“It’s best to stay in the open so we can see any predators and return to our shelter immediately if needed.”
“That makes sense, and yes, I’m ready for whatever you can teach me.”
Starlight blazed in the night sky as Kole faced me, still staying an arm’s length away.
He gave a curt nod. “To a Solis fairy, mistphasing is as easy as picturing the area in the realm that they wish to travel to, and if they’ve never been there before, they focus on a location’s name or picture it on a map, and their magic automatically transports them there. But for a Silten fairy, it’s not quite as simple. For Silten fae, we must turn entirely inward, to the very core of our magic, buthowone mistphases depends upon the kingdom’s magic they were blessed with.”
I cocked my head. “But I have magic from three kingdoms.”
“True, which is why I believe you’re magical enough to mistphase, but it also makes this trickier. You’ll need to figure out which of the three you’ll use to mistphase. For me, I connect with my air element, and I have to let my Solis affinitiesfall to the wayside. In order to mistphase, I have to let my air embody me completely, then I use my air to fly away...so to speak.”
I swallowed and wondered if he even realized he’d just saidaffinities, in the plural form. He had more than one Solis affinity. I was sure of it. “So if I have mental, elemental, and sensory magic, which one do I focus on?”
“Which one is your strongest?”
“My mental.”
“Then that’s likely the magic you should concentrate on, but not necessarily. My warrior affinity is stronger than my air element, but I still use my air to mistphase. My tutor told me that’s unusual. So most likely, you’ll use your mental magic. Now, to start, you’ll need to disconnect your mental magic from your sensory and elemental abilities.”
I frowned, wondering how in the realm to do that. My magic was all balled together inside me, like a glowing orb that I called upon at will. When I wanted to use my mental magic, I simply tapped into it, but I didn’t separate it from the others. I didn’t even know how to do that.
“How in the realm do I separate them? And if I somehow can, then how do I use just my mental magic to mistphase?”
“Separating one’s magic is exactly why it’s harder for siltenites than Solis fae, but it can be done. I’m living proof.” He stepped closer to me, and his scent once again commanded my attention. “It’s also why most siltenites can’t mistphase.Those who only possess magic from one kingdom are likely not magical enough to do so, and those who do possess enough magic struggle to get beyond the first step.”
I sighed. “All right, so assuming Iammagical enough, and assuming Icansomehow separate my magic from one another, then what do I do with my mental magic to move myself?”
“If mental magic is truly the magic you’ll end up using to mistphase, you’ll need to figure out how to tap into it to transfer. That could be by using imagery or projection or telekinesis or something else. It depends upon what kind of mental magic you have.”
My nose scrunched up. “But I have several types of mental magic, so which one do I use?” The words flowed from my lips so easily. So few fae knew about the extent of my abilities, but once again, I felt like I could trust Kole.
He frowned slightly. “In that case, that’s a good question.”
I took a deep breath. “Assuming it’s my mental magic I need to use, and assuming I can separate it from the others, and assuming I can figure out which aspect of my mental magic I use to mistphase, then where should I travel to?”
“Distance takes practice. You likely won’t be able to go far the first time. I would recommend just going to the other side of this clearing.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
A small smile lifted his lips, and it hit me how open he appeared. There was no mask. No curtain hiding his emotions. No veil suppressing his reactions. Just pure, unfilteredKole.
And I liked it. I liked it more than I wanted to admit.
“Close your eyes. Concentrate on separating your magic,” he instructed.
I did as he said until all I felt was the wind on my skin and Kole’s pounding aura. Scrunching my eyes tighter, I focused on the throb of my power, the steady pulse of it. But my magic was everywhere. It was a part of me, just as my blood, my lungs, and my vital organs were. It lived within me, so to separate it...
“How do I untangle it?” It was embarrassing to admit that I had no idea how to do that. What Kole was asking me to do was so different from anything I’d ever been instructed to do as a child when Timith and Gwenery had taught me how to tap into my power.
“You said your strongest magic is mental. Maybe shift your attention to your mind. Focus on that area, and try to separate it there.”
I did as he said, concentrating on the magic that encased my mind.Mental magic. Focus on my mental magic only.
Yet despite the swirling mass of it filling my head, my fire and sensory magic were still there too, still filtering through the psychic magic that encompassed my very essence.
I huffed but kept trying to do as he implied. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”
“It’s all right. Keep trying.” His tone was calm, patient, and I could have sworn he’d stepped nearer to me.
