Chapter 25
Knox
Knox paced in his room. What should he do? He could tell Eris about… but a sharp pain ripped through him again, causing him to grab his side in desperation. Okay, maybe he couldn’t tell her, but he could send her away. That would be the right thing to do. He shouldn’t treat her like some kind of sacrifice. But if he didn’t, then hundreds of people would die. If he could actually give her the option, what would she choose?
If he sent her away, there was no guarantee Nolan wouldn’t bring her back, or worse. For now, she might be safer with him than away from him. At least he could keep an eye on her. He could also teach her how to defend herself. Light magic was stronger than Dark magic. There was a chance she would prove to be stronger than the Prince of Darkness himself.
Knox entered the dining room. Eris and Darren were already seated, talking between themselves. “Good evening,” he said.
“Good evening, your Highness,” Eris said.
“Did you find anything interesting in your readings today?” Knox sat down across from her, and noted that Darren was staring at him a little too directly to be respectful. Considering the things that had just happened with Nolan, he didn’t have the heart to do more than accept it.
“I found a book about the Yavo, but I spent most of my afternoon training with Nolan.”
“You know him?”
Several servants entered and placed plate after plate of perfectly cooked food in front of them. Knox gestured for his guests to help themselves. He picked up a serving spoon and began scooping grilled vegetables onto his plate as if the thought of food didn’t nauseate him.
“We met on the main road on our way here.” Eris slid a piece of roasted duck onto the plate in front of her before handing the serving fork to Darren.
“I see. What kind of training did you do this afternoon? Perhaps I could help you as well.”
Darren set his fork down hard. “You realize this is madness.” He turned to Eris. “Sure, you’ve got healing powers. Great, you can control water now. But aren’t you missing the point? Why are we even here? We should be asking him about all of this.” Darren pointed at Knox.
“Me?”
“How is all of this related to the Queen of the Underworld? Why does it have to be Eris? There are other Light magic-borns,” Darren said.
A loud pop sounded throughout the room and Nolan appeared, pulling out the chair beside Knox. “I think I can answer that.”
Knox set his fork down, too. He opened his mouth to speak, but Nolan snapped his fingers under the table and a searing pain ripped through Knox’s body. Knox folded in half, trying not to cry out.
“Are you all right?” Eris asked him.
He nodded. He didn’t want to worry her, or give Nolan a reason to do anything like that to her. For now, he would bide his time. Politics had taught him the importance of timing.
“My mother loves to play tricks on humans. Knox here was one of the unlucky recipients of her ill humor. Now he needs a healer. He needs Eris because she is the only one who can heal this particular curse. With a little training, she’ll be strong enough to heal Knox, and everything will go back as it should.” Nolan clapped his hands together. A plate of large red grapes appeared in front of him. He plucked one from the bunch and popped it into his mouth with a juicy crunch.
“What does this have to do with her sister?” Darren asked.
“Her sister is affected by the same curse. Once she’s strong enough to heal the Prince, she’ll be strong enough to heal her sister. Simple, right?”
Knox looked at Darren. He didn’t seem convinced, and for that Knox was grateful. If nothing else, Darren would help him look out for Eris. The more people who could protect her from the Prince of Darkness, the better.
“Shall we eat? I’m famished.” Nolan smiled.
After an awkward dinner, Knox and Eris walked to the library. Darren and Nolan had gone off to have a conversation of their own, and Toran was busy sending letters out to every one of their connections looking for the magical map that could tell Eris the exact location of her sister. Though Knox hoped they couldn’t find it, at least not yet. He couldn’t risk her going off to the Underworld. If the rumors about the Queen were true, the only people who were strong enough to defeat her were the Yavo.
“I don’t think I’ll need the map for a while,” Eris said when they reached the library doors.
“Why is that?” Knox asked.
“Even if Soraya is in the Underworld, I’m not strong enough to heal her yet.” She looked at the floor. Her chin quivered.
Knox was relieved that she had come to the same conclusion he had, but he hated to see her so defeated. “What if I teach you, too? If you have two magic teachers, you’ll learn twice as fast, right?”
Eris nodded.
“How are your defensive spells?” Knox asked.
“Pretty basic.” Eris shrugged. “There aren’t many threats in Uwen.”
Knox sighed. Eris was great at basic shields and repelling spells, but she lacked any kind of creativity in her defensive spells. “Again.” He tried to sound emotionless.
Eris picked herself up off the library floor. “Aren’t you being too intense for our first training session?”
“Absolutely not. Do you have any idea what kinds of dangers are out there?” Knox asked, more emotionally than he had meant to. He took a deep breath and said in a calmer tone, “I hope you will never have to defend yourself, but if you do, then I want you to be strong enough to save yourself. Now, again.”
Eris summoned a bloom of Light magic and hurled it towards him, but he easily deflected it. Knox conjured two spheres of Dark magic from behind her and sent them flying at her back. Eris’ shield kept her from any real harm, but the force of the magic knocked her to the floor again.
Without a missing a beat, Knox conjured a flaming sword in his right hand and charged. Eris’ eyes grew big. At the last moment she used her magic to shoot up into the air over his head.
“Avoiding confrontation isn’t always the answer,” he said. “At times it is better to meet it directly.”
“Did you forget that I have Light magic? We aren’t the battle-ready type. We’re healers, creators.”
Knox sighed again. “That’s enough for tonight. There are several books I want you to read before tomorrow night.” He closed his fist and the flaming sword disappeared.
Slowly Eris lowered herself until her feet touched the ground. Knox walked over to one of the shelves of books and selected several. He deposited them in Eris’ arms.
“You want me to read all of these in one day?” She examined the stack of books now in her arms.
“Think of this as a cram session. Aren’t you still a student back in Uwen? Well, tomorrow there’s a test. Let’s see how you prepare before then.” He smiled.
Eris walked over to the closest table and set down the stack of books. She looked unsure, but didn’t argue. She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Which one should I read first?”
Knox pulled out a green book from the middle of the stack and took the seat beside her. She opened the book to the first page. She read quietly for a few minutes, long enough for Knox to study the shape of her nose. He couldn’t explain it, but he was drawn to her, and not only in a romantic sense. It was as if she were a natural force all on her own, and he was being pulled in. Were all Light magic-born this alluring, or was this charm specific to her?