“She’s getting some rest,” I told Stefan as I sat back down. “She’s not feeling well.”
Stefan’s face tightened, and he looked down at his plate. “She’s been like this for some time. I told her to go to the court physician, but when she did, she wouldn’t tell me what he said.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I lied. “She’ll be on the mend soon.”
He didn’t look like he believed me. I hoped Delmare spilled the beans, fast. She was worrying Stefan by not telling him the truth.
“I knew before she did!” Odette piped up, and I cringed. I might’ve been the only one Delmare told, but Odette had certainly seen some sort of vision. Odette bounced in her seat, while a bit of color drained from Theo’s face.
“Huh? What are you playing at?” Stefan narrowed his eyes.
Odette took a big gulp of breath, but Theo elbowed her in the side and said, “Ssh!”
Odette fell quiet with a giggle. Stefan appeared even more lost.
This conversation was going south fast, but thank the gods, Lady Magdalina walked in at precisely that moment. She stood over the table and said, “I apologize for interrupting your holiday, but I thought Emmaline and I could begin our next training session.”
“What, right now?” I asked.
“I did not show up to chit-chat, Emmaline,” Magdalina responded shortly. “Nowwould be best.”
I sighed, and stood. I might be queen, but I was still Magdalina’s pupil, and she wasn’t ever going to stop bossing me around.
“We should all come and watch!” Odette said brightly. “It would be fun.”
“Not a terrible idea,” Magdalina replied. “I will need volunteers.”
Oh, great. She was going to use my friends as baitagain, I just knew it. This lady was ruthless.
We walked in one large group to the Hall of Wonders. “You don’t celebratePierniwa?” I asked her as we took the staircase downward.
“Not quite. It’s actually my birthday,” Magdalina said. “But when you’ve had as many birthdays as I’ve had, it’s just another day.”
That seemed like quite the negative opinion, but I didn’t refute it.
We entered the Hall of Wonders, which took the shape of the training area. My friends headed to the stands, but Magdalina gestured to my mate and said, “Ethan, I need you over here.”
You didn’t speak to a king like that, but Ethan followed her orders and stood across from me in the middle of the training arena.
Lady Magdalina crossed her arms and tapped her fingers against her elbows. “You saw sorceresses use powerful illusions to trap and torture the minds of others during the battle of Arcanea University. Now it is time to use those powers yourself. You might not be able to control the minds of others, but you can overpower them by making them see whatever you wish to.”
“How is it done?” I asked.
“It is as simple as casting any illusion, but instead of calling it into reality, you instead force it upon the mind of your enemy, breaking past their protective barriers,” Magdalina said. “We’ll start with your mate. It will be easiest to overpower his mind, since you already share a magical connection. Travel your magic through the bond, and force his eyes to see what you imagine.”
I didn’t want to hurt Ethan, so I chose a simple illusion— the image of a rose garden in springtime, flowers blooming all around him against the spanse of a mountain range. When I had gotten the details set in my mind, I pushed it outward, traveling the illusion across our bond.
Ethan’s mind was easy to break into, since I already had access through our connection. His eyes took on a glossy sheen as he turned in place, falling victim to my illusion.
“Incredible,” Ethan said. “I can smell the roses, even—”
He reached out a hand, then jerked it back quickly. “The thorns even make me bleed. At least, that’s what I feel and see.”
“Your hand is fine. Nothing’s bleeding,” I said as I looked at his fingers.
“Whatever you imagine, you will be able to make your opponents see,” Magdalina instructed. “You will be able to torment them with visions of their own death, so terrifying that they will die of shock, giving you victory with minimal effort on the battlefield.”
I scowled. I didn’t wish to kill people in such a brutal way, but this was war, and I knew Gabby would pull no punches in her effort to take the Crystals and kill me.
