Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“But what if more than one is realized? Can’t you use one of the others?”
“By the decree of the gods, only the first can ascend. There is only ever one crystal chalice at a time. One prism.”
Her gut twisted. She felt sick. She dared not even think about how she’d gotten here, but it popped into her mind anyway. As before, he spoke the truth that she was unwilling to show to the light.
“Your mother figure tried to save you, but she doomed you instead. It is not her fault. The gods made this so. Most crystal chalices never end up in this position. I toiled to find information about it all.”
“So then, I got really unlucky with timing.”
“Story of your life, right?” His grin was slight. His eyes lost their twinkle almost immediately. “When I found you first, I was surprised to learn you didn’t have the godly magic. I thought maybe the pull of you meant you were what I sought. But then when I saw you next…the prophecies had been fulfilled. The crystal chalice had been formed. You had completed your transformation. I found you before the diamond chalice, though—the object you tried to destroy. The final object I needed. So I kept track of you. Played games to test you. When you set your hand upon the diamond chalice…”
“No, I—” She kept shaking her head. This was not making any sense. It was completely preposterous.
His tone softened. Turned gentle. “The chalices don’t light up for me, Daisy, or for anyone else. The objects don’t hum. Not unless you are present. I know what they are by sight alone. You ignite their ability. For you, they buzz. They hum and glow. They come alive. The first time I felt the buzz was on that ledge, when it was tucked into your bra.”
Her brow lowered. “No, they do that with other people. When other people pick them up, it happens. I’ve seen and heard it.”
“Because you were present. The crystal chalice was present. The other chalices are useless without their prism.”
She tried to back away from him, her mind reeling. “I’m not magical. They tested me to be sure. You’re probably thinking of that diamond stone thing with the hole in the middle. That’s the chalice.”
“That is your amplifier,” he said without hesitation. “Each type of magic has a corresponding chalice that works best with it. Water creatures will lean on chalices corresponding to the sapphire gem. Fire creatures veer toward the ruby. Spirit with amethyst, and so on. That’s how our kingdoms align. The chalices mirror Faerie. Your amplifier is the diamond.”
“But diamond…” Was the throne of the High Sovereign. The Celestials.
“Yes,” he whispered. “With your diamond chalice, and the other chalices arranged around you representing Faerie, you can boost a fae’s power level—mine, in this case—to impossible heights. You can make me as mighty as a god. You can help me free this whole realm of the High Sovereign’s royal influence.”
He paused, and her brow lowered. “Free” the realm…and then take over the humans? Like fucking hell she’d help do that. If he was telling the truth, she had the power to destroy the crystal chalice after all. She had the power to destroy herself, and she would if she was the reason her family was in danger.
His nod was slight, and his lips quirked up at the corners. “Yes, I thought as much. I know you better now, and so I know I can not only trust you with this, but that you’ll help me.” His jaw was set in determination. “I never intended to help the Obsidian Kingdom’s king and queen over the fringe. It was an excuse to give me freedom in my search for the chalices. For their prism. Your realm was never in danger from me. But it is still in danger. I mean to strengthen the fringe. To build it back up. To first free myself of the Obsidian Court, then use the heightened magic to restore the balance of Faerie. When the time comes, you will fulfill your destiny and help me. I’ll be cleaning out the filth and remaking it anew with my crystal chalice. The diamond is your amplifier…and you are mine.”
“And your claims of breaking me?”
Regret once again filled his gaze. “Unfortunately, the amount of power that will run through you is that of a god. No mortal can handle it, or so the archives say. If you help me, you will safeguard your family and Faerie…at the cost of your life. There is no other way. I must sacrifice two beings to save many. It is not only my duty. It is my destiny. Our destiny. As I said…there is no escape for you or me.”
Her brow furrowed as she continually shook her head. This seemed too massive for her to grasp. Too foreign. She couldn’t comprehend how magic could restore balance in an entire realm. Balance, as if that were a tangible thing. It didn’t compare to the human lands. That she’d ever heard, anyway.