Her brow furrowed, thoughtful. “That makes sense. It’s a part of you—your birthright. But that kind of power can be… volatile.”
She crossed her arms and gave me a mock-stern look. “So. We’re keeping that piece far away until you’ve got the basics down. No sense summoning hurricanes before I’ve even gotten you past the rip current.”
A startled laugh burst from me—tension breaking, just a little.
“Alright,” she said, grinning. Then she clapped once, all brightness and mischief. “Let’s get you somewhere you won’t blow the roof off when you do tap into it.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I murmured, and let the light fade from my palm.
The days blurred together after that—not into monotony, but into rhythm, though a rhythm that scraped me raw.
Eira pushed me, her golden hair bright against Skeldrhall’s shadows, her voice firm one moment and soothing the next. When I faltered, she laughed—not cruelly, but with a warmth that reminded me not to take myself too seriously. When I shattered, she sat with me in silence until the tremors passed.
“In, out. Don’t grip it so tight,” she reminded me, over and over, as if coaxing a stubborn current. “You’re not holding it hostage—you’re asking it to move with you.”
Once, in a burst of frustration, I cracked a stone pillar down the middle. The sound split Skeldrhall like thunder, shards scattering across the floor. I dropped to my knees, heart pounding, certain I’d proven every fear right—that I was dangerous, unteachable, doomed.
But Eira sat beside me on the cold stone, her hand finding mine. “If destruction was all you were capable of, you wouldn’t be sitting here crying about it,” she said simply.
Every time I succeeded, doubt still whispered: What if I can’t hold it? What if I break again? What if I hurt someone?
But with each breath, each stumble, each fragile triumph, I began to feel it—not just the weight of the magic, but its rhythm. Its pulse.
The storm was still there. Wild. Hungry. Dangerous.
My palms glowed steady with a light that felt stronger, warmer, than it had before. Not a flicker. Not a stuttering flame. A true, solid pulse—like holding a star.
Eira’s face lit up, joy flashing in her eyes. “That’s it! Gods, Nerina—you’re doing it!”
But the moment I let myself want it too much—the moment pride and fear tangled together—the orb fractured. The glow burst outward in a flare that shook the timbers and sent snow spiraling down from the rafters.
Eira caught me by the shoulders before I stumbled, her laugh soft but firm. “Easy. Easy—don’t pull it back so hard. Just let it settle.”
My heart hammered. Guilt and panic pressed against my ribs. “I almost lost it—”
“But you didn’t,” she cut in, squeezing tighter, grounding me. Her voice was steady, unflinching. “You called it. You shaped it. You held it. Losing balance doesn’t erase the fact that you stood at all.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words pressing deep.
Eira flopped back onto the furs we’d dragged into the training hall, her golden braids sticking to her temples.
“Gods above,” she groaned, though her smile stayed bright. “You’re exhausting.”
I sank down beside her, chest still heaving, and let my head tip back against the cold timber. For a moment, we just sat in the quiet, listening to the low moan of wind through the beams.
But the silence pressed too hard, and before I could stop myself, the words broke free.
“Eira… the healing place you mentioned before. Will you take me there?”
Her smile faltered. “Nerina—”
“I need to see it,” I said quickly, leaning forward, my pulse thudding in my ears. “To know it’s real.”
If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would always wonder. Always doubt.
Eira hesitated, chewing her lip, her gaze flicking away. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just… Veyrion won’t like it. He keeps it secret, for safety. If he even knew I told you about it, he’d kill me.”
My throat tightened, anger cutting through the desperation. “What Veyrion likes is not a concern of mine.” My voice shook, but I didn’t care. “My whole life has been made of other people’s secrets. Of being told I wasn’t ready, or it wasn’t safe, or it wasn’t my place. I won’t be shut out of this one, too.”
