Page 90 of A Darkness So Sweet

“That is precisely why I think we need to figure out a new way to attack the humans. We need to understand what the human king wants,” Egil replied. He rotated the crown in his hands, his fingers finding each gemstone that symbolized every king before him.

Ragnar used to wonder if holding a crown like that ever made the king feel less than what he was. It was a reminder of the heaviness each king carried who had come before him, all of those who had made a name for themselves and earned those gems on the crown. They were impressive beasts of their own. Men and women who had earned the title of king and ruled the mountain for ages.

All of them were Egil’s family, a bloodline that flowed through his own veins.

The king set the crown on the stone next to him and then laced his fingers together. “There are few things we know about the humans. Getting into the castle has been next to impossible. The only option we have is to trust those currently within our ranks and hope they do not betray us.”

Of course, they would trust each other. Ragnar would give his life for his brother standing next to him, and he knew many other trolls shared the same opinion. There were few who weren’t willing to risk their lives for the trolls who would do the same for them.

The king took a deep breath. “Ragnar. Tell me about your wife.”

“She is not a spy.”

“I think we all know that by now. There are some who will fight against the truth, as they have no desire to believe that humans are capable of being something else. What I want to know is how your bond has grown.” The king laced his fingers together, the knuckles turning white with some unnamed emotion. “I promised you a more powerful troll wife to build your lineage and your power. For that, I am still sorry. But if this wife is yours is who you choose, then I would know this works.”

“I’m sorry, my king.” Ragnar shook his head in confusion. “I don’t follow.”

“Humans and trolls have rarely been together. The humans we have caught before, the ones who have given their blood and their bodies to create stronger troll lineages… those women were caught unwillingly. Their magic was locked in their bodies. Husbands were unable to force that magic out of them, although their children were stronger for it. I want to know if it is true that you can use her magic and she can use yours.”

All eyes were on him, and Ragnar realized this had always been about more than an alliance. The king had wanted to know if the magic between mates could spread. If...

Ragnar breathed out a long sigh. “You want to know if you can make trolls more powerful now if there are more willing brides.”

“That’s precisely what I want to know.”

Of course. All of this made sense. The king hadn’t sent him just to get a bride. This had been a test to see if he could make trolls even more of a formidable enemy.

“Surely you’ve heard me say that my magic is stronger with her,” Ragnar tried to say.

“When touching, yes. That is the same as what we expected. We can pull magic out of even unwilling brides through touch. But I want to know if you can use it right now.” The king’s gaze sharpened, that hawk gaze of his even more intimidating than ever before. “If it’s a true bond, like a troll and his troll wife should be, then you can use her magic now. You can pull upon it without her being her. Shape it and use it in ways you wouldn’t have been able to before. An unwilling bride can amplify the magic of her husband. A willing one, it is said, can share her power entirely.”

“None of this was told to me before—” he tried to say.

“Then I’m telling you now. You have white healing magic, like ice on a cold winter’s day. But her magic is green. I have heard from Birger that she is impressive in the gardens, and that plants grow no matter what she does. If you can do that, if you can pull on her magic, then we can know for certain none of this was a waste. We could make an army of trolls not limited by their own magic, but wielding dual weapons.”

Of course, it wasn’t a waste.

He’d found his wife. A true troll wife. A woman who would stand by him until the end of time and who he was so proud to be tied to. His entire soul burned for her, even when he was far from her side.

Gunnar nudged him. “You need to try, brother.”

“She’s sleeping. What if she can feel what I’m doing?”

“Then you’ll have to wake her for this small amount of time. She probably won’t even notice it.” Gunnar gave him another nudge, this one harder and more insistent. “You can’t deny the king’s direct order.”

He could. He wanted to. Ragnar knew it would end with him being forced to leave this place, though. The trolls would escort both him and Maia out of this mountain, and they would lose...

Everything. Everything he had promised her. Everything they had built together. All of that would disappear because he wasn’t willing to wake her after a long day.

Sighing, he nodded. “I will try, my king. But I make no promises.”

“That is all I ask.”

Ragnar remembered when he’d first been taught how to use his magic. His mother had been the one to teach him, considering healing magic had been her specialty. And it was her voice he heard in his head as he reached for the well of magic that existed inside of him.

Every magic feels different. Some of them are tastes, some are smells, some are sensations.Her hand had landed on his shoulder, squeezing gently before her claws had trailed light as a feather across his skin.Healing magic is a sensation. Ours is cold—colder than you’d imagine. Those icy tendrils are what you need to focus on, my son. Convince them to move through your body, out of your body, and reach for all those who surround you. They need to find those who desire help.

But what would green magic be like?

---