Chapter 43 Nikolai
Nikolai
If I wanted to keep my distance from Taera, I probably shouldn’t have given in to the urge to kiss her.
When my lips met hers, and her magic met mine…
I could feel everything. Her heat, her delight, the newness of it all.
I had to force myself to break away, to keep myself in check.
But the way she looked up at me after—like I had set her entire world aglow—left me breathless.
Finding her at the party—devastated, being taken advantage of—enraged me. It shouldn’t have made me so angry, except when my face got involved. But then she confessed she wanted to kiss me…
My thoughts cut short, and I can’t suppress a grin. She won’t even meet my eyes today, and her cheeks color whenever I glance at her. It’s adorable.
The last few days have been chaotic: from the party to Jezebel vying for my attention to Taera being… well, Taera. Fierce and honest. It’s refreshing beyond belief to hear her say what she thinks, rather than playing magicians’ mind games.
Shaking my head, I look down at the pale book in front of me.
I can’t translate any of it. At this rate, it’s going to take until the masquerade to read even a single page.
A code, I could solve. But an entire language…
I flip the book closed. Classes drag by—Advanced Harmony and Scenework Ensemble.
I tune in occasionally to ensure I haven’t missed anything I don’t already know.
My only other clue is the shards. I’ve collected four. And I’ve gone through half the sources in this school but still haven’t figured out what the shards do. Even Jezebel could barely make the pieces flicker, and she’s the best source in my year. Well, except…
Taera’s abilities aren’t calm enough to be properly assessed yet, but there’s no doubt as to her power. It’s an absurd idea. Absurd enough it just might work. Or it might go terribly wrong.
Something else gnaws at my chest, something I’ve been trying hard to ignore.
I feel sympathy. For my source. It’s baffling I should care about her self-inflicted suffering, considering how much of a stinger in my side she’s been.
I told her to avoid the party; Taera went.
So why does it bother me how miserable she’s made herself?
Even I can’t avoid the snickering that’s spread across the Halls like wildfire.
Taera is the joke of the school. I ignore the way she winces when she hears the stifled laughter behind her back.
She’s spending more and more time by herself, in my chambers, and I can’t bring myself to kick her out again.
Even during class, she just stares down at her desk instead of trying to pester me with questions like she used to.
I should be grateful for the quiet. But instead, I have this nagging worry that the Halls are starting to break her.
That stubbornness is what’s gotten her into trouble, but it’s also what’s kept her alive.
I should ignore it all and focus on what’s important: helping my sister. And I do. I drift from class to class, tinkering with the symbols of the lost language, spending long hours in the evenings pursuing what I know will be more dead ends.
My mind drifts back to Taera’s dark eyes and flushed, freckled face.
Those are images I need to get out of my head if I’m going to figure out what the shards do. But my thoughts loop back to the same memory, a reckless distraction. Then again, Taera is the only idea that I currently have.
I wind my way back toward my chambers.
I know it’s a bad idea. She might destroy the shards entirely, or worse. But what good is a clue that I can’t access?
When I push open the door, I expect to find Taera sitting on her mat or doing her exercises. Instead, the room is empty. I glance out the window; the sun has set.
Taera knows the Halls are dangerous after dark, but maybe she’s just off practicing with Omi. She’s been furiously dedicated lately. My eyes skim across her belongings. Except there aren’t any.
I step closer, peeling away layers of illusions from the bed and flinging the pillow to the side. There’s a crumpled note underneath.
I snatch it up, commanding it flat and skimming its looped writing.
My breath leaves me. No.
I compress my panic, and my illusions flicker. I exhale, snuffing out all emotion as my mind sharpens. Blood glass won’t help my source, but I can. She is still under the protection of one of the most powerful magicians of the Halls. And my amulets are full.
If I can get there in time.