Page 86 of A Bolt of Magic

My mother’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “How polite he is.” She speaks about Kian like he is a dog learning tricks. “And how…unusual. It’s been many years since a fae has set foot in ourterritory. I don’t believe it’s ever happened voluntarily.” Her eyes narrow for a moment.

Then she turns her attention back to me, her expression shifting to something that might be maternal concern if you didn’t know her as well as I do.

“Now then, my dear daughter. I want to hear everything. Where have you been all this time? How did you survive? And most importantly,” her gaze flicks to my still-active shield spell, “when did you come into such remarkable power? I must say, I knew it would happen one day.”

That is a lie. She had long since given up on me.

I choose my words carefully, acutely aware that every syllable is being weighed and measured. “As you know, I went on the expedition to fetch a rare artifact we had gotten word of.” She knows because she sent me. “It was just over three years ago.” It is not to remind her but more of a dig. I can’t help myself. “It was the artifact you wanted for your collection. A magic wand made from an Englewood tree.”

There is no reaction from her. Not a single muscle twitches.

“The five of us were ambushed, and I was captured by the emptyfae. I managed to fight them off long enough for the others to escape, but I was not so lucky.”

“I know this part, dear.” She waves a hand, indicating that I should move along.

“I was taken to their Court and used as a vessel to channel magic.” I keep my voice flat, emotionless, though the memories still have the power to make my skin crawl. My hand goes unbidden to my neck, closing on the stone Maya gifted me. “When it became clear that no rescue was coming…” I pause.

Something flickers across my mother’s face; I think it’s annoyance at being called out so directly. She knew I was captured. Knew exactly where I was. And yet, no rescue ever came.

“I started looking for a way to escape. As fate would have it, an opportunity arose, and I took matters into my own hands. Kian helped me escape,” I continue. “And he helped me reach home safely. I owe him my life.”

“How fortunate that you found such a…helpful…ally.” My mother’s tone is perfectly pleasant, but there’s ice beneath it. “And your magic? This newfound power of yours? It’s quite remarkable. Tell me how you…found it. I’m intrigued.”

For the first time in my life, I have my mother’s attention. Every last drop.

Still, I hesitate, uncertain how much to reveal. The truth feels too dangerous to share. I don’t trust her.

My own mother.

The woman who gave birth to me.

“It just appeared one day after I escaped. I woke up and could suddenly access power I’d never had before. We were about to be captured, and boom, there it was, alive and strong.”

“It just appeared?” my mother says the words slowly, her dark eyes never leaving my face. “And just when you needed it most.”

“Exactly. I think my body needed a jolt.”

“How wonderfully convenient.” Her smile grows wider and more predatory. The lines seem to disappear from her face, and her hair is suddenly thick and pitch black like night. “Are you sure that’s how it happened?”

“Yes.”

The pleasant mask falls away like discarded clothing, revealing the cold calculation underneath. Her eyes harden to chips of black ice, and when she speaks, her voice carries the full force of her authority and power.

“Anything more to say for yourself, McColl?” She’s speaking to me like I’m a child again, trying to make me feel small andinsignificant. “Perhaps you’d like to explain why you’re lying to me. You should know by now that I can always tell.”

The temperature in the room seems to drop. Magic crackles in the air around my mother like gathering storm clouds, and I feel my own power respond defensively, strengthening the shield around Kian. It’s no match. I am no match.

“I can sense it, you know,” she continues, rising from her chair with fluid grace. “The way your magic and his are woven together. Intertwined like lovers’ fingers. Do you honestly think I’m so foolish that I wouldn’t notice? That you could pull the wool over my eyes with such a transparent deception?”

My heart hammers against my ribs as her power fills the room, pressing against my shield. This is the mother I remember – terrifying in her anger.

“I want answers, McColl. Real answers. And I want them now.” Her gaze shifts to Kian, and there’s murder in her eyes. “Or there will be consequences that neither of you will like.”

The threat hangs in the air between us, sharp as a blade and twice as deadly. I can feel Kian tense beside me.

I square my shoulders. I refuse to be cowed. “Very well, Mother. I will tell you all you—”

“No,” she cuts me short. “You had your chance, daughter!” She says it like a curse. “I want to hear it from him.” She points at Kian. “And if you know what’s good for you, I shall have the truth, fae. You only get one chance.”

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