Will Miron kill a royal?
“I’m ready”
Miron’s striking blue eyes popped open, and I instantly soaked up every bit of their expressiveness. All at once I could see his pain, his compassion, and his drive to free the ones he cared about. As my magic stirred to life, I kept my eyes fixated on his and selfishly allowed myself to enjoy his presence for as long as I could. As my blood grew warm from the swelling power and my hair emitted its soft glow, I noticed a strange lack of heat in my system. My eyes narrowed slightly in confusion as I noticed an obvious dilution in my powers. The magic was clearly still there, but my sight wasn’t fading away to unveil a vision. In fact, it felt like my mind was still entirely conscious of my surroundings.
What in the realms is happening?
I furrowed my brow worriedly as I fought with my power to perform its requested task. The weak warmth of my magic began to fade, and I searched my brain for any flashes of images.Where’s the vision? What’s the answer?I replayed the question again and again in my head as the spark of my magic dwindled. My breathing quickened as the familiar sensation of a completed vision swept over me, but no answers had been provided. I pleaded in my mind one final time, desperately clutching at that last well of power that tricked within.
Will Miron kill a royal?
Just before my magic slipped away, a single word flickered into my mind as quickly as a butterfly’s fluttering wing.
Yes.
I gasped in both relief and utter shock, and Miron reached out to brace me by the arms with a terrified expression staining his perfect eyes. “Elle, are you alright? Your hair... it’s turning black.”
chapter eighteen
I snatched the end of my shortened locks and watched in horror as a cluster of glittering silver strands faded into a pitch-black. When the colors had finished shifting, I rushed over to the mirror and stared dumbfounded at the bizarre streaks of black. Most of my hair was still silver, but the black streaks now striped my hair with undeniable visibility.
“I don’t know what’s happening.” I picked through the black strands as I investigated them in the mirror. “This started happening a few days ago, but I didn’t know it was affecting my magic.”
Miron trailed behind me to the mirror, but kept his eyes away from the reflection to avoid my gaze again. “It affected your magic?” he questioned with a fascinated inflection in his tone. “Maybe it has something to do with Conan stealing your hair?”
I twisted my neck as I attempted to view the creeping ebony on the back of my head. The short cut made my entire head feel as light as air. “That doesn’t seem likely. The first few strands began to darken after the king stopped sending me meals. Conan didn’t have my hair by then.” My attention shifted to Miron’s drifted gaze and a sudden realization hit me. “Oh! You can look up. My power doesn’t transmit through reflections.”
He glanced up cautiously, and I caught the corner of his gaze. Once he saw I bore no reaction to his eyes, he raised his head to his full height. “Interesting. I’ve never heard of a mage losing their power before. I suppose your vision failed, then?” His voice sounded a touch disheartened, but at the same time, his eyes gripped mine with a joyful longing.
A similar glee filled me as we locked eyes for the first time without the barrier of my magic. His deep blue gaze distracted me for a brief moment, and I nearly forgot to answer his question. “I wouldn’t say it failed...” I chewed the inside of my cheek as I tried to formulate the clearest explanation of my power, “but it was weaker than normal. I didn’t see anything from your perspective like I usually do, but I did get a solid answer to your question.”
Miron’s expression grew hopeful. “And? Will I do it?” His eager words broke me as I recognized his deep desire to fulfill his destined role.
All he wanted to do was protect us, and I wish I could offer him the same. I swallowed hard. “Yes. My vision said that the answer was yes.”
A mixture of emotions crossed through the prince’s enchanting gaze. Determination, wonder, and fear all flickered behind his soulful expression before he turned to the crafted key that had been left out on the shelf. “Okay, then. If I’m meant to spill the blood of a royal in my future, then we’ll see what power that grants me now.” He turned back to the mirror to meet my troubled dark eyes one more time, then turned his focus to the king’s door. I gripped the standing mirror by the frame and shifted it across the floor so it reflected the tall door. He raised my sculpted key to the lock, but paused before inserting it, then looked back toward me. “This is for you, Elle.” He gave me a sweet smile, then placed the key into the lock. I watched with baited breath as the key pressed into the lock and made the most beautiful click.
“It works!” I exclaimed. The moment the praise left my lips, a cold shiver rolled down my spine and my dark eyes turned into a void of terror.It works... My vision is going to come true.
Miron must have noticed my growing anxiety because he quickly came to my side. “It’s going to be alright, Elle. I promise.” He touched a hand to my shoulder and with the other, slipped the blindfold out from his pocket. “Why don’t we go see what’s behind those other doors? If the locks are the same as the rest, I should be able to open them now.” The edge of his mouth twitched up into a crooked smile. My sorrow eased at his goofy expression, and I reached out to take the blindfold from him, but he pulled it away from me. “Hold on, who says you get to wear it? Maybe I want a little more practice with my sightless navigating.”
I narrowed my eyes at him in the mirror with a skeptical glare. “You already had your turn. If you can’t see, then how are you going to open the doors? With your sense of direction, we’ll likely spend the entire day waiting for you to find the keyhole.” I held out my hand with a dramatic wiggle of my fingers and he conceded with a sigh.
“Fine.” He pouted, while placing the silk in my palm. “It’s too bad, really. I was hoping to let you look upon my dazzling smile for a bit longer.” He arched his brow and flashed a corny grin.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said through a withheld snicker and rolled my eyes. It was more than clear to me that he was trying to make me feel better after the devastating truth we’d just confirmed, but I was thankful for the distraction. I took one last deep look into the prince’s sweet smile and kind eyes before tying the blindfold around my head. I turned to face him, then reached out my hand in search of his. “You’ll have to guide me. I’m almost as blind as you would be outside of this room.” A soft rise of nerves moved within me as I remembered the last time I had left the safety of my tower.It’s alright. I’m with Miron this time, not the king.
Miron slipped his hand into mine and gave it an excited squeeze. “My, oh my, princess. I never expected you to be so forward.” His voice oozed with drama as he tugged my hand lightly to pull me a step closer. “If you wanted me to hold you, all you had to do was ask.”
Heat radiated throughout my cheeks as a hot blush swarmed my skin. I gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, but didn’t make any move to pull away. “Just lead.” I huffed bashfully as I tried to hide the red in my face.
He didn’t say anything, but I would have sworn he was smirking at me. With a firm grip, he led me through the tower and paused as we slowly stepped over the threshold of the king’s door. A piece of me mourned my exit as I realized I would likely never set foot in this home ever again, though, most of my body flooded with a sweet sense of relief and freedom. It was as if I had finally sprung free from my silver cage.
We didn’t go far from the tower’s door before Miron halted. “Okay, this is the first door.” He sounded a touch apprehensive as I listened to him place the clay key into the lock. “Are you ready?”
I nodded, my nerves had silenced my voice.
“Alright, here goes.” The lock clicked open and I felt the breeze of the door swinging out toward us. Miron remained quiet for a moment, but then took in a sharp breath. “Hello? Are you alright?”