“I came to get you for dinner. Itanya is with the Bondsmith tonight.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, both disappointed to leave Lex and Ilyas and excited to share a meal with Peytor. It’d been far too long since he and I were together, just the two of us.
His insinuation was clear, but if I expected jealousy or frustration from Lex and Ilyas, I was sorely disappointed. With bright eyes and content faces, we parted ways with happy farewells, both holding my gaze for longer than necessary as they tried to communicate what they couldn’t in words.
“Are you sure you’re alright? Are they trying to coerce you?” Peytor snapped, calloused hands running over every inch of my skin once Lex and Ilyas were out of earshot.
I shook my head mutely, content to let Peytor do what he needed in order to feel settled. But a large part of me wondered what life could be like if we—all four of us—were truly together.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ellowyn
“Again!” Torin called from across the grounds, barely winded despite the length of our training session and the depths of power he’d pulled.
I, on the other hand, fought against dimming vision and diminishing energy. My chest fell in ragged pants as I pulled at the two foreign magics that nestled close to my wells of Creation and Destruction. For so long, I’d believed I only had access to two magics, but on Lex’s insistence and Ilyas’ instruction, I’d parsed through the mess of power in my chest and discovered four unique strands.
While the initial shock had all but worn off, it was still uncomfortable to wield Pleasure and Pain in the same way as my Creation and Destruction.
I wiped the sweat from my brow with the hem of my untucked tunic, the fabric coming away far more saturated than should be possible.
“Breathe, Ellowyn. Breathe, then reach. It’s an extension of you, as easy as grabbing either of your other magics. Just different,” Torin called, then laughed when I sent him a half-hearted, rude hand gesture in reply.
A crowd had gathered around the edges of the training grounds, other Mages and Vessels intrigued by the godlings in their midst. What started as a private session for Torin and me quickly devolved into a public forum, and deep chatter and laughs echoed from behind where our audience watched in rapt fascination.
Advice was easy for Torin to give—his practice was smooth, effortless. It was easy as breathing for him to draw upon one power after another, force the ground into the air before incinerating the falling chunks of earth so they returned as particles of ash.
Never once did he break a sweat or falter.
It was mesmerizing and more than a little intimidating.
He’d shot me a cocky smirk before sauntering to the other edge of the training grounds, giving me space to work and call forth my own powers. I appreciated the distance despite wanting his instruction initially—I was unsure what accessing Pain and Pleasure would do and how my other magics would respond.
At first, I’d worked only with Creation and Destruction, using one right after the other to create vine cages and mile-high walls before returning them to the ether. It was exhilarating and beautiful, like watching the cycle of life in real time.
Eventually, though, Torin told me it was time to work with my other magics. Which is how I found myself frustrated and dripping under the midafternoon sun.
A growl built in my throat as I tried to reach for my Pain Magic, Destruction bouncing into my palm instead.
I released it with a grunt, spearing the ground and revealing a four-foot-deep hole. Gasps and exclamations sounded, followed by a round of clapping, our people not caring that the result wasnotthe intended outcome.
“Pause!” Lex called, jogging from where he leaned next to Torin, soulful brown eyes tracking me while maintaining a loose conversation with my soon-to-be husband.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as he drew closer, boots sinking into the earth softened by Torin’s Water Magic. I pawed at the tendrils of hair that had escaped my high bun. They, like everything else, stuck to my damp skin.
“Nothing,” Lex said with a shrug. “Just came to talk.”
I raised my eyebrows and cut him a glare.
“I’m kind of busy right now,” I grumbled, much to the Mage’s amusement.
“I can see that, little godling. I’m just wondering what it is you’re trying to do.”
I blinked rapidly, turning to face him fully. “Channel all four of my magics.”
Lex nodded his head with a hum. “At the same time?”
“That’s what Torin can do,” I shot back immediately, but my tone never changed Lex’s affable nature. I could see why Ilyas—and now Folami, and even my brother, though he’d vehemently deny it—were drawn to him. He was like the calm after a storm, the peace of sweet summer rain. EvenIfelt calmer in his presence.
