Page 51 of The Powers of Nyx
This wasn’t anI-want-extra-ice-creampout, and immediately, it had my skin prickling.“Gin—”
“Not at all,” Maeve replied. She knelt down so she was the same height as Ginny. My breath caught in my throat. “It’s so you’re all safe, which is what really matters. We just have to make it look like we’re splitting up, when really, we’re all staying together.”
When Ginny nodded, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew it wouldn’t last long, but damn, it was good knowing that I wouldn’t have to part from them in this new world. That they would be with me, always.
Captain Vale guided us off the ship with a few more farewells and bows and little instances of magic to make the girls laugh. Elias hoisted Maisie into his arms, while Ginny clung to my hand, and Eloise walked between us down to the dock. Funnily enough, the plank didn’t shift or rock. It was as steady as stairs, and instead of questioning it, I chalked it up to magic.
You’d be right, Adrian said down our bond.Magic is used freely here. It’s integrated into almost every part of our lives.
A shiver ran down my spine at that. Being so focused on the kids, I hadn’t noticed the shift in the air, the way this world felt so...different from the one we’d left behind. The hairs on my arms prickled with it, and my own magic hummed. Not from danger. But from beinghome.
I sucked in a breath and released it slowly as Ginny and I hit the dock. It was rough wood yet completely sturdy, and when we were all gathered at the base of the plank, it disappeared. Ginny pressed herself into my side with a gasp, and we watched as the ship-ferry-thingpulled away from the end of the long port.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—I willneverget used to that,” Thea muttered. She heaved a breath, and her eyes met mine. “I’m dying for a shower.”
I wrinkled my nose. After the last couple of days, I didn’t want to imagine what I smelt like. “Same.”
“I’d like a cheeseburger and fries and a shake,” Maisie declared, still wrapped in Elias’s arms. “Andtwomovies.”
Beside me, Thea snorted, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s a tall order, nugget.”
“Oh, and nugs,” she replied with a firm nod.
Any tension remaining dissipated as we all broke out into soft laughter. My shoulders loosened with a new wave of hope. Hope that we might actually survive this giant change without too much damage.
~
Thick forestry lined either side of theQueen’s Road. They called it that because it was the only ‘known’ road to the palace. According to Maeve, it was charmed with so many wards and protections that they knew exactly who was entering or leaving at any time. If an animal crossed, the guards were aware immediately. It was like having a hundred security cameras on the long stretch of windy road, only the magical kind.
And getting to the palace through the forest? Near impossible—or so they claimed.
Excitement bloomed in my chest the longer we drove, only barely subdued by the fact that as soon as we arrived, I was going to be thrown into Queen-training. But even that brought a sense of comfort. Taking control over my magic almost felt like having control over my life again.
The car slowed, and I peeked out the window at a large, intricately designed gate. Flourishes of flower-like designs made from iron, I assumed, decorated it. They looked almost familiar in a way, but I bit my tongue and sat back. The palace itself was still obstructed, and I sighed.
Adrian tapped my knee from where he sat across from me in the limo-styled car, his eyes bright and shoulders relaxed. “Ivy, look.”
I frowned before turning to the window. A gasp left my lips as the land shimmered, and the palace came into view.
Breathtaking. That was the first word that came to mind.
Tall towers and spires reached for the clear sky, while vines and flowers climbed the stone exterior with bursts of colour. Bridges filled the spaces between spires and towers, while other buildings jutted from the main large structure.
The girls bounced in their seats at the sight of a real-life fairytale castle. Never in my wildest dreams had I expectedthis. It looked like we were sitting at the top of a small incline in the valley, and behind the palace was a huge, thundering waterfall. The cliffs on either side looked to be dotted with structures, and as we pulled down the cobblestone drive, I was able to take in the way the palace itself wrapped around the valley.
“Holy shit this is amazing,” I whispered, gripping Elias’s hand as the car slowed. “It’s huge.”
My shifter mate’s chest rumbled, and his hand tightened around mine. “You like it?” he asked quietly, his lips by my ear.
“It’s—” I couldn’t find the word to describe the building. It was magical. Towering. Extravagant. And that was only the outside. What were the grounds like? The interior? We hadn’t even had a chance to fully glimpse the rest of the town that sat below the palace. Technically, it wasn’t a town.
It was a sprawling, expansive city one might find in Europe. All cobblestone, with cathedral-like buildings reaching for the clouds and even modern structures, though not made from steel and glass like back home. Nestled near the mountain, with forest surrounding it, and parks interspacing parts of the city we saw from the road, it was beautiful.
“There’s a huge lake down below the palace at the base of the waterfall. During the warmer months, there are galas and functions down there,” Adrian said. He seemed so at ease now that we were here. Maybe he’d missed home more than he’d let on.
“You’d like the library,” Rowan added. He was less at ease, though. His smirk was stiff, forced, and for the first time, I was sure it wasn’t because of me. “It’s huge. Like the one in that princess movie.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the description. “I can’t wait to see it.”