Chapter 408

Tilting his head, Lucien stepped forward. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kaii and Siv approach, coming to stand not too far away from where his mother and Elain now stood to the right of him. He was glad for their presence, both his family, and these new friends he had made. Lucien knew that if something went wrong here, Kaii and Siv would do their best to protect Elain when he could not. Looking again to the dais, Lucien took another step.

"You do not need to touch the shield to do as you did before," Helion told him and Lucien came to a halt, looking over his shoulder at his father. He knew his expression was questioning when Helion flashed him a blazing smile and nodded his head. "You can do it with your mind."

"Oh…" Lucien stepped back until he had reclaimed his recently vacated position, and stared again at Rian's shield.

"Think about how you would normally access your magic," Helion said mildly, "Envision it. Then, do it."

"What is this?" Colm asked, "A school for beginners?"

"This is the Day Court." Siv called from nearby, "Are you aware of how many libraries there are in this city alone?" Kaii laughed from beside him, and the two of them folded their arms as they watched. Lucien did not bother to try and hide his own grin as he returned his attention to the shield.

Closing his eyes, he reached for the place he always drew his magic from. In his mind he could see it burning away merrily like a happy little fire during a cold night. It had always been there, waiting for him to draw from it, and Lucien had never had a problem doing so. He had mastered his abilities quickly, impressing even the tutors that Beron had employed to teach him as a youngling. Even the previous High Lord of the Autumn Court had never been able to fault him in his ability to use his magic.

"Do you have it?" Helion asked, voice low and close, and Lucien nodded, his eyes still closed.

"Yes…" Lucien murmured, "Autumn magic…"

"Not only that."

Lucien frowned, tilting his head again. "It's fire and flame…"

"And what does fire cast?" Helion asked mildly.

Lucien opened his eyes then, "Light…"

"It has been there all along…" Helion told him firmly yet gently, "Your whole life…"

"It is why I named you Lucien." His mother's voice said from nearby, and Lucien glanced at her. She had known he was Helion's son, and he wondered now if she had known that he would inherit Helion's abilities when he had been born. It was a conversation for another time, however.

"I think I understand." He said, eyes sliding back to the shield before them. Then, as he would have always done, Lucien reached for his magic and then slung it forward. Instead of flame erupting from within him, there was light and it washed over much of Rian's shield across the dais. He had the immense satisfaction of seeing both Rian and Colm flinch as they evidently both felt the blow, and then Rian frowned when the light did not diminish. Lucien could feel the shield, feel the tether he had cast to it, and he tried to draw some of that magic back into himself.

It was more than the other shield had been, and Lucien knew that this was because Colm was amplifying Rian's ability. The two of them were powering this shield, holding it steadily in place, and he wasn't entirely sure that he would be able to bring this one down as he had the other. Elain had been behind the other shield, and Lucien had been desperate to get to her. She had always been the difference for him when using his Day Court abilities, but she stood safely to his right this time, and he didn't know if he would be able to do this without that kind of primal motivation to protect her.

He staggered a little then, not sure that he was breathing air, with so much magic swirling around him and through him. "I… do not know what to do with the excess…" he panted, not entirely sure that it wasn't about to all explode from within him. He could feel it straining to get free. It did not belong to him, and Lucien rather thought that the magic knew that.

"Release it." Helion said, voice firm. "Into the Palace. It belongs to this place."

Lucien wasn't sure what he was doing but he threw it all down, into the stone floor. It was working quickly now, flowing out of the shield, and through him like a conduit, into the floor and through the palace. He thought the very walls around them might have been glowing, but that could have been the reflection of the Day's sun. It all lasted for about fifteen seconds, and then the shield across the dais flickered and vanished. Lucien staggered again, before planting his feet and straightening. Rian looked pissed off and Colm was staring at him as if he had not previously seen him before. Lucien stared back.

"Very good," Helion said softly and, without looking, Lucien could hear the smile in his father's voice; hear the pride there. Light flared within him.