Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 33

Bastian exhaled, running a hand through his hair and looking almost desperate. "Look, I know almost nothing about you, except that you are not the normal kind of girl that is sent to work for me. At first I thought you were probably a spy put in place by my father or perhaps one of the courtiers, but now that I know you have magic... You need to be more careful. My father and his lackey won't tolerate any fae spies."

Cole drew in a breath. He thought she was fae. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing to let him continue to believe. Would he be slightly afraid of her if she was one of those mystic creatures? Could she claim some respect from him that way? But then her eyes involuntarily slid down to her ring, the real source of her magic, and Bastian's followed hers.

"Oh," he said, interesting sparking in his eyes. "Where did you get that? They're extremely rare."

"Nowhere," Cole said, covering the ring with one hand. "I found it for sale in a junk shop. I think they thought it was trashy jewellery from a theater company." Her curiosity burned, and she had to relieve it. "What is it?"

Bastian held out his hand, and she reluctantly uncovered the ring and let him take her hand so he could examine the ring. "It's a ring that allows magical energy to be stored and used. Centuries ago, humans used them to fight away from the fae from the lands and banish them to Avallen. Now, most people think that they are things of myth. Only my father and the nobles who still know of magic and the fae know of their existence, and almost all of the rings have been hidden away or lost."

Cole examined the ring. "So they're human creations? Not fae?"

"Only partly. The stone is a Sparkstone that was struck by lightning. That enabled it to absorb magic, but it still needs a source to take from. During the great wars in the past, fae were captured and forced to refill the stones whenever they were needed. Nowadays, I am unsure how one would charge a ring. Which is why I am curious about yours."

Cole bit her lip and pulled her hand back. "I don't know. It was already like this. Sorry, I can't help with your questions." She stuffed her hand in her pocket, amazed that the ring on her finger was a Sparkstone. It seemed that she could never get away from the cursed mines.

Bastian didn't answer, and Cole wasn't sure if he believed her lie or not. She didn't have much time to devote to worrying about it, however. She was so close to her mother, and that's what her attention turned to.

"Whatever the reason you don't want me to go down there, I'd rather risk your father's wrath and see my mother," she said.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what his wrath was like," Bastian said, his voice level and strained.

"Nevertheless, I want to see my mother," she said. Her throat burned as she suddenly thought of her mother alone in those cells, cold and broken and alone. "You don't understand. She was taken away from me when I was young. I thought she was dead. I only want to see her face."

Bastian bit down on his lip, his eyes skittering away from her face and his gaze landing on the floor. "I understand enough," he replied. "But, again, I can't let someone fall into my father's hands when I have the ability to prevent it. So please, just trust me that I will go down later and check for your mother."

Cole didn't have much choice, but she also had a feeling that Bastian would do what he said. She had forgotten about Queen Rushi, in many ways a prisoner in her own right, and the pain that Bastian must have felt at seeing his once powerful mother reduced to a shadow. Maybe he really could understand some of the anguish, and that would ensure his loyalty in this one task.