Page 13 of Eternal Thorns (The Feybound Chronicles #1)

12

MORNING REVELATION

S ilas hadn't really slept after the dream-memory faded, but he hadn't fully woken either. He existed in some strange in-between state, watching dawn creep across his chamber while the key rested warm and alive in his palm. Everything looked different now, as if the dream had adjusted his vision somehow.

The carved figures on his bed posts stood out in sharp relief, more real than they'd seemed yesterday. Morning light painted patterns across his floor that reminded him of how forest magic had flowed in the dream. Most striking were the frost patterns still etched on his windows, exactly matching the designs he'd watched Marcus and Thorne create together.

The key pulsed gently against his skin, responding to his thoughts. After experiencing how his ancestor had used it, the metal's warmth felt less alien, more like recognizing an old friend. But there was something else too, something new awakening in both the artifact and himself.

A knock interrupted his contemplation. “Breakfast,” Kai called. “Since you're obviously awake at this ungodly hour” His friend pushed open the door, then stopped dead, nearly dropping the tray he carried. “Uh, Silas?”

“What?”

“You're glowing.”

“I'm what?” Silas looked down at himself but saw nothing unusual.

“Like a silver aura thing. It's faint but it is there.” Kai set the tray down carefully.

Silas absently traced one of the key's engravings with his thumb, a gesture he'd seen Marcus make countless times in the dream. Tiny motes of light spun around his fingers, dancing like fireflies before fading.

“Okay, that's definitely new,” Kai said. “Should I be worried? I feel like I should be worried.”

“It feels natural,” Silas said, surprising himself with the truth of it. “Like remembering how to do something I always knew, but forgot.”

Silas closed his eyes, trying to find words for the extraordinary experience. “I had a dream last night. But it felt too real to be just a dream. I was watching my ancestor, Marcus, here in Thornhaven, but not how it is now. It was alive with magic - both human and fey working together.”

“Wait, you had some kind of magical vision about your ancestor?” Kai straightened, alarm replacing curiosity. “After being threatened by an ancient forest spirit? And now you're glowing?”

“I don't know if Thorne sent it or if the key somehow showed me. But I saw him teaching Marcus about forest magic. He was different then, Kai. Not the bitter spirit I met. He was...” Silas struggled to describe the contrast. “He was almost luminous with the joy of sharing knowledge. The way they worked together, it was like watching two halves of something whole.”

“And you think this wasn't some kind of trap? A way to mess with your head?”

“You should have seen how the magic worked.” Silas watched the motes of light still dancing around his fingers. “Marcus didn't try to control it or bend it to his will. The forest magic responded to trust, to invitation. They created something beautiful together.” He paused, remembering. “At least, until something went wrong. There was this shadow at the edges of everything...”

“Okay, stop.” Kai held up his hands. “Let me get this straight. You had an incredibly vivid dream about your ancestor learning magic from the same being who basically threatened to kill you two nights ago. Now you're literally glowing and making lights appear, which you couldn't do before. And somehow you're not terrified?”

“I know it sounds crazy. But it felt true, Kai. Like I was watching something that really happened, something important that everyone forgot. Or chose to forget.”

“Or something that someone wants you to believe happened,” Kai pointed out. “How do you know these weren't manufactured memories meant to lower your guard?”

“Because the manor remembers too. Look at the carvings, the frost, even the way the light moves. Everything we've seen since arriving makes more sense now. This place wasn't meant to be a barrier between realms. It was meant to be a bridge.”

Kai studied his friend's face for a long moment. “You're really not afraid of this, are you?”

“I'm terrified,” Silas admitted. “But not of the magic, or even of Thorne. I'm afraid of not understanding what went wrong back then.”

“And this doesn't strike you as potentially dangerous? Magic that changes how you see things, memories that leave physical traces?”

Without really thinking about it, he lifted the key toward the nearest shaft of sunlight. The metal caught the dawn and transformed it, sending ribbons of gold and silver dancing across the walls.

“Holy shit,” Kai breathed.

“It's not dangerous,” Silas said with quiet certainty. “At least, the magic itself isn't. It's like Marcus wrote in his journal - forest magic wants to be worked with, not against. All those centuries of conflict came from trying to control something that was meant to be a partnership.”

“If you start speaking in riddles like that witch, I'm leaving.”

“Says the guy who spent years pretending he couldn't see magic,” Silas shot back, grinning at his friend. “How many times did you 'accidentally' lead me away from trouble in the woods?”

“That was different.” Kai crossed his arms, trying and failing to look innocent. “I was protecting your noble ass from getting eaten by whatever lived in those trees.”

“Right. And all those 'shortcuts' that somehow avoided the guard patrols?”

“Pure coincidence.” But Kai was smiling now too. “Besides, someone had to keep you from getting caught during your rebellious phase. 'Oh look at me, I'm Silas Ashworth and I'm going to expose corruption while wearing my fanciest coat.'”

“That was one time!” Silas protested, though he was laughing. “And that coat was practical.”

“It had gold buttons.”

“Which reflected exactly zero moonlight when we were sneaking around, thank you very much.”

They grinned at each other, the familiar banter easing some of the tension from the magical discoveries. Even here, surrounded by ancient power and facing unknown dangers, they were still just Silas and Kai - noble heir and servant's son who'd chosen to be brothers despite everything.

“Just promise me one thing,” Kai said, growing serious for a moment. “When you figure all this out with your terrifying forest spirit boyfriend-”

“He's not my-”

“When you figure it out,” Kai continued, ignoring the interruption, “remember who's been covering your ass since we were twelve.”

Silas reached over and gripped his friend's shoulder. “As if I could forget. You're stuck with me, fancy coat and all.”

“Gods help me,” Kai muttered, but his smile said everything about how he really felt.

The breakfast tray sat forgotten as Silas pulled the bark-bound journal into his lap. Something had changed in how he perceived its contents - the cipher that had given him headaches yesterday now seemed to flow naturally under his eyes, like reading a familiar language he'd forgotten he knew.

“This is weird,” he muttered, turning a page. New text appeared as he read, elegant annotations in dark green ink emerging beside the original writing. He recognized the handwriting from his dream. It was Thorne’s.

One note warned beside a particularly complex diagram.

Caution here, human magic tends toward structure while forest power favors flow. The balance point between them requires careful attention.

“The journal's different,” Kai said, peering over his shoulder. “Those notes weren't there before.”

“They were. We just couldn't see them.” Silas traced the strange symbols, feeling how they resonated with the key's warmth. “It's like the dream opened something in my mind. Or maybe reminded me of something I already knew.”

He stopped at a passage that made his breath catch. The page detailed the key's creation, accompanied by Thorne's extensive annotations.

Not mere artifice, the guardian had written, but living bond. The key serves as both bridge and balance point between realms. Its power draws from both sources, requiring harmony to function properly. Warning: imbalance on either side risks catastrophic feedback.

Without really thinking about it, Silas found himself copying a gesture illustrated in the margin. The key flared hot in his other hand, and suddenly the room transformed.

Colors deepened and brightened. The m Thisorning light took on substance, revealing currents of power that had always been present but previously invisible. Thornhaven as it once was shimmered around them like a double exposure over reality. Harmonious magic woven into every surface, human craft and forest power intertwined in intricate patterns.

The walls bore hidden markings now visible. But most striking was the network of ley lines running through the manor's foundation, connecting it to the forest beyond like roots of a great tree.

Silas watched in wonder as the patterns shifted, each one telling stories of how this place once bridged two worlds. He reached out, tracing one particularly intricate design with his fingers. The magic responded instantly, sending ripples of silver light cascading through other connected lines.

Beside him, Kai had gone very still. Something in his expression made Silas pause - his friend was staring at the magical display with an odd mix of recognition and resignation, like someone finally facing a truth they'd long avoided.

The vision faded gradually, but its effects lingered. The room felt more alive now, as if they'd reminded it of its true nature.

“I need to tell you something,” Kai said into the humming silence. His usual humor had given way to an uncharacteristic seriousness. “That magic you just did? I've seen it before. Not exactly the same, but similar enough.”

Silas turned to his friend, noting how Kai's hands shook slightly as he gestured at the fading patterns. “What do you mean?”

“My grandmother.” Kai's fingers twisted in his lap. “Everyone thought she was just a folk healer, but she was more than that. She was a hedge witch - one of the last who still knew the old ways of working with forest magic. Before fear made people forget, before they started seeing the forest as enemy instead of ally.”

“Wait.” Silas set the journal down, anger flaring suddenly. “You've been acting completely ignorant about all of this. Warning me about magic, treating everything like it's dangerous and unknown. That was all an act?”

Kai flinched. “Not exactly. I was supposed to watch, not interfere. To see if you'd recognize the signs on your own.”

“Signs of what? And who exactly told you to watch me?” The key grew hot against Silas's chest, responding to his emotion.

“Your grandmother and mine, they're connected to all this somehow. They've been working together for years, keeping old knowledge alive, waiting for...” Kai gestured helplessly at the key, the journal, the magical marks now visible on the walls. “For this, I guess. For an Ashworth who might actually remember.”

“So our whole friendship, was that part of the watching too?” The hurt in Silas's voice made Kai stand abruptly.

“Don't you dare. Everything about our friendship is real. That's why they chose me - because they knew I'd actually care what happened to you, not just follow orders blindly.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy with years of shared history and newly revealed secrets.

“Why tell me now?” Silas finally asked.

“Because I can't pretend anymore. That magic you just did? It's exactly what my grandmother said to watch for. The way the key responds to you, how you understand things you shouldn't possibly know.” Kai ran a hand through his hair. “She said when true forest magic awakens in an Ashworth again, they'd need someone who understood both worlds. Someone who could help them navigate between old knowledge and new dangers.”

The key pulsed warmly, as if confirming this revelation. Silas looked again at the journal, seeing new significance in its contents. Not just historical record, but practical guide. Not just what was lost, but how it might be rebuilt.

“Your grandmother knew about all this,” he realized, anger giving way to understanding. “The forest magic, the old partnerships. She was trying to preserve what knowledge she could.”

“Until the fear got too strong.” Kai's voice held old pain. “People started whispering about witchcraft, about dangerous pacts with the forest. She had to go deeper into hiding, only teaching me the smallest bits when no one was watching.”

“That's why you're really here,” Silas said softly. “Not just to watch, but to help rebuild what was lost.”

“If you'll still trust me.” Kai met his friend's eyes. “I hate that I had to hide this, but I swear everything else - every laugh, every adventure, every time I've had your back - that was all real.”

The key flared between them, casting their shadows on the wall. For a moment, they looked like echoes of another partnership from centuries ago - human and forest ally, working together to bridge worlds.

“Well,” Silas said finally, a slight smile breaking through his lingering hurt, “I suppose if we're going to fix centuries of magical disaster, I could use someone who actually knows what they're doing.”

“Oh, I have no idea what I'm doing.” Kai's familiar grin returned. “But I do know which herbs will keep forest spirits from turning you into a tree. Probably. Grandmother was a bit vague on that part.”

The tension broke as they both laughed, though underneath lay a new awareness. Their friendship hadn't changed, exactly, but it had deepened.

“About those magical paths you mentioned,” Silas said, running his hand along the library wall. “I think there's something here we missed before.”

The wall's paneling shifted under his touch, revealing subtle seams that formed a perfect archway. What had seemed like decorative carvings now showed themselves as intricate locking mechanisms.

“Of course there's a secret door,” Kai muttered. “Because this place wasn't gothic enough already.”

The hidden study beyond the door took both their breath away. Morning light streamed through stained glass windows that had been invisible from outside, illuminating a chamber that seemed frozen in time. Unlike the rest of the manor's neglected spaces, this room hummed with preserved purpose.

“Look at this,” Silas breathed, approaching a massive desk covered in carefully organized documents. “These are collaborative research notes. Observations of forest health signed by both Ashworths and forest spirits.”

Kai examined the walls, which bore floor-to-ceiling maps marked with winding paths through the Eldergrove. “These trails - they're marked with two different types of writing. One looks human, but the other...”

“Forest script,” Silas finished, recognizing the flowing symbols from his dream. “They worked together to map safe passages through both realms.”

But it was a sealed letter propped against an ancient inkwell that drew Silas's attention. The envelope bore a single line in elegant script: “To The Returner.”

“That's Marcus's handwriting,” he said, recognizing it from the dream. A complex symbol marked the seal - Thorne's magical signature intertwined with human runes.

“Should you open it?” Kai asked.

Silas carefully broke the seal, which dissolved into silver mist. The letter inside was written in two distinct hands, alternating between passages as if capturing a conversation.

To whoever finds this chamber,

You seek answers about what was broken between realms. But understand - the breaking was not a single act of betrayal, but a slow poisoning of trust. A darkness found the cracks in our partnership and widened them, feeding on doubts we should have shared instead of harboring.

Here the handwriting changed, becoming more fluid, less human.

We thought we could contain it. Thought that by sealing the breach between worlds, we could starve it of power. Instead, we only gave it more shadows to hide in, more divisions to exploit.

“This is it,” Silas said softly. “This is what actually happened. Not just betrayal, but something darker taking advantage of it.”

“Something that's still here,” Kai added, “judging by those shadows we keep seeing.”

The letter continued, switching back to Marcus's hand:

To the one who carries my key - you have a choice that I failed to make. The darkness offers easy power, quick solutions, the illusion of control. But true strength lies in trust freely given and wisdom dearly earned.

Thorne's writing concluded.

Choose differently than your ancestor. When the darkness whispers, remember what the forest and manor once were together. What they could be again.

Silas lowered the letter, mind racing with implications. “This wasn't just meant for any Ashworth who might return. They knew someone specific would come looking for answers.”

“Yeah,” Kai said, examining a shelf of preserved herbs that still carried traces of forest magic. “And I'm starting to think our grandmothers knew exactly who that would be.”

“They did.” The Witch of Blackbriar Hollow's voice made them both jump. She stood in the study's doorway, though neither had heard her approach. “I've waited decades for an Ashworth who could not only carry the key, but understand what it means.”

“How did you get in?” Kai demanded, but she waved away the question.

“The manor remembers its old allies.” She moved into the room, trailing fingers along the maps and documents. “Last night's dream-memory and your response to it confirmed what the Elder Willow and I suspected. You have the potential to heal the breach, Silas.”

“But Marcus had that potential too, didn't he?” Silas gestured at the letter. “Look how that ended.”

“Marcus let ambition poison possibility.” Agnes turned to face him fully. “The next dream will be harder. It will show not just what was possible, but how it was lost. And something dark will use your reactions against both you and Thorne.”

“The shadow in the dream,” Silas said. “The thing that whispered to Marcus about power.”

“It's grown stronger since then, feeding on centuries of division.” Her expression grew grave. “The shadow that hunts you wears familiar faces. Trust your heart's recognition, not your eyes' perception.”

“Speaking of cryptic warnings,” Kai interjected, “want to explain any of that in normal person language?”

But Silas's attention had caught on the map, specifically on a marking that seemed to pulse with faint power. “This shows where the second journal is hidden, doesn't it?”

“Yes.” Agnes followed his gaze. “In the heart of Thorne's domain. Retrieving it is necessary, but entering the forest will change everything. The old barriers are weakening. The shadow entity gathers strength.”

“So what's the play here?” Kai asked. “Wait for more magical dreams and hope we figure things out before something terrible happens?”

Silas studied the map, then the gardens visible through the study's windows where the Eldergrove loomed dark and watchful. In that moment, he felt something extraordinary - an echo of emotion not his own, a complex tangle of hope and fear that he somehow knew belonged to Thorne.

“No,” he said quietly. “If breaking this cycle requires trust, then trust has to start with action.” He looked at Agnes. “I'm going into the forest. Today.”

“That's either very brave or completely insane,” Kai said. “I vote insane.”

“The guardian will see it as a challenge,” Agnes warned.

“Good.” Silas traced the path marked on the map. “Because it is one. I'm choosing to trust first, to reach out instead of waiting behind barriers. If I'm wrong...” He shrugged. “Then at least I tried something different than hiding in fear.”

Agnes's clouded eyes seemed to clear for a moment, showing depths of power and knowledge. “Sometimes the bravest choice and the maddest one are the same thing.” She moved toward the door, then paused. “Remember what you saw in the dream. Forest magic responds to invitation, not demand. The same is true of trust.”

After she'd gone, Kai stared at his friend for a long moment. “We're really doing this? Walking straight into the domain of an angry forest spirit who might still want to kill you?”

“You don't have to come.”

“Oh, shut up.” Kai started examining the preserved herbs with new purpose. “If we're going to commit magical suicide, we're at least going to do it properly prepared. My grandmother didn't teach me herb-craft for nothing.”

Silas turned back to the map, feeling that echo of foreign emotion again. Somewhere in the forest, a guardian waited to see what choice he would make. Whether he would really prove different from his ancestor.

Time to find out.