For a moment, I swear that tiny flicker grows hotter. I envision a flame coming to life, blazing brighter, but then it’s snuffed out, shoving me back into myself. A small throbbing in my temples supersedes the tincture I’ve just taken.
“Mind if I join?” a voice says across the barrier of my thoughts.
I open my eyes as Tiernan crouches down in front of me. An awkward smile twists his lips, but there’s sadness in his countenance.
“I’m sorry,” he signs. “I shouldn’t have publicly gone up to Ava the way I did. I just …” He signs and looks away.
“It’s alright,” I tell him.
“I hate seeing you hurt. But the last thing I want you to think is that I don’t believe in you. Because I do.”
I’m trying my hardest to believe he does as well.
He frowns at me, and I pull up my mental shields, securing them. A proud glimmer appears in his eyes, his cheekbones sharpening as a smile creeps onto his lips. “It’s impressive that you can shield so well,” he says.
“I get a lot of practice with my constantly loud thoughts, you know.”
“The loudest,” he teases.
I smirk at him. “Oh … Dayfyd gave me something today. A moonstone, he called it. He said it should belong to a Dreamwalker.”
I reach into my bag and pull out the handkerchief, handing it over to Tiernan. Carefully, he unwraps it and cradles it in his hand. He tilts it back and forth just as I had. “If it should belong to a Dreamwalker, why didhehave it?” Tiernan signs one-handed as best as he can. “And what exactly is it?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “I didn’t ask.”
“I know old magic utilized stones a lot. They’re great for imbuing. Amplifiers. Dampeners like Carys’s.”
Amplifier. “Oksana did say something about an amplifier, but she also didn’t want to resort to it yet.”
Tiernan’s eyes widen. He passes the stone back to me and says, “Does it make you feel stronger? If it’s a moonstone, I wonder if it requires … well,moonlight. Or if it can strengthen your connection to the dream realm?”
Holding it between my hands, I close my eyes and try to get a sense of it. Something feels differentabout it, but I’m not quite sure what. I don’t feel any stronger or any weaker. Opening my eyes, I shrug again.
“Keep it on you, maybe,” Tiernan suggests. “And perhaps you should ask Dayfyd.”
I make a face, wrapping up the stone again. “He acts kind of strange when I’m around. I don’t know what it is.”
Tiernan signs and motions, “I can’t get much of a read on him either. And I’m certain he has no powers. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with Ava, I guess.”
My stomach churns at the thought of Ava again. “I need to learn the no-spin throw,” I blurt out. “I’ve been working on it with Chiyo, but it’s so difficult.”
He stands and pulls me to my feet as well. “Alright …”
“I just need to prove to her?—”
“Durvla.” He places a hand gently on my cheek and strokes it with his thumb. My lips snap shut. “Ava is an angry person, and she takes it out on everyone. Don’t let her continue to make you doubt yourself and trust me when I say you’re improving. Youareimproving. When we first got here a month ago, you weren’t able to jog the distance you do now. You couldn’t even summon a small shield on command and now you can. I know you’re frustrated with the dreamwalking, but you’ll figure it out. You just need thatahamoment—it happens to all of us. Trust me.”
He steps back and pulls one dagger from his belt before pressing the hilt into my palm. “Your throwing has been more than decent. For this new throw, you just have to focus a little more than usual.”
It’s kind of hard to do that when his sleeves are rolled back, displaying the sword inked onto his muscular forearm. It ripples as he grips another dagger to demonstrate once more, but I’m busy staring and miss everything.
It isn’t until I register the playful glimmer in his eyes that I realize I’ve missed something. “Distracted?” he asks.
“Admittedly, yes.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners, narrowing in a way that is truly endearing. “To start, let’s adjust your stance. It’s just a little different from the stance you’d use for the spin throw, but thesubtle differences matter.” He stands in front of me, placing his hands on my hips, squaring them. “Relax your knees.”
It’s only then that I realize that my knees have been locked; they protest as I bend them slightly. Tiernan moves to stand behind me, once more adjusting my throwing stance.
