Lux
Lux stared up at her ceiling, her shoulders pressed into the mattress and her lips curled in contemplation. For the third morning in a row a dream had jolted her awake. And like before, it left her dazed and confused, taking what felt like hours to separate the tendrils of dream from reality.
She closed her eyes and tried to recreate the scenes that had played in her mind with such vividness. This magic was new to her, though not unexpected. Her clairvoyant gifts and family lineage made it almost guaranteed that she would inherit some amount of dream magic. It would be a natural progression of her growing in knowledge and strength, but Declan had warned her before he left. To be wary of any sudden changes. Especially dreams. Many a dreamer had been snared in the nets of skilled weavers, thinking the visions they saw were manifestations of their gifts when in truth, they were another's creation entirely.
Clearing her thoughts, she pieced together what she could. Dark, stone walls with flickering torches. Damp spots on rough floors, and footsteps that echoed into the blackness hovering beyond the torchlight.
"Come sister, do not despair. No man is worth our tears."
Slender arms went around her, surprising in their strength and warmth. She settled into the touch while she tried to calm herself. Her sister was right. Despair was not for the likes of one like her. A queen in her own right.
"There. That's better. Now, tell me what brings you here? I thought we agreed long ago that you would not seek me out. Wouldn't want the world to know that I share your blood."
She winced. Those words had been hard to speak, but they were necessary at the time. If Lot had discovered... She shook her head. He was long dead, and it didn't matter.
"I need you to teach me magic."
Her sister threw her head back and laughed. When she stopped laughing, she drew her long, heavy braid over her shoulder. She couldn't help but study the rich auburn color that was so like her own. It was the single trait they shared from their father.
"Sister, magic must be possessed before it can be taught."
"How do you know I do not possess magic? Father was a sorcerer. Only one line removed from his family's angelic dam-"
Her words were cut off. "Angel magic does not pass that way. Sorcerers pass on power to the son. We daughters get nothing."
"But you have magic."
"You know what I am."
"Then how does Merlin have power?"
The name cracked through the air and made the other woman flinch as though she'd felt it physically. "What does Merlin have to do with any of this?"
"I asked him to teach me magic, and he refused."
"You do not wish to learn his magic. He is half demon and not to be trusted."
The words were delivered in a strange tone she couldn't quite grasp. Loathing laced each syllable, but it was the breaths between that gave her pause. That and the fire in her sister's eyes spoke of lust.
"What need has a queen of magic anyways?"
"Revenge."
Another laugh but this one was not mocking. It was delighted. "Against?"
"Arthur."
Wind roared through the tunnel, extinguishing all of the torches at once. Plunged into darkness, she panted as she stumbled into a wall, searching for something to anchor her in the black.
One by one the torches relit, easing her fear and discomfort. Until at last, the one by her head burst into flame and her sister's face came into focus inches away from her own.
"Morgan-"
Lux bolted upright and pressed a finger to the center of her forehead. Her channeling stone was warm against her chest, and her tank top stuck to sweat dampened skin. She didn't know if she'd fallen asleep again in her attempts to recall the dream. Whatever had happened, she'd been successful- at least partly. She remembered everything.
But now she didn't know what to do with any of this. Remembering was one thing. Understanding something else. She held up her hands and examined them. She'd watched everything unfold through the nameless woman's eyes. The one who wanted to learn magic. All she'd seen of herself were her hands and arms. Even in the dim lighting, her alabaster skin had almost seemed to glow.
She told herself to focus on that woman. After all, the magic chose her to be the eyes of the dream. Surely, it meant she was important, but no matter how she tried, Lux's thoughts kept wandering to the other woman. The sister. Morgan.
It had to be the Fae Queen. What were the chances that another woman named Morgan was speaking of magic and Merlin with such familiarity? Not to mention, no one had seen Merlin or Arthur in a millennia, which meant this moment happened long ago.
"Ugh," she snarled, tugging at the hair on top of her head. "What purpose does a memory serve? Why not a vision of the future?"
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and tried to erase her bad mood. A lot was riding on today, and she needed to be in tip top condition if the plan had any chance of working. Things might be easier if Hanish was completely on board, but at least he'd agreed to help. The Sylph admitted he'd been part of crazier plans before courtesy of Audra, and he figured they only worked out because he was there. Lux figured it was his way of saying he was going to look after her.
After a long shower, Lux made her way downstairs feeling somewhat rejuvenated. The silence in the house was almost overwhelming after the chaos of the holidays. Mama was back at work, much to Memaw's consternation. If it was up to her, Bella would be a full-time witch instead of someone who dabbled on the side, but Lux didn't push her mother. When and if she decided to commit fully to the Circle, there was a place for her. Considering the woman completely denied her heritage just a couple of years ago, the fact that she was practicing magic at all was a win.
As for her father... well, Lux didn't really know what he got up to most days. He left with Mama and returned with her. From the few whispers she'd overheard, she imagined he was busy keeping anyone from poking about their family too closely.
Coffee in hand, she leaned over the island counter and sighed. So many secrets. So much to hide. This was what exhausted her most about the life she'd chosen. As a person who valued honesty above everything, it ate at her to cloak her words and actions in shadows. But she was beginning to have a bit more grace for the secrets of others. Why was she allowed to justify her behavior and no one else was? It would seem maturity brought a bit more gray into her black and white view of the world.
Two sharp knocks and the front door opened. She sipped her coffee and waited. Seconds later, Hanish entered. He said nothing as she finished her beverage, but he scrutinized her openly.
Rinsing out her cup, she turned to him. "Satisfied with what you saw?"
His cat-like eyes narrowed, and his lips flattened. "You did not sleep well."
"Is that your polite way of saying I look like crap?"
Not a master of human sarcasm despite his many years living amongst them, Hanish didn't take her bait. "I wouldn't go that far, but I've seen you look better."
"Yes, well." she trailed off. Truth be told, it had been a long time since she'd slept well, and the Dream had nothing to do with it. And everything to do with his absence.
"I brought what you requested."
She took the pair of earrings and studied them. Magic this strong should be tangible, but she felt nothing.
"She was able to do what we requested?"
"There's no trace, is there?"
"What about the other?"
"You'll have to put them on to be certain, but I have never received poor product from Sirsha. If she says it will change your magical signature, then it will."
Lux nodded and pushed the studs through her ears. Hanish's expression didn't change, but he nodded. She walked to the mirror hanging in the entryway and had to suppress a gasp. Her long dark hair was gone, replaced by a trendy honey streaked bob. Her tall, lush frame was more compact and athletic. The nose in the center of the diamond shaped face looked as though it had been broken once, and the eyes above it were a watery blue. Perhaps a pinch too close together.
"Satisfactory?"
Well, she had asked to look unassuming. "It'll do. The magic?"
Hanish closed his eyes and sniffed. "Faint but there. I think perhaps an emerald. The magic smells earthy."
Her stomach tightened. "No, I think maybe obsidian. Emeralds are-"
Hanish knew what she'd stopped herself from saying. Emeralds belonged to Kitty.
"Alright."
Lux smiled at him, grateful he didn't push the subject. "Good. Let's start with the mall, maybe? Just a bit of light shopping for the new girl in town before she starts poking around the First Circle."
"You know most people are going to look at you like you're crazy when you start asking those questions."
"That's fine. It's the one person who doesn't that I'm interested in."
"And what do you do when you catch her? This is why the Circle needs to be involved. You don't know what magic this woman-this murderer- has access to. She could be very powerful."
She spun around and put her hands on her hips. The kind smile she wore turned predatory, and a bit of silver rippled through her skin, powerful enough to break the glamour. "I guarantee I have more."
A soft, strange voice whispered through her mind, its message an echo from the day in the woods.
Unleash it all.