Heir of Amber and Fire Rachanee Lumayno (books on motivation txt) đź“–
- Author: Rachanee Lumayno
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Joichan looked away at that. I knew he was remembering my mother, and wishing he could rewrite history. “And you? Is he a good father to you?”
I laughed, but it was a bitter, forlorn sound. “He tolerates me, I think. He's mostly left me alone, until now. Now...” I sucked in a breath, remembering why I was here in the first place.
“Now?” Joichan prompted me.
“The king promised me in marriage to Prince Anders of Rothschan. Not only do I find the man hateful, but Mother said that Hendon wants to use the marriage alliance as a way to conquer the rest of the Gifted Lands. That’s why she sent me south, to find you, and gave me your necklace. She stole it back from Hendon and told me to keep it from him.”
Joichan growled angrily, an echo of the fierce dragon he was capable of becoming. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
“There is, but I don’t know what to make of it,” I admitted. “I left immediately after the betrothal. Somehow Hendon found out I was gone, even though we tried to hide it under the guise of my being sequestered for the traditional Calian wedding preparation month. But Prince Anders doesn’t know — he went back to Rothschan to prepare for the wedding and bring his family back. And on the road we ran into other nobles who were headed to Calia for the wedding. Hendon is searching for me; we saw Calian soldiers on the road and in Annlyn who were asking around about me. But Hendon hasn’t called off the wedding, or postponed it, or anything.”
Joichan’s rumbling grew louder, and I half-expected him to breathe fire, even though he was in human form. “Whatever he’s planning, it can’t be good. For Calia, or for you and your mother. When is the wedding?”
“I’m not sure. Time seemed to blur when we were traveling down here. I think it took us about a little over a week to reach Annlyn, so... in another two weeks or so?”
“We have a little bit of time, then.” Joichan touched his side gingerly, pressing against the newly closed wound. “Which is good, because I’ll need the time to finish healing.”
“I thought — ”
“That I was already healed? Mostly. But magic can’t do everything. Time and rest will do the job better than magic could; magic just speeds things up a bit.”
“Speaking of magic...” I told my father about my lady-in-waiting Taryn back home, how she had helped me escape, and how she had been keeping me informed on what was happening back in Calia. “While you were resting, I tried to contact her. But I can’t get a hold of her. I’m not sure if it’s something I’m doing wrong? But every other time I’ve used that spell I’ve been able to get in touch with her, easily.”
Joichan frowned. “I do have some anti-magic spells on my home, but those spells are to stop intruders or to block visitors from harming me, physically or magically. You should be able to contact your friend within these walls with no issue.”
“Your home? But isn’t the other cave your home?”
He laughed. “I suppose it is, although I hardly ever sleep there. It’s more of a decoy than anything else.”
“Since I wasn’t able to contact Taryn here in the cave, then maybe it is my magic?”
“I doubt it. But let’s go outside to get clear of my protective spells, just in case. You can try your spell again.”
We set our now empty tea cups down on the table, and went to the cave entrance. From our vantage point, we could see the tops of trees as the setting sun painted the sky with pinks and oranges. I looked down and instantly regretted it. The rocky mountain face and the jagged treetops promised a treacherous fall and painful demise for anyone who fell off the ledge.
“It’s better not to look,” Joichan said mildly.
“Now you tell me.”
“We should be clear of all magic on the cave now.” Joichan gestured at me. “Go on, try your spell.”
With practiced ease, I ran through the words and motions of the spell, concentrating on Taryn’s face in my mind. I made the final gesture, but my friend didn’t appear. I held on to the spell for a few moments longer, but released it when it became apparent I couldn’t get in touch with her. Worried, I looked at my father.
He shook his head. “Your spell was flawless. Every part of your execution was perfect. It wasn’t your magic, Jennica.”
“Then what’s wrong? If I did it right, then Taryn should have felt and answered my call. What do you think I should do?”
“I think you — and I — should get back to Calia as soon as we can.”
Chapter Thirty-One
ALTHOUGH WE BOTH WOULD have left that night, we also knew it wasn’t a wise idea. Not when Joichan needed to rest to get back to his full strength. And not when I needed to learn more about myself as a shapeshifter.
After I had returned Joichan’s necklace, I had felt a little bereft. I mentioned this to Joichan, and my father explained that, as the bearer and his child, I had begun to bond with the moonstone, even though it was linked to him. It was sympathetic magic, as the stone could feel the blood link between kin. Further strengthening the bond was the fact that one day I would inherit his soulstone and could merge it with mine.
One thing that concerned me was that I was much older than most beginning shapeshifters. Not only did I need to learn how to change forms, but I wouldn’t have a soulstone to aid me.
With the sun gone, it was cold both in and outside the cave. I jammed my hands into my pockets as we walked back inside, looking forward to settling in
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