His thoughts were heavy today, reflecting the air in the carriage. It had shifted tonight, and it was darker. Unsettled, almost. A sign they were drawing nearer to their destination, he thought.
A fist pounded on the carriage wall, pulling Marius from his thoughts.
“It’s almost sunset, Mar,” Felix called out.
Thank the gods, the groom had been able to join Marius on this journey. He wouldn’t have been able to do this without his friend’s help.
As soon as he’d Seen the messenger’s arrival, Marius had sought out Felix and explained his plan. Once the groom agreed to come, Marius called in a favor from Malcom, another friend of his who was a vampire. He agreed to shadow Felix and the carriage to Ithenmyr during the university opening.
He knocked back. “Got it.”
Vivienne still hadn’t moved, and her black eyes were trained on him. It should have unsettled him, but something about the vampire’s assessing gaze felt safe.
“I’m going to Look ahead,” he told her.
One of the first lessons Daegal, Marius’s Fortune Elf mentor, taught him was that quiet moments were perfect opportunities to walk the silverplanes and See what was to come. Daegal was a full Fortune Elf, not a halfling, but he was kind and had spent countless hours tutoring Marius in his magic.
His bodyguard dipped her head. “Go ahead, I’ll keep watch.”
Marius reached within himself, grabbing onto the threads of magic that were his Fortune Elf birthright.
Earth Elves had green, life-giving magic. Death Elves had red, life-stealing magic. Light Elf magic was purple, like the orb burning in the corner of the carriage. Witches had blue magic capable of healing and growing… or, if it was tinged in black, harming others.
His magic was silver, and it flooded his vision as the carriage faded away.
Marius released his breath, smiling as the magic settled around him.
The silver planes were beautiful in an otherworldly, ethereal fashion. This wasn’t a place, not really. There wasn’t a sky, nor were there walls. Shimmering light spread as far as the eye could see. The air was cool but not cold. A sense of safety permeated his bones.
Silver paths lay at his feet. Each contained a possible future, and they were as countless as the stars.
Marius had always loved this place. This was his heritage, and it was here that he felt connected to his mother. She’d Faded when he was born, but he swore he could feel her presence here. If coming to the silver planes didn’t drain him, he would visit daily.
Today, he was willing to risk the drain to See what was coming.
He bent, picking up the path resting closest to his feet. It ran through his fingers like water.
The future flashed through his mind, snapshots of what might come. He Saw himself running through the woods with Vivienne and Felix. Snarling, faceless vampires swarmed them, taking them by surprise. Pain. Screams.
No.
Marius threw that path away as though it burned him.
Rubbing his hands on his pants, he picked up the next one. It was similar, except it ended with a bloody Felix on his back in the snow, his throat torn to pieces.
Shuddering, he tossed that one aside, too. He wouldn’t risk harm coming to Felix. The Death Elf was one of his only friends.
Felix’s father worked in the stables at Castle Sanguis, and the two boys met soon after Luna and Sebastian took the throne. Felix never seemed to care that Marius’s sister was the queen, and they’d grown close over the years.
Marius selected a path that shone as though it was imbued with sunlight and ran his fingers over it.
At first, this one was the same as the others. Running. Vampires. Screaming.
But the end…
Marius’s hands trembled, and his legs shook. He wanted to throw the path away and never think of it again, but his gaze was locked onto the vision playing out before him in terrifying clarity.
Luna and Sebastian were on their matching obsidian thrones, holding court. Dozens of vampires were crowded in the moonlit throne room, facing the dais where the royals sat.