“More like seven.”
“What?” I hissed. “That guy is seven hundred years old?”
She blinked at me. “Don't you know that we're immortal?”
“Well, yeah, I do. I just . . . it hasn't registered until today.”
“Most scholars live to be much older than Mallor,” she said. “We don't venture far from our academies and don't take risks that other faeries do. So, Mallor's age isn't all that impressive.”
“It is to me,” I huffed.
Avanla giggled again. “It won't be for long, Shane.” She took a turn and then another, leading me so deep into the library that I started to worry that Tae wouldn't be able to find us. “Here we are,” she said at last, taking a turn into a rectangular space defined by bookshelves.
A heavy table dominated the area but there was also a padded chair in one corner with a small, circular table set beside it—the sort of arrangement you might find in a home library as opposed to a public one. No one occupied any of the seats, not the padded one or the wooden ones around the table. Probably because of the sign that perched atop a pile of books on the table. It read, “Reserved for Mistress Avanla and the Falcon Valorian” in beautiful script.
“Have a seat.” Avanla waved her hand at a chair while she took the one opposite. As I sat down, she started putting books before me. “These are my top choices for books on the process of shifting. You may skim through them and choose one for yourself, or if you'd rather I pick, start with this one.” She tapped the leather-bound book in the center of the grouping. “You may keep the others in reserve if you wish.”
“So, I just start reading?”
“No. I will guide you through the book.”
“All right, let's go with your pick.”
“Very good.” Avanla flipped the book open and began, “Here is a diagram of a Falcon body.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
By the time Taeven returned, my brain felt like mush. I knew exactly what a Falcon looked like from the inside out and had the premise of shifting down. Basically, I had to envision myself as a bird and believe that I was in a Falcon body instead of a Sidhe one. That last bit was interesting. I wouldn't know how difficult it would be to believe that until I tried—which I hadn't yet—but I was betting it wasn't going to be easy. I was still trying to accept the fact that I was a faerie now, believing that I could magically transform into a bird was gonna be a hard sell. Avanla explained to me that Falcon Faerie children were told from a young age that they would be able to shift one day, and growing up around shifting adults helped as well. Believing for them was a piece of cake, but for me, it would be another story.
“Oh, you found us!” I declared when Tae walked into our little reading den. “Thank God.”
“Goddess,” Avanla corrected with a saucy look. “We thank the Goddess here. You, especially, should thank her.”
I gave Tae the once-over and grinned. “Yeah, I guess I should.”
“You look tired.” Tae ran a hand over my hair—I'd been wearing it loose for him, and he couldn't seem to stop playing with it. “How about some lunch?”
“Yes, please!” I got up, then looked at Avanla. “Would you like to join us?”
“Oh, no. You two have a nice meal together. I'll grab a bite in the cafeteria. There are some things I need to get done while you're gone. But after you get back, we can try shifting.”
“I have to come back today?” I gaped at her.
Taeven burst out laughing, earning himself a few shushes from scholars in the stacks. He pressed his lips together and gave me a guilty look but didn't seem at all chastised. “Yes, you have to come back. But this time I'll be with you.”
“Oh, good. You can witness my failure.”
“You must stop being so negative.” Avanla slapped my arm primly before heading off. “Negativity will make magic ten times harder.”
Tae's look turned wincing. He had apologized for calling me negative, but now that Avanla had as well, I was beginning to wonder if I was. Just like my father says, we all have very different images of who we are and very few are the truth. Was I truly negative?
“I'll try to be more positive,” I said firmly as I followed her out of the book maze.
“Good lad!” she praised, and I grimaced.
To her, I wasn't much older than the children she taught—mature but not at her level of adulthood. Which meant that she called me things like lad, boy, and young one—the last being my least favorite. Tae, seeing my grimace, snickered.
“Come to think of it, Mistress Alvana, we have some things we need to get done today. Most importantly, we need to purchase a new wardrobe for Shane,” Tae said. “We're dining with the Princess tonight, and Shane has nothing to wear. Perhaps we could resume his lessons tomorrow?”
