A Trial of the Heart (Valdor #2)

Chapter Fourteen

I had bested the trial of the mind, or at least I thought I had.

Gods, Mother and Father, please tell me I won, and this is not yet another sick, twisted game , I prayed.

Sinking to my knees, I clutched the golden sun-moon key to my chest as I openly sobbed in the underground entrance to the labyrinth. I could hear gasps of surprise echo across the stone, followed by frantic voices fluttering around the edges of my conscious mind. I hadn’t dared open my eyes yet. I didn’t allow myself that thread of hope for it to only be taken away from me yet again.

Magic coiled around me, and all the voices underground suddenly turned into silence. “No one approaches her!” Queen Minaeve’s unmistakable voice bellowed, causing me to shudder.

Great, another test , I thought to myself.

“She holds the key!” a female voice exclaimed in protest. “The trial is complete!” It sounded like Idris, but I wasn’t holding my breath for any luck to start turning my way .

“But at what cost?” Minaeve rebutted. “She is to win the trial of the mind only to return to us with a broken one. No one is permitted to approach her until I assess what state the shifter is in.”

Let me out.

All I wanted was to escape this prison and feel the brush of nature caress my skin.

“Skylar?” There it was again—the voice I had dreamt of in the labyrinth—the voice that belonged to the one being in this world that I would give everything to protect. “Let me make sure she’s all right. Let me assess her.” His voice sounded strained, like he was fighting to reach me.

“No one, steps—closer,” Minaeve sneered, followed by groans of pain as her magic flared.

At the sound of knees colliding with the stone, I finally forced myself to open my eyes to find Daxton only an arm’s length away from reaching me. Spirals of black mist forced him down as Minaeve stood over him, her hand outstretched, hovering over the crown of his head.

“It’s unlike you to defy me like this, Daxton,” she said in a low venomous voice.

“Let me out,” I repeated aloud this time.

“I’ve sworn a vow to protect the champion as my ward. I’m simply striving to uphold that promise.” Daxton’s words were laced with half-truths.

Minaeve didn’t seem convinced, but then Castor tried to inch closer. Her attention snapped toward him. “And your brother—he’s quite driven to do the same, but for another reason, it seems.”

“She holds the key!” Castor tried to appeal to logic as he fought against Minaeve’s magic. “She’s completed the first trial! You cannot hold her as a prisoner . She’s a gods-damned savior! ”

The air was different. It was less putrid compared to inside the labyrinth, but it still did not feel real.

“Let—me—out,” I said in a low, firm whisper laced with fury.

The high queen turned her turquoise gaze to me. “What was that, shifter?”

“Let me out!” I roared. My rasped voice was torn to pieces, but still, I managed to speak without a drop of fear. Fuck. I just defeated the labyrinth. What more could this false queen do to me? I guarantee the labyrinth did far worse.

“I’ll release you when I’m certain you’re not a threat.”

I bent my head down and released a low maddening laugh. “Threat to your subjects? Now that’s a joke.”

All the rage I held before entering the trial came rushing back. It filled my lungs like fresh air and swam through my veins like a gushing river, granting me access to a deep-seated power I knew was thrumming in my core. I called upon my animal spirit to help fuel my intention as I turned my amber-glowing eyes toward the high queen of the fae.

“Let me the fuck out!” I commanded with my animal’s power pumping through each word I spoke. The ground beneath my knees shook, and the walls surrounding the entrance to the labyrinth started to crumble behind the swell of power I was sending out through my command.

My alpha command.

Minaeve stumbled back a step as her magic faltered, releasing its hold on me and the others who were trying to make their way toward me. Castor, who was the closest, reached me first, followed immediately by Daxton.

“Get us out of here, Dax!” Castor cursed, grasping my shoulders as Daxton slid to his knees before me and reached for my clutched hands. In a silver flash, we were gone.

I shut my eyes tightly as we materialized somewhere far away from the underground chamber that held the labyrinth. I remained utterly still, refusing to move or even breathe in fear of what was real and what wasn’t. My mind had been bent and twisted. My deepest desires turned against me, along with my greatest fears. As much as I hated to agree with the queen, maybe she was right. I didn’t know if I was sane anymore. Was I free of the labyrinth or merely locked in yet another test within the confines of my mind?

Is this real?

Castor’s hands released my shoulders, stepping away from my side, but Daxton, my Dax, remained.

“You did it, Skylar.” The steadiness of his voice was identical to the imaginary figure conjured inside the labyrinth. It twisted my heart, and I hated myself a little for being so foolish to believe the imposter I faced in the trial was him.

“No,” I admitted in denial. “It’s just another trick. Another test. You won’t fool me this time.” His hands tightened around mine, the one that still clutched the golden key. I refused to breathe. I was afraid to inhale the stench of death and decay that followed my every step inside the trial of the mind.

Daxton, being the ever watchful and observant creature he was, noticed my reaction and released his grasp on my hands.

Cupping my face, he whispered one single command, “Breathe. ”

In theory, it was so simple.

“Breathe, Spitfire,” Daxton said once more, pressing his brow to mine. “Together, with me.” I listened to him inhale a deep, steadying breath and desperately wanted to follow his lead. My hands trembled as my chest burned from the lack of air in my lungs. “Please, my Spitfire, just breathe with me.”

My animal surged in my chest, pushing me to follow him. Wait — She’s alert , I thought in a panic. When I encountered the imposter Daxton inside the stone walls, she was silent. But not now.

I parted my lips and inhaled a short, shuddered breath. “Yes, that’s it.” Daxton sighed with relief. “Now again. Fuller this time.” I followed his instruction, allowing a grounding breath to fill my lungs as I tilted my head back and opened my eyes to the skyline above.

The sky. Gods above, it was the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen in my entire life. The purple, pink, and orange colors of the setting sun danced across the horizon like wisps of paint from the canvas of a masterpiece. Colors decorated the different edges of the never-ending sky, spanning outward amongst the cageless openness from above. The phase of the new moon was a whispered outline yet still ever watchful and present with the sun lowering below the western horizon.

“Is—Is this real?” I asked as a lone silver droplet formed at the corner of my eye.

“More than you know,” Daxton said as his barrier lifted, and I was overwhelmed with his scent of fresh pine and cold mountain air. “You did it.” He smiled softly, kissing my cheek where a tear had fallen.

In the labyrinth, I could only detect the scent of death, but not here. Gorgeous fresh air filled my lungs and caressed my fevered skin. The sky opened and then… Then, there he was. A dormant piece of me recognized this, recognized Daxton, as something safe. I dropped my magical barrier, allowing the feel of him to swallow me whole.

“You’re … You’re real,” I gasped. Dax gave me a puzzling look, and I remembered that he had no idea what I was talking about. “I’ll tell you later,” I breathed.

His brows pressed together with obvious concern as Daxton moved to wrap an arm around me. “As real as you are.” He reached up to stroke my face with a kind of tenderness only a lover could achieve. “You did it, Skylar,” he repeated.

I tilted my head to the side so I could look at him. A hope-filled sense of joy beamed inside the stone-gray eyes of the male who unknowingly held my heart. And for a moment, I wondered if I wasn’t alone in how I felt. I smiled at him, still shaky and confused, but in his eyes, I found the strength to fight against my wavering fears. “You … You were there,” I said in a hushed confession.

“Where?”

“Inside the labyrinth… I—You—” I didn’t know exactly how to tell him everything that had happened. My throat instantly dried, my breath stilling in my lungs. The rapid fluttering of my heart was now fueled by the fear of his rejection of the affections I could no longer deny.

“If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to tell me. It’s all right.”

“No,” I said with a surge of emotion bursting through my chest. “I want to tell you.” I wanted to tell him, shit, well, everything . Gods above, I didn’t want to waste another second of this life pretending.

“Then I’m here to listen. ”

There it was again. The imaginary tether pulled me closer to him like a moth fluttering toward a flame. How could I have been so blind not to see this coming or foolish enough to allow myself to feel this way about him? Perhaps this was all just a false hope—a silly fantasy clinging to something pure in the face of so much hardship.

I sighed heavily, realizing I couldn’t even think about confessing my feelings—not now, at least. I needed to keep a clear mind and focus on the remaining trials. I glanced down at my clutched hands and slowly uncoiled my fingers. Daxton’s eyes never left my face. Even with the first key to the Heart of Valdor on display before him, his attention was solely on me.

Fuck, this was going to be harder than I thought.

“Later,” I whispered. He nodded, never questioning and somehow understanding my reasons without ever having to speak them aloud. “This is it.” He finally looked down at the key in my hands, but he didn’t seem interested. “What is it?” I asked him. “Isn’t this what we came here for?”

Dax seemed to shudder, and without warning, he wrapped both arms around me and held me close to his chest. “Not many things in this life have truly caused fear to enter my heart, Spitfire.” He stilled, holding me tighter and inhaling a deep breath of my scent. “But when I heard your screams … a piece of my soul shattered at the sound of your pain.”

“Could you hear everything I was saying when I was inside?” A memory of what the labyrinth said flashed inside my mind. They can hear you.

“No,” Daxton said. “Only at the end, just like the other champion before you. I imagine your voice echoed outward when you reached the center. ”

I wrapped my arms around his middle and clutched him tighter, desperate to be closer to him. Desperate to ease his concern just as much as my own. When I thought Daxton was in danger inside the labyrinth, I knew I would do anything to save him.

“Please promise me,” I said as Daxton held me tightly, “there are no red carpets anywhere in Silver Meadows.”

“Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?”

“Kind of—but also a legitimate request,” I said with a forced hint of a grin.

“There are no red carpets in Silver Meadows,” he said in a soft tone. “And if there are, I will destroy them before you set eyes on them.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

I sank back into the warmth of his chest, needing to feel his touch against my skin and relishing in this moment of tranquility. I was keenly aware of every inch of my body that encountered his, the same electric spark tickling my senses where the heat of our bodies connected. Gods, he was like a warm sunrise, glowing, beautiful, and bright.

“We don’t have much time,” Castor said with hesitation. I had almost forgotten he was even here with us.

Daxton reluctantly loosened his hold on me, and I finally dared to assess where he had teleported us. “Where are we anyway?” I asked.

“The beach outside Aelius,” Daxton said.

Sterlyn Lake stretched out before us, framed by gentle waves rolling onto the tanned shoreline with various pebbles and rocks scattered along the sand. The deep blue colors of the water darkened against the setting sun, giving it a breathtakingly alluring appeal that was difficult to turn away from. Stars above our heads emerged as the reflection of their shining light bounced playfully from the surface of the calmer pools of water.

“Can I have a moment to myself?” I asked. Daxton and Castor looked uneasily at one another before turning back to me. “I want to wash the stench and feel of the labyrinth from my skin. I need to cleanse my body of the trial so my mind can begin processing everything that happened.”

Daxton looked to Castor. “You see anything?” I knew he was asking if leaving me alone would conjure a premonition of death from his brother’s survival magic.

Castor shook his head no, thankfully.

“Can you help me remove the armor, Dax?” I asked as I pulled my hair to the side so he could unclasp the fastenings at the back.

“Of course,” he said as his fingers began working at the attachments. “I wanted to ask, how did you hurt your hand?”

“I did it to myself.” I said glancing back at him.

Daxton pursed his lips together tightly. His brow furrowed and pinched together. “Why?”

I couldn’t give him an answer just yet, so I asked him the same favor he asked me when we shared our first night together in Crimson City. “I can’t tell you this part of the story now … But please, trust me enough to ask later?”

Someday, I knew I would call on my favor from the labyrinth. Someday, I would collect my winnings, but instinct told me that this secret would be best kept to myself until the time came.

A flash of concern glimmered in his expression. I knew he was not pleased with my request. Nevertheless, he gave me a firm nod and unclasped the remaining straps of the Aegis armor. “There. ”

The weight on my chest felt lighter as I moved my shoulders around and rolled my neck. “Thanks, that feels better.”

“We’ll be just on the other side of those boulders,” Castor said as he meandered out of sight. “And that’s we —Dax,” he added from somewhere out of sight. “Give the female a moment alone to get her head straight. Stop with the brooding overprotectiveness. Skylar can clearly handle herself.”

Daxton growled and glared in Castor’s direction before returning to face me. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?” he asked.

I knew all I had to do was ask him to stay or leave, and Dax wouldn’t hesitate to do as I requested. “I’ll be fine. I just need to be on my own.” And that was the truth. I needed to commune with my animal spirit—just her and me. Daxton hesitated with every step he took away from me, but we both knew time was of the essence. Too soon, we would have to return to Aelius to face the high queen.

I stripped off the dark tunic first, gratefully freeing myself from the mangled fabric that was coated with my sweat and the stains of my blood from the ivy thorns. I glanced down at my hands. One still held a death grip on the key, while the other held the mark of the bargain struck. I had walked away from this with more than just a key.

I glanced toward the three star marks on my arm and noticed an alteration to the design. The top star—the one representing the first trial—was now different from the others. It was shaded black against my skin. The other stars, representing the final two trials, were still outlines.

Well, there you have it , I thought. The proof of my victory was written across my arm. I had won the first trial of the Heart of Valdor. A feat no other shifter has been able to accomplish, and now it was time to face the second—the trial of the body. I had no idea what awaited me there. My mind flashed to Rhett and the magical scroll he showed me the other night. The clue for the next trial would be revealed with the completion of the first.

Inhaling a steadying breath to settle my nerves, I removed my pants and tossed my clothes to the side. I wanted to feel the clarity of the clean waters on every inch of my skin. I needed to cleanse myself and connect to the nature of this land that I was fighting to protect. I waded into the water, letting it splash against my bare thighs before raising my arms above my head and diving into the blue abyss.

The lake’s cold waters engulfed me as I swam out from shore, feeling all my stress disappear into the waters. My animal sang a calming, tranquil tune that relaxed every muscle in my body.

Surfacing, I swam toward the drop-off and positioned myself for a deeper dive. I planned to settle on the ledge overlooking the deeper sections of the lake and lose myself to the peaceful rocking of the currents. I needed to silence the chaos of the world above me. Taking a handful of deep breaths, I prepared myself for the dive. On one final long inhale, I ducked my head under the water and swam down toward the bottom shelf.

The silence I experienced under the water was peaceful. I swam further until I settled on the ledge overlooking the dark depths of the lake. I closed my eyes and listened to the world disappear around me, searching for my animal’s presence amongst the stillness of the surrounding waters. In an instant, she was there, filling my center with a sense of comfort and fullness that I feared I would never feel again.

Thank you , I thought as I opened my eyes to the underwater world surrounding me. I floated in suspension, relaxing and cleansing every muscle in my body, trying to find my center.

In this tranquil state, I was unaware of the lurking presence slowly stalking me from the depths below, unaware that I was not alone in this underwater world.

Flashes of bubbles streamed past my face. The figures creating them were a blur in my sight underwater. I could hear the high-pitched laughter as a tail whipped in front of me before disappearing over the ledge I was floating over. I didn’t need to think twice about my next decision. I needed to get out of here.

“Why the rush?” a soft female voice called out, followed by a sensational melody of music. The song was breathtakingly beautiful, making me pause in my pursuit of the surface. “Come with us.”

The two figures swimming past me in a blur suddenly stopped, allowing me to see them properly for the first time. The top half of their bodies were human-like, with their bottoms disappearing into a colorful, large-scaled fin. I knew these creatures. These were the water nymphs Daxton had warned me about when we first entered the Inner Kingdom, and he hadn’t exaggerated their beauty.

The water nymph singing to me had long, flowing light blue hair that curled around her midsection and matched the unique teal and blue scales that adorned her tail. Perfect… and I mean absolutely perfect breasts were visible across her human chest, adding to her unique beauty that even I was having trouble turning away from. The other female swam next to her, the sc ales along her body transitioning from dark to light pink, which beautifully contrasted with the glow of her darker skin.

The third member of the group swam to the blue one’s left side, and to my surprise, it was a male. He had dark ebony eyes, fair skin, jet-black hair, and a black-scaled tail to match the rippling muscles adorning the top half of his human body. He noticed my eyes dart to him, and he gave a soft grin to the females before beating his strong tail to propel him toward me.

“Greetings, land-dweller.” I dumbfoundedly stared at him. My eyes opened wide as the song changed to his deeper baritone melody.

“Stay with us, I insist,” he sang as he swam forward to clutch my chin with his fingers, bringing my lips to his.

Instantly, air rushed into my lungs. His tongue danced around my mouth, magically granting me a breath of air from underneath the water. I opened my eyes as he pulled away. His dark gaze matched his ebony hair flowing in the soft current of the waters. He flashed me a handsome smile that would make any female above the surface gladly jump in and take a swim. High cheekbones paired with a straight nose and an elegant, narrowed jawline combined in a beautiful masterpiece.

A surge of fire licked through my middle, warning me of the dangers of the beasts lurking behind the beauty. I need to get out of here. I beat my arms backward to try and swim away, but the male water nymph had other plans. He parted his thick lips and released another song that encircled me, halting my escape. His mouth turned upward as he watched me struggle against his hold.

No. I cannot stay .

Through sheer will, I forced myself to block out their song and used my own magic to create a barrier between us. I saw the two females snarl in anger near the ledge of the sea cliff. The male pulled back his lips, revealing an array of sharpened teeth meant for shredding and tearing through flesh.

“You’re staying with us,” he snarled, grasping my left arm and trying to swim away into the depths with me in tow.The water’s surface broke with a splash. Daxton and Castor had arrived at the shore above, but they were too late.

I was already being towed away into the darkening waters when another water nymph appeared. He was much larger and more powerful looking with deep auburn hair, swimming toward us with a tail glimmering with yellow, orange, and red scales. His eyes were an iridescent blue that reminded me of the waters themselves. He approached the ebony-haired nymph, who halted in his watery descent but not yet his hold on me.

“You fool,” the larger male hissed.

“She entered our territory. All land-dwellers know the cost if they are foolish enough to venture into our waters for this long.”

“By right … she’s ours to dine upon.” The pink nymph licked her lips in anticipation.

Oh, joy. First, the monsters from the labyrinth and now the water nymphs. How did I get so lucky?

The auburn male glared at the nymph, holding me with menacing blue eyes that were as cold as ice. “Release your hold on her… and you will see the grave error you have all made.” The three seemed shocked, but they all turned their heads toward the champion mark on my arm. “You see now? ”

The dark-haired male seemed to gasp as he released me from his hold. “I—We had no idea.”

“And see what she clutches in her other hand.” I figured that was my cue as I released my finger just enough to reveal the head of the key I retrieved from the first trial.

All three water nymphs bellowed and released a heartbreaking song as they dipped their heads and swam away over the cliffs. “Forgive them. They’re young. This is the first trial they have seen. They underestimated the value of your life and the miracle you have just achieved. I promise you will never have to fear my people, Champion.”

I floated in suspension, scared to move but also keenly aware I was running out of air. I looked to the surface, and the male water nymph followed my gaze. “Let’s return you to the land above.”

He swam under me so quickly that I could have sworn he teleported like Daxton. Effortlessly, he scooped me into his arms, beating his long tail to propel us toward the surface. I opened my eyes and coughed while taking in a deep breath as we breached the water.

“There she is!” Daxton called, and I immediately turned, looking for him.

“Is this who I should return you to?” the nymph asked.

“Yes,” I said with my gaze locked on Daxton. He was worried but also surprised at the sight of me cradled in the arms of this water nymph.

“High Prince Daxton Aegaeon,” the auburn male murmured as he swam forward, “I imagine if I value my head being attached to my shoulders, I should return you as quickly as I can then. ”

“Probably a good idea,” I said, not taking my eyes from Daxton, who aggressively marched toward me through the surf.

“How exactly are you going to carry me to him in the shallows? You don’t have any—” As the nymph’s chest breached the surf, his magnificent fin transformed into two legs, corded with strong muscles, with nothing else covering them.

I quickly averted my eyes and looked ahead at Daxton. “Give her to me.” His tone was gruff and heated.

“Happy to oblige,” the nymph said as he handed me to Daxton. “I wouldn’t want my waters to freeze over.”

“What happened?” The question was not proposed to me, so I tucked myself into his arms and pursed my lips together, for once not uttering a word.

“Forgive my young ones,” the nymph said.

“Why are you here, Malek?” Daxton snarled. I was surprised by his aggressiveness, but then again, this creature’s young ones were about to pull me into the depths of the lake and eat me.

“A mistake, High Prince. And one that is now corrected.”

“That is yet to be determined,” Daxton said in an even hushed tone that sent a chill of fear through me.

“The champion …”

“Skylar. Skylar Cathal.” I shifted in Daxton’s hold, placing my feet firmly on the sands to stand of my own accord. As I found my footing, a black slip of fabric magically appeared around me, interlacing behind my neck and flowing out and down my body until the hem of the skirt reached my shins.

“Cathal.” Malek spoke my surname with a familiarity that made me pause. “That is a name I have not heard in centuries, but one I remember.” I swallowed, unaware that my surname had any reverence. “Your sire’s line, they were alphas.”

“You … You knew my ancestors?” I asked, my heart thrumming like the wings of a hummingbird. I had always been curious about my family history, and I couldn’t help but yearn for him to say more, to share anything he knew about my past.

“I did.” His coy smile stretched wide across his face. “Water nymphs and shifters were friends before this wilt and the war.”

“You recognize my surname,why?” Daxton shifted beside me, lightly brushing his hand against the small of my back. He stared Malek down with a stone-cold expression that dripped with menacing violence. I didn’t always appreciate the firm hand he dealt, but right now, I think it was working in my favor.

“Because I value self-preservation, I’ll make this quick.”

“Wise,” Daxton growled. I pursed my lips and glared at him, but it made no difference.

“Cathal shifters were a dominant generation of the alphas here in the Inner kingdom, living centuries before you were even a thought, I believe, High Prince.” Malek said moving gracefully in the water. “Their bloodline is old and powerful, laced with the magic of the first shifters ever created. The Cathal bloodline was the first to receive the gift from the Mother and Father and granted the animal spirits with the magic of the heart to create your species. I find it most intriguing that she is now our champion.”

“Wait, how old are you?” I asked. “And why does no one else seem to remember this about my kind? ”

“I’m old enough to remember … yet still young enough to endure the future.” Malek folded over in a laugh as he stepped backward into the lake. “We do not freely speak of the time before the wilt, young shifter. Not yet, I’m afraid. Perhaps you truly are the one to free us all.”

“That makes no sense,” I said as Malek slipped back into the waters. With a flick of his vibrant red tail across the surface, he disappeared without a trace into the watery abyss.

“Which part?” Daxton asked. “I think he wisely chose to leave as quickly as he did.”

“The part about him being that old, Daxton. Or how he knows so much. What is he, their king or something?”

Daxton raised his brows. “Yes.”

My eyes widened, and my jaw practically fell onto the sands of the beach. “Well, sure. Yep. That sounds about right, then.” Gods , I groaned and crossed my arms.

“You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for,” Daxton said in amusement. “There are creatures older than the High Fae courts in the Inner Kingdom, but none are more powerful.”

I simply met his stare and rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Yet, when we first arrived, you warned me about them.”

“Dangerous, yes. More powerful, no.”

Gah, egotistical High Fae , I muttered.

“Well,” Castor said as he meandered to join Dax and me in the surf, “your story just keeps getting better and better now, doesn’t it?” He looked to Daxton and gently nudged his brother’s shoulder. “You all right, Daxton?”

“I’ll manage.” Hearing the duress in his voice, I gently brushed my fingers against Daxton’s clenched fists, his grip loosening to greet mine. His eyes were still as hard as stone, but at least he wasn’t completely closed off.

Castor nodded and looked over his shoulder toward Aelius. “We need to head back.”

I understood why Daxton was still uneasy—hell, I was too. “Do we have to?” I asked grimly.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Daxton kept his gaze firmly on the dangers that his instincts told him were still lurking just below the surface of the water. “Rhett is the keeper of the scroll, which has the description of the next trial. And Minaeve…”

“I have to face her again.,” I said as Daxton met my stare and gave a firm nod. “I’m not scared of her. I still can’t believe she tried to imprison me when I reappeared at the entrance.”

“The others won’t either,” Castor added. “Her actions went against everything our people have been fighting for over the past five hundred years.”

“For the first time, I believe Minaeve was afraid.” Daxton’s magic whipped across my neck, giving me a comforting embrace. I welcomed the feel of his ice against my skin and flashed him a small smile of thanks.

“There were witnesses to not only her treatment of you, Skylar, but of your own power as well. Minaeve might fear that her control over the Inner Kingdom is slipping.” Daxton’s expression remained calm despite the worry I could see in the way he began cracking the knuckles on his right hand.

“I used an alpha command.” They both nodded in agreement. “Well, no hiding that trick now, I guess.”

“It’s impressive if not somewhat terrifying. Mind control, it seems.” Castor flung out his arms in a questioning manner. “Why in all of Valdor, would you want to hide it? ”

“Because I don’t know how to control it, Castor.” That much was obvious. “I was reacting on pure instinct while I was underground.”

It was just like the other times I had used it against Gilen and, ironically enough, against Castor as well. It was interesting that my ability worked not only on shifters, but also on High Fae. Maybe, it was because I was a half-breed? Shifters were once, very long ago before the separation of our species, fae.

“You’ll figure it out with time, Skylar,” Dax said, his ice magic continued caressing the nape of my neck. “Would you like to get dressed before we leave?”

I glanced at my bloodied clothes on the shoreline and a better idea popped into my mind. “Can you burn those instead? This slip is fine for now. I honestly don’t care what I wear when I face Queen Minaeve, but I would prefer never to wear those again.”

“Very well.” Daxton placed an arm around my shoulder while Castor retrieved the armor of Aegis. Daxton magically summoned a spark that ignited the clothing I tossed in the sand. The blaze was short-lived but symbolic, nonetheless. I steadied myself, preparing for whatever lay ahead and ready to face the next trial lying in my path.

“All right, let’s go back.”