He’s talking about magic.
“I’m feeding on you,” Zan says bluntly. “It’s why I didn’t have to change back right away—whenever we touch, I’m stealing your power.”
I tilt my head to one side. “I thought it might be something like that. It’s not exactly stealing if I volunteer, though, is it?”
“It’s stealing if I didn’t ask permission,” Zan grits out.
“Well, the first time happened when we were facing off against the priests, right?” I ask, thinking back. That had been the biggest rush.
“When youfainted, yes—”
“Oh, come off it, I way overreached with my own power having done zero preparations, I probably would have passed out anyway. I just meant we didn’t exactly have time to talk about it before that. And it’s been less power every time since, right? Isthat because you needed less after— Hmm, no, because then you transformed again later. Something else?”
Zan is looking at me strangely. “Yora, I took something from you against your will, on what should have been your first taste of freedom. And I havekepttaking it—”
“Wouldn’t have been against my will if you’d asked—”
“But Ididn’task—”
“And I touchedyou, remember?”
“And I let you,” Zan says repressively. “Over and over, I allowed it to continue without you knowing.”
“Yes,” I say slowly, “you did. I assume because you were never planning on telling me. You thought it would just be better if you left and then I never had to know, rather than just talking to me about it. Which means there’s something else to this you’re not telling me, because otherwise you could’ve just been casually like, hey Yora would you mind lending me some magic so I could stay longer and I would have saidobviouslyI will—”
“It’s not a loan if I don’t give it back.”
“Could you, though?”
Zan grinds his teeth.
“Aha,” I say softly. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Come on, Zan, out with it. I know dragons can’t normally take magic from humans like this. Whatever’s going on, I’m a part of it, too, and if it wasn’t fair for me to know you were taking my power, it’sdefinitelynot fair for me to not know the whole story.”
Zan doesn’t say anything right away.
I purse my lips.
I’m not mad about the magic, and I can’t swear I won’t be mad about whatever I’m forcing him to reveal. I’m in fact already mad that it seems like he’s been keeping something that’s not just a him problem, but an us problem, to himself.
But to my endless frustration, I don’t think punching him will make the words come out any faster.
I take a step toward him, not quite sure what I’m about yet, only for him to step back.
My entire heart freezes.
“Yora—” Zan begins.
No.
My power blazes out of me, and I take another step toward him, poking my finger out.
“I’ll make you steal more of my power,” I threaten. “Don’t think I won’t.”
His eyes widen, and he backs up another step only for me to follow him.
Okay this is ridiculous, surely I’m not going to chase him around my godsdamn kitchen—?
I manifest a wall of solid magenta behind him.
