How could I answer a question about the future when I didn’t know if I would survive the next day?
“There was a time I thought about it,” I recalled, thinking of my most recent life. Those few sad moments of hope before I’d lost everything. “I have an interest in botany. The Consortium doesn’t seem to focus on the subject, I assume, because healing magic is so rare. To me, that is all the more reason to prioritize it.”
“I didn’t pin you as a woman who craved a simple teacher’s life.”
If only you knew how exciting a life I’ve led, Elle. Multiple, really. “I think a quiet life sounds nice.” I turned her question back to her. “What of you? You’re leagues above the other Mages here. What are your grand plans for the future?”
Her smile faded and her eyes grew distant. “I don’t know if my family will give me a choice.”
I was so surprised by her solemn response; I fumbled over my words. “Uh—um, you don’t need to speak about it if it makes you uncomfortable, Elle.”
Her usual cheerfulness snapped back into place as she escaped whatever dark place my question took her. “Sorry, that was dramatic, wasn’t it?” She giggled. “I’ll be taking over the family business. It’s expected of me. While I’ve enjoyed my time here, the Consortium is only temporary for me.”
What a shame, for a Mage as talented as her to leave this place.
“We’re going to be late,” she warned, bumping my arm. “Let’s go.”
Quinn’s disgusted sneer was the first thing I saw when I walked into the training room. The resulting boiling in my blood was enough to make my fingers twitch, but I managed to tamp down my desire to punch him square in the nose. My past self might have been mildly annoyed by his antagonizing behavior, but my present self wanted nothing more than to put the judgmental, haughty prick in his place. If he wanted to look at me like I was a monster, I’d be happy to show him my teeth.
I rolled my shoulders, reminding myself that these volatile thoughts weren’t exactly my own. My emotions were heightened by the pain and Zaelos’s influence. That was all.
You can’t blame me for everything. Can a god corrupt the righteous if the seed of evil is not already there in their belly?
Part of me wanted to correct Zaelos—remind him he wasn’t a god at all, merely a disgraced Fae who managed to steal a sliver of godly magic from the Faerie Queen. Should he destroy me and take over my body as he intended, he might be stronger than the mortals on this plane, but he would never be stronger than a true god.
I don’t need to be stronger than that damned Fae.He hissed.She can’t walk amongst your kind, but I’ll be able to. Do you think the gods will still have their power when all of Lustria is busy worshiping at my feet?
My thoughts, evidently, hadn’t been quiet enough.
“You’re delusional,” I whispered aloud.
Where do you think gods get their power from? What do you think happens when all of those prayers and offerings turn to me instead?
Frankly, I didn’t care, because it wasn’t going to happen. Zaelos wasn’t taking me for a vessel. Either I’d expunge the monster from my soul, or together, we would die—for good.
I reached for the vial in my pocket and unstoppered the top. Pouring several drops of the bitter liquid on my tongue, I heaved a sigh of relief when Zaelos’s presence retreated to the back of my mind. I needed to be mindful of how much of the mystery concoction I used, but I couldn’t stand another breath of listening to him prattle on about his grandiose ambitions.
Any longer and I would’ve given him the emotional reaction I knew he craved. I couldn’t allow him to rattle me to the point he could peek into the deepest corners of my mind, where I hid my true plans for the two of us. I was no fool. It was obvious he was trying to delve into my mind to discover why I’d ignored him for so long. And more importantly, why. If he found that out… everything would be over.
When I moved to shove the vial back into my leathers, I found Quinn’s disdainful gaze from across the room, and returned it with a glare of my own. He probably thought I was drugging myself.
A loud clap of hands interrupted our staring contest, as Felydrin—the Arch Magus who’d filled in to teach us on a couple of occasions—entered the room. Once upon a time, he’d kept a secret for me—one I should probably tell Alandris about, nowthat my memories have returned—and offered me a place to study my magic. I never showed up, wary of his intentions, but he never pressured me in our subsequent meetings. He was a good Mage, and if Alandris trusted him, so did I.
“The Grand Arch Magus has other matters to attend to today. I, Arch Magus Felydrin, will oversee today’s combat training in his absence.”
Interesting. Alandris hadn’t mentioned he’d be gone today. We hadn’t had the opportunity to speak since we’d first arrived back at the Consortium yesterday. Of course, we’d agreed to keep our distance—business as usual so that all could appear normal on the surface—but I’d still expected him to keep me updated. It was my life he was risking his for, after all. Had the Divine Council called on him again already?
“This week we will focus on close combat,” Felydrin began, snapping my attention back to the matter at hand. “I shall break you into assigned pairs. You will have no weapons at your disposal other than the magic you possess. For today, I wish for you to assess your partner’s weaknesses during your sparring. We will work to overcome those weaknesses in the coming days.”
Felydrin began pacing the room, pairing us based on no particular commonalities, so it seemed. I thought he’d been trying to give us a fair match based on stature until he’d paired Luelle with a behemoth of a Mage that dwarfed her by at least half her size. The pairing didn’t appear skill-based either; the newest member of the Consortium, a young human girl, faced a male Mage second only to Elle.
And then Felydrin’s eyes fell to mine, and subsequently the last person I wanted to be paired with. Quinn.
Quinn wasted no time goading me. “What’d you swallow, freak? Hoping it’d give you an edge up on the competition?”
No, I was hoping to put the murderous Fae inside of me to sleep, so that when you inevitably piss me off and I lose control, I don’t accidentally, purposefully strangle you.“Are you looking for an excuse for why you lost already?”
Felydrin chuckled at our sides. “Now, now. Save that fire for the arena. The two of you can go first, since you seem so eager.” He motioned to the center of the room, at a circle painted in red. “Remember, the purpose of this exercise is to uncover your opponent’s weaknesses. Make a mental note of them as your spar.”
