“You’re lucky I owe a debt to this old fool,” she muttered under her breath. “Unlucky for me. I thought death would find me first, but I should’ve known.” She shook her head.Tsk-edunder her breath. “Should have known.”
“Death is terrified of you still, my friend,” said Master Talik with a warm smile that had transformed his face completely. “And this old fool appreciates you very much.”
She looked at him, and it was clear to see the fondness she felt, but then she rolled her eyes for show.
“I’m not promising any of you anything. I haven’t done memory work in years, and even when I did, I never tried to undo magic done by someone stronger than me.” She stopped. Looked at us. “Simply because there was no such thing when I was younger.”
A grin. It made us all chuckle.
“Still—this is probably going to fail. You understand that?”
Painful, but yes. We understood, so we nodded.
“Good. My mother used to say low expectations are the foundation of all happiness." She cracked her knuckles and the sound made me wince. “Now. Who’s first?”
Silence.
We looked at each other, and my mouth opened to volunteer—what could really happen, anyhour?
But Levana beat me to it by standing up. “I’ll go first. Me. Let’s get this over with.”
“Good. A Heart. Brave—as you should be,” she said in an approving nod, then looked at Master Talik. “She’ll have your seat.”
Pursing his lips, Master Talik stood up and went by the wall, and Levana sat right next to Vesta.
“Beautiful, too,” the woman said, reaching her hands for Levana’s. The girl beamed.
“Thank you,” she said, pushing her long, thick hair over her shoulder.
“Impatient, if I had to guess.”
Levana arched a brow. “I don’t like wasting time.”
The woman nodded. “Tell me, are you bonded, girl?”
The question took Levana by surprise (me, too, though only because I didn’t know what she meant.) “I…no,” said Levana.
“You’veneverbonded?”
“Of course not,” Levana snapped, her cheeks bright red—which begged the question, what in Time’s Teeth wasbonding? I didn’t even get the chance to ask. “I haven’t…I haven’t—I wouldn’t even know how.I’m too young for?—”
Vesta’s laughter cut her off. “Your magic—it’s intact, yes? You can still feel?”
“Feelwhat?”
“Emotions, girl. Other people’s emotions. You’re a Heart—you should be able to sense them. Read them. Has that been affected at any point in your life by anything?”
Levana hesitated. Glanced at us, then back at Vesta. “I don’t think so. I can mostly tell when people are lying, or when they’re afraid or angry. It’s not...precise. Like I said—I’m too young. I’m only eighteen.” She said it defensively, which then made Vesta smile.
“Too young,” she repeated, like Levana had said something delightful. “My dear girl, no Heart istoo young. To feel emotions—tobondis your birthright. It lives in your blood, in all Heart blood. Nobody could take it away if they tried—things like it exist beyond even Time’s reach.” Goose bumpsspread over my arms. “You could be six years old, and the magic would answer if you called it,” she said.
It was obvious Levana didn’t know what to feel right now, and I couldn’t wait to askwhatbonding was.
“Not that I’d recommend it at six. You’d probably try it with your favorite blanket—or worse, your imaginary friend!”
Laughter, and it came straight from the heart.
Levana’s mouth twitched into an almost smile. “I guess I’ve never been taught,” Levana said. “Nobody in my family has ever done it, I think. Father says it’s old-fashioned.”
