“How do you know us?” Nova asked, seriously. “How do you know that we are sisters? About our magic?”
“We helped make you,” Solis replied, and Jade’s stomach flipped. “Your mother chose a king, but she did not choose wisely. She was blinded by the wealth of the man she chose. She got swept up in the wrong things and didn’t marry for love. That’s when she called on us to join her. We worked our magic and Orion, your father, swept Katrina off her feet.”
Jade felt ill. “You used a love potion? To make them fall in love?”
Nova glanced at Jade, her eyes widening.
“We would never.” Stella gasped and put a hand to her generous chest. “Love potions have their place, but one would’ve never worked in that situation. We simply used magic to bring Katrina and Orion together. We used a siren song to attract royals from across the land. They were urged to come to Sterling, to make alliances with a new, powerful queen.” She let her hand fall back to her side. “We called Orion to Sterling. We brought him to Katrina. They did the rest. They fell in love.”
“In your mother’s case, she needed to bear a child to placate your earthan so that she could continue to make use of its magic,” Solis explained. “But only an heir born of true love can placate the sequoias. As I’m sure you know, your magic is channeled through strong emotions. That’s why it takes true love to create an heir which will eventually be capable of accepting the sequoias’ magic. That’s why a love potion would’ve never worked for Katrina. A love potion masks feelings. It’s also why Katrina couldn’t bear a child with her husband. He wasn’t her true love.”
Jade swallowed, taking it all in. “So, it was real? True love?” Her mother hadn’t tricked Orion? At one time they had actually been in love? She still couldn’t imagine her mother loving anyone.
Solis nodded. “And you will be held to the same standard.” All three witches raised their gazes. Jade turned, following their stares, and saw a number on the cave wall. It looked as though the number had been carved or burned into the sandstone. It was just above the door that led back to the castle. “You have exactly seven hundred and two days to fall in love and bear an heir. Else, you will lose your magic.”
Nova made a sound like she was being strangled, but Jade wasn’t surprised. She’d known this would happen. It was a rule of the Larkspur magic. Once a queen took over the full power of the Larkspur earthan, she had two years to produce an heir, or she would lose her magic. It was the only reason Katrina had been so intent on having a child.
Nova stopped choking, but gasped as the last number flickered and changed to a one.
“It must be midnight,” Solis said. “I stand corrected. You have seven hundred and one days left.”
“What does that mean?” Nova asked, her voice screechy. It seemed as this information bothered her more than anything else they’d discovered tonight.
“It means one of us has to have a child. There must be an heir that can take over the sequoias magic if something were to happen to us,” Jade replied. She knew it was true, but the words still sounded strange coming out of her mouth. “Our countdown began when Katrina died and we took on the full power of the Larkspur magic. We have to make it happen in order to keep the magic of the sequoias.”
Nova looked at the trees, reluctance in her eyes. “But don’t we technically have another earthan? Do we really need this one?”
Jade realized Nova was new to this whole magic thing, but their earthan was not something she wanted to tamper with. “We do, but our other earthan is in the hands of King Mortuus. Do you really want to leave our magic in the hands of a man who just tried to kill us?”
Solis cleared her throat. “Earthans aren’t an easy thing to come by. It’s why those that have them rise to great power. And those that don’t, fight for them.”
“But we’re only sixteen.” Nova looked bewildered by this revelation. “We’re expected to get married and have a baby just to keep our magic?”
“And your kingdom,” Solis noted. “Another kingdom will swiftly take advantage of you if you don’t have magic to defend yourselves. Look, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I don’t make the rules and every earthan has their own. Yours has a sticky clause about continued lineage. However, you have over seven hundred days. That means you have plenty of time to choose your kings, get married, and have a child.”
Nova’s face went sour, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but Jade wanted Solis to continue explaining.
“That means one of us has to find our true love as soon as possible, right?” Jade asked. That part didn’t seem so horrible. “And you can help make that happen?”
Nova jumped in before Solis had a chance to answer. “How are we even supposed to know if we’ve found our true love?”
“The trees will tell you,” Solis replied, and Nova furrowed her brow at her, not accepting that answer. Solis pointed toward the number above the door. “When you find your true love, that number will disappear. It will be replaced with a painting that will include your name and the name of your true love.”
“And it would be our pleasure to help you find your true loves,” Stella added, and all three witches gave a curtsy.
Jade nodded. “I’d like to get started right away.” The witches looked happy with Jade’s declaration.
“Are you volunteering?” Nova asked, looking at Jade like she’d just agreed to be a martyr. “To have a baby?”
Jade was quiet, unsure how to answer. She knew the rules of magic were unwavering. She’d accepted that long ago. If they didn’t follow the rules, they were sure to lose their magic. Besides that, all Jade had ever wanted was a family that loved her. Maybe this was her chance to make a family of her own.
Nova couldn’t understand that. She’d always had her dad. Jade had grown up on her own. The only person she could truly rely on was her elderly attendant, Rose. Jade’s heart twisted when she thought of the day she’d inevitably lose her.
“Let’s begin by calling a suitor trial,” Solis offered, trying to calm concerns. “That’s something we weren’t able to do for your mother. We had to help Katrina find her true love while she was still married. That made it extra tricky and it’s why we used a siren song. However, by calling a suitor trial, you can invite all the eligible royals across the land of Fractus to come to Sterling and compete for your hearts. We can help you through the process and teach you about your magic as well, which will make you even more desirable to any eligible suitor. However, it will be your responsibility to find your true love. Ultimately, you must each choose the right man.”
“I don’t,” Nova started, raising a hand, “I don’t want to be a part of that.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Jade replied sharply, knowing how important it was to keep their magic. At least, it was important to her. She wasn’t going anywhere. She would stay in this castle and hold up the duties of the crown until she died. She couldn’t say the same for Nova. Nova was here because she needed protection, for the time being. When the threat of Mortuus was gone, Jade knew Nova would be, too.