I smiled and nodded back.
“It went well,” Rath said. “Ember's mind is protected.”
“Great!' Kel said. “So, was Death telling the truth or not?”
Rath grimaced as everyone, including me, looked at him. “I'm not sure. I got into Ember's mind easily at first, but that could be because of our bond.”
“Wouldn't you have sensed a ward, even if you could get past it?” Jakel asked.
“Not necessarily. If the Goddess had cast the ward, I wouldn't be able to sense it. And her ward wouldn't keep me out.”
“Maybe we should test him with someone else,” Xae said.
“We'd have to find someone else skilled enough to attempt to enter his mind,” Rath said. “And even then, we couldn't be sure if it was Ember's new ward that kept him out or the old.”
“Even if I lowered my new ward?” I asked.
“Yes, even then.” Rath sighed. “I should have thought of that before we left. Damn it all!”
“The important thing is that I'm protected,” I said as I laid a hand on Rath's back. “This was never going to be an absolute condemnation or endorsement of Death.”
“I suppose not.”
“So, are you going to continue to train with Death now?” Finn asked. “I mean, now that your mind is protected.”
I chewed at my lip and looked at my lovers. “I think so. Is that all right?”
“I feel better about it with your mind guarded,” Xae said. “But I still think you should go slower. Maybe just work on creating wards for now. Prepare for the mission.”
“Yeah, it's only two weeks away,” said Kel.
“All right,” I said as I got up. “I'll let Death know that we need to focus on wards for now.”
Rath got up with me, and we went to the buffet to make our plates. When we got back, Jakel and Finn were gone, leaving the table empty of all but me and my lovers. We sat down and got to eating.
Xae and Kel talked among themselves, letting Rath and me eat in peace until we were satiated enough to join the conversation. They were discussing their magic training and the levels they'd reached. Xae felt competent in all but Air, and Kel was gaining confidence in Fire.
“You can't expect to learn as fast as Ember,” Ratharin said. “He had years with his magic before he started seriously training. He knew it well and had already been using it. You two are going from nothing.”
“Like me with my swordwork,” I said.
“But we've got a part of him in us,” Kel said. “Shouldn't that help?”
“Maybe. But don't push yourselves because of it. Don't expect to match his level just because it's his magic.”
“I don't expect anything but the best effort from myself,” Xae said.
Kel nodded. “Exactly. No expectations, just effort.”
Rath sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing when it was useless to argue. “As you like. But magic comes in its own time.”
I thought about my first attempts at using the power I'd been born with. It had always seemed easy for me, simply flowing out of me. But then, I'd started using magic back when I was an infant. So I guess I didn't remember my very first attempts. Perhaps that was the best way to do it. Like the way Ladrin shifted into their beasts, it came naturally to me.
I looked at Rath and asked, “Did magic come naturally to you?”
“What do you mean?” Rath asked.
“Were you summoning the wind as a baby?”
