โCoralee Ryle. Nicholai Panya,โ a newly pinned Major Devera calls out over the frost-covered courtyard, reading from whatโs become
the new death roll. For the first time since entering the quadrant, the names called every morning for the last week havenโt been cadets, but active riders
โand fliersโon the front lines, fighting to fortify the villages along the Stonewater River. Trying to divert the veninโs attention from our valley, whereย fourย new dragons have hatched.
Donโt say Mira. Donโt say Mira. Donโt say Mira.ย Itโs become my personal prayer to whatever god will listen while standing in formation.
I feel so fucking useless. Unlike the last two weeks, thereโs no luminary to fetch, no wards to fail at. Thereโs a real war down there, and weโre up here learning history and physics.
โWe lostย twoย yesterday?โ Aaric tenses in the row ahead.
Rhiannon glances back over her shoulder at me, sorrow haunting her eyes for a heartbeat before she composes herself with a grace I can never seem to manage and straightens her shoulders at Sawyerโs side. Two riders in one day is unfathomable in active service. The entirety of the Aretian Quadrant will be dead in less than two months at this rate.
โI think thatโs Isarโs brother,โ Ridoc says from beside me. โSecond Wing.โ
We both glance left, past Third Wing. Isar Panya bows her head from the middle of her squad in Tail Section.
I blink back the burning in my eyes, and my fingers squeeze tight around the conduit in my left hand.
โHe was a lieutenant,โ Imogen says quietly.
โTwo years ahead of us,โ Quinn adds. โGreat sense of humor.โ
โThis is cruel,โ I whisper. โTelling us that our siblings, our friends are dead this way is fucking cruel.โ Itโs harsher than anything weโve been put through at Basgiath.
โItโs no different than morning formation,โ Visia says over her shoulder. โYes, it is,โ Sloane argues. โHearing someone from a different wing
died, or hell, even our squad, isnโt the same as being told your brotherโs gone.โ Her voice cracks.
A lump swells painfully in my throat. Brennan is inside, no doubt arguing with the Assembly about where to find game for the tsunami of predators weโve brought here over the last month or coordinating shipments from the now-functioning forge. Heโs safe.
Every commissioned rider that isnโt here teaching has been sent in shifts to man the outposts along the Cliffs of Dralor, like Xaden, Garrick, Heaton, and Emeryโฆor to hold the front, like Mira.
Devera clears her throat and exchanges the roll for the one Jesinia holds.
My shoulders dip, a breath of relief clouding the freezing air. Miraโs alive. Or at least she was last night when the rotational rider brought the news in. Morning formation doesnโt scare me when it comes to XadenโIโd know instantly if heโฆ
Gods, I canโt even think it.
โChrissa Verlin,โ Devera begins reading from the commissioned fliersโ roll. โMika Renfrewโโ
โMika!โ A low, guttural scream erupts from our right, and every head turns to a drift near the center of the fliersโ formation as a guy falls to his knees. The rest of his drift turns, covering him with comforting arms.
โIโm never going to get used to hearing them do that,โ Aaric mutters, shifting his weight.
โHearing them what?โ Sloane counters. โHave emotions?โ
โSorrengail knows what I mean. Youโve been out thereโโ Aaric says to me.
โAnd I cried like an infant while Liam died. Turn around.โ Shit, isnโt that at odds with everything I told Rhiannon when we fought beside the Gauntlet? The deaths are supposed to harden us, so why do I agree with Sloane on this one? Thereโs something infinitely moreโฆhuman about the way the fliers react.
Even the way they conduct their own Threshing at Cliffsbane is considerably less cruel than what we endure at Basgiath. Now I canโt decide if it makes us strongerโฆor simply harder.
โโ and Alvar Gilana,โ Devara concludes. โWe commend their souls to Malek.โ
I glance rightโjust like I do every morningโand see Catโs posture soften, her eyes close briefly from her drift on the closest edge of their formation. Syrena is still alive, too.
She looks over at me and I nod, which she returns, even if itโs curt. Itโs our one daily moment of truce, the only time we seem to recognize each other as little sisters instead of enemies, and itโs over in less than a heartbeat.
Her gaze shifts into a glare as formation breaks.
Swear to Amari, Catโs hell-bent on making my life as miserable as fucking possible every other minute of the day and tries twice as hard on the days Xaden is here. Her loathing makes Sloane look downright warm and fuzzyโand worse, her entire drift seems focused on our squad, with five of the remaining sixโMaren being the exceptionโblaming me for Luellaโs death and loudly proclaiming that I chose the rider over the flier.
The tall guy with shoulder-length brown hairโpretty sure his name is Tragerโswung for Ridoc on the valleyโs flight field two days ago and ended up with Rhiannonโs fist in his face when he ran his mouth about her particular border village turning away refugees. His lip is still scabbed. Guess our little hike up the cliffs didnโt bond us like theyโd hoped.
โWhat did she do this morning?โ Rhiannon asks, looking Catโs direction with a raised brow.
โKnocked on my door before dawn, then got all annoyed when I actually answered the damned thing.โ Just the thought of it has my hand warming along the conduit. Felix has replaced the alloy in my conduit twice this week, but at least my inability to control my own power is helping imbue alloy for daggers, so in a way, Iโm helping the war effort, since my attempt at activating the wardstone failed. I roll my right shoulder, hoping to ease the ache now that Iโve ditched the sling, but it still protests.
โIs she running out of bullshit to pull on you?โ Ridoc asks as we start to move toward the door. It takes twice as long to get out of formation here than at Basgiath, considering Riorson House was built for keeping people out, not letting them in. โThat doesnโt sound as bad as Saturday, when she posted that list of all the fliers Mira has taken out over the years.โ
That day had been aย treatย and definitely soothed relations between riders and fliers. Weโd had at least a dozen more fights than usual break out in the hallways.
โShe was wearing a Deverelli silk robe when I answered the door.โ I grab my pack from the ground and swing it over my shoulders, grimacing at the weight. โHow do I know it was Deverelli silk, you ask? Because it was pretty much see-through.โ
โOh, damn!โ Sawyer cringes. โWhy would sheโฆ Are youโฆโ
Rhiannon, Quinn, and even Imogen stare at him as the first-years head inside.
โThink about where she sleeps!โ Ridoc smacks the back of Sawyerโs head.
โOw! Right. Youโre still in Riorsonโs room,โ Sawyer says slowly, blatantly turning his back on Cat as she walks by with her drift. โI forgot. Roll has you listed in Rhiannonโs room.โ
Bringing an extra hundred cadets here meant doubling up, and technically, I shouldnโt be sleeping in a lieutenantโs roomโnot that either of us care or leadership is going to say anything to the man who owns the house.
โWhich I appreciate.โ Rhiannon rests her hand over her heart. โAs it gives me a little privacy for whenever Tara and I actually get time to see each other.โ
โHappy to help.โ I crack a smile.
โHave to give it to the girl.โ Imogen shakes her head, sighing as she looks past me toward Cat and her drift. โSheโs tenacious.โ
Every head swivels in her direction.
โHey.โ Imogen puts her hands up. โIโm Team Violet. Just saying that I bet if Xaden ever called it quits, youโd fight to get him back, too.โ
Ugh. When she puts it that wayโฆ
โDo not humanize that walking piece of terror,โ Rhiannon counters. โI climbed theย entireย cliff with her, and Iโm starting to think weโd be better off having Jack Barlowe up here instead.โ
Heโs one person Iโm glad stayed behind, no matter how nice heโd been to me. I still donโt trust that guy. Never will.
โIs Cat beingโฆCat again?โ Bodhi asks, walking over as the courtyard empties.
โItโs fine. Sheโs fine. Iโm fine.โ I shake my head, lying through my teeth so he doesnโt tell Xaden that I canโt handle myself. โRhiannon and I have somewhere to be.โ
โWe do?โ Rhiโs eyebrows rise. โWe do.โ
โRight.โ He turns to Rhiannon. โWell, Professor Trissa just chose your second-years for a new class. Tomorrow at two in the valley.โ
Trissa? Sheโs the petite, quiet member of the Assembly. โWeโll be there,โ Rhi promises.
โฆ
now falls in Aretia earlier than it does at Basgiath, and by the first week in November, a thin blanket of white covers the rapidly growing town but not
S the valley above, thanks to a combination of the natural thermal heat of the mountain range and the magic channeled by gryphon and dragon alike, which only seems to be increasing.
I glance toward the worn path at the end of the valley that leads down to Riorson House, anxiety churning in my stomach.
โThis is awkward.โ Sawyer folds his arms and levels a bored look across the fifteen feet of valley grass that separate the second-year riders in our squad from the second-year fliers in Catโs drift.
Looks like weโve both been summoned.
But if the line of dragons standing behind us and the gryphons behind the fliers can manage not to attack each other, surely we can be civil.
โAgreed.โ
โCivil is overrated,โย Andarna notes, flexing her claws in the grass.ย โIโve never tasted gryphonโโ
โWe do not eat our allies,โย Tairn lectures.ย โFind another snack.โ
Looking right, I catch Sawyer glancing between Andarna and Tairn over and over, like heโs comparing the differences. โDonโt worry, I feel like I see double all the time.โ
โItโs not that. Did she grow again?โ he asks, pulling at his collar. โI feel like she grew.โ
โI think a few inches this week.โ I nod. โWe had to add a link to her harness on each side.โ
โSoon Iโll be able to fly without it,โย Andarna notes with a huff.
Ridoc pivots to make his own observations, smiling up at Andarna. โThe little Mini-Tairn is becoming ferocious, isnโt sheโโ
โI am no oneโs miniature.โย Andarnaโs head darts toward him, and she snaps her teeth less than a foot in front of his face.
My heartย bolts.ย โAndarna!โ I shout, turning quickly to put myself between her and Ridoc as she withdraws.
โDamn!โ Ridoc throws his hands up, his hair blowing back from the force of what can only be described as the frustrated huff of Tairnโsโฆsigh. โBig,โ Ridoc blurts. โMeant to say big.โ
โNo more spending time with Sgaeyl.โ I point at her, stopping short of tapping her chin before looking up at Tairn, whoโs lowered his head over her like he might actually put her between his teeth and yank her off the field like a puppy.ย โI mean it. Sheโs rubbing off on you.โ
โI could only be so lucky.โย Andarna lifts her head, preening, and Tairn grumbles something in his own language.
โHoly shit,โ Maren mutters from behind me.
โSorry about that. Adolescents.โ I shrug at Ridoc.
โStill canโt believe feathertails are kids,โ Sawyer says, taking a step away from Andarna. โOr that you bondedย twoย black dragons.โ
โThat one caught me off guard, too.โ
I glance toward the path again, but thereโs no sign of Rhiannon. If Professor Trissa gets here before Rhi, sheโll be in major trouble. Trissa might be the softest-spoken member of the Assembly, but sheโs also the sharpest-tongued when pissed, according to what Xaden told me before he flew out for the border again this morning with Heaton and Emery. At least weโd had a night together.
The third-years went, too, patrolling the Cliffs of Dralor for wyvern and Navarrian riders.
Wyvern we wouldnโt have to worry about if I hadnโt failed to raise the wards.
โWhich partโs worse?โ Ridoc muses, tapping the dimple in his chin. โThem silently glaring at us like we have any fucking clue why theyโre up here, too? Or their menacing escorts?โ His gaze locks on the gryphons standing guard over their fliers.
Dajalair wobbles slightly, still clearly not adjusted to the altitude. I have yet to see a single gryphon fly in the week that theyโve been here.
โBoth.โ Sawyer unbuttons his flight jacket. โIs it me or is it getting hotter up here?โ
โHotter,โ I agree, breathing a sigh of relief when Rhiannon appears, flashing me an excited smile as she hikes toward us from the other side of the field. I add to Ridoc, โAnd be nice. I like Maren.โ
โI like Maren, tooโbut her best friend needs to get tossed off this cliff,โ Sawyer notes under his breath.
โThe gryphons are up and about faster than I thought,โ Ridoc observes. โMost of them were still sleeping off the altitude a few days ago.โ
The gryphon standing behind Trager, the guy with the shoulder-length brown hair and crooked smileโnotices Ridocโs appraisal, and snaps his sharp, two-foot beak in warning.
Trager smirks.
Aotrom blows a hot gust of steam over our heads, blasting all three fliers in the face with not just steam but a healthy layer ofโฆis thatย snot?
โIn their defense, we brought our own escorts,โ I note as Andarna stalks forward, her claws sinking into the grass on either side of me in clear warning. Her talons grow sharper by the day, and she fully extended her wing for the first time this morning, making her extra bold this afternoon.
โElders say Iโll be flying within a few weeks.โย A growl aimed at the gryphon works up her throat, and his beady eyes flare, then blink.
โYouโre baring your teeth, arenโt you?โย I donโt bother hiding my smile.
โI donโt trust them,โย she answers.ย โEspecially the one in the center who looks to be plotting your death.โ
โDonโt let her bother you.โ
Catโs eyes are indeed narrowed on me as usual.
โShe bothers you.โย Andarna takes a single step forward, putting her chest scales just over my head.
โAnd sheโll get used to it, or sheโll kill her,โย Tairn answers from behind us where the other threeโno, fourโdragons wait now that Feirge has arrived.ย โEither is acceptable.โ
โI thought you were against us killing allies?โย I glance over my shoulder as his shade envelops me thanks to the afternoon sun. Maybe itโs Sliseag moving closer on her right, but thereโs a reddish sheen to Andarnaโs scales, and I canโt help but wonder when that shimmer will dull to a shade more like Tairn.
โShe has yet to prove herself an ally,โย Tairn notes.
โShe still blames me for Luellaโs death.โ
โHey, while weโre just standing hereโฆโ Sawyer rubs the back of his neck, and his cheeks redden. โIโฆโ
โYouโฆ?โ I lift my eyebrows at the clearly unfinished question.
โI was wondering if youโฆโ He cringes, then sighs. โNever mind.โ
โHe wants you to teach him how to sign,โ Ridoc finishes, rocking back on his heels in clear boredom.
โRidoc!โ Sawyer glares his way.
โWhat? You made that way more painful than it had to be. For fuckโs sake, it was like you were leading up to asking her out or something.โ He visibly shudders.
โWhat if he had been?โ I counter.
โThen Iโd be stuck cleaning little pieces of him off our shared floor when Riorson ripped him to shreds.โ Ridoc shakes his head. โSo messy.โ
โFirst, Xaden has more than enough confidence to survive me beingย asked out.โ I glance up at Sawyer. โAnd yes, Iโll teach you to sign. Why would that be embarrassing?โ
โI should have learned years ago.โ Sawyer drops his hand. โAndโฆ obvious reasons.โ
โIโm not fluent enough to make a good teacher, apparently.โ Ridoc rolls his eyes.
โYouโd teach me the sign forย sexย and tell me it wasย hello, just to see what happened when I used it,โ Sawyer fires back.
โWhat? Iโm not a total dick.โ A smile curves Ridocโs mouth. โI would have waited until you asked about the word forย dinnerโthat way, when you asked her if she wanted to grab a bite with youโโ
โOh!โ I blink, putting the pieces together.ย Jesinia.ย โDonโt worry, Sawyer.
Iโve got you. Rhi signs fluently, too. So do Aaric and Quinn, andโโ โEveryone but me.โ Sawyer sighs, his shoulders dipping.
โAlmost didnโt make it in time,โ Rhiannon says, slightly out of breath as she reaches us.
Tragerโs eyes narrow even further on Rhi as Professor Trissa rounds the corner behind her.
โHowโs the lip?โ Rhiannon asks, winking at Trager.
He moves to step forward, but Maren blocks him, shaking her head.
โI would have covered for you. Did you get your family settled?โ I ask Rhi.
Theyโd arrived late last night, travel-weary and with only the items they could fit in a narrow wagon capable of making it up the Precipice Pass, the winding trading route up the northeast side of the Cliffs of Dralor, bordering the Deaconshire province.
โYeah.โ Rhi grins and drops her pack in the surprisingly supple grass next to mine. I swear, itโs like the seasons are reversing up in this valley. โThank your brother for me. He assigned their houses right next to each other near the market square, and theyโve already picked out a spot to set up shop.โ
โWill do. And Lukas?โ Just the thought of her nephewโs perfect, chubby cheeks has me smiling wide.
โStill the cutest boyย ever.โ She unbuttons her flight jacket and shrugs it off her shoulders. โTheyโre exhausted, but theyโre safe. And the fact that I get to see them whenever I want now? Amazing. Plus, I got to show off my signet, and they were appropriately awed.โ
โThatโs phenomenal. Iโm really happy for you.โ My posture relaxes, and I take a truly deep breath. Families have been arriving in Aretia for the last week, led in small, unnoticeable groups by the members of the revolution who delivered their offers of sanctuary. Ridocโs dad should arrive any day, but we havenโt had word from Sawyerโs parents yet.
โYou might be wondering why weโre meeting in the valley,โ Professor Trissa says, her breaths perfectly even as she reaches into her pack and pulls out seven printed illustrations, then hands them out to the seven of us.
Another smile tugs at my lips. Jesinia and the others got the printing press up and running.
The illustrationโs a depiction of a Tyrrish rune, not unlike those in the weaving book Xaden left me when he graduated. After a closer look at the illustration, I recognize it. The series of graduated squares is nearly identical to the hilt of the dagger on my right hip.
โAs you are currently the top squad and drift, we have chosen your group as ourโฆtest of sorts.โ Professor Trissa steps back so she can see both lines of us. โYou can channel?โ she asks the fliers.
โAbout half power since yesterday morning,โ Cat answers. โMindwork?โ the professor asks with a tone of curiosity.
โNot yet,โ Maren answers.
โBut soon,โ Cat says, staring straight at me. โThe drifts are getting stronger every day.โ
As if Iโd forget what it was like to have her running amok in my head. โSo, back to arts-and-crafts hour?โ Ridoc asks, folding his arms.
โWho knows how mage lights are powered?โ Professor Trissa asks, ignoring his question and reaching into her pack. She removes eight small wooden boards, no bigger than a plate. She puts them in the center of our little stand-off. โWell?โ
โLesser magic,โ Maren answers.
โThe ones you create yourself.โ Professor Trissa nods. โWhat about the ones that run continuously in, say, the first-year dorms. The ones that work before you can channel?โ
Every rider looks at me.
โTheyโre powered by the excess magic both we and our dragons channel,โ I answer. โIt comes off us naturally, likeโฆwaves of body heat, but itโs such a small amount that we donโt even notice it.โ
โExactly,โ the professor agrees. โAnd what is it that makes that kind of magic possible? Magic tied to objects instead of a wielder?โ She looks us over with expectant, dark-brown eyes, then rubs the bridge of her nose. โGods, I thought Felix was joking. Sorrengail, youโre practicallyย coveredย in them.โ
I glance down, glimpsing the shimmer of my dragon-scale armor beneath the V-neck of my uniform top, then lock onto the daggers Xaden gave me. โRunes?โ
โRunes,โ Professor Trissa confirms. โRunes arenโt just decorative. Theyโre strands of magic pulled from our power, woven into geometric
patterns for specific uses, then placed into an object, either for immediate work or usage at a later date. We call the process โtempering.โโ
โThatโs not possible.โ Maren shakes her head. โMagic is only wielded.โ โItโs still wielded.โ Professor Trissa all but sighs in disappointment at
our ignorance. โBut just like we store food for winter, a wielder can temper a rune using as much or as little power as they choose, then place it into something.โ She bends down and picks up one of the boards and waves it in our general directions. โLike wood, or metal, or whatever object the wielder chooses. That rune will activate when triggered and perform whatever action it was tempered for. Unlike alloy, which houses power, runes are tempered with power for specific actions.โ
Rhi and I exchange a confused glance.
โI see weโll need some convincing.โ Professor Trissa drops the board and lifts her hands. โFirst you separate a strand of your power.โ She reaches forward and pinches air between her thumb and forefinger. โWhich can be the most complicated step to learn, honestly.โ
โIs she pretending?โ Ridoc whispers.
Professor Trissa shoots him a sharp-eyed glare. โJust because you canโt see my power doesnโt mean I canโt. Or are you unfamiliar with the process of grounding? Like your shields, your power is only visible to you when you give it form, whether itโs the shape of your signet as a rider, or lesser magics, which you are all capable of.โ
โPoint taken.โ Ridoc puts his empty hand up in defeat.
โPower can be shaped.โ Her hands move quickly, pulling at pieces of air, then using her fingers to form invisible shapes. Circles? Squares? Was that a triangle? Itโs hard to tell when we canโt see. โEvery shape has meaning. The points where we tie the power change that meaning. All of which you will need to memorize.โ She reaches into the air again, then createsโฆa rhombus? โThe shapes we combine layer the meanings, changing the rune. Will it activate immediately? Sit in suspended state? How many times can it activate before the rune depletes? Itโs all decided here.โ She seems to flip whatever sheโs working on, then pulls another string and doesโฆsomething.
โFucking weird,โ Ridoc mumbles under his breath. โItโs like when youโre little and you ask your parents to drink from the teacup, knowing thereโs no actual tea in it.โ
Rhiannon shushes him.
โOnce itโs readyโโProfessor Trissa bends and grabs the board, then standsโ โwe place the rune. Until itโs placed, it has no meaning, no purpose, and will fade quickly. Itโs tempering the rune that makes it an active magic.โ She grabs what I assume is the rune sheโs been tempering with her right hand, then pushes her palm into the wooden board. โThis particular one is a simple heating rune.โ
โThat was simple?โ Sawyer asks.
The board smokes, and I lean forward, my eyes widening.
โAnd there you have it.โ She turns the front of the board toward the fliers, then shows us. โOnce you understand which shapes combine to make what symbols, the combinations are nearly limitless.โ
My jaw hangs open for a moment. The shapes have beenย burnedย into what I would have said was a decorative rune about ten minutes ago. I glance down at the illustration in my hands and wonder what the hell the dagger on my hip is supposed to do.
Every shape has meaning. The points where we tie the power change that meaning. I take another look at the multifaceted shape before she flips the board, holding it to face skyward, and my eyes widen with realization.
โItโs a logosyllabic language,โ I blurt. โLike Old Lucerish or Morrainian.โ
Professor Trissa lifts her eyebrows as she looks my way. โVery similar, yes.โ Her mouth curves into a smile. โThatโs right, you can read Old Lucerish, too.โ She nods. โImpressive.โ
โThank you.โ
โSheโs ours,โ Ridoc says to the fliers, pointing at me.
Not sure Iโm anything to brag about, considering I barely passed theย historyย quiz this morning. At least Iโm solid in math, but then again, math doesnโt change overnight.
โYouโre an ice wielder, are you not?โ Professor Trissa asks Ridoc.
He nods, and she holds out her hand.
Ridoc uncorks the skin strapped at his hip, then draws the water out from the mouthpeice in a frozen cylinder before walking it to Professor Trissa.
She places the ice on the board, and my gasp isnโt the only one heard as the ice dissolves in a matter of seconds and water drips from the sizzling wood. โBe careful of the medium you choose to hold the rune. A bit more power and that board would have gone up in flames.โ
โWhy does no one teach this?โ Maren asks, glancing from her parchment to the board.
โItโs a skill the Tyrrish once controlled and perfected, but it was banned a couple hundred years after the unification of Navarre, even though many of our outposts and Basgiath itself were built upon them. Why?โ She lifts her brows. โIโm so glad you asked. You see, riders are naturally more powerful, given the amount of magic we channel and the signets we wield.โ
Trager rolls his eyes.
โBut runes are the great equalizer,โ Professor Trissa continues, setting the board on the grass now that itโs stopped sizzling. โA rune is only limited to how much power you choose to temper, how long you want it to last, and how many uses it has before it depletes. They banned runes so they wouldnโt fall into the wrong hands.โ She glances at the fliers. โYour hands, specifically. Get good enough at runes, and you can compete with a fair amount of signets.โ
โSo, you want us toโฆtemper this?โ Cat asks, studying the illustration with an arched eyebrow. โOut ofโฆmagic?โ
I hate to admit it, but Iโm with Cat on this oneโand by the looks on the faces around me, we all are. Even Rhi is glancing at the drawing with trepidation. This feelsโฆoverwhelming.
โYes. With the power youโll learn to separate from yourselves, just like I showed you.โ Professor Trissa opens her pack and dumps another pile of boards onto the first.
She made it look soย easy.
โWeโre going to start with a simple unlocking rune. Easy to build, easy to test.โ She glances between our lines.
โWe can all unlock doors with lesser magic,โ Trager notes.
โOf course you can.โ Professor Trissa sighs. โBut an unlocking rune can be used by someone who doesnโt possess lesser magic. Now letโs go. I expect your first runes woven before sunset.โ
โThereโs no way weโre going to learn how to do that before sunset,โ Sawyer argues.
โNonsense. Every marked one has learned a simple unlocking rune the first day.โ
โNo pressure,โ Rhi mutters.
โSloane and Imogen can do this?โ I ask.
โNaturally.โ Professor Trissa shakes her head at me.
This is why Xaden had me practicing runes with fabric. Is that man ever going to learn to just tell me things outright? Or am I always going to have to dig information out of him? โโIโll answer any question you ask,โโ I mock under my breath. Itโs hard to ask questions I donโt even knowย exist.
โYouโre supposed to be the best of your year, so stop gawking and get to work,โ Professor Trissa lectures. โThe first thing youโll need to do is learn to separate a piece of your own power. Let it fill your mind, then reach in and visualize plucking a thread of it from the current.โ
Rhiannon, Sawyer, Ridoc, and I exchange a series of what-the-fuck glances that are echoed by the fliers across from us.
โAdvice?โย I ask Tairn and Andarna.
โDonโt blow anything up.โย Tairn shifts his weight behind me.
โAt least blowing something up would be interesting,โย Andarna notes, eliciting a growl from Tairn.
โNow,โ Trissa demands, then holds up a finger. โOh, and be careful. Power gets temperamental when you pull from it. Thatโs why your bondeds are here. The closer the source, the easier it is for the first time.โ She looks us over, then folds her arms across her chest. โWell, what are you waiting for?โ
I shut my eyes and envision my Archives and the swirling power that surrounds it. The blazing, molten stream of Tairnโs power that flows behind his giant door looks capable of consuming me, but the pearlescent flow of Andarnaโs power just beyond the windows feelsโฆapproachable.
Steadying my breath, I reach for Andarnaโs powerโ
Boom.ย An explosion sounds, and my eyes fly open, every head whipping toward Sawyer as he flies backward. He lands just short of Sliseagโs claws, a scorch mark left smoking in the grass where heโd been standing.
โAndย thatย is why weโre having this class outdoors.โ Professor Trissa shakes her head. โOn your feet. Try again.โ
Ridoc walks back and helps Sawyer to his feet, and then we do just that. Try again. And again. And again.
Before sunset, I manage to weave an unlocking rune, but Iโm not the first.
Cat has that honor and, unlike the rest of us, no scorch marks beneath her feet.