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The shape of the crystals had changed exactly where she had touched the dress. Instead of existing in their distinct shapes, they had molded into one, large crystal, blended together as if a piece of stained-glass had been manipulated by a blacksmith’s torch.
Magda gasped and reached back out to touch the crystals. Once again, as she moved her hand, the rocks changed underneath her fingertips. She waved her hand again and again, until the waves on the dress were nothing more than an undefined swirl of color.
What was going on?
Magda snapped her head behind her to Odie. “Did you see that?”
Odie’s ears perked up, and his head tilted at the sound of Magda’s voice.
“It’s Soul magic…,” Magda’s voice trailed off.
Her heart fluttered, and Magda looked frantically around the room for anything else that reminded her of the Guardians of the Soul and their earth magic. Her gaze snapped to the bouquet of poppies that her mother had gifted her.
Quickly, she extended her hand toward the flowers, pulsing a burst of energy through her arm and extending to her fingertips. She remembered everything Aleksy had taught her about channeling magic when they had trained for her coronation ceremony. As she clenched her hand into a fist, the poppies shriveled into black, coiled stems. Dried, flaky petals fell to the table in a heap of ashes.
Magda jumped back, and her hands flung up to cover her shocked expression. When she did so, the poppies reformed in their beautiful, red glory, extending higher than they had before.
Magda’s hands shook. She raced to the mirror just in time to see the yellow glow fading from her irises. The evidence of earth magic couldn’t be clearer. She had seen it explode from her fingertips in two separate instances.
How was it possible that she was exhibiting signs of earth magic? Earth magic belonged to the Guardians of the Soul in Flaustra, while Azurem held the Guardians of Life. Her father was a descendant of a line of royals who had all been blessed with the gift of water. That meant Magda was supposed to display Life magic at today’s coronation ceremony.
If she had earth magic, and not water magic, she could not inherit the Azuremi throne. She would be stripped of her title, and forced out of the fortress. She would be disowned by her entire family.
She jumped to a series of conclusions that all seemed outrageous. What if she wasn’t her father’s child? Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as the thought paralyzed the rest of her body. Maybe she could accept the fact that she wasn’t a royal to the Azuremi throne, and that her and Aleksy were possibly half siblings, but what would happen to her when everyone realized that she was in line for a different throne? What would happen to her mother if they thought the queen had a daughter with another royal from a foreign kingdom?
She couldn’t let that happen.
There was only one person who could help her.
Magda dashed out of her room, and Odie trailed behind. She exited the royal quarters and made her way to the knights’ wing, bursting into Dagmara’s suite without knocking. Her best friend had to be here getting ready for the coronation.
“Dagmara?” Magda called and looked around. After a few moments, it was clear that neither Dagmara nor Teos were inside.
Magda darted to the sofa, picking up a pillow, before crouching down and shoving it towards Odie’s nose. “Can you help me find Dagmara?”
Odie’s ears pricked up as he sniffed the object.
“Dagmara,” Magda repeated before giving her dog the search command, “Go find.”
CHAPTER 5
Dagmara
The throne room always captivated Dagmara with its three-story ceilings and sparkling glass chandeliers, made to look like glittering pieces of pink salt. All around the outside of the room, were two layers of balconies that faced the raised dais, creating a theatrical element to the space. Large banners in pink and blue pastels hung from the rafters and salt-carved statues of the royals were placed in stained glass windows. At the front of the room, the Krol family crest hung over four thrones, and a majestic waterfall streamed down the wall behind them. A large fountain at the center of the room added a soundscape of rushing water to the area.
Now, only two thrones were occupied. One by King Bogdan, the ruler of Azurem, and one by Prince Aleksy. Dagmara forced herself not to make eye contact with Aleksy for fear her face would flush.
It had taken every ounce of her strength to show up at the meeting this morning. Her neck and shoulders throbbed, and her scalp prickled, similar to the pins and needles that danced in her fingertips. She was both cold and sweating, and her brain felt as though it were blanketed in thick fog. However, she didn’t have time to rest. She couldn’t let the king question her absence and discover her illness. Having an invisible condition was a double-edge sword; she was able to hide it, but no one believed how much it affected her.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the throne. The king and the prince quickly stopped talking about the salt trade and turned their attention to her. After giving the king a low bow, Dagmara extended her palm out toward King Bogdan. Jacek’s ring was in the center of her hand.
Bogdan eyed the jewelry. His face was filled with wrinkles, and he had bushy, gray eyebrows which were more expressive than his personality. For his age, he still had a large head of silver hair. His face was clean-shaven, and his light blue cape, lined with white fur, hid his figure.
“He is dead?”
The comment jarred Dagmara. The king knew what her job was. He had never asked for confirmation before. By the way Aleksy shifted forward in his throne, he was taken aback too.
“Of course.”
