Page 68 of Façade

My heart gave a little thrill at the claim, even during such a time as this. I nodded. “How is he?”

Weariness shadowed her expression. “It was quite close. He was fortunate in that it appears he only came into minimal contact with it, while being so close to the monastery allowed him to receive the help he needed in ample time. Otherwise…” She trailed off, but I was able to fill in the blank spaces from the words that remained unspoken.

Pain wrenched my heart at how close Ryland had almost come to being claimed by the devastating curse. I couldn’t imagine him vanishing and leaving behind a world without him in it. This despair went deeper than any I’d ever experienced, even when I’d lost my identity.

“So he’ll be alright?”

Jade nodded, her expression unreadable as she studied me closely. My shoulders sank with my relief and my exhaustion returned in a wave, forcing me to collapse onto the stone bench, utterly spent.

I expected her to depart, but to my surprise she settled beside me. “He’s rather fortunate…although I doubt luck is what saved him.” She tilted her head, her look knowing.

“What do you mean?” I managed breathlessly.

Her gaze darted towards the accompanying guard standing afar off before lowering her voice to a whisper.

“I’m well-versed in healing magic and recognize the patchy yet efficient spell that saved Prince Ryland’s life, holding off the curse’s power long enough for him to receive full treatment.”

Trepidation caused my heart to pound wildly.Magic… I’d spent a lifetime seeking it, but now that I could finally lay claim to it, confusion reigned. Despite having time to accustom myself to the idea such power was truly a part of me, with my current understanding of Estoria’s magic I knew that only those with royal blood could possess such power.

All my assumptions seemed to shatter around me, glass against stone. Yet I couldn’t deny the rough enchantments I’d been able to perform, none of which I could have achieved without the aid of some supernatural force.

With a wavering breath I turned to the healer. “Can you recognize those who possess magic?” I kept my voice low so there was no risk of the guard overhearing.

After seeking silent permission, she gingerly took the hand resting in my lap. I held my breath as she closed her eyes in concentration. Her power grazed my skin, poking and prodding as it gently searched; the force was surprisingly familiar, as if it’d always been a part of me and it was only now I recognized it.

“This is the same magic I felt surrounding the prince.” Her brow furrowed as her magic caressed along the arm that had been tainted by the curse. “It appears you too were afflicted, but you were able to heal yourself; your magic has been working behind the scenes to finish the job.” A magical energy enfolded my hand as she cradled it within hers, healing the last lingering traces of the curse.

“I’ve never healed anyone before,” I admitted. “I didn’t even know Icould. I was simply desperate.”

“Strong emotion often stokes powers that might otherwise lay dormant,” she said. “Desperation is a strong force, though not as powerful as others, most notably…love.”

My breath caught.Love?Her words stirred the emotion hidden within my heart—not just the love I felt for my former parents and the people of Estoria, but another much deeper emotion that expanded from my heart in the direction where Ryland lay just beyond the door.

No…I couldn’t…no.

“I don’t love him.” My voice was weak with disbelief, my recognition of the lie. “And I can’t truly possess magic, not with Estoria’s ancient traditions that determine who can wield it.”

Jade’s brow furrowed. “Are you not the crown princess of Estoria?”

And therein lay the issue. I sensed a secret, a knowledge as much a part of me as my secret magic. Whatever truth lay hidden, I would uncover it. What better place to do so than within the walls of an enchanted monastery?

CHAPTER22

The warm energy hummed beneath my skin, more alive than ever. Despite Healer Jade’s confirmations and my having used this power to heal Ryland, part of me remained unconvinced this was magic, considering it still felt soimpossible.Only Estorian royals possess magic. And yet my skin tingled with power, leading me to question all my previous assumptions.

Ryland moaned as he stirred on the bed where I sat beside him, but thankfully he didn’t awaken. Even so, I hid my hands out of sight, as if the gesture could protect whatever flowed beneath my skin from him…yet the feeling remained, as if searching for release. Once it found it, a flicker of glistening light suddenly emerged from my palm and floated over to encircle the fern at the bedside table, transforming it into a vase of flowers.

I let out a peep of surprise. For a moment I could only gape, looking back and forth between the remnants of magic glistening across the petals and my hands before my attention snapped back to Ryland, afraid that even while unconscious he’d seen my lapse of control.

He didn’t stir, but he wouldn’t remain asleep forever. The power blanketing my skin grew steadily stronger, making it more difficult to maintain constraint. Eventually he’d notice it, and though we’d managed to form a tentative friendship, it’d likely prove little deterrent for his kingdom’s fierce need for magic; despite his goodness, he’d take any desperate measure to acquire it…even from me.

If only I had enough to give him freely, but the vanished village had only confirmed this curse extended well beyond Estoria’s magical reserves, let alone my ownpowers—which I still didn’t quite understandhowI could possibly possess.

Only Estorian royals possess magic.

Questions whirled through my mind, ones I desperately needed answers to. Though I was reluctant to leave Ryland’s bedside so soon after his brush with the deadly curse, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity his unconsciousness presented. After a lingering look in which I fought to resist the temptation to brush his hair from his damp brow, afraid of touching him with the magic lingering on my touch, I departed.

Magic hummed through the air as I wandered the halls of the enchanted monastery, a feeling so similar to my own I could no longer deny the power cloaking me. I hoped answers and explanations were in as great abundance so that I could also discover them within the walls, but there were so many doors lining the stone corridors that I didn’t know where to begin looking.

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