Rise and shine.” A voice woke me from the depths of dreaming.
“Huh?” I peeled my face away from the feather pillow, my eyes adjusting to the onslaught of sensations. It was still dark outside, there was a hulking figure over my chair bed, and a mug of something warm was being shoved into my hands.
“Time to work,” the voice said. My sleep-confused brain eventually caught up.
“Hesper, it’s the middle of the night.” I pointed out the window, the bright moon outside still shining happily. She was the one who told me that rest was the best thing for magic. Yet here she was, interrupting the best sleep I’d gotten since before the Celebration.
“You fell asleep at 8:00 p.m. It is now near 4:00 a.m. That’splenty of rest. Besides, do you want to learn how to use your magic or not?” She leaned against the doorframe. Her sleeping tunic drifted open, showing her chest. Her sleeves were rolled up… again.
It was either beg her to join me in this bed or get out of said bed.
I bolted upright, taking care not to spill my coffee and repeat the other day’s kitchen-sink embarrassment.
“Let’s get to work!” I said, my voice far too high.
I hurriedly made my way down the stairs, but then Hesper cleared her throat loudly, stopping me in my tracks.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“You—uh—forgot something.” She looked everywhere but at me.
“What are you talking about—”
Oh my Goddess.
I was naked.
Completely bare ass. I was giving the moon outside a run for its money.
I had forgotten! I usually didn’t sleep naked, but my room was warm, and I was hot from all the soup and the meat sweats and…maybeI had to take care of things as I thought about Hesper before I fell asleep andmaybeI forgot to put clothes back on.Maybe.
With all the dignity I could muster, I marched back up the stairs, past Hesper, and said, “Just give me a moment, will you?”
“Of course,” she said hoarsely and turned to leave, but not before she stubbed her toe on the staircase.
I couldn’t stop smiling to myself as I dressed.
She’s perfect, my heart sighed.
She’s not ours, I bit back, tightening my grip around my wayward, yearning heart.
I feared I would perish in the pumpkin patch.
We had been at it all day with no breaks. As soon as we’d entered the garden this morning, Hesper began her training.
“Simple access, that’s our task for the day,” she stated like a teacher. Easy enough. I had just made thorns burst out of the earth and grown sprouts. Surely the magic churning in my chest to the point of acidic heartburn wouldn’t need too much coaxing.
I’d never been more wrong.
Confidently, I strode to one of the empty beds. In this one, I sensed pumpkins. The seeds were long past their time, but there were forgotten roots that had the faintest whisper of life left in them.
So, I sang. I did what I’d performed yesterday with the radish seeds. I reached for my magic, envisioned that power filtering into the seeds below, and…
Nothing.
The magic, though, hummed happily. It was there; I could feel it now, I just couldn’t access it.
“Keep trying,” Hesper said. Begrudgingly, I listened.
