Cage hated having the lie to Kat, but Cecile was a subject he'd much rather avoid, and not just because of their short-lived courtship. If he were completely honest, he'd much rather he forgot she existed all together.

But as eager as he was to go searching for his brother, he wasn't insane. When she'd brought him back to life and tied him to Kat, Cecile had clearly mentioned that they needed to talk. And going off to his possible death without seeking her out felt like suicide.

So after hearing the latest reports regarding the refugees from Endir, set off towards the cabin in the woods on foot.

Snow crunched under his boots as his mind worked to process the latest information. Unrest had taken over Endir as more and more of its people crossed the border into Iride despite the death toll for trespassing. They hoped to find the real heir and put an end to the madness of the Steward.

This real heir business was getting a little troublesome. Cage hadn't dwelled on it much because, cursed as he'd been, it didn't affect him in any way. It felt like the sort of problem that Fherras would have to deal with long before Fer would take the throne, and as far as Cage was concerned, Fherras could choke on it.

But the rumors were becoming even more persistent, and as much as he was all for protecting the innocent, having so many Endirians on their side of the border made his skin crawl. It was only a matter of time until one of the border guard patrols would come across one of their camps. And he most certainly didn't want his entire operation to be blown apart by squeamish foreign refugees.

They're people, too. Scared people in search for peace. But that was already the reason they hadn't been driven back across the border to their own lands. The only issue Cage had with this was what those people were actually expecting.

Iride was never going to start searching for the heir of Endir. Even he, who didn't care about the king's wishes and would do it just to spite him, knew that this was a matter they shouldn't get involved in. After all, the heir, whoever they were, was related to the witch king who had been a power-hungry lunatic. There were high chances they'd be worst than the Steward.

Even if Endir's politics were somewhat fascinating, Cage knew he had more pressing things that demanded his attention at the moment. Like Cecile. He'd reached the hut in the woods.

Unlike the last time he'd been here when the construction had looked abandoned and forlorn, the thing looked much sturdier, the windows clean and smoke trickling from the chimney.

Great. Cecile was in the mood for theatrics. With a heavy sigh, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the answer from inside.

Cage shuddered, but pushed the door open. He'd never get over how musical the fairy's voice had always sounded. And as he made his way inside to the smell of apple pie, he realized that her looks would never stop sending his stomach to his throat either. Of course she was surreal, since she wasn't human, but her dark beauty and flowing hair almost hypnotized him. Which wasn't fair, especially since he was happily in love with what had to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You're late," Cecile said, glancing over her shoulder at him.

Her stormy eyes held amusement, though, so Cage assumed it was safe to smirk at her and sit at the table uninvited.

"I'm sorry. Still trying to get used to the fact that I'm alive."

"Yes, you're welcome, by the way."

"Didn't I already thank you?"

Cecile turned to him fully, holding the pie in one hand and putting the index finger of her other hand to her chin. She wore a white apron with red and green apples embroidered into the material.

"I recall you mentioning that it was my fault you were dead to begin with."

"And wasn't it?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you stabbed yourself." She dropped the pie in front of him with a loud clang of the tray.

He knew that all too well, just like he perfectly remember the feeling of self-hatred, terror and misery that had given him the necessary strength to do it. As much as Cecile wanted to play house, he wasn't there to entertain.

"Kat and I will be leaving soon," he said. "We need to search for Ferdinand. But you said we have much to discuss and I'm thinking..." He glanced around the hut which now looked properly furnished and welcoming, not the desolate ruin it had been last time. "It's time."

"I was wondering how long you'd let me wait in here." Cecile took off her apron and threw it on the cot in the corner.

She wore a flowy storm-grey robe underneath, cut just above the knees. Her feet were bare and Cage was reminded of Kat. His chest heaved with longing even if she was just a half-hour's walk away.

"Why is this happening?" he asked, rubbing his chest. "Is it this new... spell you've cast on us?"

Cecile narrowed her eyes as if she could tell he'd almost said curse. "Yes, that would be a mild effect of the spell that binds the two of you together."

"Mild?" He rubbed his chest harder. Yes, compared to broken bones, it was mild, but it was still very distracting.

"You also have to understand that magic craves magic. So even without that bit of hocus pocus form my end, you would still be yearning to see her."

Yes, he'd known that as well, had noticed the effects of shared magic fairly early on and it had always bothered him. "Magic amplifies magic."

Cecile nodded. "It amplifies everything, really. It's a form of enhancement that takes over. Fools are those who believe it settles, that it can be contained and controlled."

That did not sound good at all. "So it runs rampant?"

Cecile frowned at him, a crease between her eyebrows. "Not exactly. You can channel it. You'd just have to be a fool to believe that if you have magic, it's not everywhere, in every cell of your body."

That, Cage could agree with. Ever since he'd been cursed and he'd first turned into the beast, he'd felt like magic was everywhere, drowning him. There was no escape, even when he locked away the beast, even when he used iron to contain it.

But there was something else in what Cecile had said that worried him, because he'd lived with the enhancement. He still did. Fits of rage, the urge to destroy, even in Valona when his curse had presumably ended, the fear that the beast would come out...

"Is the beast still in me?" he asked.

"Did you not pay attention to what I said?" She wrapped her arms across her chest. "You humans with your pathetic attention spans. Yes, the beast is still in you. That is why you still have the attributes that made it useful. I just made sure it is much easier to control. And after all your efforts, this should be no challenge for you."

He nodded, aware that she was right, confused that the news gave him solace, as if he'd been afraid to lose that part of him that he abhorred. The thing was, as much as he tried to pretend that his life had gone back to normal, it hadn't. Seven years of his life were lost, even if he hadn't aged. He's slowly gone insane during those years, Kat's arrival the only thing that had breathed humanity into him again.

"But that's not what's eating you." Cecile leaned her hands on the surface of the table and leaned towards him. "What is it really that you wish to ask me?"

He could feel she was doing something to his mind, loosening his tongue, so he didn't see the point in holding back any longer.

"My love for Kat... How much of it is real and how much is the draw of magic?"

There was a pause as Cecile watched him with wide eyes. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was before him. His chair scraped against the floor as it moved away from the table of its own accord, giving her the space she needed to climb in his lap. His muscles tensed as his fingers dug into her thighs. He wanted, needed to push her off him, but his body would no longer respond.

"What are you doing?" he asked. His next words died in his throat as his jaw locked and refused to move.

"You..." Cecile looked displeased as she ran her finger along his jaw. "I have a special hatred for you." The invisible hold around him seemed to tighten with each word until it became nearly impossible to breathe. "You had to be... Could have been..." She raised one hand and clenched her fist.

His entire body shuddered as the pain of a thousand daggers pierced his skin. A groan escaped his lips.

"Why couldn't you be what I expected you to?" she went on, running her free hand down his shoulder, on his chest. "Why did you have to disappoint me and then be more?"

The pressure on his throat eased and he drew in a deep breath. "What do you want from me?"

"It's not what I want." She continued to trail her hands down his body. "It's what I wanted. What you wouldn't give to me."

"I would've given you everything you wanted." The words hurt, but not more than the pressure on his body. His bones felt seconds away from snapping. "You just saw what you wanted to see."

Cecile clenched her fist again and his windpipe closed up, preventing any conversation. "I know that now. But it is too late for my desires." She narrowed her eyes. "You would have loved me."

He had, even if for the shortest time and the feeling was successfully smothered by hatred after she cursed him. This was a conversation which was going nowhere and he needed to get out of there.

"I just thought you were a handsome idiot." Her voice caught a thoughtful tinge. "Brave, fair leader, but still an idiot. But you are apparently a lot smarter than I gave you credit for." She leaned closer, her stormy eyes narrowed. "Than I still give you credit for."

The pain inside him intensified, reaching a height only matched by the sensation of splitting himself open when he tried to heal Kat for the first time. He tried to move, to whirl and thrash, but his body wouldn't listen. He couldn't even scream. His head throbbed and vomit climbed up his throat. He couldn't control his body, couldn't push it back. Maybe he'd end up drowning in it.

"Fight me," Cecile said between her teeth. "Push it back."

His vision swam and the edges darkened. He couldn't move, most definitely couldn't fight. All he could do was think about Kat as death knocked on his door.

"Come on..."

The sound of Cecile's voice had always been like music, even now when she sounded frustrated.

"Fight!"

He hadn't thought it was possible, but the pain grew and with it, the beast stirred inside him. No. He wouldn't let it out again, not even to save his life.

All the pressure suddenly disappeared, and he could breathe again. It took a few moments for the ghost of the pain to fade and for his senses to return to him. Pins and needles filled his arms and legs and he doubled over, trying to make sense of what had happened. White spots still danced in his vision, a reminder of the fact that Cecile had nearly killed him. Again.

"You continue to be disappointing." Cecile now sat on the other side of the table, a plate containing a perfectly triangular piece of pie before her.

Cage blinked and noticed there was a similar plate before him, too.

"What in the crimson hell did you do that for?"

She scooped up a piece of pie and plopped it in her mouth. "I've seen you wield magic before. You will have to do it again."

"And you thought nearly killing me would make me do it?"

"As of now, apparently only killing Kat will make you do it. Sit down!" She said the words before he could even more and her magic locked him in place. "I'm not going to go after her. I'm just trying to make you aware of your trigger. But that's chaotic magic. You need to learn to control it."

He stared from her to the pie and back. "I'm very confused."

Cecile sighed, as if he were a dim moron she was forced to tolerate. Which wasn't very far from the truth, but at the same time, she'd just claimed he was smart.

"To answer you question, you've sensed and logically deduced correctly. Your all-consuming love for Kat is a result of magic."

Her words had him swallowing heavily and cold sweat dripped down his back. His heart jolted once, twice, three times, before it settled into a resigned rhythm.

"Don't be disheartened, love." Cecile tilted her head and jutted her lower lip out. "Magic can only amplify what is already there. So you clearly do love her. What magic does is stopping that from ever changing. You need her and she needs you. And the more you stay together, the more you will be tied to each other."

He didn't like the sound of that. As much as he loved Kat, it sounded stifling and unhealthy. "So this comes on top of the mild effect of your new spell you mentioned earlier?"

"There you go." She grinned, the propped another bite of pie into her mouth. "As amusing as this is, you and Kat are not what I'm interested in."

Yeah, he'd figured that much, but she'd so far refused to share her mysterious reasons for targeting him. "That's why I'm here. So that you would tell me what I'm supposed to be doing for you."

Cecile considered him, munching on more pie. Cage waited, used to staring at walls until he went insane. It did wonders for the patience. It also made him very socially unsavvy.

"Are we having a staring contest?"

"I'm merely wondering if you're worth this hassle."

"Yes, you have already mentioned that multiple times, and you apparently keep changing your mind."

Cecil bit her lower lip in a rare show of hesitance. It sent a shiver down his spine. What could be so serious as to unsettle a fairy.

"How much do you know about Lucille?" she finally asked.

The name had him flinching, even if he was uncertain as to why. "Not much. I think she disappeared well before I was born. I do know she's the one who twisted magic and made a mess of it in the first place. But that was a fairly long time ago."

Cecile nodded, chopping up her remaining pie absentmindedly. "She was never really gone, you know."

"I figured. You fairies tend to be immortal if not outright killed."

"Too true. And no one outright killed Lucille."

"Is she back?" And if she was, what did it have to do with him particularly?

"Not exactly. Lucille likes to work from the shadow. Pretend she's dead." Cecile narrowed her eyes as if to draw the parallel between the fae and him.

"But you suspect she's working on something behind the scenes."

"Yes. You are smart. How much do you know about the heir of Endir?"

Cage didn't like where the conversation was going at all, because he could connect the questions with ease. "Do you think Lucille has the heir of Endir? Or that she's controlling the Steward?"

"One or the other." Cecile leaned back in her chair, tapping her chin. "I know you want to go find Ferdinand. I believe you should, so I will let you go."

He raised an eyebrow. "Let me go?"

An evil grin spread across the fairy's face and she clenched her fist. Pain radiated through Cage's body as his muscles contracted against his will.

"Yes, let you. My magic comes with a price, little king."

"Don't call me that," he managed to choke out.

"We will need Ferdinand." Cecile released him from her hold and leaned back again as if nothing had happened. "Because if my guess is right and Lucille is planning a new move in Endir, the aid of the king will be necessary."

"You do know Fherras is still alive, don't you?"

She waved away the question. "What I do want of you is to learn how to use your magic while you search."

That sounded like a reasonable request with one minor setback. "That would be lovely? Are you going to teach me?"

"I can't teach you. Magic comes naturally to me." She lifted her hand and produced a single drop of water as if to prove her point. "You will have to figure out how to use yours."

That didn't sound like much help. "What does my magic do?"

"Stupid human. It doesn't do anything. Magic is magic. You wield it."

"Tell that to the beast."

Cecile clicked her tongue. "That is a targeted spell with ongoing effects. It gives you magic. It doesn't use it for you."

"That's not confusing at all."

"If only you could use your magic with the same talent you use sarcasm."

Yes, if only. He paused, considering what he'd learned from their exchange. "You still haven't told me what you want from me."

"We will get to that part of the discussion once you learn how to use magic."

Because if he didn't, Cecile would no longer need him, he guessed. Which might not be such a bad thing. Of course, his lack of use could result in his death which he would rather avoid. Another thought came to mind.

"What about Kat? Should she try to learn how to use her magic as well?"

Cecile hesitated, the wary look back on her face. "No. Before you do that, you should try to find out where her magic comes from. Is she blessed or cursed? And whichever it is, what does it do?"

That troubled him as well. A lot more than he cared to admit, because Kat was just... His sweet, feisty Kat. Except for a bit of battle adrenaline, she'd never shown any signs of magic. Maybe she was lucky and it wasn't a curse.

"Can't you tell?"

Cecile shook her head, the frustration obvious on her face. "I can't even tell whose magic it is. Us fairies can usually recognize others' brand of magic. But her... Be careful."

"Are you seriously warning me against her?"

"Yes. Because I need you. I don't need her beyond the fact that she keeps you alive."

Cage bristled at her affirmation, but forced himself to settle down. Cecile had made it all too clear that she only cared about her secret plan and not his wellbeing or happiness. Which was Kat.

"Fine. I will do what you said. But..." He hesitated.

"You don't get to raise conditions, Cage."

The sound of his name off her lips sidetracked him for a moment. He'd forgotten how much he liked the sound of it. But even so, it paled in comparison to how he loved hearing it from Kat.

"It's not a condition. More like a request for help. I need to stay dead for the plan to work. But I'm fairly recognizable. And I'd need a ship."

Cecile's lips quirked up in a rare smile. "Ah, I see. You're asking for help." 

She waved her arms in a mesmerizing dance. A soft shimmer appeared between them, spreading out into what looked like a veil the color of storm clouds. She kept going until it seemed long enough to wrap around him. When she stopped, the material was still shimmering.

"This veil will conceal your appearance and help you blend in." 

Cage took it and turned it over. It felt like water on his fingers, looked like smoke, but he could hold it. "So do I put it on my face, or what?"

"Wrap it around you wherever you please."

"Thanks. I really didn't want to run around with this thing on my face."

The fairy laughed. "I thought you might need the freedom to fight."

"You can be very useful when you want to." He glanced at the material again, folded it carefully and placed it inside his tunic.

"That won't work. You need to tie it for the magic to activate."

"Thanks. Could you make one for Kat as well?"

Cecile's smile dropped into a frown and her dark eyebrows knitted. "I guess I should. That Royce boy keeps insisting she is a witch. Which is not a false accusation by any means." This time, she just snapped her fingers and another stormy veil appeared, a little shorter. "Give her this. Same principle."

"Thank you."

"Ugh, I hate how much you love her. Sappy idiot."

Whatever, he'd take it as long as Kat could be protected.

Cecile waved her hand again and a small card appeared between her fingers. "Here's where you will be able to find appropriate transportation. Just beware. It's in the seedier part of town."

"That's my favorite part of town." He took the card and glanced on it. As expected, the address was down by the docs in a part of Valona which was more than questionable.

"You should leave," she said, standing and turning back to her stove. "Time is not in your favor. And Cage..." She glanced over his shoulder. "Learn how to use your magic. Do not disappoint me."

He knew better than to do that. So with a bow to her, he stood and walked out of the hut. He had everything he needed to get going.

So, we're finally moving our butts to go on this quest that's been hinted at forever. But we do also get magical aid and hints of the bigger plot.

Cecile sure is cryptic. What do you think is happening? What does she want? And why does she want Cage to learn how to use his magic? Stick around and find out.

I'm going to try and hurry on up with this story in a sort of attempt to do it for NaNo. So most likely, there will be more frequent updates, depending on how the muse does.

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