“I'm not going to bite,”Beth calls from across the stage, then lets out a laugh, “I save that for Lucien.”
I bet she does. Lucien’s built like a wall, but she looks like she’d eat him for breakfast and ask what’s next, but I smile at her, step inside the empty lecture theatre, and close the door behind me.
First session with Beth today, no duck, no buffer. Just me, my still-too-volatile Threads, and a girl who could probably level the whole room without breaking a sweat. And honestly? I’d gladly take another four months of rope-tying and duck-holding if it meant avoiding Beth’s stare. It’s the same one I've seen her wear in Demonstrations, like she’s already mapped out how to break me.
But Talen says I’m ready, so I’m here. And she’s not here to coddle me; she’s here to try to strip the control off my Threads and see what’s underneath. Which is exactly what I need.
I drop my pack at the back of the stage. Beth stands waiting in the middle, arms relaxed, black hair straight past her shoulders, her expression and scar sharp enough to cut glass. And, as Finn never shuts up about, one hell of a body.
Which, of course, only makes things worse with Ezzy. She was already in a mood this morning—not just because Rowan and I were in the library half the night again, stilldigging through things we probably shouldn’t—but the second I mentioned I was skipping the Rec Hall to train with Beth, she shut down entirely.
I tried not to take it personally; I know she’s just jealous. She and Finn still haven’t made any progress towards figuring things out—in fact, I think they’re going backwards. I did feel a little bad ditching training with her—but her combat’s coming along fine, and the boys can handle things without me from here. Right now, I need to focus on my own training. I want control over this magic—because Call Week’s next month, and I already know I’ll be at the top of Elijah and Ryven’s lists. If training with Beth helps me survive it, so be it. I want answers, and I can’t get them if I’m dead.
I’m close. I can feel it, not just my Threads, but the bigger picture. The pieces are starting to shift.
Over the past four months, I’ve seen more and more of those marks show up on doors, the same as the tailor shop. When I got back from my last training assignment I sketched it out for Rowan, cross-checked it with one of the old books Brian gave us: It’s the crest from the old Kingdom of Aurelia. Never seen it before, figures though, it’s probably been wiped from every book in the Citadel. Feels like some of the Innerlanders are working together, spreading something. A message, maybe. I don’t know how it all connects with the Dragons, the black eyes, but we’re getting closer. We’re making progress. That’s what matters.
“So where do we start?” I ask, walking over to the centre of the lecture theatre stage and stopping in front of Beth.
She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.
“Like this,” she replies as she launches a burst of air straight at my chest.
I barely get my Threads up in time to brace against it, stumbling back two steps as the force hits. She doesn’t wait,doesn’t explain, just moves, and for the next hour, I was right. Beth absolutely kicks my ass.
It’s not that I can’t fight back. I can, but I’m trying to keep my magic controlled, tight, focused. Every pulse I throw is deliberate, or at least, it’s supposed to be.
I’ve been storing my Threads, knotting them the way Talen taught me, so there’s more to work with now. But unknotting them and releasing that power? It’s like threading a needle while someone’s swinging a blade at your head. Cognitively brutal. So most of the time, all I’ve got available are the loose ones that build up during the day.
But Beth doesn’t let up. She dodges most of my magic without blinking, throwing out clean, practised strikes while offering the occasional tip like we’re in a friendly spar.
She’s not trying to hurt me, just push me. Hard. I didn’t see much progress by the end, but it was my first session—and honestly, I’m just glad to be getting any training at all, though I’m surprised it’s from Beth.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to say yes,” I say, wiping the back of my wrist across my jaw as I catch my breath.
Beth doesn’t even look winded. No sweat, no tightness in her voice. “To what?”
“Training me.”
That gets a grin. Small, but real. “You’re not that unbearable.” She shrugs. “And besides, when I first got here, I was behind, too. Took months to feel like I wasn’t about to get flattened every time someone raised a hand.”
I watch her for a beat. She says it like it’s nothing, but there’s something tight in the way she ties her hair up. Movements a little too sharp. Like the memory still stings.
“Figured if someone had helped me catch up back then, maybe I would’ve gotten further, faster.” She glances over, eyespointed. “And let’s be honest, I saw what you did to that window the other week in Quinn’s Demonstration.”
I groan. “Not my best moment.”
“No,” she says, not missing a beat. “It was a mess. And if you try that shit against Elijah, you won’t last five seconds.”
“Wow,” I mutter. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Beth gives me another one of those smiles, thin, a little too even. “I’m not here to boost your confidence; I’m here to prepare you for Call Week.”
Brutal, but honest. I like it.
“So why did you need to catch up?” I ask, chest still rising too fast as I grab my flask and take a long drink.
“I wasn’t supposed to be here.” She shrugs, like it’s nothing. “The spot was meant for my twin sister. She was the stronger, more talented one, the one with all the potential. They put everything into her. And I was just left in the background.” A pause as she adjusts her hair. “Then she got sick. I’ve got two brothers, one’s a chef and the other’s in trade, and they never even considered coming here, but my parents wanted the Citadel status. You know, the whole my-child-is-a-magical-prodigy brag.” She glances at me, eyes flat but steady. “So the spot went to me. Overnight, I inherited all the pressure, but with none of the preparation. She’s still really sick and needs a lot of care even now. We’re close. I miss her when I'm here.”
