“Do you know how to get to the palace from here?” I finally ask.
“We need to find a stream,” he says, his tone returning to something more focused and efficient. “All water in the Summer Court flows toward the palace.”
He studies me for a moment, then adds, “Use your water magic. Reach out and sense the nearest stream.”
I bristle at his instruction, since the last thing I want right now is another one of his training sessions. I can do this myself.
So, I close my eyes and stretch my magic outward.
At first, there’s nothing. Just the whisper of the wind and the damp warmth of the Summer Court air against my skin.
As I search, I can practically feel Riven’s gaze burning into me, growing more impatient by the second. But after having put him in his place by melting his ice magic, I willnotgive him the upper hand again.
So, I take a deep breath and focus harder.
My magic rushes through me in a wave of power that flows through the earth, courses beneath my feet, and flows through the Summer Court like veins of liquid starlight.
Then, suddenly, I feel it. The gentle flow of water, weaving its way through the land like a silver thread.
I open my eyes and zero in on the direction of the pull.
“There,” I say, pointing past the trees. “There’s a stream that way.”
Riven raises a brow, evaluating me. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then lead the way, Asset,” he says, and I scowl at him, turn, and let my magic guide me forward, taking a small bit of pleasure in the fact that his only logical choice is to follow.
