“And I wonder who painted the ceiling. It really is lovely.”
Gerard looked at the ceiling, eyes unseeing. But from the corner of his eye, he could see Prince Elias watching him.
“Now everyone can barely look at him. And when they do, they feel only pity or disgust.”
“Excuse me. I have to go.” Gerard spun.
More wine sloshed from his goblet. But he ignored it. He strode away, head down, leaving the ballroom without glancing back. He had to get away from the beautiful lightning prince and his gaze.
Chapter
Twelve
“That’s right. Keep the movement fluid,” Elias instructed. “You’ve spent hours memorising the signs and symbols. Now trust yourself to know them and let them flow.”
A bead of sweat dripped down Colette’s forehead as she shaped her fingers.
“You’re doing well. Keep control. Maintain control. That’s good.”
Her heavy breathing filled her room. Tiny sparks, similar to Elias’s little party tricks, danced between her hands.
“That’s it. Just that amount. Keep all the rest back.”
A torrent of power zapped through her blood, desperate and yearning to be set loose onto the world. It would be so easy for Colette to just let go. Far easier than controlling it like she was.
A vein in Colette’s throat pulsed. Her fingers kept moving, but they trembled, exhaustion pushing her to her limits.
Her fingers spasmed. A flash of lightning burstfrom her hand, exploding towards the wall in front of her. She cried out.
Elias’s left hand snapped forward. He drew the lightning towards him, circling it into a bright ball that spun and crackled between his palms.
He exhaled and closed his eyes. Slowly, he absorbed the lightning within himself, feeling the energy surge through his body and then dissipate. Breathing heavily, he opened his eyes and dropped his hands.
“I’m so sorry, Elias! I didn’t mean to lose control.” She gripped her skirts.
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s part of the learning experience. That’s why I am here. To capture any lightning you lose control of.”
Many young sorcerers died from accidentally unleashing their power. And the vast majority did not hold the sort of power Colette held. That was why it was best to test sorcerers before their ability properly manifested.
Colette sagged, wiping a hand over her sweaty brow. “I’ll get better.”
“You will.” Elias placed a hand on her back. “You did very well for your first time without bracers, Colette.”
Since she had started training at thirteen, she’d constantly worn the engraved bracers that controlled one’s power. Problem was, they also dulled and held back one’s magic. Someone like Elias or Colette could not unleash their full strength whilst wearing such bracers.
So they had to learn to use magic without them. But controlling the magic within took so much energy, strength, and skill. It took years to learn.
Elias walked to a table and poured some water.
Colette wiped her sweaty brow. “Uncle Jules said it would be hard. But I didn’t think it would be that hard!”
He chuckled as he held out the water. She drank it in three large gulps.
She put down the glass and straightened. “I’ll practice. Constantly.”
Elias opened his mouth.
But she got in first, “I won’t practice the magic without the bracers on my own.” She smiled. “But I can practicewiththe bracers.”
