The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 63

Holding on to Iris' newfound happiness wasn't easy, but her new family wouldn't let her be miserable.

Elera insisted on buying Iris a white wedding dress. Iris didn't feel right about wearing white, but it wasn't worth arguing a point she knew she would lose. She did, however, protest the new party dress Elera bought her. Elera said she'd want it eventually, and what was the harm in getting it now?

The one point Iris wouldn't concede was a high neckline for both dresses. Elera assumed the stipulation was for modesty's sake, which was somewhat true, but Iris was most concerned with hiding the crystal in her chest. Nobody needed to know about that.

Nobody except Char.

And Iris would only tell him after they married, when it was impossible to hide the crystal any longer.

She kept little else secret from Elera over the next few days, especially during her worst moments of darkness. Elera could be a little overbearing at times, but she cared, and she was there. She never once turned Iris away because it was too late or she was too busy. Iris knew what an inconvenience their late-night talks or cry sessions could be, and although Elera was no Char, Char was also no Elera. Sometimes, there was nothing that could beat a mother's love.

Iris had never known that before. Not personally.

She missed Char, though.

It felt a little silly. He and Rath came over for dinner every day, but she still missed him.

The war was at a standstill, thanks to Micah's death and the ensuing chaos in the human kingdom, and yet Kelnor was still keeping his team busy. Rath and Char wouldn't say what he had them doing, but they were always tired, and they never stayed long past dinner. Iris knew they weren't involved in the peace talks, and Rath was still dead set against leadership training, which left one thing she could think of: Micah's research.

For all the evil he'd done, he was a magical genius. There had to be valuable information in his vast writings. Sifting through his horrible experiments to find the hidden gems couldn't be easy, though. Iris could see how that would wear a person down.

But as much as she hated to admit it, as much as she wanted to forget everything about that man, she often thought of his words when she was practicing her magic.

Maybe that was why using magic still unsettled her.

Magic came easily to her, even without the whispers to guide her. That bothered her. She'd never wanted it in the first place, and she didn't want it now. She'd thought she would be done with it after she got rid of the amulet. She wanted to be done with it.

But it was like a craving. It was an addiction she couldn't break, and when she remembered Micah's obsession with it, that scared her. At night, she lay awake in bed, trying to resist. And she couldn't. She had to give in eventually. She had to try something different, push a little harder.

At least learning how to trigger and guide the memories of her mother seemed safe enough.

She could choose the emotion now. She could choose if she wanted to smile or cry, if she wanted a lighthearted moment or something deeper and more emotional. The images were always from her point of view, limiting her field of vision to her mother's face and whatever her mother was showing her, and when she was in these visions, these memories, she experienced the simplicity of being an infant. Pure joy. Awestruck wonder. Innocent curiosity.

In every memory, her mother told Iris she loved her. In some of them, she said she had to leave Iris soon, that she hated to do it, but it would be for the best. Sometimes she would dangle the amulet over Iris when they were playing. She would laugh when Iris grabbed at it and would tease her about it being too valuable for a chew toy. And then there were the nights when they curled up on a bed of straw in a stable somewhere, and she would hold Iris close and say how wonderful it was to have a warm place to sleep.