Page 89 of Final Shift
I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “Why not? The Lords have territories. As long as we don’t encroach on the humans, it shouldn’t be an issue. There’s plenty of property for sale all over the country, and it’s better for the fae to own it than a developer.”
Dad’s lips twitched. “True. Though the fae believe sharing to be such a human concept. I’ll run it by your mother. Could work, provided we can convince them they don’t need to take the Lords’ property when they can have their own, and sharing would benefit everyone.”
I managed to make a lopsided ball of pure fae power. “Hot damn! Look at me! I’m a wizard, Dad!”
Rowan burst out laughing.
As expected, Dad didn’t get the reference, but he beamed with pride, nonetheless. “There! Now practice until you can conjure it in your sleep.”
I groaned.
“Every little bit helps, Evangeline,” he said in a no-nonsense tone. “Until you can master the basics without thinking they’re silly—” he did a perfect imitation of my whiny voice “—you won’t be able to master the deeper parts of your power.”
I opened my mouth to argue that I was doing just fine, thank you very much, but Dad shook his head and speared me with a look. “There’s no argument about how powerful you are, daughter, but you haven’t tapped even twenty percent of your power.”
Shock made me blink at him owlishly. “What.”
Rowan sucked in a breath. “Holy shit,” he murmured to himself.
“I know you feel that vast well of power living inside you. The lock made you rely on what you had, not your potential.”
“Danu is such a bitch,” I muttered.
“I suspect Titania also had a hand in the suppression.”
At my sour look, Dad sighed. “They must have gotten to you when you were away from your human parent’s observation. Perhaps even Lugh helped. He’s a talented illusionist, as you no doubt learned. Regardless, the lock is gone, and you’ll never be taken unaware again. Now is the time to hone your power to the best of your ability. Soon, once you learn how to mold your will to your magic, you will be unstoppable.”
“Kinda thought I was already.”
Dad gave me a savage smile. “Imagine how people will tremble when you come into your true potential.”
My true potential sounded scary as hell, if I were being honest because sometimes, I even scared myself. Twenty percent of my power. Jaysus, Mary, and that other guy. That lock on my power must have happened in childhood because I couldn’t imagine for a single moment having that kind of magic during puberty. I might have opened a wormhole into another dimension or something.
Rowan sent a pulse of love through the bond. When I glanced at him, his eyes were warm with empathy. Meanwhile, all I wanted to do was put my head between my knees and have a panic attack.
“Dad. I don’t think having that much power is a good thing.”
My father’s first reaction was a thunderous frown, but he paused and slowly nodded. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Is that what the humans say?”
“The quote is attributed to Lord Acton,” I said. This quote had played on repeat inside my head after my attack and I was wrestling with the unholy power burning through my veins.
“Unchecked power will ultimately lead to corruption and moral decay,” Dad added. “He is not wrong. But you have never been the norm, Evie. You are the queen our people needed. Your mother and I have always struggled to solve problems without using force or manipulation.”
“Have you forgotten the threatening that went down a few days ago?” I asked dryly.
Dad chuckled. “No, but you gave them the choice, and that’s the important thing.”
I wasn’t so sure. “The choice was my way or the highway. Not much of a choice, is it?”
“You always want the best for everyone. Danu’s side wants to take and give nothing in return. You want to distribute and live in harmony. Big difference between the two, yes?”
“Well. Yes.” I doubted I’d ever be completely comfortable with being a queen because I didn’t like telling people what to do. When I was younger, I used to believe most people were ultimately good. I wasn’t sure I believed that anymore. Not after dealing with the fae and the Lords, not to mention the Chimera who’d repeatedly tried to kill me.
Ruling people felt like a power no one should have. But one could argue a good ruler is better than allowing a bad one to come to power. I could, and had, argued with myself over this many a night since taking the crown, but Dad was right.
I had a burning desire to do what was right. People should be free, but there should also be someone powerful and good to ensure they stayed that way. Swaying people to my way of thinking made me feel squicky, but the Lords didn’t deserve to lose everything they’d worked for. Neither did the fae deserve to lose their homes because they didn’t have land.
My destroying their tree had worsened everything, and few people knew what I had done. After visiting Caelan, I had an idea on how to fix the bridge and remove the cursed power. No idea if my idea would work, so I planned to experiment before I said anything to anyone.
