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Chapter Eighty: Nox

“You think this is retaliation for Nox taking the magical item from their kingdom?” Councilman Hadrik asks from his place to the right of my father, his dark eyes shrewd as he looks at Councilman Kallin across the table. “How would they even know that Nox was there undercover?”

I drown out whoever responds, my attention instead on the image of Tienne in my mind. How had that bastard realized that she helped Rhea? Tienne didn’t strike me as a woman easily convinced to spill secrets. It had taken nearly the entirety of my four years spent in the guard for her to not look at me like I was a fox in a henhouse, though her instincts had been correct. Still, when I took over for Alexi, she threatened to kill me herself if I so much as looked at Rhea the wrong way. How she would know, I had no clue, but I believed she would do it. To see her looking so devoid of the life she had been full of mere months ago was like getting punched in the gut. It knocked the air from my lungs. And Rhea—

“Nox.” I glance up from my hands, meeting my father’s tired gaze. “Councilman Kallin has asked you a question.”

I nearly retort back that I’m fucking tired of this bastard asking me questions. It seems that he is never satisfied with my work as heir apparent or my relationship with Rhea. Each question I answer only leads to a handful more. Like pulling on a loose string, I feel myself slowly unraveling under his prattling.

“Apologies for interrupting your thoughts, Your Highness,” he addresses me, his hands clasped on the table before him. “I was simply asking if the letter attached to the woman’s body had any meaning to you.”

“It doesn’t.” I know I don’t exactly sound convincing, but I’ve reached a place where I simply don’t care. The day this council questioned Rhea to the point of causing her anguish is the day they lost any semblance of respect that I had for them. I had offered four years of my life up to ensure our kingdom’s safety. Many more before that as they tested me and my magic. I had done everything they asked of me up until I chose to be with Rhea. Though my father insists that they have no say in our relationship, the council seems to be finding ways to do just that. And if our previous heated discussion after Rhea and I announced our engagement is any further indication of their feelings towards her, then I can’t imagine that telling them the full truth of who she is will fare any better.

Not that she’s the magic we felt from so far away or that she’s the rightful heir to the Mortal Kingdom, but that she is the true ruler of this one. Rhea Maxwell, my betrothed, my love, my light , bled into the Cauldron of Vires earlier tonight. Her single drop of blood produced a flame that was leagues taller than my own, its color a rich cobalt blue . She isn’t just a powerful mage; she is the most powerful mage. A queen in spite of her impending marriage to me. Over two hundred years had passed since the last queen of Void Magic ruled this realm, and yet there she was, found a kingdom away. Her magic calling out to mine like it was searching for me.

“Should we reach out to the Mortal Kingdom? Ask King Dolian outright what message he’s trying to send?” Councilman Borris questions, gesturing to the Mirror that is placed at the back of the room.

Shit. I do send a look of concern to my father this time. My magic abruptly tugs at my gut with enough force that I brace my hands on the table. The sensation of fear trickles into me, making my heart beat out of rhythm. As quickly as it comes, the feeling dissipates.

“No. We wait for him to reach out to us. We do nothing to encourage his antics. We have nothing that he could possibly want that will result in anything good.” At the unrelenting tone in my father’s voice, Borris submits, his back hitting the chair as he slides his beady gaze my way.

“There is another matter that we have not finished discussing.”

I cut the councilman a sharp glance, my fingers twitching as my magic pulses in my palm. “I think we’ve exhausted that conversation.”

“Nox is right. Though, for reasons neither I nor Alexandria can comprehend, the council does not approve of Rhea, it ultimately is Nox’s choice.” The silence rings out heavily in the air, my father’s words a dagger hitting its mark. The corner of my mouth kicks up in triumph, ready to finally put this behind me. Behind us . Yet, as I scan the room, the expressions of the council before me aren’t ones of dejected acceptance. Only Hadrik looks as confused as I feel, a line forming between his brows.

“Unfortunately, Your Majesty, I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” Kallin’s words are spoken firmly, his gaze holding mine while he answers my father.

“Councilman Kallin, what might I be mistaken about?”

“While we may not have a choice in who His Highness chooses as a potential future queen, we do have the power to veto that choice if necessary.” My lips flatten as my eyes narrow.

“Councilman, you were here the day I requested that, moving forward, any heir to the throne retain the power to choose who they want to wed, free of any interference from this very council,” my father recounts, his fingers interlacing on the table in front of him. “Don’t tell me that your age has begun to catch up with you?” My father’s teasing chuckle is met with alarming silence, causing him and Hadrik to share a concerned look. I observe each of the council members, one councilwoman still absent from the table.

“I remember the day quite well, Your Majesty. It was the day after your coronation, and you came to this very room with gusto, ready to take charge and lead this kingdom with great honor,” Kallin says, his eyes glazing over as he reminisces. The memory fades, and the councilman tips his chin down to his chest, shadows from the chandelier above slashing a harsh line over his face. “You requested that this council consider a proposal to change how things had been done. That is what we did. We changed the fact that we could not force a betrothal. That an heir apparent be allowed to choose whomever it is they want to court. What we did not change, however, is our ability to deny that choice.”

My body stills as my magic pulsates beneath my skin, power scraping along my bones and begging for release.

“What do you mean ?” Hadrik asks, his palms planting on the table. “I was not aware of such a stipulation to the law.”

Kallin clears his throat, leaning forward until his eyes move from the shadows. “Do remember, Hadrik, that you did not join this council until a year after His Majesty’s coronation, and we have not had an opportunity to test it as we do now.” Hadrik frowns, his eyes bouncing from my father to Kallin. “As the law is written, the council is allowed to bring the choice of partner given to them by the immediate heir to a vote. Should we find that partner acceptable, we shall vote that way. However, should we find anything about them unfit to rule by the side of the crown prince or princess, then our vote has the power to stop the betrothal.”

“Kallin,” my father rumbles, his voice laden with his power, “that is not what I proposed when I brought the idea forward.”

“Oh, but it is. You asked that the council not interfere with the choice of partner prior to betrothal . Yet there were no specifics given at the time regarding removing the power of the council once a betrothal has occurred. With Nox proposing to Lady Rhea and her acceptance, it is now up to this council to vote whether or not a marriage between them will be beneficial for the kingdom as its future rulers.”

“She will become queen either way!” I snap, anger flashing hot in my chest. But, no, I cannot tell them who Rhea is yet. Not until she is next to me to reveal that secret herself. The thought of her causes goosebumps to break out over my skin, my magic flaring wildly in my gut and tugging me nearly out of my chair. I glance towards the door, expecting to see Rhea on the threshold, her long blonde hair hanging over her shoulders as she peeks her head in. The tugging sensation persists, but the door remains closed.

“Not unless this council allows it,” Borris chimes in, his smug face spurring the anger lancing through me into an inferno. “That girl will not be queen—”

It takes no effort to surround him with a wisp of shadow pulled from somewhere in the room. It binds around his irritating mouth and throat, as if it were a vine growing around the trunk of a tree. I tighten it as he sputters for air, the sound of chairs scraping back from the table louder than his wheezing.

“Nox,” my father calls, coming to stand beside me. Ignoring him, I keep rooted in my seat, my hands flat on the table as I let the shadow acting as a gag stiffen into something harsher. “That’s enough, Nox.”

“No, it isn’t,” I muse, the other murmurs of protest around me becoming a buzzing noise in my ears. “I have grown weary of this council meddling in something that is none of their business, regardless of what the law says.” My gaze snares Councilman Kallin, his stare unforgiving as he regards me. “I do not care what the council has to say on the matter, as Rhea will be my queen whether you vote it so or not. I will also not tolerate someone repeatedly disrespecting my future wife.”

“Nox, this is not the way.” It’s the desperation in my father’s voice that finally draws my attention to him. His eyes shine with something that looks a lot like fucking remorse, and I refuse to let that be the case.

By our laws as well, Rhea is the true ruler of the Mage Kingdom, so this posturing of council power is fucking pointless. My magic still isn’t satisfied with the stunned silence around the table and the watery choking noises coming from the man clawing at the equivalent of a stone rope curled around his neck.

“If you will not accept Rhea as your queen, then you do not accept me as your king either.” I let the ultimatum slice into the room, every pair of eyes I meet widening over my words.

The door to the council room is thrown open, all heads pivoting to look at who’s entered. Once more, I expect it to be Rhea, my magic still on edge as it calls out to hers—searching for her signature in the palace. It isn’t until Daje staggers into the room, blood both fresh and dried leaking down his cheek and neck, that I let Councilman Borris go. I bolt upright from my chair, the wooden furniture toppling over with the force of my movement. Daje’s eyes widen as they land on me, his pupils swallowing the dark blue of his irises while he stumbles forward.

I cast my magic out wider, searching for her, not quite comprehending exactly why he is here and she isn’t. Assuming that perhaps she is in the hall, waiting for me. Only with her magic can my own act like a beacon—looking for that impression of her. I brush past a bewildered Daje and step out into the hall, searching it for a pair of bright green eyes. Revelry from the ball trickles in from outside, the attendees blissfully unaware of what horror occurred here earlier tonight. Finding the hallway empty, I try to tame my heart as it threatens to burst from my chest. She is safe .

Yelling draws my attention back to the council room, Daje’s voice rising amongst the others. Stepping back in, I ignore the way my blood ices over as I study Daje once more. He cradles the side of his head, his hands shaking as he turns away from where he’s talking with his father to face me fully. I stalk another step towards him.

“Where is she?” I ask, my voice grating along my throat. The entire room falls into silence, my father the only one brave enough to move towards me when Daje just shakes his head. “Where the fuck is she?”

“I’m sorry, we were attacked and—”

My magic rumbles, bursting from me in an explosion of purple and black. I’m before Daje faster than he or anyone else can stop, my hands gripping his tunic.

“Nox!” my father shouts, but I seal Daje and I in a cocoon of menacing shadows pulled from every corner.

“What are you talking about?” I rasp. Tears—fucking tears —build in his eyes as his mouth opens and closes without sound. I realize that the fear emanating from him isn’t because of me but because of what happened. I scan his face again, noting the bruise that’s beginning to form at his temple. “Daje, where is Rhea ?”

“I’m sorry,” he wheezes, a tear falling to his cheek. My power builds, my body barely holding it in, as I watch him struggle to find the right words. “I don’t know. I was knocked out, but I didn’t see by who, and when I woke, she was gone.”

Gone ?

“No,” I growl, the shield around us flickering as the control on my magic frays, an electric feeling sizzling up my spine while my vision flickers and all color seeps from it for just a flash. Daje’s eyes close, his body trembling, but I shake him until he’s forced to open them again, making him look at me.

“I’m sorry, Nox. I tried—I tried looking for her when I woke up. We were told you wanted us down at the beach. But then something happened. I don’t— I can’t remember .” He holds his hand out to me, the locket I gave Rhea broken in half, its chain missing. “I found this on the ground next to me when I—”

He doesn’t finish his sentence before I lose my grasp on my magic. It bursts from me, shadows and purple light racing in every direction. The council room shakes, colorful shields going up around each council member as they try to protect themselves from the onslaught.

Rage and fear send more of my magic flowing out of me in a way that it never has before. Trapped in a vortex of it, Daje and I watch as the council room crumbles around us and the other mages duck under the table—their faces red while they scream. It happens in slow motion, the Mirror toppling over and slamming into the ground, sending a cascade of reflective glass scattering over the floor as the ancient magic that fuels it releases like a gust of sparkling wind.

My father screams my name, his dark blue magic trying to break through my barrier to reach me. But the chaotic swell of my power is a representation of the way my mind is reeling, only one thought on repeat: she’s gone.

She’s gone.

I don’t remember leaving the palace and sprinting to the beach, looking for any sign of her or her magic. I don’t know how long I run along the edge of the water, desperately searching, searching, searching . There is no feeling in my body when I collapse to my knees in the sand, a scream ravaging my throat as I surround myself in shadows and magic, her broken locket clenched tightly in my hand. There is only a hollow emptiness where my heart should beat, the absence of her like losing my soul.