“I think I read it in a book somewhere, once, maybe?” Vi shrugged. “Either way, it’s as good a name as any.”
“Yullia it is, then.”
Vi stood, brushing sand off her legs. The sun had almost faded, but the large circular moon reflected off the dunes and gave more than enough light to see by. Despite walking all day, she didn’t feel tired in the slightest. Perhaps Jayme was right, and there was something to life on the road.
“What is it now?” Jayme asked, looking up at her.
“I want to learn how to use a sword.”
“Didn’t Sehra’s warriors train you when you were younger?”
“The basics… But I focused more on archery.” Vi made a quick mental note to ask Taavin if there was a way to craft a bow withmysst. “You said you’ve grown up practicing with the sword—surely you can teach me something.”
“I’m sure I can.” Jayme stood, retrieving her sword and scabbard from just inside their tent. She unsheathed it, moonlight catching on the blade. “Here—”
Vi waved it away. Jayme took a step back, confusion on her face. Vi took a step, facing her. Her heart beat in her throat, but she wasn’t entirely sure why.
“You’re risking a lot for me, on faith. There are things I’ve told you about my magic, but there’s a lot you still don’t know.” She sighed softly. “I’m tired of keeping this secret from my friend.”
Jayme said nothing, merely watched and waited.
“Mysst soto larrk.” Vi stretched out her hand before her. It wasn’t as seamless as Taavin’s had been when they last sparred in the pit.
Taavin—thinking of him made her ache. It would be some time until she could summon him again, being around Jayme. Vi pushed down regret at the notion that she should’ve kissed him when she had the chance before she left.
Instead, she focused on willing the strands of light to spin from her glyph, outlining a sword similar to Jayme’s that condensed into existence. It filled with color, solidifying as Vi wrapped her fingers around it. She felt the magic still entangled with her fingers. It was as though she wore little rings around each finger, connecting to the sword, and as long as she grasped the hilt, it would remain real.
To Jayme’s credit, she didn’t so much as flinch. She stood calmly as Vi demonstrated a power that she should not have, and that Jayme had never seen before.
“Well, that’s a useful skill if I ever saw one,” she said, finally. Jayme approached slowly, looking at the blade. “May I touch it?”
“Yes…” Vi watched as she ran the pad of her thumb perpendicular to the edge of the sword, inspecting its sharpness.
“It’s real.”
“Only until I let go,” Vi clarified.
“What magic is this?” Jayme’s eyes flicked up to hers. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“Sehra taught it to me.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. “Those beyond Solaris possess magic like this, I’ve been led to believe.”
“Well, then, this will make teaching swordplay easier.” Jayme walked away, spinning her rapier in her hand in fluid movements.
Something wasn’t quite settling right with Vi. “You’re not… afraid?”
“Should I be?” Jayme arched her eyebrows. “This magic, fire magic, any other magic. You’re still Vi Solaris, and will always be—nothing can change that.” She settled her grip on her sword. “Now, we’ll work on stance. One foot forward, the other back, like this.”
Vi tried to follow Jayme’s demonstration. But her mind was elsewhere. She should be happy to be accepted unconditionally, even with her Lightspinning. But the fact seemed so… impossible.
“Now, lunge!” Jayme cast one arm backward, the other forward. “This is a rapier blade, so you’re not going to be flailing it about like a two-sided, heftier sword. You’ll need to use finesse.”
Vi tried to mimic her movements, pushing the worrying thoughts from her mind. She had the road to Norin to learn as much as she could from her friend. Even though tonight was quiet, Vi was certain danger lurked ahead, and she had to be ready with every dawn from here on to fight it.
Chapter Nineteen
Two days passed uneventfully.
They’d woken early and set out on the road, stopped at any well they passed to replenish their water, and walked until the sun set or their feet couldn’t carry them any longer. At night, they’d hungrily eat through rations. Despite Jayme’s prior warnings, the Waste seemed void of life and hunting was proving difficult.
