Conan may think he has the upper hand by knowing Father’s strength, but in reality, it’s also his weakness... I rushed back down the spiral of steps, spitting curses under my breath as I descended. Conan’s hubris has always held him back, and now he believes there’s an all-powerful magic that can guarantee his rise to the throne... But what would Father do if his bobble went missing? Or better yet, if the future turned out to be skewed in someone else’s favor...
If Father thinks he can cast me aside so easily, I’ll just have to show him how resourceful I can really be. I am not going to settle for being a mere tool to Conan’s rise to power.
I threw open the doors to my study and dug out a sketched layout of the castle. My eyes trailed across the paper until I was looking at the framework of the elusive sixth level of the castle.
I’ll find this crystal ball... and when I do, I’ll bring Conan to his knees.
chapter three
It had been nearly an hour since Mabel left, so the king should arrive any moment now. I smoothed out my lacy skirt as I sat with my best posture in front of the sandalwood table. My fingers always fidgeted when I was excited, so I found my hands flitting between petting the lace and trailing my fingers through the tail of my braid.
I can do this... I’m only asking a simple question...
I knew Mabel was right, and that I shouldn’t get my hopes too high, but the excitement that stirred in me now had been building for far too long to try and dampen it. If the king tells me no... I’ll just have to remain optimistic! There’s no way he intends to let me live out myentirelife within my tower. There had to be at least one day of sun in my future, right?
I glanced back into the mirror on the far wall and wished for the thousandth time that I could see my own future. As a sorceress, my magic was meant to only work on myself, and technically it did... but it had some very strange rules.
Like other sorcerers I read about, my power worked automatically and I couldn’t choose whenever it activated. That was the curse of such amicable powers; they weren’t under our control. Enchanters and casters could summon their magic on command and silence it when they were done, but not sorcerers—our magic overtook even our own will.
Luckily, my power only worked with direct eye contact, so I had at least a small semblance of control over its usage. As long as I averted eye contact, my magic would remain dormant. This meant I could never look at anyone that I wasn’t allowed to use my power on, which included everyone except the king... Needless to say, my social skills were a tad lacking.
Despite being a sorceress, I could only see other people’s futures and never my own. For a while I wondered if I was actually a caster. Caster’s magic can only flow through living beings such as people, animals, or plants, so it seemed possible that my power was reliant on living people. However, upon further research, I learned my magic still technically followed the rules of sorcery.
The magic only flowed directly through me and not other living beings. Only I could see the visions, and I didn’t have to make direct contact with people to use my magic like casters did. So yes, my magic was triggered by other people, but they didn’t actually receive the effect of my power... It was all a bit complicated.
I’ve never been able to see my own future, even though I’ve seen my reflection more times than I could count. I came to the conclusion this was simply because I was only looking at a reflection, and not truly at my eyes. I tested this theory once by glancing at the king’s eyes from my mirror, and sure enough, my magic didn’t connect at all. There must be some truth in the saying that eyes are the windows to the soul...
My heart rate spiked as I recognized the sound of the king’s key clicking into the lock. I released my hair and folded my hands delicately across the table, directing my eyes on my jittering fingers. I was allowed to look at the king, so I didn’t need my blindfold for his visits, but I had found over the years that it was easier to focus my magic if he told me what he was looking for first. I glimpsed the door swinging open from my peripheral as the king strode quietly into the room with heavy footsteps.
I directed my gaze to his feet, being careful not to look into his eyes prematurely. His black leather boots were trailed by his sweeping dark brown cloak that lightly grazed the ground. I patiently waited for him to take his seat in front of me, now directing my gaze to his torso.
“Good morning, Your Majesty,” I greeted sweetly. “I hope you’ve had a lovely week. How may I serve you today?”
The king settled stiffly into his chair, and I noticed his ringed fingers tap thoughtfully against the tabletop. “Hello Crystal,” the king greeted me coolly. “The week has been fine, and I’m hoping to brighten it with some cheerful news. Did you enjoy your meal this morning?”
I smiled brightly down at the table. “I certainly did, Your Majesty. I must admit that it put me in a fabulous mood, so I shouldn’t have any difficulty receiving a positive vision.” My nerves stirred inside me.Go on, ask already!
“That’s excellent news,” the king said in a pleased tone. “Because today, I wish to know which of my sons I’ll be embracing as our new heir.”
My nerves vanished as a wash of surprise flooded through me. The king has had me investigate the future surrounding his sons for years, but he never requested a straight answer on who would be the next king. Admittedly, I’d been fascinated by this family drama for years. Whoever became the next heir would likely be permitted to visit me in the tower, and from what I’ve seen, all of his sons were rather good-looking...
“That’s so exciting, Your Majesty,” I exclaimed brightly. “It would be an honor to share such an important piece of the future with you, but before we begin...” My chest tightened.Now’s my chance. I’ll never know if I never ask.The king’s fingers paused their tapping as he waited for me to continue. I took a deep breath. “I was hoping to make a request.”
The king dropped his gold-adorned fingers back onto the table with a loud clatter. “What type of request?” His voice sounded a touch impatient, and I already knew I was pushing my luck.
Don’t back out now...I straightened my spine and held my chin as high as I could without allowing my gaze to drift to the king’s face. “I would like to visit the kingdom... only for the afternoon.” My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the painful silence from the king. “I’m aware that my hair can be distracting, so I would wrap it in a head covering to conceal it, and I wouldn’t dream of looking into anyone else’s eyes. I swear, I’ll keep my head low and only look up when there’s no people. If we take a quiet route, then maybe—”
“Crystal.” I stiffened; the king’s voice was strong and firm. Mabel never used my real name, but instead called me by the nickname she’d given me at birth, Elle. The king was the only person who called me Crystal, so I always felt a little powerless and small when the name was spoken. The king sighed. “You know very well why I can’t permit you to leave. Your power is very dangerous in the wrong hands. Only I am capable of using it wisely.”
My heart turned to stone at the king’s words, and I felt it fall with a painful crash inside my chest. I had known that the chances were slim, yet... “I understand, my king, but do you think it would be possible even just once?” I risked a glance at the edge of his face; his thick black beard buried most of his smile, so he never really seemed happy.
I watched tensely as his lips curled into a frown. “No, never.”
Any remainder of hope I had clung to was snuffed out instantly. A warm sting built up under my lashes and I found myself blinking back tears. “I understand. Please forgive me for asking. I will answer your question now.”
I quickly brushed any collecting tears from my eyes before straightening my neck and finally meeting the king’s eyes. I took a steadying breath and pulsated the question through my mind again and again.Who will he embrace as his new heir...?I pressed all my focus into directing the overwhelming warmth that came from my pulsating magic. My hair began to glow vibrantly as my power narrowed and focused on the king’s dark brown eyes.
As the vision began to formulate in my mind, I tried my best to funnel feelings of joy and excitement, but the overwhelming disappointment I’d just experienced kept pushing through. I tried to push away the negative feelings, but they broke through my fragile defenses as the vision solidified.