Mother remained silent, simply motioning for me to sit across from her instead.
Holding back a sigh, I lowered myself to the floor in front of her, positioningmyselfso we were face to face about an arm’s length apart.
I watched as she closed her eyes and went sostill,she could have passed as a statue.
Just as I openedmy mouth to ask again what we were doing, she spoke.
“Do you feel them?”Her eyes stayedclosed, her hands resting on her knees.
“Feel what? Who?” Ilookedtoward the door in the corner of the room, thinking thatmaybe somebodyhad gotten past Val, who was guarding the door.
It wasn’t until Mother responded that I understood what she’d meant.
“The shadows, of course.”
That was whyshe’ddimmed the light in the room—to create more shadows.
“We’re practicing shadow wielding?” I asked, looking at the darkest shadows in the corners of the room with a newfound interest.
“We’refeelingthem,” she clarified. “Becoming aware of the shadows near you on a wielder’s level is the first step to forming your initial connection with them.”
Questions bubbled up within me, my curiositybeginningto get the better of me. I wanted to understand how it worked, and what she meant by aconnection. What was it that made shadow wielding different from the otherzirilium?
“I’ve felt otherfaewhen they were in their shadow forms, but never just ordinary shadows,” I said, eyeing a shadow nearby skeptically. “And I slipped into my own shadow form once—though only for a split second.”
“That’sgood!You’vealready got a head start, then.” I watched as Mother used herziriliumto rip a small chunk of the stone floor beneath us out of place—a piece no bigger than the size of her fist. When I raised an eyebrow at her methods, she reassured meshe’dput it back after we were done.
Using her earth wielding, she suspended the stone in the air above us so that it cast a dark shadow on the ground between our forms.
“Shadows, much like crystals, have a unique energy to them,” Mother said, her eyes peeling open to meet mine. “They’restubborn. Youhave tomake themwantto work withyou by sending out your own energy to them and meeting them in the middle. Only then can you form a connection with shadows.”
“None of that makes any sense!” I exclaimed, exasperated.
“It will, Dimitri. Now take a breath and focus on the shadow of the stone. Take in its shape, the different shades to it, the harsh and soft edges itpossesses.” Her eyes flicked down to the shadow between us.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I looked down at it and did asshe’dsaid.
My gaze followed the outline of the shadow, taking in the sharp edges on one side and the fuzzy ones on the other. The entire shadow was dark, but I realized that the middle was a deeper color than the rest of it. Surrounding it was warm, dim light from the small chandelier overhead, making it appear even darker.
Oddly enough, it reminded me of Ziana’s feathers and how they hadsuch adepth to them.
Suddenly, I felt strangely compelled to reach toward the shadow—so I did.
I paused my movement halfway as the skin of my hand began to feel as though it was tingling.
“Keep going,” Motherencouraged, hervoicegentle, and I realized she must have been watching me.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly reached out further to the shadow. The closer I got, the more my skin buzzed with energy.
“Don’tquite touch it. Get close, then send out your own energy toward it,” she advised.
Stopping a breath away from the shadow, the tingling sensation growing stronger, I closed my eyes and took steadying breaths. Focusing intensely, I felt myziriliumflowingthrough my very bloodstream. I could feel it itching at my hands and fingertips, as though it, too, wanted to form that connection Mother spoke of.
So I allowed it.
Releasing the reins which I held my abilities by, that connection snapped into place so forcefully Igasped.
“That’s thetether,” Mother explained. “Move your fingers now, son. And open your eyes.”
