I made to follow the commanders.
“Nyleeria, I’d like you to stay for a moment, please.”
Please.Well, that couldn’t be good.
Artton paused at the door. “Do you want me for this conversation?”
Caius nodded. “No. You have a lot to prepare before you leave.” They held each other’s gaze longer than necessary, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it meant before Artton nodded once and turned away.
“Here, join me in the sun,” he said, and I followed him to a pair ofchairs that were warm enough from baking in the sun that the heat radiated through my clothes.
The High Lord took in a deep breath, his features calming as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking a moment to bask in the sun. The late afternoon rays soaked into the exposed skin at the back of my neck and arms, and I had to admit it was nice to just…be, if only for a moment.
“How are you?” he asked after a few minutes.
A humorless, rough-sounding laugh escaped me. “I think it’s best if we don’t crack that particular nut.”
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. “No, I suppose not. I wanted to make sure you’re well enough, I suppose.”
Shrugging, I pulled a knee into my chest. After a moment, I said, “Did you know that some forest fires continue to burn over winter, only there are no flames?”
Caius nodded, now watching me intently.
“Well, I kinda feel like that. As if I’m standing atop the depthless snow in the dead of winter, the layers of white protecting me from the smoldering embers below. I know there’s something below, like one feels a predator in the shadows before they can see it, and I’m afraid of a flash melt. Of what will happen if I’m forced to feel it all at once.”
The wooden structure of Caius’ chair creaked under his weight as he shifted forward. “None of us can stop that inferno, not even you, Nyleeria. And we both know that it will hurt when it ignites. But you won’t be alone, and I promise we won’t let it consume you. Okay?”
My throat tightened, stealing my words, so I nodded instead.
“I’m sorry, but there is something I need to tell you that will add kindling to the coals.”
Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath. Letting it go slowly, I wrapped my arms around the leg that I’d lifted onto the chair and rested my chin on my knee. “Just say it, Caius.”
A pained expression crossed his features. “It’s about the vision,” he said, and I looked up at him through hooded eyes, already notliking where this was going. “We believe that only spellcraft can be used to pull magic from you. That’s good news, because it limitswhocan take it.”
“But it also means it’s not limited to Thaddeus,” I said.
“That is correct. Being a High Lord, if taught, Myron would be able to do it with very minor summoning sickness. Our bodies may not be compatible with human magic, but the healing abilities of a High Lord will negate that. At worst, he might have a headache after.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, but he’d have the spark… so.”
Looking solemn, he nodded. “Myron, Fiora, and myself will continue to search for a way to protect you from this, but until then, our options are limited.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “Don’t let anyone utter spells around me, don’t touch anyone who does, and if those two fail, fight with everything I have to suppress my magic?”
“I was going to say slice their throats open before they can finish the spell, but yes.”
I slouched back in my chair, shaking my head. “Good thing I shared the vision.”
Caius shifted to the edge of his seat, leaning over as close to me as he could. “I know you won’t believe me when I say this, but, yes, Nyleeria, it was a good thing. We’d underestimated Thaddeus, and I’m ashamed to admit it, but we underestimated you too.”
I swallowed hard, my chest filling with emotion as we stared at each other, as if both recognizing how much had changed since we’d first met.
I’d given up on sleep early enough that evening that Fenorryn and Varos were just hitting their peaks in the midnight sky. I watched the second and third moons travel across the stars through their pristine reflections on the calm surface of the lake. The unusually still airof the night had an eerie quality to it, as if the court itself was holding her breath for what came once morning called.
Fenorryn had begun to tuck himself behind the horizon, meaning predawn was almost here, and Kai coming to wake me wouldn’t be far off now.
The last three days had passed in a blur. Kaelun, Sidrick, Artton, and even Caius rotated through training magic with me, which I’d done until yesterday afternoon when Caius ordered me to rest—not wanting to risk tapping me before we left. While I wasn’t nearly as elegant as my fae counterparts at wielding, I’d learned to command the different powers with greater constancy. Though my arcane magic was still a little chaotic at times.
