Page 29 of Staff of Nightfall

The fairy nodded. “There was strong, evil sorcery on you. A terrible corruption of protection magic. Stopping you would have been near impossible. Some things have to happen, and it is not up to us to determine why.” The fairy smiled, but her fanged teeth still made Adelaide uncomfortable. “But I am glad to see you are free of your curse. It will make righting things easier.”

“What do you mean?” Regulus asked before Adelaide could.

“You have made a wicked man very powerful.” The fairy frowned. “The Staff of Nightfall has been broken and useless for hundreds of years. Because of you both, it is whole.”

“I don’t understand,” Adelaide said. “What is the staff?”

“Hmm.” The fairy rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t anyone know anything anymore?” The fairy sighed, and Adelaide shuffled her feet, her shoulders bunching.

“You can store magical power in an inanimate object, such as a staff,” the fairy explained. “When you use your magic, as you are aware, it eventually refills. Unless it’s stolen, in which case, it usually takes an extra push to fully recover that magic. When a mage—or a sorcerer—puts magic into an object, that magic gets locked into the object. It can then help focus a mage’s magic, making a little magic go a longer way. So while it takes an immense amount of power to create such an object, it later helps the user consume less energy to accomplish the same effect. Does that make sense?”

Adelaide nodded, although all the information made her lightheaded.

“A powerful and twisted sorceress created the Staff of Nightfall. She imbued the Staff with corrupted sorcery tinged with her own cruelty, bloodlust, rage, and thirst for destruction. Because of this, the Staff works best when used for destruction, to bring pain and suffering and darkness. It took five mages to stop the sorceress and take the Staff. But such powerful magic is difficult to destroy. So they broke the Staff and each mage hid one piece. The pieces remained undisturbed until the sorcerer Kirven started looking for them. He never would have acquired them all without both of your help.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” Regulus sounded resigned.

The fairy looked at him with pity. “I know. You tried, dear boy. But you learned the hard way not to make deals with sorcerers.”

“My men—”

“Will die at the sorcerer’s hand if he succeeds,” the fairy said. “But you couldn’t have known that at the time. Still. The fact remains, regardless of circumstances, that you both had a hand in creating a powerful threat to all creatures and people not only in Monparth, but in surrounding kingdoms as well.”

Adelaide’s gut twisted. Ironically, given the tiny creatures flying before her, she felt small. “Can’t you stop him?”

“That is not our place.”

“Why not?” Regulus snapped. “Are you cowards?”

The fairy turned red and clenched her tiny fists. “No. We will die if we leave the vicinity of the neumenet tree. It is the link to our realm. Why do you think the sorcerer sent you to gather the root? Because he couldn’t be bothered? He knew what defended the tree.”

“And didn’t warn me,” Regulus muttered.

“Adelaide.” A male fairy with dark skin and wearing indigo hose and a periwinkle jerkin flew forward. His voice was also shrill, although deeper than the first fairy’s. “We can teach you to use your magic. We can help you stop Kirven.”

Adelaide looked to Regulus. His eyes reflected his uncertainty. The fairies had just bound and gagged him and threatened to make him their slave. Although they helped her get her magic back and released him. But she was just one person. They said five mages had to destroy the last person to wield the Staff. How would she defeat him on her own? Was it even her responsibility? She hadn’t wanted to give the sorcerer this power.

“You are one of only five mages in Monparth,” the female fairy said, as if reading her mind. “The others are too weak or too young. You have strength and determination. And more magic than I have seen in a mage for decades.”

“There has to be another way.” Regulus put his arm around her. “Someone else who can help.”

“It has to be you,” the male fairy said.

Adelaide’s shoulders fell. She wasn’t prepared for this kind of responsibility. She had wanted her magic back so she would have a chance against Nolan and could warn the king. But then what? Did she really think the king’s guards would be able to protect him? She considered how easily Nolan had incapacitated Regulus and Father. But then she remembered the sorcerer branding her with his mark. Remembered him pulling her magic out of her. She shivered. She didn’t stand a chance against him.

“Don’t agree to serve him, and he cannot claim you,” the male said. Could fairies read thoughts?

“And the neumenet’s protection is on you now,” the female said. “If you had tried to steal the tree’s magic, you would not have been able to. Unlike all other living things, in Etiros’ mysterious wisdom, the neumenet tree’s life cannot be stolen. Now your magic cannot be stolen, either. So, you see, youarethe only one that can stop him. We will help you.”

She rubbed her forehead. What else could she do? If no one else stopped Kirven... Nolan’s note to Father invaded her thoughts. The king would die. Regulus would die. Her family might die. She would be lucky to die. Adelaide had told Minerva she wanted to use her magic to help people. If she refused to fight Kirven...she would have to face the possibility she had been lying to herself her entire life. That all she had truly wanted was power, not to help.

“All right.” Adelaide hated how small her voice sounded. “Teach me.”

The fairies smiled, their white fangs bright. “We will. But you have to come with us to our realm.” The female looked at Regulus. “He must remain behind.”

---