to choose my artifact,” I gloomily said.
“Nonsense!” Lord Linus scowled. “My amazing daughter, not resonate? You resonate with the whole world! No, the problem is the prism. It’s defective. We ought to throw it out.”
“It’s a royal artifact, you can’t just junk it!” I groaned. “But I’m going to officially switch to a different artifact. I might have been able to better power the barrier if I had an artifact that worked with me. We can’t risk losing another huge chunk of land. Next time I have to be ready,” I said.
Skye frowned. “You’re having problems with your royal artifact?”
“Yeah. When I channel magic through it, it eventually slows down. Just my luck, huh?”
“No matter. I’ll find a worthwhile secondary artifact for you,” Lord Linus said. “I shall consult with Indigo on the matter.”
“Indigo?” I frowned. “Why? You’re not going to buy it off Amazon or something, are you?”
“No!” Lord Linus scoffed. “If you want cheap artifacts, eBay would be the way to go—most people have no idea what they’re posting, and you can get it for a real bargain.”
“Lord Linus, we are not buying rando artifacts off eBay!” I said.
He rolled his eyes. “Obviously! When I said I needed to consult with Indigo I meant I needed to discuss your wardrobe with her! I need to find an artifact that will best fit your general style. It’s all about the aesthetic.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m more concerned about getting an artifact that actually works.”
“Believe me, I know,” Lord Linus said. “It’s why I’m the concerned party on your behalf—I will make sure your image is not tarnished!”
I pinched my prism between my fingers. “Are we done, then?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be off so you two youngsters can go exchange secrets and chat.” He winked, as if he was an eighty-year-old grandpa rather than the barely mid-thirties-looking fae that he was.
I bit back my sarcasm. “Thank you for the lesson, Lord Linus,” I genuinely said. “You’ve been a big help.”
“Anything for my darling daughter!” Lord Linus called over his shoulder, too far away for me to correct him.
“I can never seem to really commit to either liking him or hating him,” I said to Skye.
“You used to despise him,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, he’s worn me down a bit. What’s the problem?” I turned to my steward and slapped the dust off my jeans.
“I wanted to speak to you about the annual hunt,” Skye said.
“Gonna warn me about Fell and that he’s likely planning revenge of some sort?” I asked. “Don’t worry, I know. That’s what I’ve been discussing with Chase in all our extra security meetings this week. When the slimeball makes his move, we’ll be ready!”
“That actually wasn’t what I wanted to discuss, but I’m very glad you are aware of such a possibility.” Skye paused, then gestured to one of the few stone benches that could still seat two people on the cobblestone patio. “May we sit?”
“Sure.” I plopped down—facing the castle—and patted the spot next to me.
She sat down and carefully straightened her slacks. “I wanted to confirm that you were aware of the surroundings when you confronted Fell.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” I said.
“Your surroundings, in particular the weather, perhaps? Or the surrounding flora…” she paused, then blurted out, “The sky. I mean the way the afternoon sun disappeared and it became night.”
“Oh, yeah, I checked the headlines, and no one complained about the sun disappearing in the middle of the day. I reckon it was just an illusion,” I said.
“It was not just an illusion,” Skye said. “But neither was it a wide spread phenomenon. It was the Night Realm.”
I nodded slowly. “I’m really struggling to follow you right now.”
“In an expression of your power at the moment, the Night Realm temporarily fused with the human realm. The Night Realm was responding to you—which was a huge display of power, and one of the reasons why King Fell backed down.” She paused. “That, and Rigel holding a dagger to his throat.”
“Okay, so the Night Realm is…bonding with me, right? That should be a good thing,” I said.
“It is—and everyone would interpret the situation as a positive one because it indicates you are extremely powerful,” Skye said.
“That I don’t buy,” I said. “I’m having problems with my magic, and I can’t keep the barrier up. I’m not powerful.”
“I expected you’d feel that way, which is why I wanted to discuss it,” Skye said. “And after hearing what Lord Linus has to say, I