It was apparent during the battle in the arena—the way that Kryptos woman went totally invisible, the unusual strength from the Daemos boy, the way Stark pulled down an entire archway—but I didn’t realize why it was happening until just now.
I let out a shaky breath. “Okay, so, what does being the conduit mean?”
She lifts a shoulder. “You have the same abilities as each of the packs, but heightened beyond what anyone else is capable of. You already know how to use the basic Strategos powers of foresight and strategy, but now you canextend the foresight and see further into the future. It’s a skill unique to you as the queen.”
Surprised, I laugh. “I can see the future?”
“Sort of,” Siegrid says. “When you’re on the battlefield and the pack is working together, the foresight is always accurate—many minds looking into near events. Alone, you can extend longer stretches of time. But the future is not set in stone. You may not get a vision for a clear path. And even then, the future you see might change. It’s a helpful tool but also an imprecise power, so you should not rely on it often.”
That would’ve been handy a few months ago.
Siegrid continues, “Now, you’ll learn how to tap into all the other pack powers and see how far you can take them. There’s rifting, the Kryptos art of concealment. Shielding, the Phylax defensive maneuver. Impelling, the strength that the Daemos wield.”
My throat is suddenly dry. I take a sip of ice water. That’s… a lot to learn. I’ve barely mastered my Strategos powers, and that took me four months. “And how exactly will I be learning this all?”
“Kryptos Alpha Hannelore will teach you rifting, and we’ll bring a retired Phylax in from the Bonded City to help you with shields. As for impelling, Stark departed with Noemi at dawn, so I’ll teach you myself.”
I nearly spit out the ice cube I was sucking on. “Did he?”
My brain is spinning uselessly, and I don’t know why. I knew he was leaving. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t say goodbye. It’s not something I’ve ever expected from him before. Why is this hitting me so hard?
Siegrid is either ignoring my slack-jawed reaction or doesn’t make anything of it, because she breezes past it and says, “No matter. Surely you know I was Daemos Alpha before Stark. We’ll start first thing tomorrow.”
Great. Can’t wait.Except there’s one power we haven’t discussed, and it’s the one I most need to get under control.
“And the shadows?”
A knowing smile creeps across Siegrid’s face. She raises a hand and crooks one finger.
And shadows slide up the walls, dark and creeping.
My breath leaves my entire body. “H-how are you doing that?”
She puts her hand down, and the shadows slink back to the ground, fading. “It’s called shadebending, and it’s a skill unique to the Sovereign Alpha and the queen. My powers are not even a tenth of your own, though.”
I hold up my wrist, the blackened ruby glinting in the engagement bracelet. “Unfortunately, we are not the only ones with this skill, as I think you know. Alistair Brightbane has some control over my shadebending through this bracelet.”
Siegrid temples her fingers. “Yes, I’m aware. I can sense a throttle on the power—on my ability to impel as well, in fact. His presence is corrupting and warping the magic for all Bonded.”
Alarm spikes in my chest. “Then we need to do something. Immediately. I haven’t found someone who can get the bracelet off yet, but I’ll cut off my hand if that’s what it takes.”
Her brows rise. “You would, wouldn’t you? You’d injure yourself for the sake of others.” Her voice is contemplative, surprised. “How noble. However, there’s no need to take such a drastic step. Tormun will succeed in capturing Killian and will bring him back here. We’ll force him to remove the bracelet.”
My shoulders relax slightly. “So you’ll teach me how to shadebend? Right now, I can only access it in times of high emotion, and even then, I have no control over it. I think of what I want, and it reacts, but to an extreme.”
Siegrid sighs, picking up another grape. “It’s all about discipline, Your Highness. To bend the shadows successfully, you need to clear your mind. Emotion can heighten their strength, no doubt, but you should not be possessed by your…feelings.” She spits out the word with virulent distaste, as if she bit into her fruit and found it rotten. “We’ll drill those histrionics out of you in no time at all.”
I can tell she’s trying to be helpful, so I don’t reach across the table and throttle her, as much as I may want to.
Anassa growls in my mind.“You are not histrionic. You are passionate and feel things greatly. There is a difference.”
“There is one final matter I wish to discuss with you,” Siegrid says before I can make a break for the door.
I straighten and nod for her to continue.
“Now that you have discovered your true identity and laid claim to the crown, it no longer makes sense for you to be Strategos Alpha. My direwolf, Genicos, believes you and Anassa should step down and let the wolves pick someone new.”
Surprise hits me first and then pain.
