COF 3: The Fallen Dynasty

8 | Family (I)

After Pidmena knew how long, Reeca's eyes began to droop. Oh. Her magic's spent. She sank to the ground and rested her head against the table's leg. Come on. She needed to get up. Her vision doubled and spun. Weaving for six days straight wasn't good. Noted.

Unlike humans and half-bloods who relied on spells and embodied thoughts to cast magic, fairies, with the help of their synnavaim, cast from their direct link to the magic in the environment. Not only did it cost more energy than casting simple spells, it also depended on the caster's stamina.

Reeca plopped into the ground as her mind went on a necessary shutdown. She lost feelings in her limbs as her vision darkened. Her dreams after that didn't make sense. Rhys's face floated in and out of her periphery screaming "Weaving!" every once in a while. Xanthy was running around throwing her arms around Reeca. Kymalin slammed her fist in Reeca's arm again and again.

"Reeca, wake up," Elred's voice tore through the dark landscape of Reeca's dreams. Her eyes opened to reveal the bare glass ceiling.

She sat up, rubbing the sleep off her eyes. "How long?"

Elred licked her lips. "Two hours," she turned back to the table. "I finished the arrows, even added a few tufts at the tail for easy flight."

Reeca braced her arms against the floor to hoist herself up. "Thanks."

"I mean, I see what you're trying to do with the tubes," Elred poked one and watched as it rolled on the table, making clattering sounds as it went. "You're trying to make a crossbow that reloads, fires, and aims by itself."

"Congratulations," Reeca gripped the edge of the table and spread her legs to haul herself up. "Now, fire up your crystals and make a compartment for the arrows so they'd be able to reload for a few rounds."

Elred nodded. Their work resumed. After a few hours, Reeca had perfected the trajectory and shooting range, fixed the magic sensitivity, connected the tube to Elred's glass compartment, and designed it to replace an arrow as it flies off its case. Her fingers cramped; her joints creaked. Still, she pushed on. After some time, Elred snapped up from examining a finished product beside Reeca. "Reza's calling for me."

Reeca opened her mouth to say something but the door had already closed on her face before she could even raise her head. A heavy breath sped off her lips.

"Did you finally get the peace you're looking for?" a voice rang from the empty air.

Reeca swiped her hand in a wide arc, a ball of weaving energy flying off her fingers. It sped into the voice's direction. The sound of glass shattering filled the room as Reeca's magic hit air that wasn't so empty anymore. The voice chuckled. "Still not peaceful, I see."

Reeca blinked off the memory of her mother and the voice in the tower. Not here. Besides, this new voice was softer, bubblier, and contained a threat of a five-year-old.

Reeca swallowed against the dryness of her throat. "What do you want?"

Glass clinked and a woman stepped into view. The Queen trotted to Reeca's side and regarded the tubes, her red irises trained hard on the arrows.

"What are these?" the Queen ran a finger at the edge of the table as Reeca straightened her stance. "Did Elred force you to make them?"

Reeca averted her eyes to distract herself from the woman's immaculate face. She crossed her arms. Damn, couldn't she have had the ability to vanish? "No, I came here on my own volition."

The woman touched her forehead where a diamond circlet shone. Reeca swallowed the bitter taste accumulating at the back of her throat. She didn't like this situation at least one bit.