“Why wouldn't I be?”
Teryn knew he should leave. He was only making her more upset. If he wasn’t careful, she might throw a knife at him. But despite telling his feet to walk the other way, he found himself stepping forward instead. Not toward her, but to the edge of the cliff. The Cambron Pass sprawled out before him, cloaked in darkness. Somewhere out there, the next group of hunters awaited. The thought chilled him, made him wonder if everything he was doing was reckless. He could lose his life doing what he was about to do. All so he could save his kingdom. Would the sacrifice be worth it? He glanced over his shoulder and found Cora watching him. His stomach sank with guilt. Would sacrificingherbe worth it?
She’s a killer, he reminded himself for the hundredth time. But right now, she didn't look like a killer at all. She looked…fragile. Not like a glass trinket. She was nothing like the soft women who fluttered about court. She was more like a blade, one that was forged to be mighty but still bore chips and scratches.
“I used to have nightmares.” The sound of his own voice caught him off guard.
She stared at him, jaw set. At first, it didn’t seem like she’d reply. Then, uncrossing her arms, she returned to the tree and leaned her back against it. Valorre nuzzled her shoulder, and Cora reached up to stroke the space between his eyes. “Let me guess,” she said dryly. “You had them when you were young. Like every other child.”
He gave her a weak grin. “If you'd consider me a child three years ago, then yes.”
She met his eyes briefly, then returned her gaze to Valorre. “What were they about?”
He gulped before answering. “War.”
“Why war?”
It really wasn’t something he should talk about. Not only did he not enjoy talking about it but she had no right to know. Yet he found himself speaking regardless. “I…I don’t know how much you know of my kingdom…”
She gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Well, a few years ago, my father attempted to replace my mother with his mistress.” His lungs tightened. He remembered the yelling, the shouts. The way his sisters had cried. How he’d dragged them away to play games and pretend their family wasn’t falling apart. “Dermaine Palace erupted with scandal. My mother fought to keep her crown while I…I was caught in the middle. Between Mother, Father, and my half brother. I loved all of them and realized I was about to lose at least one of them to some degree. My mother’s home kingdom threatened war, and that’s when I started having nightmares. Not all of them were truly about battles waged on Menah’s shores but the familial war already wreaking havoc on my life.”
Teryn glanced at Cora and found her staring, brow furrowed, hand frozen on Valorre’s face. The unicorn nudged her to resume petting him. She tore her gaze from Teryn. “That sounds rough.”
He released a heavy sigh and tried to make his voice sound casual. “I led a charmed life up until then, so who am I to complain?”
Her eyes flickered to his, and he saw her expression soften.
“What about you?” he asked. “What was your childhood like? Have you always been on your own?”
Her lips pulled into a frown. “In one way or another, yes. My parents died when I was young. I was devastated when Father died, but when Mother followed…a part of me broke. I felt like there was no one left alive who understood me.” Her throat bobbed, and her expression grew hard again. “It’s also when my…mygiftsstarted developing and I realized I wasn’t like other people.”
A witch, she meant. His pulse quickened at that. Even though he knew it to be true, he was still bewildered by it. People didn’t believe in magic or witches. They weren’t supposed to be real. And yet, he’d met both a witch and a unicorn in a single week. He hesitated before asking his next question, unsure if she’d deign to answer. “What exactly does it mean to be a witch? I’ve never met one before you.” He rushed to say the last part.
She snorted a dark laugh. “We’re certainly not about blood-filled cauldrons and human sacrifice, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Well, whatareyou about, then? You know, aside from rescuing unicorns, threatening princes with sharp objects, and poisoning evil men. Is poison your only magic?”
“Poison is the least of my magic,” she said with an indignant scoff. For a moment, he worried he’d offended her, but she spoke again. “I’m clairsentient,” she explained, “which means I experience clear feeling. Every witch has an affinity for one of the senses. There are five others in addition to clairsentience. Clairvoyance is clear seeing. Clairaudience relates to hearing. Clairalience is smelling. Clairgustance is taste. And claircognizance revolves around knowing.”
Teryn tried to keep the awe off his face. He’d only heard of such abilities in myths and faerytales. “So, what does it mean to experience magical feeling the way you do?”
“It…it’s kind of hard to explain. Generally, a clairsentient witch uses her own emotions, internal physical responses, and touch to connect with her magic. A certain physical sensation could mean danger while a specific emotion could mean luck. Every witch is different and it takes some time to understand how to utilize one’s magic. I, however, am a little different. I tap into my magic with feeling as well, but I am also able to feel the feelings of others. One of our elders told me I might be an empath.”
“An empath?” Teryn echoed.
“A witch with very strong clairsentience. An empath’s senses aren’t limited to her own, and she can use them to perceive outside thoughts, feelings, and energies. It’s something I’ve been able to do since I was a child. It was nothing but a curse when I was younger. It led to some…very bad experiences. It wasn’t until I met other people like me that I learned to control it and shield myself from others’ emotions.”
“When you say people like you, do you mean…other witches? Are you part of a coven?”
She chuckled. “Something like that.”
Teryn was once again struck with awe. Could it really be that magic was real and there were others like Cora? If so, was it a good thing? Or a bad thing? A startling realization dawned on him. She could read emotions. No wonder he’d always felt so unsettled by her gaze. She was probably absorbing his feelings all the while. Did that mean…did she know…
He shook the thought from his mind. His muscles tensed. Suddenly every single thought felt dangerous. “So, your powers,” he said slowly. “Can you read my mind?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not like that. I still have to process what I receive through my own feelings. While I can tune in at will, the level of information I glean varies. Some things jump out at me at random, overwhelming my own senses. It can happen even when I’m shielding. Other times it’s just…just an emotion I have to put a name to. It’s like reading a book in another language that you’ve only just begun to learn.”
