Chapter 40 ANCIENT MAGIC (II)
I'm shaking!
My whole body is trembling like a tornado is taking root inside my body.
No matter how hard I try, I can't get Lyra's body out of my mind. Her lying lifeless, not having any guarantee of waking up again.
All this is my fault.
If she hadn't left home to come look for me then this wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't be on the brink of death with no assurance of waking up.
The bedroom door opens, and I don't have to look up to know who just stepped in.
But the love that had developed these past few days is nowhere to be found. Rather it's the hate that has me staring up at him with a fierce look.
“Are you okay?”
I let out a wry laugh. “I'm I okay? You really are asking to know if I'm okay? My sister is lying in a room in this castle, fighting for what's left of her life and you dare ask if I'm okay?"
I pause, expecting him to say something. He doesn't, and it pisses me off like crazy. “I want to go home. Let me return to my life, Auren. I don't want this!! My life was peaceful until you stepped in with your dragons, ripped me away from the comfort of my home and brought me here. " The tears are flowing now and there's nothing I can do to stop them. “Now my sister is fighting for her life, and I don't even know what has happened to my aunt, that's if she's still alive. I hate you, Auren."
My legs give out and my knees crash to the floor. I finally let the sob break through my throat. I bury my face in my hands and sob harder.
After a few minutes, Auren's hands wrap around my shoulders and he pulls me up to my feet and places me to sit on the bed.
“You can hate me all you want, Little Flame," he says, voice soft and controlled. “You might hate me right now, but you are my wife. As such you will stay put, suck up that pitiful act and embrace your future. If not for anything then for the fact that Lyra is lying there waiting for you to find an antidote to wake her up." He lets go of me and steps back. “Be in the library in five minutes."
Without another word, he turns around and walks out of the room.
\~~~
“I'd be lying, if I tell you I understood a word of everything you just said," I say and Amelyn raises her hands in surrender.
“Imogen, I think this is where you step in," she says in resignation, leaning back in her chair.
For the past ten minutes, she has been trying to explain to me something about ancient magic, but nothing she's said so far makes any sense.
“My, Lady,” Imogen begins, taking over the session. " What she has been trying to explain this entire time is, the strongest magic so far is the forbidden magic as we all know, but the magic found on the knife used to stab Lyra is something deadlier.”
I shake my head still not understanding. “You're saying that the forbidden magic is the strongest magic in the continent, and yet there are deadlier magic types? Make it make sense."
" The forbidden magic is the strongest magic KNOWN to man,” Imogen explains, stressing on the “known.” I think I get it now.
“That means, there are more deadlier sources, but they are not known yet?" I ask and Imogen nods. “So we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” I say slowly, the realization hitting me like a slap. “We don’t even know what name to give it.”
Imogen nods grimly. “Exactly. Whatever magic was used on that dagger…it predates the forbidden arts. It’s old, ancient, ossibly divine or corrupted beyond recognition.”
A weak shiver runs through me.
Ancient magic, feadlier than anything known, inside Lyra.
My stomach twists painfully.
Imogen must read the panic on my face because he softens his tone. “But it leaves traces, My Lady. All magic leaves a path. Auren and I have been analyzing its residue and…”
“Auren?” I cut in before I can stop myself. “He…he’s helping?”
The memories of my breakdown crash into me. The horrible things I threw at him. The way I told him I hated him. The way he stayed cold and firm because he needed me functional, not broken.
I swallow hard, guilt crawling up my throat.
Amelyn scoffs lightly. “Of course he’s helping. He hasn’t rested since Lyra arrived.”
I blink. “He hasn’t?”
She shrugs. “He’s been scouring every archive, every scroll, every ancient rune in the basement library. He hasn’t left the lower halls.”
Something warm flickers in my chest, but I kill it before it can grow.
No.
No softening, and absolutely no forgiving yet.
He still dragged me into this life. He still won’t let me leave. He still closed his mind to me when I needed him most.
But part of me recognizes the truth:He’s fighting for Lyra too.
Imogen continues, bringing my mind back before it spirals again.
“The magic seems to be tied to an old realm,” he explains. “One that doesn’t exist anymore. Which means the poison isn’t spreading normally. It’s…taking her essence.”
My blood runs cold. “Taking her essence? What does that even mean?”
“It means,” Imogen says gently, “her life force is being drained. Slow enough that she won’t die immediately, fast enough that we don’t have much time to save her”
My heart cracks anew. I imagine being late, not being able to save Lyra and watching her finally die and my heart breaks into pieces.
Amelyn leans forward, her expression serious. “We believe the answer lies in a sealed knowledge vault… the Alchemy archives.”
My breath catches. The name sounds too familiar and I try to recall where I heard it.
“But it's not that easy to get there, My Lady, “ Imogen says gently.
“It's found on the top of the Alchemy fountains, located deep within the red forest," Amelyn explains. “It's said that the monsters guarding the mountains are so vicious, they'll burn anyone spotted six feet away from the mountains."
A tremor runs through my body. If these two are trying to scare me then they have succeeded.
The library door creaks open and my heart jumps.
Auren steps inside. His expression is unreadable; cool, composed, but beneath that perfect mask I can see traces of exhaustion.
Real exhaustion.
His hair is slightly disheveled, his coat thrown on without care, a faint ink stain on his wrist.
He looks like a man who hasn’t slept, who has been clawing his way through ancient texts for answers.
Our eyes meet.
Something twists painfully inside me as I realize that the only time he has taken a break was to come check up on me.”
He speaks before anyone else can. “We’re leaving at dawn.”
My breath stops. “Leaving? Where?”
He holds my stare, voice steady and final. “To the Alchemy mountains. To retrieve what we need to save Lyra, because we don't have time on our hands.”
A lump forms in my throat.
He steps closer, his gaze softening in a way that makes my pulse stumble.
“You’re not doing this alone,” he says quietly. “Not again. Not ever.”
His words warm something in my chest…but they also scare me. Because I don’t know if I hate him right now. He is part of the reason Lyra is like this so yes, I do hate him.
But beneath that hatred there's something more. Something I can't name.
I take a breath. “And if this doesn’t work?” I don't really fancy being lunch to a bunch of monsters. Not quite my idea of a vacation.
He holds my gaze, unflinching. “We’ll make it work, or watch Lyra die. I chose the first option.”
The certainty in his voice settles into my bones, steady and warm… a sharp contrast to the terror swirling inside me.
He turns to Imogen. “Prepare supplies for a long journey. And gather all you have on ancient, pre-forbidden magic, and the monsters of Alchemy mountains.”
Imogen bows and leaves immediately.
Auren’s eyes return to mine.
And for a moment, the world narrows to just us. His voice drops low, meant only for me.
“We’re going to save her, Little Flame.”
I want to believe him so badly it hurts.
But belief is a luxury, and fear is real.
Still I nod reluctantly, trying to steady my raving heartbeat. If making this journey is what it takes to save Lyra then I'll do it without looking back.