it into the cauldron, watching as it sank to the bottom.
“May you have the sight and wisdom of the wolf as it hunts,” said Malex. “Add the blind man’s eye next.”
I threw it in as well, wiping my hand on my skirts.
“May Aura be blind to your intentions,” he said reverently.
“She already knows I’m coming.”
“Ah, but she doesn’t know when, or that you can summon the moon to help you in your quest. The spirit is next.”
Grabbing the corked bottle, I submerged it in the water before pulling the cork out. The spirit swam, trapped by the water’s surface.
“May the spirits guide you, Luna, and may you send your sister to the Underworld.”
I took a deep breath as I thought about Aura. Then about Phillip, hoping he was still okay.
“Next, add the siren’s voice.”
When I added it to the brew, the smell of wet wood filled the air.
“May you control Aura with your voice and lure her to do your bidding.”
He watched the brew with a smile and called out the next ingredient. “Tongue of Prince,” he added with a slippery smile.
I removed Terigon’s tongue from my bag and threw it into the mixture.
“May you be as silent as our mutual friend is now,” he said cheekily. “And may Aura speak no spell against you.”
There were only two ingredients left. I held the piece of umbilis in my right hand and Aura’s rose in the left.
“Throw in the rose,” he ordered.
The watery scent of the siren’s decay was erased as the pungent scent of rose filled the room.
“Now Aura cannot use her roses against you after you’re severed.”
“Will it take the toxin away from Phillip?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, no.” Pity shone in his eyes.
I threw in the umbilis.
“May your tie be severed for all eternity,” he said, his eyes turning darker. “I’ve guided you through the basics of the spell, but you must speak from your heart, now. The words must come from you.”
I closed my eyes. Darkness was all that I could see. Comforting darkness. The sound of boiling water, the hiss of steam when a droplet struck the fire, Malex’s steady breathing.
I concentrated on the ingredients and asked for their help, as Malex had guided me.
Eye of wolf, watch for me
Eye of blind man, keep me hidden
Dragon’s egg, prepare my heart
Spirit, guide me
Tongue, quiet my foes. Let them not speak spells against me.
Siren, help me beguile
Rose, make me immune
And Umbilis,
Sever our tie for good
“Mother moon hear my cry
With this potion break our tie
Sever the bond we sisters bear
And help me wield both fire and air.”
A slow clap startled me. “Very good, Luna. Very good.”
I looked into the cauldron and saw that the water had reduced down to a thick, dark soup. Malex handed me a ladle. “Bottle it, and when you’re ready to strike, make sure you break it in an area she can’t escape from. She must inhale the vapors for the spell to work. You may have to hold her, but don’t use your elemental power. The fire could consume the spell and the air could dilute its potency. And either you or Aura has to release the spell. Since you are both bonded, it must be by one of your hands that you are severed.”
“Okay.” I took in a deep breath and blew it out. “I’ll be careful. What about the other spell?”
“The full moon is coming. We have to call for it to attack the sun during the day.”
That’s fourteen nights away. “That’s too long,” I argued. “Phillip might not have that long to live.”
“She will not let him die. If you know anything about Aura, it’s that she likes to use others as pawns on her board. Phillip is no pawn; he is her Knight and he will protect the Queen, because he’s the only thing standing between you and her and she knows it.”
He was right, but was I willing to take the chance? I bit my thumb nail. I’d thought of ending her tonight, but I couldn’t do that. I wanted her awake, lucid, and looking into my eyes when I ended her. I wanted to lean in and whisper in her ear that I’d told her I would have my revenge, that she would finally pay for taking away everyone I ever loved, and that she would rue the day she ever set eyes on Phillip of Grithim. She would regret turning me into a monster, because I would take my time showing her how fierce a monster I’d become.
“She won’t kill him, Luna,” Malex interrupted my murderous thoughts. “Think about what she did with William. She could have ended his life while you slept, but she waited until you were both awake before striking.”
I couldn’t let the same thing happen to Phillip. The space between me and my sister was the deadliest spot to be in, but if she hurt one hair on his head, I’d draw out her torture. I would make her last hours on earth a living nightmare, and not just a sleep walk.
“You can watch over him at night,” Malex suggested. “If he gets worse, you can cut her down in her sleep. It isn’t the way you want to fight her, but sometimes to win, you have to fight dirty.”
What if she agreed to heal him? I thought to myself. But she wouldn’t. I knew my sister. She only knew how to cause pain. She didn’t know mercy. And if I hesitated for a second, I would lose him. But maybe there was a way to trick her into healing him.
Malex went off in search of the right magical tome, located in the back of the room along a wall full of texts so old, the spines were worn ragged and the words completely rubbed off.
“Are you sure you want this spell? It’s very powerful,” he asked, plucking a book from his collection.
I put the cork on the bottled potion and held it up near the torch. In the flickering firelight, the dark fluid was alive, writhing and undulating inside the glass. “I’m sure. I don’t want to attack when she’s sleeping if I don’t have to. I want her to be awake for what I have planned.”
He smiled. “That’s exactly what I would do. Now,” he cracked open the book, “let’s read about this spell. It’s in the language of the fae, so I’ll have to translate, but the words and magic must come from you, daughter of the moon.”
We sat together on a long couch, the book resting on his legs until he read the entire section about calling for the eclipse.
The book’s power had my hair standing on end. “How can you even stand to hold it, let alone read from it?” I asked, my teeth chattering.
“My heritage, I suppose,” he answered, not outwardly affected by the magic at all. He reached out and took my hand and I watched as he guided it to the open pages. When my skin hit the parchment, I cried out. My flesh burned and froze all at once. Excruciating pain seared a path up my arm, through my shoulder, and pierced my heart, making me gasp. I tore my hand away.
“Magic,” he said, “always comes with a price.”
“If I call on this spell, what price will I pay?” I asked warily.
He smiled. “None. You are the moon’s daughter. It is expected that children will ask things of their parents once in a while. The spell is powerful, but the words are simple. I will give them to you and you will repeat them after me, precisely.”
“For a favor?” I asked.
He shook his head. “This is freely given.”
“Why?”
“Because with Aura gone, it will ease your mind. You and I can spend time together.” I opened my mouth to make sure he knew that we would only ever be friends, but he beat me to it. “As friends, of course.”
His eyes raked down the page, hanging on a set of words that looked like a list instead of a paragraph. He slowly enunciated each word and I repeated them back, feeling the pull of the moon outside his cave. It was like there was a rope stretched between me and the giant orb, and we were both equally strong, pulling one another without fraying the rope and breaking it apart. When I finished the incantation, my body hummed with so much energy, I could hardly stand.
Malex gently eased the book onto a table and helped me up. “Are you okay to go home alone?”
“Y-yeah.” My teeth chattered violently. I flexed my fingers, coiling them and flexing again.
“I’m not sure it’s safe.”
“I’ll b-be fine.”
He shook his head. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”