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forty-six

T he next time I opened my eyes, the room was dark. I’d slept the entire day away. Again . My magic was demanding when it was depleted. I could’ve slept for another day. Another week.

I sat up to find Rafael sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. The tangerine glow from the fire fell across his face. He was studying something—the unicorn book I’d found in the library. It looked so small in his hands. His gaze turned to me when he noticed me stirring.

“Did you know that unicorns can emit starlight from their horns? It has the ability to break some curses and spells—and it can also blind enemies. Oh, and also… your horn is capable of channeling every form of elemental magic. Looks like you’re going to have some new tricks up your sleeve, Goldie.

Hopefully I can keep up with you.” He gave me a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.

He was trying to appear casual, but I could tell that today had disturbed him.

“Good thing you’re skilled at fighting blind.” I grinned. “I wonder how your shadows will respond to my light.” I rested my head back on his pillow, savoring the feeling of true safety.

“Light and dark… two sides of the same coin. One can’t exist without the other.

” He stood up, while his shadows hovered between us.

They swirled towards me before he tugged them back.

We laughed and then it grew quiet. Our usual comfortable silence was gone.

In its place, a new energy buzzed between us—a product of everything that had transpired in the last few days .

“Have you looked at the journal yet? I’ve been dying to see what it says about the curse.” I scanned the room. It was sitting on Raf’s nightstand where I’d left it.

“Not without you.”

“No time like the present,” I said with a weak smile, before picking it up and opening it. I grew disheartened when I realized I didn’t recognize the text.

“What language is this?” I asked Raf, handing it to him. He fanned through the small pages that had yellowed over the years.

“You don’t recognize the text of your people?

Clearly we’ve been spending too much time on the physical side of training.

This is the ancient language of the Fae.

It’s still considered something we should all know, even though it’s not typically used in everyday conversation anymore.

We made Dorish our dominant language when we began interacting more with humans.

Most books have been translated over to Dorish now, but you’ll still find handwritten texts in Ancient Fae…

especially if it’s not meant for human eyes. ”

I must’ve looked annoyed because he smirked and said, “Don’t worry, I can translate.” He spent a few minutes flipping through the pages until he landed on something that made him stop.

“Here, this says the curse came from—" He paused, looking confused.

" The Book of Erebus. ” Raf rubbed his stubbled jaw in contemplation.

“This contradicts what I was told.” He looked up to see my blank face and explained, “Erebus is a well-known spell book. It’s one of two that were created by the gods, to house the most powerful spells.

Its opposite is the book of Chrysus, a book of creation, while Erebus is a book of destruction.

Our people lost track of both of them centuries ago.

“If the curse came from Erebus… it means a magical being must’ve cast the spell—it changes everything.

” He swore and loosed a long breath. “It’s always been assumed that Chrysus was the source of the curse.

Anyone can cast spells from it… It can be used by humans.

The magic used for creation spells is pulled directly from the land.

The accepted belief amongst our people is that a human created the blood curse—this challenges that theory.

Erebus can only be wielded with true magic. ”

He furrowed his brows before musing, “Why isn’t this common knowledge? Someone with significant sway must’ve purposefully kept this information from going public… Someone who knew the truth.” We both looked at each other.

Sylvia .

But why?

Raf flipped to a new page. There was a name written on top it. Aides Ruhn . “This was a prophecy given to my Uncle Aides. He died in Erador. It almost seems connected to yours… Let me translate.”

Rafael got a piece of pen and paper and began writing:

Two books united, Six Chosen souls

By horn and feathers, claws, and bones

The cost of magic will be steep

Bonded-blood must spiral deep

The black book’s spell demands a fee

Destruction has no empathy

Next an ancient spell that mends

Only then will the blood curse end

A war rages across the land

Chosen heirs must take a stand

The curse may start once more anew

If the caster is allowed to do

What they intend with hate and scorn

They’ll rule both worlds with blood and horn

We locked eyes when we finished reading. The chosen heirs had been mentioned again. Two spell books and six chosen souls… This left me with more questions than answers.

The prophecy appeared to cover more than just how to break the curse, but how the war between worlds might play out. Chosen heirs. My heart sank. Was I truly meant to be with Galen? My body seized up at the idea. Would the fates be so cruel? Was I supposed to blood-bond with a monster?

“What do you make of it?” I asked, shivering as I hugged myself.

Raf saw my crestfallen face and took my hands in his.

“Don’t give up now. This is information that will only help us.

It tells us exactly what we need to do, once we figure out what it means…

This doesn’t mean you have to go back to Galen,” he assured me.

“Don’t spend another moment wo rrying about him, about the chosen heirs.

Let’s get to Erador before we try to decipher the prophecies.

They’ll only distract us from what we have to accomplish in the next two weeks. ”

“How can you say that? I can’t ignore such vital information. What if I’m meant to bring him to Erador?” Were Raf’s feelings for his brother preventing him from seeing the situation clearly?

“Maybe you misinterpreted it. Maybe there’s more information waiting for us in Aurelius. Please, don’t worry, all will be explained in time.” He was avoiding eye contact.

“There’s something you aren’t telling me,” I said skeptically.

“Let it be for now. Please. ” His pleading eyes met mine and I dropped it, turning back to the book. The next several pages were ripped out and the rest were blank.

“I guess that’s all the information we’re getting.” I sighed, disappointed.

Rafael stayed silent as he closed the book, tucking it away. “I’m going to go get us some food. Any requests? The chef here is surprisingly talented.” He stood quickly, seeming eager to put distance between us.

“Everything on the menu,” I joked. Raf gave a tight smile before leaving, locking the door behind him.

What was he hiding? I wasn’t going to push him for information. After everything he’d done for me, I’d let him keep his secrets. For now.

While Raf was gone, I watched the window and the door, folding my knees to my chest and hugging them as I tried to self-sooth, rocking back and forth.

My partner—someone who I loved, who’d said he loved me—had violated me last night. I tried to block out the bits I remembered—that threatened to undo me. Just as I thought I might fall into a hole of despair so deep that I’d never be able to climb out, I heard the twist of the door knob.

I shielded myself, readying for a fight, before Raf appeared with several maids in tow, each of them carrying multiple trays of food. “Your wish is my command,” he said with an exaggerated bow. I let out a long sigh.

We laid out all the plated food on a thick rug that covered shabby hardwood floor, sitting in front of the fireplace as we ate.

I was pulled into a dark, haunted corner of my mind as I watched the flickering amber flames.

I heard Raf’s voice, but it felt far away, like I was underwater and trying to swim my way back to the surface.

My lungs burned as I realized I’d been holding my breath.

“You’re safe,” he whispered, moving closer, wrapping an arm around me. I shied from his touch, before accepting his words and leaning into his warmth.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever recover,” I said quietly.

“Give yourself some time. You’ve been through a lot.

It’ll take a while to realize that you’ve escaped.

” One large hand was on my shoulder, while the other offered me a piece of warm bread.

Tears formed and I let them fall in fat drops on Raf’s oversized shirt that I was currently wearing.

How many of his shirts had I soaked in tears over the last few days?

“Eat. You’ll recuperate faster if you do,” he said gently.

I took the buttered toast from him and took a bite. “Do you… do you think he ever loved me? Or did he just want my magic?”

He scooted towards me, curling an arm around my back. It felt natural to settle against his chest. “You’re so much more than your magic. I’m sure Galen knew that. It doesn’t mean he deserved you.”

“I-I’m sorry,” I said, hoping he knew all that I was apologizing for.

“Don’t apologize to me, you’ve done nothing wrong.” He rested his cheek on the top of my head as we both stared at the fire.

“You aren’t the only one that made the mistake of trusting Galen,” Rafael said into the silent night. It took him a long time to speak again and I patiently waited.

“When I was a child, I looked up to him. He’s forty-five years older than me—he was an adult when I was born. I didn’t know why he didn’t like me, until I learned we had different mothers. Sylvia loved using him to torment me—to put me in my place.