I frowned. “But that was just two small cuffs. Lilith said the codex told her this much blackened iron can contain High Fae magic.”
“You haven’t been listening, Aurora,” said Abraxas, exasperated. “You are not just a High Fae, just as you are not just a Dragonlord. If this blackened iron could really contain your magic, you would not be able to speak to me. Lilith made you believe that you can’t, so you didn’t try hard enough. You lost faith. And what have I told you about losing faith? Do I have to say it again and again until it gets into that thick head of yours?”
I held up my hands. “I know, I know. Nothing is impossible.”
“Exactly,” said the great dragon, satisfied. “The magic of the Dawnstar only appears when you have complete faith in who you truly are. But you go on doubting yourself despite the many instances where you have been shown the truth of your powers. Remember, the magic of the Dawnstar is different from all other fae magic, although it is inextricably tied to it. The light you produce when you access that particular power is a culmination of all the five powers of the fae directed by your will, your innermost being. With magic like yours, you can do anything. You just need the will to do it. Now let us begin.”
To Take a Castle
Abraxas directed me to place my hands on the walls of the tunnel, fingers spread out flat against the stone. Within it I could feel the blackened iron surrounding me on all sides, pulsating with an ancient evil that sucked the magic from the High Fae. But I was not going to let it get the better of me. I was the Dawnstar. I could do this.
The festivities had begun. I could hear the noise from the great hall in the dungeons. Soon Rafe would be executed, and I had to get out if I was going to prevent that from happening. The thought of Rafe gave me strength; I had to help him.
I searched for light magic and understood more of what Abraxas was trying to teach me. It was a culmination of all my fae powers. Knowing how it worked made it easier to access. I pushed away all doubts from my mind, gathered all the threads of my magic, and plunged inward, deep inside myself, where the source of my magic lay. The Dawnstar was there waiting to be called forth, shining like a beacon within my very soul. I opened myself to it and let it rise within me.
“Good,” said Abraxas, “now infuse the darkness in the iron with light, just as you did with the cuffs; that will nullify its power. Mind you, you will need much more power to achieve this. It will not be easy, but it should work.”
I grinned. It was good to know Abraxas was there. If I was doing anything stupid, he didn’t have any qualms about popping into my head and telling me so. And if he thought I could do this, I knew I could.
I pushed my magic into the walls, and the darkness pulsated beneath my fingers. I could feel the veins of blackened iron around me as the darkness clung to my magic like a leech.
Erien watched me, his eyes as wide as saucers. “What is she doing?”
“What she’s doing—” Tristan drew his swords and threw a quick glance at Erien, “—is getting us out of here.”
I gathered more light magic and pushed it into the walls, guiding it through the stone, surrounding the blackened iron. Power seared through my veins as the light of the Dawnstar engulfed the blackened iron, which seemed to scream and pull away like a trapped beast, but I strengthened my will and held on, pushing more and more power into the walls around me.
The darkness that surrounded me seemed endless. My hands became clammy, and my body began to vibrate with the pressure. There was so much dark magic here that it threatened to engulf my light completely, gnawing at it like a ravening beast. But still I held on. I couldn’t let go, not yet. Rafe’s life depended on it.
I braced myself and reached deeper into the well of light that now lay wide open for me to use, drawing up immense power as my whole body started to glow. I pushed the magic into the walls and the tunnel lit up with white light, causing the darkness to shriek and flee, dissipating into nothing.
Tristan’s swords blazed with silver fire, burning brighter than before as he twirled them in his hands. “Nicely done,” he growled.
His magic was back, and so was mine.
I smiled at Tristan and flexed my fingers as a ball of silver fire formed in my glowing palm. “We’re not out of danger yet.”
Erien came over to me. “What you just did was impossible, Aurora.”
“Don’t ever underestimate the Dawnstar, boy,” said Tristan.
“Shield them, Tristan,” I said as I released my magic on the blackened iron portcullis.
Tristan threw up a hasty shield to surround the others just as a blast of pure silver fire, hotter than anything mages could produce, burst from my palm and melted the bars as if they were butter.
Vivienne and Erien gaped at me as Tristan ushered everyone out of the dark tunnel and into the ruins of the great arched hall that lay at the end of the dungeons.
Torches flared in the passageways around us. Brandon’s mage guards were coming.
Tristan glanced at me. “Create the portal. We need to get them out now!”
Erien put his arm around Vivienne. “Hurry, Aurora, they’re coming.”
I took a deep breath. I could do this; I was trained by the best. I turned to Tristan. “Keep the guards busy.”
The fae prince glowered at me, silver sparks flashing within his twilight-blue eyes. His swords flared brighter with raging silver fire, dispersing the shadows and lighting up the pillars
