I pouted. That was the problem. I would never know freedom.
“And if I decide I want to be a spy and take that up as a new hobby?”
His lips thinned out in displeasure. “I shouldn’t have offered that to you prematurely, but yes, if you’d like to take that on… I will not stop you.” He sighed. “Though we do need to get your magic in check. How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “How am I supposed to feel?”
“Can you feel the magic?”
My gaze flicked down to my hands. I hadn’t had much practice and I was too afraid to see what I was capable of.
Alric patted my shoulder. “I know it’s probably frightening but the world needs you. This keep needs you. The crops are dying. Food will not last us through winter and though this isn’tsomething I wanted to worry about, it’s something I need to. Whenever you’re ready we can start in the fields and gardens.”
No pressure.
Alric’s wordsdidn’t leave my mind. They seemed to echo on repeat no matter what I did. I couldn’t escape the pressure that was now my life. Though I was elated that I had a purpose and that my life and torture weren't exactly in vain, it was hard to breathe with this new weight pressing on my shoulders. What if I couldn’t do it? What if I was still a fraud? Just like the queen currently sitting on the throne. Yes, the magic whispered promises to me and the others but that didn’t mean I would do good. That didn’t mean I would change the world for the better. Who was to say I was the better choice?
I stared down at my trembling fingers through the steam in the bathing chamber. This seemed like the only place I could find alone time these days. But no matter how much I wished to be alone, Alric’s words followed me. I buried my face in my palms and took a deep breath. The humidity seemed to drown instead of comfort as of late. I pushed my hands away from my defeated form and held my palms outward. With a deep breath, I focused on the small tingles that could be found beneath the surface of my skin. It was there, I could feel it, but it was almost afraid to come out again. I wasn’t exactly in danger like I felt before with Ryven.
“Come on,” I whispered to myself and my magic. “We can do this.”
Before I knew what was happening, the ground beneath my feet trembled and a few pebbles rained down from the ceiling. Grass sprouted between my toes and around my feet. In an instant, there was a thick carpet of green coating the floor of the bathing chamber. I curled my hands into fists before I sunkdown to my knees. Would it disappear like the vines before or was this here to stay? A giggle escaped me as I ran my fingers through the thick blades of grass. There wouldn’t be a worry about slipping on the floor now. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to try my hand in the fields.
I smiled as I fought back a yawn and everything went black once more.
CHAPTER FIVE
JUNIPER
“I told you we needed you in the fields, not in your bathing chamber,” Alric muttered beside me. I took a deep breath as I fought to get conscious and found the air still thick with steam and condensation. Excitement shot through me as I realized there was still thick grass beneath me. My magic healed the ground within the chamber but it almost drained me at the same time. Healing the fields would have to wait.
Alric’s eyes roamed the room where my magic touched. “You did all of this?”
I nodded against the ground. “I needed to practice. I didn’t know if I had it in me to go to the fields.” I covered my face with my hands. “I didn’t want to embarrass myself out there.”
He smiled down at me. “We would go after nightfall when the keep sleeps. Your magic hasn’t been announced, there is no point in getting people excited or worked up. Not yet. Especially when your magic takes from you as it gives. You will be vulnerable. Both Ryven and I will need to be there when you use your magic again.”
If Ryven ever came back, he’d been gone for days doing whatever he needed to do to get me out of his system. As much as it bothered me and got under my skin, it still gave me hope thatmy plan with Sita would work whenever he came back. I fought to keep the smile off of my face as Alric helped me from the green foliage.
“What in theseven hells happened to my bathing chamber?”
“Ya know, I think it really adds character to the space. It was starting to look a little plain and the last thing we would want is the queen to have a drab space,” Alric replied to the growling voice.
I kept my eyes closed from where I was lying and tried to listen to the rest of the conversation like I was known to do lately. I hadn’t expected Ryven to come back so soon.
“You’re back early,” Alric tried to interject.
“I can’t just shirk my duties like you and everyone else suggests. There are things to be done, parties to be planned, a queen that needs to be protected.”
Alric’s scoff sounded offended. “Do you honestly think I can’t handle all of that?”
I could practically see Ryven rolling his bright green eyes in my mind. “I can hardly handle one of those things.”
“That’s because you’re more worried about what’s going on between her-”
“Finish that sentence and you’ll regret it,” the growl in Ryven’s voice only intensified.
Alric merely chuckled as if nothing could bother him. “Fine, but you know I’m right.”
