Chapter 61
Jane
From what I had gathered, spellcraft was a vast discipline, branching into countless applications that demanded command over different parts of the body.
Manipulation of elements or solids was driven purely by the mind.
Spells could allow a mageborn to control water or air, or even another body, if they knew the correct command, though that was not always necessary.
Mana could read intent directly from the mind, which was how I had managed to pin Reagan in place.
Weather manipulation came from somewhere in the chest, or rather, in muscles threaded through a dense network of nerves there. That was why weather magic bent so readily when emotions ran high, especially for those with greater access, like Joy.
Divination must have come from the spot in my head that Madden’s Healer, Angus, had spoken about.
Warding drew from the thighs and the leaner muscles throughout the body. The ability could range from a battle mage shielding themselves in combat to Reagan’s reach over an entire courtyard. That was how Reagan knew that the Scion trailing Madden was a shield just by assessing the man’s build.
Compulsion and influence were different. They came from the facial muscles concentrated around the eyes. Eye contact was as essential to compelling someone as the command.
What I knew very little about was mind control.
The court had used it on my father, peeling back his memories and reshaping them.
It was capable of making someone forget the last days of their life, or the last hour, or even the last five seconds.
It depended on a thin, fan-shaped muscle along the temples, known among Healers as the frowning muscle.
Apparently, Finn had mastered it. That was how he made Cahir forget the seconds in which he might have seen Reagan pull me from the crowd.
I ran over the cobbles, veering through alleys with the choker biting against my throat as I searched for Cahir.
It didn’t take long. I let him spot me in the unfamiliar body, then bolted in the opposite direction. Cahir sprang after me, and I pushed harder, lungs burning.
He was faster. Before I reached the end of the alley, hands clamped onto my shoulders and hauled me up. Quickly, he pulled us out of view and pressed me against the wall.
“If you try this again, I’ll cut your feet off,” he rasped. “You don’t need them to be useful.”
Still panting from the run, I let my head drop. Cahir checked his watch and shoved his hair back, breathing hard as he glowered at me. Then, with rough impatience, he began patting me down. My waist. My back. Searching.
I held my breath and let him finish.
He leaned close. “Your owner will be very upset about this, milady. Now you’ll walk behind me and do everything I say.”
The compulsion slid over me, numbness creeping into my toes, spreading upward. I didn’t know if he meant Madden or himself.
“Smile for me,” he ordered.
I didn’t have to summon the fear. I let it sit plainly on my face as I smiled and pretended to struggle, allowing my eyes to glaze.
He caught my chin between his fingers. “I miss your pretty face. When we’re back, I’ll decide on a fitting punishment for this rebellious behaviour.”
Keeping the smile in place took effort and energy I didn’t have. Yet if I stopped, he would know.
“You ran because you’re scared that Giddeon withdrew his protection, but…” His gaze flicked to the stranger’s mouth. “I’ll offer you mine. Things will be better if you’re smart and obey me from now on. Understood?”
My eagle screeched in my mind, and an animalistic urge to claw his eyes out flooded my entire being. I wanted to hurt him, and Madden, and every last one of their ilk.
He turned back toward the train station, drawing me close. We wove through strangers until we reached a pair of Scions waiting for Cahir, once again guiding us back to their den.