Page 88 of Of Curses and Courtship

I smile as I fly toward her, floating inches off the ground. It’s getting easier to hover for short distances, though I know I can never fly away like Emyr.

She turns to look at me, and her warm smile is soothing. “There you are, dear one.”

I laugh nervously. “Were you searching for me?”

“I was. I wanted to check in on how you have been doing. I’ve heard rumors…”

“Rumors?” I furrow my brows. “Rumors about me?”

“Mhm. On my way to the Moon Palace, I spotted a certain sun prince with tales to tell.”

“Emyr?” My eyes widen. “You saw him? Is he all right?”

“Quite. I imagine he’ll be home any day now.” Her eyes sharpen. “He told me about how you have used your magic. You’ve done things I have only ever dreamt of.”

“But you grant wishes.”

“Wishes have limits.”

“You create portals!”

She waves a hand. “Any Moon Fae can do that. Removing the energy from something, however temporarily, is a rarer display of our empathic abilities. Tell me… what did you learn from this experience?”

“I learned”—I sigh—“that I should grow in strength before attempting that again.”

Tibalt has been acting the same way. They think I performed a miracle, and perhaps it’s far too easy to ignore that the curse came formenext. A man is dead because I meddled with magic I should not have touched. That isn’t something to celebrate.

I bite my tongue to keep from bursting her bubble any further, but heavens…

A storm rages in me, and I don’t know how to protect others from my rain. If I remain silent for much longer, I fear it will be unleashed on someone who doesn’t deserve it. It’s been there, in the pit of my stomach, for so much of my life. The presence of this helpful fae can only soothe me for a moment.

“What you learned,” she says, “is that energy cannot be destroyed or created—at least not by a fae. We are not gods.”

“I know that. I would never think of myself as a god.”

“All we can do is”—she waves a hand, and the water behind her rises into balls—“move it. See, it is no longer in the vessel, but it is stillhere.”

I stare at the water through heavy-lidded eyes. It ripples, calling me in, but I can’t quite listen. “Why can’t I have magic likethat?”

She chuckles, and the water drops into the pool like rain. “You may in time. Do you understand my point?”

I nod, though it brings me no joy to comprehend what she has to say. “I can’t destroy the curse.”

“Sadly, you cannot. It seems you can move and remove the energy, and if we find something to do with it, it may be useful… but there is another option.”

“What is it?”

“Alchemy.” Her eyes light up. “The sun and moon arepolar energies. With the help of your prince, you may be able to turn it into something else.”

“Madam, that is impossible. We’ve done our research?—”

“Until something has failed, it is best not to consider it impossible.”

I press my lips together. “I suppose you mean I shouldn’t give up so early—even though my prince—I mean,theprince—he’s nowhere to be seen?”

“That is what I mean.” Her eyes twinkle. “And, as I said, he will return. You see, your prince is a great many things. He is intelligent, stubborn, and a fantastic flyer. He is also arrogant, and his gigantic ego is even bigger than his wings. Do you know what he is not?”

I shake my head.