“By the gods, so much akasha,” Aran whispers in awe, and my eyes fly open. “I can see it.”
Every rune along my arms is lit up, an ephemeral shape bursting beyond the flesh and bone of my body. I don’t have the same view as he does, but I certainly feel...something. And out of the corner of my eye, I’m certain I glimpse a hint of iridescent wings.
“What do you see, Aran?” I ask in wonder.
“The Starkeeper.”
Chapter Fourteen
I have wings. Or at least my magic does.
Sadly, I haven’t seen them since.
Cursing softly under my breath, I roll my neck muscles and reach inside for the deep well of magic. It’s there, but it’s almost as if it has a mind of its own. Sometimes it responds, and other times it’s as silent as a grave. Mostly, the only thing I can do is illuminate my runes, and then the simurgh is content to lie there and do nothing.
Stubborn to a fault... like someone I know well.
We’ve been in Nyriell for over a week. Roshan and I have kept our heads down, working in the forge during the day, learning the ropes, and earning our keep. I’ve met with Aran twice more, and each time he tasked me with more reading. I’ve stared at runes until I’m cross-eyed, but my inroads to harnessing my power have been frustratingly small. He insists that I just need to give it time, but time is the one thing we don’t have, hiding as we are.
There’s been no news from Roshan’s man in Coban, which I’m choosing to believe is a good thing. Nor was there any news about Javed or his kingsguard leaving Kaldari. All I can do is hope that my family remains safe.
Roshan enters our shared quarters, and my gaze immediately fallson him. Stars, could a person get more handsome by the day? I groan to myself. The tension between us is real... but for reasons only known to him, Roshan has been keeping himself at a distance.
Honestly, I don’t blame him. This magic of mine is unpredictable and... volatile.
He sinks down next to me on the chaise. “How are things going with Aran?”
“They’re not,” I say grouchily. “I study all day long. I can tell you every written rune in existence, I can read you every line in every old text, but in practice? I’m nowhere.”
“That can’t be true,” Roshan says with a slight frown. “Aran says you’re making progress. That your knowledge of runes is uncanny.”
“Theoretical knowledge is not empirical.” I thrust a hand at him and wiggle my fingers in a juvenile burst of aggravation. “Want to see my party trick? I can glow!” I scowl and yank at the opalescent tendril dangling over my brow. “Even my hair is glowing.”
“That’s new,” he says, eyes widening with surprise.
Biting my lip, I nod. Self-consciously, I’d kept the pale iridescent strands hidden at first, braided into the rest of my hair, but they’ve become difficult to cover. “Aran says it’s related to the flow of akasha in my veins, like the sigils on my arms. Another mark of the Starkeeper, I suppose.” I sniff. “If all else fails, I can blind our enemies into oblivion.”
His mouth twitches at my peeved expression. “What about your visions? Have you seen anything else?”
I shake my head, thankful that the old crone hasn’t made another appearance murmuring her ridiculously cryptic nothings about my starborn powers and the fate of all Endara.
Roshan turns to face me and takes my hands in his. His thumbs stroke over the centers of my palms, and tendrils of molten heat—completely unrelated to said powers—twine up my forearms. “Can you try to summon your firebird now?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I say, fighting back goose bumps at the soft caress. “I’ve tried so many times, but it only seems to awaken defensively, when I’m threatened or in mortal danger.”
He leans forward, and my heart skips a beat, but he just tucks a loose strand of hair over my ear. “Then let’s force it to appear.”
“Now?In here?”
“Why not?” He stands and beckons me forward. “You asked me to teach you how I box last week. Turnabout is fair play. Show me what you’ve got.”
Dread sluices through me. “I’m not doing this, Roshan. You’re being ridiculous.”
His stalwart expression doesn’t change. “You need to understand how your power works, and this is the only way I can think of to make you upset or frightened enough to release it.”
I glower at him, rubbing my palms nervously together. “What if I hurt you?”
“You won’t.”
