Chapter 124

ISLA

My head was still reeling with the information my mother had told me.

Growing up, I had always known that my parents harbored secret powers–but I never thought that they were so connected to the land itself.

Or that my mother may have connected with my queen and missing friend mere weeks before she was born.

All of the signs we had been seeing led to one probable conclusion: that Mila had magic. There was not a doubt in my mind that my poor friend was likely completely clueless to this fact, or at least had been leading up to her death.

Maybe reviving Mila was the solution to reviving Fresonia’s magic.

My mother had now risen to her feet and was gazing longingly out the bay window towards the mountains. In these little mountain towns, you couldn’t help but feel more connected to nature–and, to those in possession of powers, to magic itself.

I knew that magical blood ran through my own veins, but it was dormant, locked away by my other traits or my own strong mind. I had never been able to access the powerful part of myself that my parents did so freely.

I had been fine with this as a child, perfectly content to not be different or stand out from my peers. But for the first time in my life, I felt a strange urge to try to find my own magic, if there was any to be found inside me.

“Mother,” I said softly, approaching her. “What are you thinking about?”

She was muttering to herself, staring at those mountains like they held all the answers.

Maybe they did.

“There are whispers,” my mother said finally. “Of a powerful enchantress from long ago.”

I sat down in the window seat next to her, intensely aware of Joseph's eyes on me. Unfortunately, the King’s handsome assistant needed to be the last thing on my mind right now.

“How long ago?” I asked my mother. “Who was this enchantress?”

My mother turned to face me, her eyes strangely haunted. “When Fresonia was established, there were rumors that there was an enchantress somehow embedded in the royal family. Perhaps a daughter or a cousin. Her magic helped to protect the kingdom in the early days.”

“Was magic more prevalent back then?” I asked.

My mother nodded. “Magic was everywhere. It was more rare to not have any powers. Even the most common villager could magically conjure a flower or a loaf of bread if required. This allowed Fresonia to flourish–it was a safe space for all of these people who had special abilities.”

“I had no idea,” I breathed.

My mother folded her hands tightly. “Something happened a few years after the kingdom was fully created. It seemed that suddenly, magic and its memory had been wiped from the land. No one seemed to remember that Fresonia had once been a place of all magic. Now it was just ordinary.”

“But the magic did not fully disappear,” Joseph interjected.

My mother shook her head. “No. It appears that the royal family was able to hold onto its dragon abilities, and a few bloodlines amongst the civilians retained their own magic, although their abilities were severely diminished.”

I decided to prod further. “Do you think this enchantress had anything to do with the disappearance of magic?”

My mother sighed. “It was a thousand years ago. Her name has been lost to history, her story vanished with the passage of time. Sometimes it’s unclear if she even existed at all. But yes, I believe that learning more about her may help with all of our magical problems.”

“Somehow,” my father added, “magic has been protected in these lands for centuries. That could not have happened without a very powerful spell.”

“Maybe this enchantress cast a spell to protect magic and in doing so, erased the memory of magic from the general population,” I offered up.

“Perhaps,” my mother agreed. “There are rumors that her knowledge was buried in the mountains somewhere, in a library hidden deep into the stone.”

Joseph suddenly went very still.

“A library?” He repeated, somewhat in disbelief.

My mother shrugged. “These are just old wives’ tales. A few witches throughout time have tried to seek out the library, but none have succeeded. Wherever it is, if it exists, it’s well hidden. Maybe it does not want to be found.”

“It was found,” Joseph blurted out.

We all turned to face him, matching expressions of shock on all of our faces.

“What?” My mother appeared to be stunned, nearly speechless.

“It was found,” Joseph continued. “The former prince Charles found it.”

“The one who tried to overthrow the throne?” My father asked.

Joseph nodded solemnly. “He found the Library while wandering in the Dragon’s Teeth mountains. He believes that it was revealed to him, the magic in the books calling to the magic in his blood.”

“That would make sense,” my mother murmured. “Like calls to like.”

“The magic is stronger in the blood of the royal family than it would be amongst common folk,” I added. “Maybe that’s why he was able to find it when others have failed.”

“And if the Library was just a rumor for so long,” my father mused, “then it would make sense that the royal family never tried to seek it out.”

“There was never any point,” Joseph continued. “Not when they had the dragons and a witch advising them.”

“Not when there was any reason to be concerned about the state of magic,” I finished.

My mother smiled, putting pieces together in her head. “They were not intending to hoard magic. They always thought they were protecting it. They never knew that magic had once belonged to everyone.”

“How could they if those rumors only existed amongst the commoners?” Joseph offered up.

My mother nodded slowly, clearly thinking through her next statement. “If you wish to restore magic to Fresonia, and help your friend, you must find that library. You must learn what secrets it possesses. Only then can we all truly live in peace and harmony.”

Joseph shot to his feet. “We’re on it.”

“You have a dangerous path ahead of you,” my mother said. “Magic is temperamental. It does not always behave the way you think it will.”

“We’ll be careful,” I said dutifully.

My mother tilted her head at me. “Perhaps being near the Library could awaken a magic in you that has been asleep for far too long.”

I tried to ignore the tiny thrill of hope that ignited in my body at that statement.

“Stranger things have happened,” Joseph said, smiling at me. The softness in his eyes made my fingertips tingle, and I blushed, quickly looking away from him.

My mother looked between the two of us, clearly sensing the tension that I was only now starting to pick up on. Perhaps with her magically-heightened senses, she could tell that my heartbeat was starting to race.

I stepped forward before she or my father could make some sort of embarrassing comment.

“Thank you for your help,” I said to my parents, giving them each a hug. “I will keep you updated, I promise.”

“Stay safe,” my mother whispered into my hair.

With those parting words, we left my parents’ house to begin our journey back to the castle.