“That’s enough for today,” she said. “We’ll keep working on control in the next class.”
She gave Kerralyn a smile as we passed her, and oddly enough, Kerralyn blushed.
I fell in behind my friends in the hall as they chatted about how excited they were to be learning magic, how wonderful their companions were, and what they hoped to accomplish the next day.
My feeling of isolation only deepened.
We stepped into the dining hall and paused, scanning the long tables full of magic-wielders stretching beneath banners that shifted from the power being used throughout the room. Platters appeared and vanished in soft bursts of light; bowls refilled themselves in front of diners with a faint shimmer, and pitchers held by no one kept gliding this way and that, topping off mugs with the person’s select beverage.
I slid onto a bench beside Lexie, the wood worn smooth fromgenerations of bodies. Across from us, Maddox dropped into his usual seat, his companion still perched on his shoulder. The cat blinked as she watched me as intently and with the same heat as Maddox.
He’d told her what I’d done. Or what hebelievedI’d done. And I was sure his story placed the blame for Jaxon’s death squarely on me.
A shadow fell over me before I’d even tugged a trencher in front of my seat. Heat chased it—Trew’sheat—rolling off him in waves as he passed behind my chair. The brush of his fingers across my shoulders might’ve been accidental. My pulse kicked up traitor-fast anyway.
Lexie watched Trew continue toward the dais with lifted eyebrows before turning sparkling eyes my way. “Well, wasn’t that interesting?”
“He was just making his way to his chair.” My voice sounded defensive even to my own ears.
“Of course he was. I’ve never seen him walk through the open room before.” She waved. “He always enters through that door. I heard the hallway beyond leads to a back staircase that will take you directly to his room.” Her lips quirked up. “Assuming someone might, you know, want to visit his suite.”
I scrunched my nose. “Who’d want to do that?”
“Kira for one. Maybe you.”
“Not me.”
“Hmm.”
We tugged trenchers near and filled them from platters in the center of the table, starting to eat after.
Lexie nudged me with her shoulder. “After dinner, we’re going to the Mistvale Inn. It’s in the valley behind the castle. There’s a small village there, made up mostly of people who work in the castle. And the inn, of course.” She frowned. “I think there are three inns, actually. Anyway. Drinks, dice games, maybe a little light dice cheating if Derren’s in the mood.”
Derren, sitting on her other side, lifted a brow. “I don’t cheat.”
“You win more than probability allows,” she said sweetly.
The corner of my mouth tugged, but the weight in my chest didn’t lift along with it. “Thanks, but I’m going to turn in early.”
Lexie’s brows knit. “You’re sure? You look like you could use a distraction.” Her gaze lingered on me, as if she might push, might ask what was really going on. But whatever she saw in my eyes made her close her mouth again.
“I’m sure.” The truth was, a distraction would’ve been welcome if the empty space on my shoulder wasn’t already reminding me of how far behind I was falling.
Lexie let it drop, turning back to Derren to argue over whether the Mistvale Inn would serve the best wine in the village. I picked at my bread and roasted root vegetables with a side of grilled pork, the flavors brightened by a drizzle of something tart, and kept my gaze focused there, ignoring the pull to glance toward the dais.
I lasted all of three bites before I lifted my gaze.
Trew sat in his throne as though he’d been carved there, his cinderhawk preening one wing where it perched on the tall back. Trew’s eyes found mine instantly, and he did not look away.
Kira said something to him, but when he didn’t respond, her smile cooled. She glanced at me before turning her attention to her meal.
We finished, and my friends left for the inn while I climbed the stairs to my chamber. Inside, I leaned against the door and rubbed my face.
The quiet hit harder than I expected.
I bumped off the door and paced the length of my chamber twice before stopping in the middle, restless energy clawing across my skin. I ditched my boots and stiff leathers,notusing magic to place them in the basket, though I doubted I could, and dressed in a soft tunic and pants.
After shifting some of the smaller furniture out of the way, I warmed up for a bit, then sank into the first of the formsCommander Thorne had drilled into me years ago, fluid, deliberate movements meant to find their own rhythm.
