Kildaren walked over to Kalen slowly and assessed his son. I could tell he was searching, probing to assess what kind of magic Kalen possessed.
I held my breath. The whole room seemed to still. No one said anything while we waited for Kildaren to announce he would be taking Kalen with him. I tensed. My magic started to rise within me.
Rafe squeezed my waist tightly and shook his head; he knew me too well. He knew if Kildaren tried to take Kalen by force, I would not let him. “Wait,” he murmured in my ear.
Kildaren raised an eyebrow and turned to Penelope, a disgusted look on his face. “I expected more from you, Penelope. Your son has hardly any magic. He’s not even worth mentoring.”
I was startled, and for a moment I couldn’t understand what had happened. But then I saw my grandmother and Penelope exchange a fleeting glance, and I knew. They had planned this. It was probably Rhiannon who told Kildaren about Kalen. But my grandmother, as always, was one step ahead of everyone else. Penelope knew the grand duke would be coming for Kalen, and the only way she would know was if my grandmother had warned her in advance. I smiled at Penelope and finally understood why she took the Amulet of Auraken for safekeeping. If it could suppress Kalen’s powers and help him escape his father’s clutches, then I was all for it. I let my magic settle down.
Kildaren turned to leave. “Come, Mother. Our business here is done.”
Rhiannon opened a portal.
Kildaren’s eyes narrowed as he shot a glance at Tristan. “I presume you will not be returning to Elfi any time soon?”
Tristan shook his head and took Ashara’s hand. “No, not for a while, Father,” he drawled. “Aurora still needs someone to train with. I think I will stick around here for a while.”
“Have it your way,” snarled Kildaren. “I tried to help you. What can I do if you prefer to waste your time with rabble?” He flicked a dark look at Ashara and stepped into the portal.
Rhiannon flicked a glance at Ashara, but she had the sense to look embarrassed by what her son had said. “Give him time; he will come to terms with it eventually.” She smiled at Tristan. “I will speak to him and see what I can do.”
Tristan nodded at his grandmother as she turned and stepped through the portal to return to Elfi.
My grandmother’s golden eyes flashed as she regarded the room, a lion surveying her pride. They settled on my father. “It is because of your bloodline that Aurora bears the mark of the Dawnstar. You are of the Ancient Fae line of Eos-Eirendil, even though you are—” she paused for a moment, “—a mage.” The word sounded distasteful on her lips. She inclined her head to my father in the only gesture of respect and acknowledgement he was going to get, but it was a start. “Considering this,” she went on, “you are welcome in Elfi as our guest, should you wish to visit.”
My father nodded and gave his mother-in-law a short bow out of respect. He was chivalrous and a gentleman through and through. “I would be honored, Izadora.”
A smile tugged at the fae queen’s lips as she looked over at my mother. Still stern, still the fearsome, unyielding fae queen, but her eyes shone with a light that could only be described as happiness as she gazed at her only daughter. “You are all invited to Elfi for the harvest festival feast.” She glanced at Rafe, who stood beside me, his arm still around my waist. “You too, King Rafael,” she added, using his title. “Aurora can portal you there.” Her gaze settled on me. “It is expected for my heir to attend. Don’t be late!” she snapped. The queen of the fae stepped into the portal, shutting it swiftly behind her.
I turned to Kalen, who sheepishly pulled out the Amulet of Auraken from beneath his shirt, the only thing that could have hidden his powers from Kildaren. This way, Kildaren would never suspect Kalen’s magic was stronger than that of most High Fae and steadily growing. With the proper training from Penelope and Tristan, he would become a formidable warrior one day. Then Kildaren would find out about him, but not before.
Kalen took off the amulet from around his neck and handed it to me. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”
I closed my hand around his, the amulet still clutched in his palm. “Keep it, Kalen.” I smiled at my oldest friend. “At least until you have adequate control over your powers.”
Penelope stepped forward and put an arm around her son, who didn’t pull away this time. “Izadora warned me Kildaren was coming for Kalen, and I knew the only way to get him to leave Kalen alone was to make Kildaren believe he had no magic. The spell I had put on him earlier to hide his magic will not work anymore now that he has accessed and used it. Only the Amulet of Auraken could have hidden his powers from a High Fae as powerful as Kildaren.”
I smiled at Penelope. “It was a good idea. But you could have told me why you needed it.”
Penelope raised her eyebrows, but she was smiling. “You are not the best person when it comes to keeping secrets, my dearest Aurora.”
My eyes narrowed, and I scowled as Tristan solemnly nodded his head at this, as did Kalen, while Rafe chuckled beside me.
My father came up to me and put his hand
