Page 102 of Fey Empire

He is hiding the true extent of his powers.

But in that case, how have I sensed them? Is it because I am a vessel and vessels sense magic differently? Or is it because his mask slipped in my presence?

Or did he allow his mask to fall because he trusted me?

I force a swallow down my tight throat. My stomach has sunk down to my boots. I don't want it to be the last option. Anything but that. Please.

A gong sounds out.

Dyfri ceases his attack. Mother drops her shield. It is her turn now.

She flings a veritable fireball of power at him. Dyfri flicks his wrist and deflects it easily.

The tightness in my chest eases. Maybe, just maybe, everything is going to be okay.

The gong sounds.

Dyfri's turn again.

He moves his hand, and a crack appears in the flagstone by Mother's feet. Something crawls out of it. A lot of somethings.

It takes my eyes a moment to process that the undulating black mass is a sea of spiders. Some of them are quite large.

They scurry straight to Mother and begin running up her robes.

Her face has gone whiter than a sheet. Her eyes have gone frantic and glassy. She looks like she is about to faint.

My heart pounds. How did Dyfri know that Mother is terrified of spiders? Who told him? I only ever suspected it and could never confirm it, because she did a very good job of hiding the signs.

I watch as she starts to tremble. The spiders are on her chest now. Determinedly climbing towards her face.

Mother is clearly terrified, but she is holding her ground. She isn't screaming or surrendering.

The gong sounds.

The spiders disappear. They were only an illusion.

Mother inhales deeply. Then she shakes herself as if attempting to dislodge any remaining arachnids.

Then she glares at Dyfri, and I cower. It was business before. Now it is personal.

With great ceremony, she draws a plain glass bottle out of her robes. It looks like water.

She holds it aloft for the crowd to see.

"Holy water!" she declares in a voice that carries.

As all the assembled fey collectively gasp. I realise the strange cadence of her voice is because she is speaking fey and my translator is doing its job.

"Harmless to Seelie. Deadly to Unseelie," she intones with great theatrics.

"Shall we discover just how unseelie you are, Your Highness?"

Everyone inhales. A ripple of movement spreads out. Someone exclaims out loud.

The entire court is loving this. Mother has planned this perfectly. She has learnt how much fear and mistrust there is of the unseelie, and she is using it to her full advantage.

She unstoppers the bottle, then she flings the contents at Dyfri.