The Lark Taps Twice

Chapter 14: Shared Feelings

Over the next several minutes, Miriam's heart chilled into a block of ice and sank low in her abdomen. As terrible as the village around Fort Fillmore suffered the effects of the phantom animals, its damages paled as King Riquero detailed the destruction of entire cities, the starvation of thousands, and the daily terror overshadowing every element of life in his kingdom.

The only ray of hope he'd discovered in his search for ways to defeat the noble's council and their magic weavers came from an ancient tome Seer Murial uncovered in her family archives, which detailed the magic only those of royal blood can access, their personal magic, and its unique properties. Among its discussions of the variability of each royal's personal reserve of such magic lay a section detailing extreme measures to defeat any challengers to the throne, especially magic weavers, who had no personal magic of their own but possessed the ability to gather natural magic into themselves to use for their own purposes.

"There is a particular spell which only a young king and his mate together may cast, a spell which banishes all forms of natural magic for a full decade. It removes all spells and their effects cast with natural magic, as well as any magic unclaimed or bound to a magic weaver but as yet unused. However, the caster and his mate pay dearly for the spell; it may drain him of his entire reserve of personal magic, never to be refilled, and he and his mate may be weakened to the edge of death. Both would be vulnerable for an unknown period of time, which an enemy might take advantage of. If I did not believe the danger now present did not outweigh the personal risk to you, my son, I would not mention it. Now that I have, will you attempt the spell, though it may mean both your deaths?"

Silence filled the room in the wake of the king's grim question, and Miriam's knees trembled with the weight of responsibility now pressing down on her, doubled by the mixed feelings of dread and determination seeping from Jonatham.

Wait, how do I know what he's feeling?

Jonatham's arm tightened around her waist. "Father, I require a few minutes alone with my mate to discuss this. We will be in my private apartment, and I promise we will not delay long. However, I will not speak for Lady Miriam in this matter; as her life is as much at risk as my own, she must give her own consent."

He waved his free hand in Jim's direction. "In our absence, please feel free to converse with Jim here. He is responsible for the functionality of this portal frame, a gifted tinker indeed. Now, please excuse us."

The prince bent slightly at the hips toward the bemused king, his firm grip on Miriam's middle bending her body as well. Without further ceremony, he bent and swept his free hand behind her knees, scooping her up into his arms even as his legs carried them toward the deep shadows on the opposite side of the portal from the two silent men staring after them, skirting the group of snoozing animals piled on each other, brought in from the Jeep by Jonatham just after he'd set Jim to work on the not-mirror.

Jonatham shoved through an ajar door Miriam hadn't noticed before and kicked it shut with a bang. His elbow scraped the wall twice before a small lamp illuminated a couch, side tables, and a wall of books. Jonatham strode to the dark green couch and sat, shifting Miriam so she again perched on his lap. I could get used to this...

"What happened out there?" His voice was a low murmur that bordered on a growl.

Thinking he must be upset with her about how she had not immediately pledged her willingness to sacrifice herself for a whole world of people she had never met, in the hope of saving them, and by proxy her own mother and coworkers and friends, who were in no danger whatsoever the last time she laid eyes on them, she lashed out.

"Excuse me if I didn't jump at the chance to die for a bunch of strangers with the prince who claims to be my mate, who I only just met a few hours ago, though he's known of me his entire life! I've barely had a chance to catch my breath in days, let alone actually taken the time by myself to process everything that's happened. Heck, I've not even taken the time to properly celebrate my own birthday! I -"