“So if I’d said ‘pretty please will you do this favor to all your sisters’, you’d have said yes?” Kryseia sneered.
The expression faltered as she lost control of her facial muscles.
Theira smiled. “Of course not.”
And then she stabbed Kryseia through the heart with a shard of the broken mug.
No need to draw it out when the fun was done. Now all that was left was clean-up.
Kryseia’s wide eyes met hers, and Theira saw mania there. “He’ll come for you,” she gasped. “You’ll have no peace now.”
So that was what Kryseia was doing here. She must have lost too much influence at court after Theira’s success in spite of the Sorcerer Ascendant. She could reclaim her status only by beating her.
And failing that, at least she’d ensured Theira’s downfall.
Theira could have let Kryseia die believing she could rest easy, that even if it had gone like this, she’d won.
Instead she leaned forward and whispered in Kryseia’s ear, “I’m counting on it.”
Chapter 3
VariusmetTheiraatthe door with a grin. “It’s more fun on the other side of that. You’ve been waiting a long time to test those defenses, haven’t you? Impressive work as always. I see you’ve developed a thing for vines.”
She hadn’t quite realized she’d worried about his reaction, but there was no judgment, just appreciation for her skill. What a novel experience.
Theira’s lips quirked. “Thank you. I did experiment with some new vine spells, and it’s always nice to see them in action. Would you set these on the table please? I’ll figure out what to do with them later.”
She opened her hands to reveal the broken shards of the mug.
His grin fell, and his gaze pierced her. “Of course,” he said as he opened his hands to her, voice gruff in a way that made her chest tighten.
It waspottery, for Gaia’s sake.
Varius accepted the shards, and her hands brushed his. No reason for that slight touch to send a zing of awareness through her.
She glanced up at him again, finding his gaze intent.
“Are you not finished outside?” he rumbled.
Theira sighed, stepping back and removing her cloak. “No. I doubt anyone will be back soon, but I’ll need to ready the ground in case. Remove the bodies, make sure I’m not poisoning anything I don’t mean to, reinvigorate the exhausted spells. You know.”
“Ah.” Varius opened his mouth to say something then thought better of it, considering her. “I’ll stay out of your way then.”
The best she could hope for. It wasn’t as though he could assist, even if he wanted to, which he would know. Theira inclined her head in thanks and headed back out to the garden.
This was a different kind of work. Letting loose was fun, but adjusting spells required a distinct mindset. Taking stock of power levels, pruning as needed, clearing the ground. Careful attention to detail and precise applications of sorcery—satisfying but grueling.
It was also more exhausting to expend power this way without the rush of battle, if familiar deep in her bones. She supplemented the spells with her power, draining it little by little.
Theira had other, untouched spells inside the house if either her garden’s exhaustion or hers became an issue, but she didn’t think Varius had any nefarious intentions toward her—not that he was incapable of deception, but he was, at his heart, an honest man. If he were planning to attack her, she’d know. She wouldn’t lower her defenses for anything less—possibly anyone else.
The fact that a man of his character didn’t believe she was worth killing after everything she’d done might have been humbling, if she were the type for humility. Instead she was... not quite hopeful. Touched, perhaps.
Even with her immediate ministrations, the garden wouldn’t recover all at once. She didn’t carry enough power for that within her, and she’d avoid draining her jewel reserves unless they did in fact receive more visitors sooner than she expected.
But she did as much as she could to speed the recovery and then looked up at the sun. Bursts of sorcery could be very impressive, but this kind of long, painstaking work was what separated the flashy from the survivors under Castle Korossia. The aftermath of the minutes-long battle had taken her hours, and only now that she was done did she allow herself to notice how tired she was.
Theira sighed as she stretched, and then began to trudge back toward the house. She should have waited a little longer to notice that, until she’d had time to eat something. Maybe she was out of practice after all, but not so much that she couldn’t grit her teeth and muster enough energy to cook. She’d feel worse if she collapsed without food. Potions could help in an emergency, but this wasn’t one.
