Dyna smiled bemusedly. It was a rather bold statement, and not one she had much confidence in. Not because she doubted Raiden’s abilities, but because she knew how powerful Cassiel was.
He nodded for her to follow him, and they walked further west. Still within sight of the camp, but far enough away from the ruins and cascades.
“Pick one.” Raiden motioned to a cluster of tall boulders.
Curious, Dyna raised her brows. “Hmm, the one in the center.”
With a soft incantation in Elvish, a teal glow filled the forest as Raiden conjured a bow made of pure magic. Dyna’s mouth parted with a soft gasp. A glowing arrow formed at his fingers next. He drew it back with perfect form and aimed at the bolder. The enchanted arrow zipped away and shattered the boulder into pieces.
“Oh, that was remarkable!” Dyna laughed. “I see there is more than one expert marksman in the Norrlen family…”
She trailed off when Raiden took her chin, his fingers gentle as he had her look into his eyes. “I am not a soldier like my father, but I can protect you from him.”
Dyna stilled beneath his stare, and her face warmed. She was flattered, but the way he was looking at her made her nervous. “Well, let us hope it does not come to that.” Clearing her throat, she backed up a step. “Could you teach me?”
Raiden chuckled. “It will work differently for you, but it all begins with Essence.” The bow vanished with a flick of his fingers. “You must create the image of the bow first. I believe mages call these impressions, correct?”
Dyna nodded. Lucenna had already taught her that spell. She was teaching her invisibility now.
“This will be much the same, except it is now called conjuring, for we are to make the impression corporeal. To do so, you must feed it tangible energy. While I draw from the energies of nature around us, you would use your life-force.” Raiden positioned his arms and spoke theincantation. The tug of power he drew from the air prickled against her skin. His hands shone with teal light as a bow formed between them.
It filled Dyna with giddy excitement, and she bounced on her toes. “That’s simply magnificent.”
“Now you try.”
Dyna positioned her hands as he did and called upon her Essence. Her body as well as her Essence channels were exhausted. Pulling on her magic briefly made her veins ache, but her power was strong. Essence instantly surfaced at Dyna’s call, and her hands blazed green. The bow formed as she had pictured it in her mind. Made of pure magic but solid in her hands.
“Now the arrow,” Raiden instructed. Once she conjured it, he moved to stand behind her and gently positioned her arms. “Focus on the target. Keep your elbow tight and relax your grip.”
“Like this?” Dyna asked innocently, doing as instructed.
“Yes.” Raiden adjusted her fingers and shifted the position of her feet. He moved closer, his mouth near her ear as they both looked out at the second boulder. “Now draw and release with your next breath.”
Exhaling, she released, and the arrow flew. It hit the target, shattering the boulder.
“Well, I’d say you’re a natural.” Raiden arched an eyebrow. “Have you trained in archery before? I made assumptions like a fool again, haven’t I?”
Dyna laughed, but it faded when her chest thrummed, signaling Cassiel’s approach. Her heart began to pound. Raiden must have heard it, because his smile faded, too.
Straightening, he looked up at the sky, then at her again. He said nothing more but held out his hand.
When the young lord first offered to court her under a guise, she hadn’t truly considered it. Even now, the idea seemed so silly. Her past with Cassiel had nothing to do with him, but she found herself taking Raiden’s hand anyway.
She heard the whoosh of Cassiel’s wings as he landed a few feet away from them. His wet hair fell in messy waves around his flushed face. His eyes were careful as he took in their linked hands, before he focused on her, completely ignoring Raiden.
“May I have a word?”
“As you can see, we are preoccupied,” Raiden replied unceremoniously. With familiar ease, he placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
A muscle flexed in Cassiel’s jaw. His expression remained neutral, though his wings snapped open and closed, betraying his agitation. “Forgive me, but I am not speaking to you.” His sharp gaze met Raiden’s. “Lordling.”
Raiden laughed dryly. “Well, I am speaking to you, fledgling.”
Dyna felt a potent charge of power in the air.
And it came from both.
Flames wove through Cassiel’s fingers like live eels as magic lifted off Raiden’s silhouette.
