He nodded. “That’s good. And work on your symbols and signs. It is surprising how quickly you can forget them when your whole body is shaking with power and a dragon is diving straight towards you, about to unleash their dragonfire.”
Her eyes widened. “I will keep practicing.”
“Good. Now eat.” He pointed to a plate of bread and sliced meat. “And drink more water. A nap will also help you recover your strength. We’ll go again tomorrow.”
She gave a firm nod.
“And if you’re feeling bored, you can catch up on your reading. You’re up to Uncle Jules’s book on the importance of breathwork, right?”
She cast a glance at said book. “I am.” She sounded less than enthused.
“Good.” With a chuckle, Elias left her room.
Unlike Colette, Elias had always enjoyed the studying and reading side of sorcery. He’d liked to learn about theories, how to better improve his craft, and the history of sorcery and magic. He also liked to learn about wind, nature, and earth magic. And he liked to read about the dragons.
He was also interested in necromancy. But unfortunately, there weren’t many reliable books available to him on the topic. The necromancers did not like to share theirsecrets with outsiders. Most texts on necromancy Elias had managed to get his hands on tended to be written by non-necromancers and were filled with rumour, myths, and fear mongering.
Over the past few years, Colette had learnt the basics from their Great-Uncle Jules, the same man who’d trained Elias. But Great-Uncle Jules had just celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday. He had less energy than he once did. So he’d trained Colette in the basics and sent her to Elias for the advanced training.
This would be Elias’s first time training someone.
He strode down the corridor in the direction of his room. He’d requested a room near Colette. But instead his room was practically down the opposite end of the corridor with the rest of the family.
“I thought she’d prefer the room looking out over the water garden. It is so lovely,” his stepmother had said. “And we thought you’d feel more comfortable with a room near us, your family.”
Elias had had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He was only ever family in her eyes when it inconvenienced Elias and got in the way of what he’d wanted. Still, he’d not made a fuss. That would have pleased her, and she’d have used it against him with his father.
He could imagine what she’d say. “See! He doesn’t accept us as his family. Even after all these years. He wants to be as far away from us as possible. He doesn’t love us.” She’d said variants of the same thing over and over since Elias was nine.
So he’d learnt to pick his battles.
As he strode down the corridor, his thoughts drifted to Prince Gerard. The previous night, he’d approached theman. Prince Gerard had fled. Why?
Maybe the dragon warrior did not like Elias. He supposed that was unsurprising. Such a serious, brave, and noble man would not be attracted to the frivolous and foolish image Elias presented of himself.
He exhaled. Pity.
He passed a doorway. Inside sat his father, stepmother, and half-siblings.
His father smiled when he saw him. “Elias. Excellent! Come in. We are just discussing the marriages.”
Chapter
Thirteen
“You are discussing the marriages?” Elias asked. “Now?” He left out theWithout me?part.
His father nodded. “We have a council meeting soon where we will discuss who will marry whom.”
At first Elias had been kept out of all the Voltarian and Zephyrian council meetings at the White Monastery.
“There is no need for you to be in the meetings,” his stepmother had said. “If too many people are in attendance, it will get confusing.”Unsurprisingly, her sycophant councillors had agreed.
But Elias had pushed to be at every meeting that involved discussion of his marriage. He’d chosen that battle. He’d won.
Sometimes he regretted winning. The meetings dragged. They seemed to be more about marriage-adjacent topics, like what colours the flowers should be at the wedding banquet and not who he would actually marry.
No doubt that was the empress’s doing. Perhaps she hoped he’d get bored of the council meetings and stop coming. But Elias had persevered.
