Chapter 13 Ritual
SILVER'S POV
After two days of travel, we finally arrived at House Noir's estate.
The mansion rose before us like something out of a dark fairy tale. Black stone walls, sharp towers, gardens that looked beautiful. Silver's childhood home.
I'd seen fragments of it in her memories. But standing here, actually here, felt different.
A guard stationed at the gates recognized me immediately. He opened the carriage door and bowed.
"Lady Silver. Welcome home."
I stepped down from the carriage, my legs stiff from the journey. A maid rushed forward, curtsying.
"Lady Silver, we weren't expecting you. Your father—"
"Where is he?" I kept my voice calm, authoritative. The way Silver would have spoken.
The maid hesitated. "He's not here, my lady. He left for the capital three weeks ago."
Of course. Damn.
I felt Raven step down behind me, silent as always. The guards' eyes flickered toward him with barely concealed unease. They could sense something was off about him, even if they didn't know what.
"When will he return?" I asked.
"We're not certain, my lady. Perhaps another week?"
A week. I had three days before I needed to be back at the palace.
I needed to figure something out.
I walked toward the mansion, frustration building in my chest. I'd come all this way, to find the one person who could unseal Silver's magic.
And he wasn't even here.
Raven fell into step beside me. "Complications?"
"Just my luck," I muttered.
We entered the main hall. Servants scattered, bowing as I passed. The mansion was exactly as Silver remembered it.
Then I saw her.
A slim woman stood in the hallway, elegant in a deep purple gown. She had Silver's green eyes, but her hair was darker, threaded with silver at the temples. Beautiful in a way that made you forget to breathe.
Silver's mother.
In Silver's memories, this woman existed as a distant figure. Loving in her own way, but never truly present. Never fighting for her daughter when it mattered. Always letting Father make the decisions, even when those decisions hurt.
"Silver!" Her face lit up. She rushed forward and pulled me into a hug before I could react.
I stood stiffly in her embrace, not sure how to respond. Silver would have been cold. Resentful.
I settled for formal. "Mother. I didn't expect to find you here."
She pulled back, studying my face. "Where else would I be? This is my home." Her gaze shifted to Raven. "And who is this handsome man?"
Raven smiled that dangerous smile of his. "Lady Noir. You're quite beautiful yourself."
"She's sharper than she looks," I murmured to Raven. Then, louder: "This is my mother. Mother, this is... a friend. He's traveling with me."
"A friend." Her eyebrow arched knowingly. "How interesting. And does your husband know about this friend?"
"My husband is aware I left the palace," I said carefully. "What I do during my visit home is my concern."
"Of course." She linked her arm through mine, steering me down the hall. "Come. You must be exhausted from traveling. I'll have rooms prepared, and—"
"I need to see Father," I interrupted.
"Your father isn't here, darling. He's been at the capital for weeks."
"I know. But I need—" I stopped. Took a breath. "Mother, I need help with something."
She paused, turning to look at me properly for the first time. "What kind of help?"
I glanced at Raven, then back at her. "Can we speak privately?"
"Of course." She gestured to a nearby sitting room. "Raven, was it? Perhaps you'd like to refresh yourself after the journey? The servants can show you to a guest room."
Raven caught my eye. I nodded slightly. He bowed with exaggerated courtesy. "Of course, Lady Noir. I'll leave you to your family matters."
But as he turned to follow a servant, I saw him pause. Just for a heartbeat. His head tilted slightly, like he was listening to something only he could hear.
Then he was gone.
~ ~ ~
My mother closed the door behind us and turned to face me.
"Now," she said. "What's this really about, Silver?"
I met her eyes. "I need to unseal my magic."
Silence.
She stared at me like I'd spoken a foreign language. "Unseal your... Silver, you sealed your powers three years ago. You swore you'd never—"
"I know what I swore." My voice was steady. "Things have changed."
"Changed how?" She moved closer, concern creasing her brow. "Did something happen with Arthur? Is he forcing you to—"
"No one is forcing me." I cut her off. "This is my choice. I need my magic back, and I need it now."
"Why?"
Because I'm not actually your daughter. Because I'm trapped in this world and I need every advantage I can get to survive.
She studied me for a long moment. ""Silver, your powers were dangerous. You sealed them because you wanted Arthur to feel safe."
"I know." I didn't, but Silver's memories provided fragments. Just help if you can.
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "It's possible. But Silver, unsealing magic that's been dormant for three years... it's dangerous. The ritual takes hours. You can't be interrupted. And if you lose concentration, if your will falters even for a moment—"
"You might die," she finished.
"I know." I held her gaze. "I'm willing to take that risk."
She sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples.
"Your father won't be happy about this."
She moved to the door. "I'll need time to prepare the ritual space. It has to be done properly. Tonight, after sunset."
"Thank you."
She paused at the door, looking back at me. "Silver... I'm glad you've changed your mind."
Happy? Why would she be happy about this?
Either way, Silver's mother was different from the rest of the family. She was willing to help without waiting for permission.
She left.
\~~~
Hours later, I stood in the center of the ritual chamber.
The room was deep in the mansion's lower levels, carved from black stone. A magic circle had been painted on the floor in silver—intricate patterns.
My mother moved around the circle, lighting candles at specific points. "Once you sit in the center, you must not move. The unsealing process will pull at your consciousness."
"How long will it take?"
"Hours. Maybe longer." She lit the last candle. "I'll be here the entire time, maintaining the circle. But I can't help you if something goes wrong inside your own mind. That part, you do alone."
I nodded.
"Are you certain about this?"
"Yes."
"Then sit."
I moved to the center of the circle and sat cross-legged. The silver lines seemed to pulse faintly beneath me.
"Close your eyes," my mother instructed. "Focus inward. Find the place where your magic sleeps. When you feel it stir, don't fight it. Let it wake."
I closed my eyes.
At first, there was nothing. Just darkness and the sound of my own breathing.
Then—
A pull. Deep in my chest. Like something was tugging at my ribs from the inside.
The sensation grew stronger. Not painful, but intense.
I focused on it, following it down into myself. Deeper. Deeper.
And then I felt it.
Magic.
Asleep for three years. Coiled tight like a serpent at the base of my spine.
It stirred.
Time became strange. I couldn't tell if minutes or hours had passed. There was only the sensation of something vast and ancient unfolding inside me.
Heat spread through my veins. Cold followed. Then heat again.
Images flickered behind my closed eyes. Memories that couldn't be mine. A child standing in a garden, flowers bursting into flame at her touch. A girl screaming as shadows poured from her hands. A young woman kneeling before a prince, promising to lock her power away forever if he'd just—
The memory shattered.
I gasped, eyes flying open.
Someone stood in front of me.
A man. Tall, pale, with sharp features and eyes the color of fresh blood.
Just like Raven.
"I'm surprised," he said, voice smooth as silk. "A lady like you made a blood contract with Raven."
I stared at him. The ritual chamber was gone. Or maybe I was still in it, but somewhere else at the same time. The magic circle glowed beneath me, but everything else had faded to shadow.
"Who are you?" I managed.
His smile widened, revealing fangs longer than Raven's.
"Someone who's been waiting for you to wake up."