His meaning was clear as day. He wanted me to be stronger than him, and to prove it, I had to overpower him.
“What’s your specialty?” I asked.
He paused a beat before saying, “Why don’t you tell me?”
He wanted me to figure it out on my own. I nodded. “All right.”
I faced him and concentrated. His magic was difficult to sense, and that’s because it was so strong it was like running head-first into a brick wall. My hands curled into fists, and my teeth gritted as I tried chipping away at that wall.
“Keep going, Charlie,” he encouraged.
I shifted on my feet and tried again. “You’re holding back.”
“Yes,” he said calmly. “Show me that you’re stronger than me. Show me that you have what it takes to be Emperor.”
I poked and prodded at his magic, slamming against it with my own like a battering ram, over and over again, but I couldn’t access his magic.
I didn’t understand. I was a demigod. This should be easy.
“It appears I’m not the only one holding back,” Cassiel stated.
He was right. I didn’t want to hurt him, so I wasn’t using my full power.
But we didn’t have time for games. People’s lives were at stake, and though I didn’t want to hurt my grandfather, I also had the feeling he could take whatever I threw at him.
I threw the full force of my power at him, and I felt the mental wall crack, but I still couldn’t get through. Magic sizzled over my skin, and I pulled from Oberi without thinking. Within an instant, I was a wyvern again, baring my razor-sharp teeth at him.
My grandfather stumbled backward. I’d completely caught him off guard. A second later, I had him pinned to the ground under my talons. The mental wall completely crumbled, and his magic poured into me.
Visions flashed through my mind— images and concepts that didn’t quite make sense at first. I began to see colors spread out in front of me, as if I’d never been blind at all.
I saw a woman with dark hair emerge within the murky depths of the vision. She was beautiful, and as I gazed at her, something in my gut told me I was deeply in love with her.
No, not me…Cassiel. I realized that the vision was actually a memory, and I could see it through his eyes.
He stood beneath an archway made of flowers. All around me was the beach, and the wide expanse of the ocean. His other surroundings had been forgotten, but what he remembered most was the woman. She had flowers in her hair and was walking down an aisle surrounded by people. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. I could feel the smile on his face.
The memories flashed again. I saw him place a ring on her finger— a square rose-quartz gemstone surrounded by miniature diamonds on a golden band. Then I saw her spinning around in the sand while distant music played through the memory.
The memories faded from my mind. I found myself on the beach in Ilamanthe once again, back in Elementai form. I was on my knees in the sand, and my grandfather lay on the ground beneath me.
“Did you see it?” he asked as he slowly sat up beside me.
The magic receded, and I shook off the strange sensation. I stood, then reached for his hand and helped him to his feet. “That was different than anything I’ve felt before. You can read people’s memories.”
“Yes,” Cassiel said. He placed a hand on my shoulder and led me toward a nearby rock to sit down. “I can read all memories, except those of a demigod’s.”
“So, you’ve never read mine?” I asked.
“No. You’re stronger than me, so I’ve never been able to see your memories,” he explained. “The memories I read aren’t always clear, though, nor reliable, as memories can alter with time, or be tampered with by magic. It is a useful tool to gauge allegiances within the castle, but there are limitations to what I can do.”
“The woman I saw was my grandmother, wasn’t she?” I asked. “I remember you told me about her— how her family fled Kinpago during the Great Supernatural War and sought refuge on Darke Island. Years later, after the refugees fled into the caves and built Forevermore, she saved you from aserpens speluncaattack.”
Cassiel’s voice turned reminiscent. “Yes. That was Aponi. We were married on a beach in Forevermore. An illusion, but beautiful all the same. I come here often, as this place reminds me so much of her.”
“It seemed like the perfect wedding,” I remarked. I hadn’t been able to see much in the memory, but I’d felt what he did, and he’d had a wonderful day.
“It was a grand celebration within Forevermore,” Cassiel recalled. “All the Elves came, and we sang and partied all night. The Elves made flowers bloom and butterflies dance, and the sunset turned the sky pink. Your grandmother was the most beautiful bride. The party went on for several days.”
