During tea, when Nora said she was returning to Rahana, and Nick couldn’t step away because of other obligations, I didn’t hesitate to volunteer. She’d paused at my enthusiasm, which wasn’t something I could blame her for. Our lives had dramatically changed, and these new roles we were fitting into were a far cry from the poor girls who grew up together.
Part of me feared coming back would bring up old emotions, like the terror that’d been born the night those men had cornered me on the street and locked me in that ship’s cell. A reminder of how helpless and scared I’d been, how the darkness nearly choked me with fear.
Experimenting with my magic was most likely the reason I wound up targeted and caught in the first place, but since my rescue, I’d grown irreparably determined to never be in a position like that again. I practiced daily, learning how to sense my magic, how to call upon it, to test it. Shamelessly, it was the main topic of conversation Tio entertained me with during that trip. I’d shown him the tiny burst of light I could create, and his encouragement had been a balm to the traumatic events of the day prior.
My friends back in South Harbor wouldn’t understand. In fact, they might even be afraid of me. I hadn’t seen them much since moving into the castle anyway. Things had been hectic, but somehow, wonderful. And that’s what’d brought me to this outpost, and more specifically, to this tent. I was living a new life, and fully invested in nourishing it.
“He’s decent. You’re lucky,” Ro teased as she exited and held open the draping canvas. “Go on in, I’ll give you two some space.” The red-haired warrior maven waited until I stepped inside before leaving us in privacy.
“Hey,” Tio said, pushing himself higher on his bed. He wore a surprised but charming smile, exactly as I’d remembered it. My, how could someone possess such a carved jaw? The light brown scruff didn’t make him look unkempt at all. In fact, quite the opposite. Rugged and handsome were two words that sprung to mind without invitation. And those long, dark lashes paired with his nose piercing made him look like pretty temptation. “What are you doing here?”
While I found no judgment in his tone, I was happy to be prepared with an excuse nonetheless. “I came here with my sister. She’s the queen now, you know.” I smiled in jest.
“I’ve heard. I’m sorry I couldn’t be at the wedding. I’m sure you looked beautiful.”
Oh my stars. Was there a candle nearby? A surge of heat brushed my cheeks. I blinked away the shyness threatening to sabotage my reason for coming. Clearing my throat, I said, “Thank you. I’m sure you would have looked handsome all dressed up.”
“Are you saying I don’t look handsome now?” He waved his hands over his body in an outfit that didn’t look the cleanest. The cut of his jaw framed his teasing smile.
I laughed. He’d made me laugh like this on the ride back to Highcrest last time. Despite his life and circumstance, living in this isolated settlement essentially in hiding, he radiated joy. Someone who seized every moment and wouldn’t be down trodden over things he couldn’t control. I admired his spirit. I wasn’t sure if I was a newly born butterfly emerging from a cocoon, or a curious moth drawn to his alluring flame.
When was the last time one of my suitors had genuinely made me laugh? “Yes, you’re still very handsome.”
He let his smile fall, clasping his hands together. “It’s good to see you, Melody.”
That flush wanted to return, but I held it at bay. “I wanted to show you something.”
“Oh?” He comfortably crossed his arms, intrigue lighting his eyes.
“Mind if I sit?” I gestured to the corner on his bed.
He shifted, granting as much space as was possible on the singular cot. “Please.”
I shuffled my long skirts and sat, avoiding the prosthetic that leaned against the foot of the bed, then held my palmflat between us. He blinked slowly, the smooth act somehow encouraging.
“One.” I created a spark that lit up the sloped canvas over his bed.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward.
“Three.” On my command, with precise control and no amount of strain, three sparks erupted like glittering embers. I made them twirl around each other for a moment before snuffing them out. An intentional trick on my part to hold off on my grand finale.
His mouth fell open while clinging to a smile, but before he could comment, I challenged with a coy smirk, “Pick a number.”
He adjusted himself, settling into his own demeanor of challenge. “Ten.”
Without hesitation, ten sparks flared from my palm, hovering in the air above, holding their vibrancy. Less like a dwindling ember, and more like a shining star. “Ten,” I said triumphantly. We stared at the summoned lights, and I sent one out, the twinkle orbiting his head before returning to mesh with the others into one bigger ball of light. Then I closed my fist, and it vanished. The magical residue hummed in my veins.
He clapped, laughing as he said, “Well done, Melody! That’s quite a lot of control you’ve mastered in such a short time. Very impressive.”
I raised a knee upon the bed, squaring to face him. “When I was at the old house, I let out a force that pushed the couch, remember I told you?”
“I do.” His reply was quick and unfaltering.
It hadn’t been a serious question, but the confirmation sent tingles down my spine. The way his sea-glass eyes stared into mine, like he really listened, like he really believed in me…
I worked out the knot in my throat by making a not so ladylike gurgling sound, but continued, “I’ve realized I can split thepower. So far, I’ve figured out how to tap into the two portions of it, the light and the brute force. Before the light flashed when I wasn’t trying. The light is the easiest, though I haven’t been able to practice much more than those parlor tricks.” My fingers picked at each other in my lap, and suddenly they became very interesting.
“Hey.” Tio leaned forward, reaching out to lift my chin. “Those are not parlor tricks. That’s meticulous manipulation of magic. Some of us take years to learn that kind of discipline, and you’ve only been at this for what, a few weeks? Don’t discount yourself. Do you hear me?”
