black magic. Glowing blue symbols burst from my skin, kind of like glyphs, then the symbols faded out. He said, ‘you are just the person for the job’ to me. Then I felt myself being ripped away. I went to the spirit realm. That’s where I met him.”
“The prince?” Gran asked.
Naomi nodded. “He told me about what was happening there with the demons and their war.”
Gran stirred her tea in slow, even circles. “And how many times have you returned to the spirit realm?”
“I’ve been there three times.”
“Three times just tonight?”
“Yes.”
Gran set down her spoon. “That fairy was in a righteous hurry, he was.”
She stood and walked over to one of her cabinets. She pulled a few glass jars of magical herbs from the shelves, then popped open the lids and set them down on the coffee table.
“Incense?” Naomi asked, leaning forward to stare into the open jars of darkened sticks. She inhaled. “Evening Rose, lilacs, mint, and a touch of Fairy Lily. Trying to drug me, Gran?”
Gran snickered. “Not this time, dear.”
She pulled out a lighter, touching the flame to the dried sticks. She began to chant, and a warm tingle tickled Naomi’s skin. As Gran’s chanting grew louder, the tingle burned hotter. Symbols appeared on Naomi’s skin, glowing blue and brilliant—just as they had after the dark fairy’s attack.
Gran stopped chanting, her gaze sliding across Naomi’s arms. “A spell has been woven into your skin.” Her eyes narrowed. “This is old magic. Magic I’ve read about but never seen.”
“So you know what it means?” Naomi asked.
Gran hurried to her bookshelf. Her hand darted out and she pulled a book off the shelf, quickly flipping to a page. She always knew exactly where to find everything in her books.
“Here,” Gran said, handing her the open book.
Naomi looked down at it, staring into a page covered in symbols exactly like the ones on her skin.
“This is magic used by an ancient order of fairies,” Gran told her. “No one thought they were around anymore.” Gran flipped the page, tapping her long fingernail against an emblem of two dragons with a pattern of five stars in the center. “The fairy who attached you is a member of the order called the Dragon Guard. Only they used the kind of magic glowing on your skin. The Dragon Guard were dark fairies with powerful magic. They were the trusted allies of the Dragon Born before the Purge.”
Gran flipped past a few more pages to an illustration of a Dragon Guard fairy standing back-to-back with a Dragon Born mage. Naomi recognized the tattoos on the Dragon Born mage’s chest and arm. Makani had similar ones.
“What can you tell me about those?” she asked Gran, tapping her finger on the tattoos.
“They are fairy magic tattoos that the Dragon Guard cast on the Dragon Born mages they protected. They increase the Dragon Born’s defenses.”
Which made Makani Dragon Born, just like Sera and Alex. Naomi found herself unsurprised. After all, her magic had been telling her that all along. The Dragon Born were the most powerful mages the world had ever seen. Their magic was as deadly as it was beautiful. It was no wonder Makani had such power over people—and no wonder that she found him so unsettling.
“What did that Dragon Guard fairy do to me?” Naomi asked Gran. “And why?”
“The Dragon Guard fairies have very special magic. One of those powers is the ability to reveal a person’s true magic. It was once used to identify the Dragon Born mages they would protect. Later, the magic was corrupted to aid those who turned against the Dragon Born, those who used that magic to hunt them down and kill them.” Gran’s voice was ripe with sorrow.
“You don’t like what happened to the Dragon Born,” Naomi commented.
“Of course not. I am a magical historian. I’ve read books banned by the Council, books that describe what really happened all those hundreds of years ago. The Dragon Born were victims
“The prince?” Gran asked.
Naomi nodded. “He told me about what was happening there with the demons and their war.”
Gran stirred her tea in slow, even circles. “And how many times have you returned to the spirit realm?”
“I’ve been there three times.”
“Three times just tonight?”
“Yes.”
Gran set down her spoon. “That fairy was in a righteous hurry, he was.”
She stood and walked over to one of her cabinets. She pulled a few glass jars of magical herbs from the shelves, then popped open the lids and set them down on the coffee table.
“Incense?” Naomi asked, leaning forward to stare into the open jars of darkened sticks. She inhaled. “Evening Rose, lilacs, mint, and a touch of Fairy Lily. Trying to drug me, Gran?”
Gran snickered. “Not this time, dear.”
She pulled out a lighter, touching the flame to the dried sticks. She began to chant, and a warm tingle tickled Naomi’s skin. As Gran’s chanting grew louder, the tingle burned hotter. Symbols appeared on Naomi’s skin, glowing blue and brilliant—just as they had after the dark fairy’s attack.
Gran stopped chanting, her gaze sliding across Naomi’s arms. “A spell has been woven into your skin.” Her eyes narrowed. “This is old magic. Magic I’ve read about but never seen.”
“So you know what it means?” Naomi asked.
Gran hurried to her bookshelf. Her hand darted out and she pulled a book off the shelf, quickly flipping to a page. She always knew exactly where to find everything in her books.
“Here,” Gran said, handing her the open book.
Naomi looked down at it, staring into a page covered in symbols exactly like the ones on her skin.
“This is magic used by an ancient order of fairies,” Gran told her. “No one thought they were around anymore.” Gran flipped the page, tapping her long fingernail against an emblem of two dragons with a pattern of five stars in the center. “The fairy who attached you is a member of the order called the Dragon Guard. Only they used the kind of magic glowing on your skin. The Dragon Guard were dark fairies with powerful magic. They were the trusted allies of the Dragon Born before the Purge.”
Gran flipped past a few more pages to an illustration of a Dragon Guard fairy standing back-to-back with a Dragon Born mage. Naomi recognized the tattoos on the Dragon Born mage’s chest and arm. Makani had similar ones.
“What can you tell me about those?” she asked Gran, tapping her finger on the tattoos.
“They are fairy magic tattoos that the Dragon Guard cast on the Dragon Born mages they protected. They increase the Dragon Born’s defenses.”
Which made Makani Dragon Born, just like Sera and Alex. Naomi found herself unsurprised. After all, her magic had been telling her that all along. The Dragon Born were the most powerful mages the world had ever seen. Their magic was as deadly as it was beautiful. It was no wonder Makani had such power over people—and no wonder that she found him so unsettling.
“What did that Dragon Guard fairy do to me?” Naomi asked Gran. “And why?”
“The Dragon Guard fairies have very special magic. One of those powers is the ability to reveal a person’s true magic. It was once used to identify the Dragon Born mages they would protect. Later, the magic was corrupted to aid those who turned against the Dragon Born, those who used that magic to hunt them down and kill them.” Gran’s voice was ripe with sorrow.
“You don’t like what happened to the Dragon Born,” Naomi commented.
“Of course not. I am a magical historian. I’ve read books banned by the Council, books that describe what really happened all those hundreds of years ago. The Dragon Born were victims
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