Fionn reacts instantly, stepping in front of Silene and me, his hand hovering near the dagger I know hides at his waist. As one of the most powerful metal channelers in Velmaran history, Fionn wouldn’t even need to touch the weapon to make it fly forward towards its target. The pier we stand on extends far into the ocean, waves jostling the wooden planks, though the massive wall of mist ahead of us is more concerning. Shimmering blue gray swirls from the surface of the sea and up, even my strong fae sight not able to find where the hazy wall ends. Nothing is visible through it. If I didn’t know that a kingdom lay on the other side, I might think this is the end of the world, some line marking the boundary of the Four Kingdoms. I wonder how Queen Laurel manages it. Though I’ve heard stories about it almost my entire life—being nearly the same age as the Queen—the barrier is even more impressive in person.

All magic users draw their power from the leylines of the aether running through our world and must channel its magic through a conduit. Most fae have an affinity for one, maybe two, conduits. No one knows the Witch Queen’s conduit affinity, whether it’s one of the five common conduits or something more obscure, and that’s what leads so many to fear her mysterious power. Even Silene’s theory that she has an affinity for all conduits doesn’t explain the mist. My father’s official story is that she’s a blood channeler, meaning she uses blood to cast spell work, a forbidden form of magic considered evil amongst the fae.

Whatever her secrets, I will discover them and determine what to tell my father later.

The mist stirs, white ribbons moving lazily, before it parts. A group of fae step forward to greet us. An elderly fae with a long white beard and twinkling blue eyes and a tall and severe dark-skinned female stand in front of the group. The female radiates power, covered in weapons and striding confidently toward us. When she approaches, I bow, assuming this to be Queen Laurel. Silene nudges my arm.