“What kind of price? I assume you don’t mean money.”
“It depends on what you have to give. She can sense what our fears are—what we value the most. She feeds off hopes, dreams… and other things.”
He looked a bit green and I didn’t want to ask. Unfortunately, I needed to know. “She’s a true witch? Is she Fae? Human? We don’t have any other options, Louis. We don’t have time to waste.”
“Witches are their own entity. There are only a few scattered amongst our worlds. They rarely breed, but are truly immortal, with an infinite lifespan. Their magic wasn’t affected by the curse and they don’t wield it in the same way we do, but that’s not to say they don’t enjoy blood. They aren’t above eating…anything,andcan channel magic from blood, emotions, bargains… their magic can trapsouls, Marigold.
“And on top of that, they’re spider shifters—all of them. Not small spiders, but larger than you and I. Some Fae journey to the Oracle to gain insight and never return. Others give something vital of themselves and are never the same.”
I’d never seen Louis look so nervous, but I was desperate to help Meli and find answers. He scanned my face, set in a determined scowl, then looked at the sky like he was cursing the gods. “Have I told you that Ihatespiders?”
I grinned, raising a brow. “A Fae male, capable of creating a raging river, afraid of spiders?”
He glared at me. “We’ll need Raf’s help. And Galen’s. We’ll need to get approval from my mother, she won’t let you just wander off castle grounds without good reason.”
I frowned. Spiders didn’t scare me, but she did. “How do we go about asking something like that?” I gnawed at my lower lip as I began to fret.
“I’ll talk to my brothers, we’ll come up with a plan.” He seemed more confident as the idea sunk in. It gave me a small boost of hope, but my stomach was still in knots, thinking of all the things that could go wrong.
“I’ll be leaving for a few days next week. Rafael will take over your training while I’m gone. You’re ready to start advancing in your magic and you need a sparring partner. Ice and shadow play well together—better than ice and water. Plus, you need to learn how to shift into your animal form. And… I can’t help you with that until I manage to find my own.”
I didn’t want to train with Rafael. Whenever I was around him, I felt like a walking contradiction; hot and cold, tight and loose. I wanted his friendship, yet was ready to throttle him at a moment’s notice. He’d be relentless and unforgiving. He wouldn’t have Louis’s patience… which was probably the point. I couldn’t expect other magic wielders to play nice.Especiallyif I was ever to face a real opponent. Like Sylvia.
“What about Galen? Ice and fire… that sounds ideal.” I smiled hopefully before Louis shot me down.
“He has no time in his schedule to train you. He’s in meetings all day, if not doing the Queen’s dirty work.”
And flirting with Isla. I sighed. He squeezed my shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Don’t look so worried. Raf doesn’t bite.Remember?”
I trained extra hard with him during the remainder of our lesson. I created shields of wind and sustained them as long as possible. I summoned an ice storm that swirled around us and left us shivering despite the muggy weather. I may have been advancing when it came to magic, but it seemed all other progress would be halted until we went to the Oracle.
The thought of having to wait dampened my mood. Louis encouraged me to have some fun, but it felt wrong to lose focus now. I was desperately holding on to the idea of returning home soon. But he was probably right—a littlefun would be good for me.
There was just one tiny problem. The only person I wanted to havefunwith was busy courting another woman.
A week later, I asked Louis if he would escort me to the library to pick out a few books. We’d just finished our last training session together and he’d be heading south to Elysia in a few days. Robert was off duty, which meant Louis was begrudgingly acting as my chaperone.
Following me around like I was a criminal made him uncomfortable. I also suspected he would’ve already been at a tavern, looking for a woman to keep him company, if I hadn’t been standing in his way. I’d have two days off before training with Rafael began and I needed some fresh reading material, so Louis would just have to be patient.
I felt severely underdressed in a dirty grey tunic and leggings as we entered the Grand Library. I peered at the mural-covered ceiling, the endless rows of polished bookshelves, and then at a large, statuesque figure sitting at a mahogany table.
I froze when I realized it was Galen. He was hunched over reading, while a black cat laid next to him, batting its tail back and forth. It basked in a ray of sunshine that spilled across the dark red wood. It wasmycat—the one that had followed me around when I’d first arrived. When it had stopped visiting, I’d been worried, but apparently it had just grown bored of my company.
Cats.They were too fickle; I’d always been more of a dog person, anyways.
When Louis saw an opportunity to ditch me, he took it. “Galen can act as your chaperone. I’ve got places to be.” Louis shoved me towards his brother and darted away.Traitor.
My heart began to pound when I made eye contact with Galen. I wanted to hide behind a pillar, dive behind a bookcase. Instead I danced in place as he prowled over to me.
“I’ve been doing some research for you, world walker. I haven’t found much yet, but I’ll keep searching until I do.” There was an undeniable hunger behind his eyes. I met his gaze in silent challenge. I wanted him too. And I was finally ready to let him see how much.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I need all the help I can get,” I replied, rubbing goosebumps from my arms.
“Can I help you find something?” He gave a sultry smile as his gaze wandered over me.
“Books on healing magic. Or really anything that will keep me from dying of boredom this weekend.”
“A wielder of two elements, a healer,anda world walker. How does it feel to be chosen by the gods?” He looked up towards the mural on the ceiling, then winked. “They say ice and fire wielders are extra compatible, you know…”
