“It’s draining,” Grayson agrees. “I’m sorry, Nix. I’d fix it if I could.” He kisses the side of Nix’s head in apology.
Draining?That’s a word that pings all of Leo’s instincts hard. “You feel worse since starting them? How long? A few weeks, right?”
“Yeah. It took a while for them to try to figure out if what’s going on is Time-related, and the lessons are to determine if it’s worth going to the Academy or not. I think the decision rarely takes this long.”
“Not at all,” Nimue answers with a shudder. She spent four years in Switzerland before they determined her Affinity was more a Biometric Talent than a Time one when she was fourteen. “It’s unusual that they’ve been undecided this long. It means your efforts are—”
“Stop!” Nix says again, this time doubling over with a groan. “Every time you—ugh. Stop talking about it. Please.”
Ignatius leans forward, and when Nix is leaning on a pale Grayson, he asks, “You said it feels like a sliver, Grayson. But is there an emotion attached? Magic is not free of our intentions, no matter how we try.”
“Exactly,” Elysia agrees. “When Skye—” she stops with a rueful glance at Nix before starting up again, “I could feel his good intentions.”
“Most of us get used to ignoring the user’s intentions, the way you would ignore the accent of someone from a different country, as long as it didn’t interfere with your understanding, right?”
“How did I not know that?” Grayson asks.
“Most instructors wouldn’t think to mention it, because magical children come to the feeling amongst their peers organically. But you’re already an adult.”
“Let me get this straight,” Gideon growls. “Someone is using magic to act upon Grayson’s magic, and Nix is feeling it, too, because of the nature of their bond?”
“Yes!” Ignatius says with enthusiasm, happy someone has been able to follow along. “I dare say Nix is a bit more…sensitive…to The Plain as well. When Nix describes it, it sounds like an active force. Would you agree, Nimue?”
“I would. And it sounds like it could be ongoing, if Grayson has been feeling drained. How I wish we had Sasha along. Perhaps it’s a leeching spell. Perhaps someone at the Guild is attempting to monitor Grayson’s output?”
“I can’t detect anything physical. Although…” Grayson pauses, frowning. “Today was the first time I lost control of it during my…last lesson. My…she…”
“That’s the second time you’ve avoided saying her name,” Gideon growls. “Today in the car, when I asked you what was wrong, and just now. Why is that?”
“It is? Why would I do that? I can say her name. It’s—” Grayson looks surprised. “What the hell?”
Gideon leaves and returns with a pink Post-it note and a muffin. He hands the note to Ignatius and the muffin to Luca to break into small bites for Skye, who immediately stuffs his cheeks like a chipmunk for winter.
“Oh. I see. Nimue, do you know her?” He passes the note to Nimue.
She raises her eyebrows, her lips twisting in a grimace. “I do. Our community is small, and she would be about my age. If I remember correctly, she had a low-level Affinity with a slight Earth Talent. Something to do with metallurgy. We were at the Academy together, although she was a year behind me. And if I may say so, a bit of a bully.”
She shakes off the uncomfortable memory. “We ran in different circles, as I’m not much of a joiner.”
Ignatius pats her knee. He must know exactly what put that expression on his friend’s face. “Oh, dear.”
“Did you say Metal Talent?” Grayson stands up, patting his pants until he finds what he’s looking for in the front right pocket. “Like this?”
The small metal carving of a crow sits in his palm. Its beady black eyes glint in the light of the living room, and even from his position half a room away, Leo can feel its malevolence.
“Grayson, my boy, give that to me,” Ignatius says carefully, as if speaking with a wild animal. “Gideon, if I could bother you for some salt and a candle?”
“What is it? Is it dangerous?” Luca asks.
“Perhaps we should move the children to another space? To give the experts a chance to work,” Elysia murmurs. “Skye, doyou have any storybooks? I feel like I need a bit of a rest and a read.”
“Woo,” Skye says, climbing down and pulling Luca toward the nest/playroom at the end of the left-wing hall. “Grrr, too.”
Rowan disappears into the laundry room, appearing in his person form, dressed in sweats and a T-shirt. “I’m coming.” He accepts the still-fussing Rosie from Nix. “Finn, can you bring Mari?”
“Sure thing,” he agrees reluctantly. “The food will be here in thirty minutes. Call me if you need me.”
“You’re a good man, Finn,” Nix calls after him.
