Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
Sebastian walked me back to my room, not saying a word the entire time. He seemed uncomfortable, and I think he felt ashamed that I heard his father speak to him in that manner. Unbeknownst to him, I wasn't surprised to witness their banter after what Pia had told me about their relationship.
It was almost dusk by the time I settled back into my room.
Before he left, Sebastian told me he would be back in two hours to escort me to the kitchen for dinner.
Finally alone, I changed out of my clothes and into something more comfortable before lying down on my bed.
I stared blankly at the ceiling for an hour, trying to process the day.
I went over my wielding session in my head, trying to comprehend how I used my gift without even realizing.
If wielding my power and shielding others required me to use a similar mental tactic, how would I distinguish between the two?
There must have been a way to channel magic without needing to be in a complete state of relaxation.
It would just require more practice for me to figure out.
The clock ticked on the top of my wardrobe, and I peered over at it. I still had some time before Sebastian was back. I could be back in my room before he even noticed I left.
Within seconds, the outside air brushed over my skin, making me wish I had something warmer on. The humid summer nights were almost gone, replaced by the crisp kiss of fall. Goosebumps rose on my arms as I hurried through the thick dune grass that separated the dormitories from the shore.
I kicked my shoes off in the sand to walk barefoot along the edge of the water, keeping my eyes peeled for what I was looking for.
About a quarter of a mile from my shoes, my gaze set on two tiny eyes, glowing in the moonlight.
I slowed my pace, tiptoeing until I approached the small crab.
It scurried back and forth, playing a game with the waves as they rolled up and down the sand.
I crouched down a few feet away from it and settled my full attention on the power within me.
I didn't close my eyes like I had with Pia, instead I locked them on the crab and envisioned it turning away from the water. I imagined it scurrying further back on the sand where it was safe, but the command didn't work—the crab just continued its battle with the tide.
With my legs getting sore from crouching, I sat down fully, not caring that wet sand now covered my pants. I closed my eyes and tried to recreate what I had done in class. Relaxing my mind, I said out loud, “Get away from the water.”
I squinted my eyes open, only to see that the crab had not moved.
Groaning in frustration, I propped my elbow on my knee, resting my chin on my hand.
Maybe my magic only worked on humans? I considered the possibility, but quickly shot the idea down when I recalled what Stoll read me from his book.
Blythe’s power worked on anything with a soul.
An aggressive gust of wind blew by, but I ignored the sting of cold air and crawled ever so slightly towards the crab. When it was distracted by an incoming wave, I scooped it into my hands then rose to my feet.
The crab’s beady eyes flickered back and forth. It settled into my hands rather quickly, its delicate legs scurrying over my palm.
“Alright, little one, let's try this again,” I said to the crustacean as though it could understand me.
Completely still, I focused my full attention on my command. I let the sound of the sea aid in the relaxation of my body and mind. When I felt prepared, I said out loud, “Close your eyes.”
My gemstones tickled my cheek as the words escaped me. The feeling was subtle and a tad painful, but a good indication that I had done something right.
In an instant, the roaming eyes of the crab closed tightly. I laughed in excitement, and unintentionally dropped my command, allowing the creature's eyes to reopen. If a crab had the ability to look confused, this one did.
“Damn it,” I muttered. I guess I had to really maintain my focus to hold a command. Hopefully that would change with time and practice.
I planted my feet firmly into the ground, steadying myself in the event that a rogue wave tried to knock me down. The hairs on my arms stood up as another blast of chilled wind raced by. I shuffled a little in the sand, pondering my next command for the crab.
Refocusing my mind, I softened my stance. “Freeze.”
The crab followed my order, its body instantly becoming rigid.
The movement of its legs came to a halt, and its torso collapsed into my palm.
I gazed at the tiny life held within my grasp, noting how peaceful the crab looked, though the moment was brief.
I lost my focus again and the crab returned to its previous state, crawling back and forth through the trails in my skin.
I stumbled a little, my body suddenly feeling weak. I brushed it off as being hungry and exhausted. Speaking of which, I had to be back to my room soon to meet Sebastian. He’d be pissed if I wasn't there when he showed up.
“Okay, let's try one more thing before I go,” I whispered to the crab. I corrected my stance one more time and allowed my brain to unwind.
“Jump.”
As soon as the word left my lips, the crab dove from my hand, plummeting towards the sand. I followed it down with my eyes, and gasped at the sound of its tiny carcass shattering when it landed on a rock.
I was shivering by the time I made it up the stairs and to my room. My arms were weak as they yanked open my door, and I made a mental note to make sure I ate before power wielding next time—also to not sit in wet sand when it was freezing out.
My eyes widened at Sebastian as I stumbled into my room. He was lounging in my armchair, reading a book.
Shit.
His eyes landed on me. Slamming his book shut as he stood up, his long legs began striding towards me.
“Where have you been?”
I expected him to be angry, but his tone was casual as he took in the sight of me. Salt water and sand dripped off my clothes into a puddle on the floor where I stood in front of him.
Sebastian’s forehead creased. “Why are you wet?”
I frowned. “I killed a crab.”
A dark eyebrow arched. “Oh?”
I bent down to untie my boots, taking them off and tossing them by the door. “Wait a second.” I put my hands on my hips as I rose. “How did you get in here?”
Sebastian’s lips perked up. “I have a key.”
“Of course you do.” My eyes rolled as I trudged past him towards the washroom, leaving a trail of water behind me.
His hand caught the door as I tried to close it. “I'm serious. Where were you?”
“Sebastian, I'm soaked and freezing. Can you please just give me five minutes to shower and change before you interrogate me?”
He groaned, but pushed the door closed to give me some privacy.
The heat from the shower stung against my icy skin.
I took longer under the water than I’d said, but my body needed the extra time to return to a normal temperature.
When finished, I patted my hair dry with a towel and pulled on some loungewear.
I didn't plan on accompanying Sebastian to get dinner anymore, I was far too tired.
Once decent, I exited the washroom and threw myself down onto my bed, curling up in the warmth of the quilt that covered it. “Okay, let the investigation commence,” I said.
Sebastian approached the foot of my bed, grasping the top of the footboard and leaning over it. “For the third time, where were you?”
“I went to the beach to try and practice my wielding.” I sighed, rolling away from him so that he couldn't see my face. “I was planning to be back before you arrived, but I tend to lose track of time when I don’t have my watch with me.”
He snickered at my comment. “Well? How did it go?”
I rolled back to face him again, my face showing my perplexity. “You're not gonna scold me for running away from my babysitter again?”
“I thought I was your watch?” he said sarcastically, smiling as he crouched down at the side of my bed, putting us eye to eye. “And what's the point of scolding you when I know you won’t listen to me, anyways?”
“Now you're catching on.”
“I'm very quickly learning that you don't take well to being told what to do, and that's something I'm going to have to work with.”
“Good. Because you'll also learn that I don't take well to not getting my way.”
His ocean eyes locked with mine, shades of blue swirling throughout his irises. It didn't matter how many times I saw them, each time I was more amazed at their beauty.
“I told you before that I don't need to be with you every second of every day, but I need to know where you are,” he began.
“Ah, here comes the lecture.”
“It's not a lecture. I'm just saying that I know you don't think that you need protection, but when word gets out of what your powers are, you will.”
The deepness of his voice sent shivers down my back. My focus drifted to his lips, and I hoped he didn't notice the way I admired the fullness of them—and how I imagined what they’d feel like against mine.
Stop it, Maeve. You barely know him.
Refocusing on what he was saying, I nodded in response. It had only been a few days since we apologized to each other, but I already felt as though I was getting to know him. Something about him just made me feel comfortable, and although I didn’t need a protector, he did make me feel safe.
“Now don’t make me ask again.” Sebastian rose to his full height and walked back to the armchair. He slouched into it sideways, putting his legs over one of the arms. I marveled at him from afar, taking in the way he looked so dashing without even trying.
I sat upright, pulling my quilt up to my neck. “It went okay, I guess.” I scratched my head. “I was able to control a crab to do a few simple things. But then it died so—”
“Are you saying that you commanded it to commit suicide?” Sebastian snickered.