I stare, trying to look unimpressed and failing completely. So many things make sense now. How I saw through the Chosen One's cheap trick. "Do lies count as illusions?"
"Of course." He grins, and I peek at sharp canines, though not as long as Donatello's. "I bet you've always sensed who's telling the truth and who isn't."
"Yeah." I narrow my eyes at him. "Even if it's just a name."
His smile doesn't falter, not even an inch. "Fae will never give you their real names, Shadow Mage. Names are powerful things in the hands of the right people."
My cheeks burn. That sounds dangerous. And I just gave my name like it was nothing. I'm such a noob in this world. "So that's what you are. A fae." I heard fae were so pretty it hurt, but I guess the rumors were wrong. "Light or dark fae? Never learned the difference."
Prince leans back, straightening his spine. "Technically, no Light Fae. They’d have to be born in the Light Realm, and none is. Twilight Fae is the proper name. They are born in the Twilight Realm." He sighs, rolling his eyes. "They're boring. Can't even change their appearance whenever they want."
"They? So you're a Dark one?"
He nods. "Born and raised in the... What do you call it? The Cursed Realm." He smirks, and it's twisted and full of history. My insides coil. This is the first person I meet who knows the Cursed Realm personally. No myths, no legends. He's seen it. I swallow hard. "Worry not, Shadow Mage. If I get to buy you, I'll let you in on what's in there before we make the trip."
Make the trip. He wants to go into the Cursed Realm, the place everyone has warned me off. And he wants to take me. "Why would you want to go there? I mean, you left for a reason."
He moves his head and the way the light hits the harsh lines of his face makes him look more tree than person. "I didn't leave. I was forced out of the lands of my family. The Rift appeared before I could go back, so I've been stuck outside for the past years."
I study his face. There are no lies in his words. He was cast out, and this Rift keeps him from going back. "So this Rift is what keeps the Cursed Realm apart from us? That's what I'm supposedly capable of controlling?"
He nods, eyes glinting mischievously. "The Rift was created by the last Shadow Mage after we hunted the others down." Prince shrugs. "Or who we thought was the last. He must have slipped some of his family into the Light Realm before he blocked it. There's no other explanation for you having the right genes."
So the person who put this wall up is my ancestor. And others may have had the powers before, but maybe they were killed before they could learn how to handle them. Then something in his words makes me rewind them. "Wait. You hunted them down?"
He shoots me a sheepish smile. "Shadow Mages weren't as rare as you are today. They were a nuisance to whoever wanted to have some fun." Prince releases a sigh, looking into the distance with longing. "A lord couldn't even have human slaves. Some of them didn't mind, you know? They were glad to serve us."
I'm sure they were. Rage makes my eyes water, but I blink it away and force myself to be rational. This guy looks like he could be a way out. Maybe if I convince him I'm on his side, and that I'm super interested in helping, he'll be extra dedicated to buying me. I swallow my pride and force a smile onto my face. "And it's only natural, isn't it? Fae did come before humans."
He studies me, but it turns out I have an amazing poker face. "Exactly. And a human life is gone in the blink of an eye. A mere blip in the existence of fae. And I'm not even one of the really old ones. As I said, some humans enjoy it. They need the guiding."
"It is an empty existence without some guidance."
Prince puts all of his attention on me. "You sound interested, Shadow Mage."
"You sound like you know what you're doing," I lie, and cross my fingers he doesn't see through me. He doesn't blink, and his smile doesn't wither, so I'm betting he doesn't. "I could use some guidance."
He grins. "And I can give you that." He steps closer, lifting a hand to touch the glass. "I can teach you how to be so grand the entire world will fear you. I can show you how to put any king on their knees, and squeeze the lives out of their chests without ever touching them." His angled face catches the shadows and now he looks positively wicked. The sort of creature that creeps onto nightmares and eats you for breakfast. "Would you like that, Shadow Mage?"
The way he says the title is a whisper, a promise. I feel the power in my veins thrumming with it, and even when I know I'm only supposed to go along for the sake of it, I find myself wanting him to keep his promise. Can I do all that? It doesn't feel like a lie, and he has seen the previous Shadow Mages when they were alive.
Can I be as powerful as he makes it sound? Strong enough to defend those who need, the people who stand by me?
Raising a hand, I touch the cold glass, fitting our palms together. "Very much."
He watches me for another moment before stepping away. "You truly are what the Collector said. The ambition of the Shadow Mages who came before you runs in your blood." Prince lifts a hand to brush his fingers up a horn. "Your power of seeing through glamour will be of immense help too. I can already imagine everything we'll do once we leave."
"Glamour?" I ask, looking up at his horns. "Is that what it is? The illusion?"
He nods, letting his hand drop. "I put it up to change my appearance. All Dark Fae do that. But you can see through it, so you see my real face. Precious knowledge when you deal with fae. Since the Collector can't see through it, it'll be easy to steal you away after the auction."
Air leaves my lungs at the confession. "You'll steal me?" I hush. "I thought you were going to buy me."
"Dark Fae don't buy. We just take whatever we want." And he grins, all proud of himself.
I chew on my lower lip. This guyisthe best chance I have. That is, if he can get me out. "Do you really think you can steal me away?" Anything is better than Kayn, after all.
He arches an eyebrow, smugness to his face. "I've always known a Shadow Mage would come up. And I've always known if there was someone out there capable of finding them, that would be the Collector. I've prepared for this moment." He turns away from me, his robe swishing behind him as if it was brushing grass blades. "You rest, Shadow Mage. Tomorrow, we'll start a war."