Chapter 34
?I woke to a rhythmic, relentless knocking on my door.
?Looking around groggily, completely disoriented, I realized that I had drooled directly onto the pages of the book I'd been reading last night. I groaned.
It felt like a dual insult to both literature and my personal dignity.
?Pushing myself out of bed, I squinted toward the window. The sun hadn't even fully cleared the horizon. This was unacceptable.
?I shuffled over and yanked the door open. Martha was standing there, looking far too alert.
?"Your lessons begin in thirty minutes," she announced.
?I stared at her through blurry eyes. "But it's practically night time."
?She shrugged, entirely unmoved by my plight. "Master Rhaevan sent for you."
?Fabulous.
?I arrived at the training grounds precisely on time, fully intending to behave like a mature, reasonable adult. This plan, however, did not include forgiving Rhaevan for violating my sacred beauty sleep.
?He was already waiting for me, looking infuriatingly awake. I stopped a few paces away, crossed my arms, and gave him my best glare.
?"Good morning," he said.
?"I acknowledge your presence," I replied stiffly. "Though it's clear you and I have wildly different definitions of a 'morning.'"
?I pointedly snapped my gaze away.
?He blinked.
?"That," I added, "is the limit of our conversation outside of training matters."
?A brief silence settled over the courtyard.
?"Understood," he said.
?I frowned. I had expected at least a little resistance. His immediate cooperation felt profoundly annoying.
?Walking past him, I slumped onto a stone bench and let out a massive yawn. "So, what grand mystic arts are we upto today?"
?"Learning to feel your magic."
?I eyed him skeptically. "That sounds incredibly vague."
?He ignored my commentary.
"You keep trying to force it. Innate magic doesn't respond well to being bullied."
?"I thought controlling it was the entire point."
?"Not in the way you're attempting."
?I narrowed my eyes. "Then my magic and I appear to have fundamentally different expectations of this relationship."
?A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Close your eyes."
?I let out a dramatic sigh. "Why does every single lesson involve me being temporarily blinded?"
?"Because I said so."
?Grumbling under my breath, I squeezed my eyes shut.
?"What do you feel?" he asked.
?I gave it serious thought. "Mild annoyance. Directed at the universe, but mostly at you."
?More silence.
?"Very helpful," he murmured.
?"You asked."
?I heard him exhale softly-a sound I chose to interpret as a sigh of defeat. It pleased me.
?"Try again," he said, his voice dropping to a calmer register. "Don't hunt for the magic. Just pay attention to yourself."
?I disliked that instruction immediately, but I tried anyway.
?The morning was quiet, the air crisp and cool. Somewhere nearby, water trickled softly through the creek. And beneath the ambient noise of nature, I noticed something else.
?It felt calm. Warm. Faint, but cozy-like a small, steady electric current humming just beneath my skin.
----zzzz------zzzzz----
?"Cassiane?"
?The voice sounded miles away.
?"Cassiane!"
?I snapped my eyes open, blinking. Rhaevan was standing directly in front of me, staring down at me.
?"I felt it!" I lied quickly, straightening up. "The magic. Brilliant stuff. Moving on?"
?He looked entirely unconvinced. "You were snoring, Cassiane."
?I held his gaze, refusing to flinch. "That is simply how my magic sounds."
?"Snoring? Really?"
?"Me? Snoring?" I scoffed, deeply offended. "How thoroughly unladylike. I can't believe you'd accuse me of something so vulgar."
?He sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging in a way that signaled total surrender.
?"Alright then," he said after a long pause, pointing to a few small pebbles scattered near the edge of the path. "Move one."
?"Excuse me?"
?"You claim you felt your magic. Prove it. Move a pebble."
?I sat up straight. Fine. I couldn't afford to lose any more dignity before breakfast.
?I held out my hand, narrowed my eyes at a target, and focused. Nothing happened. I tried again, pushing harder. Still nothing.
?Frowning, I glanced at him. He was watching intently.
?I took a deep breath, clenched my jaw, and threw everything I had at the ground.
?Without warning, three pebbles shot into the air like loose crossbow bolts. One violently launched itself into the bushes. Another splashed into the creek. The third bounced squarely off the toe of Rhaevan's boot.
?"Well," I said cheerfully.
?"I asked for one."
?"You received three. I call that remarkably efficient."
?"I don't think magic honors the buy-one-get-two-free rule."
?"I disagree."
?He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Try again."
?I obliged.
?This time, a whole cluster of pebbles lifted into the air, accompanied by a sudden swirl of dead leaves. And then-rrrrip.
?I blinked.
?Rhaevan looked down. A long, clean strip of fabric was now dangling uselessly from the sleeve of his tunic.
?I stared at the shredded fabric, then up at his face. "I genuinely have no idea how I did that."
?He didn't move.
?I pointed a finger at the tear. "In my defense, your wardrobe choices appear highly fragile. You should really reconsider the fabric quality."
?He stared at me, deadpan. I stared back, completely unrepentant.
?Then, to my immense irritation, he laughed.
?"I'm thrilled my destructive tendencies amuse you," I huffed.
?He cleared his throat, making a valiant attempt to stitch his stoic mentor persona back together. "Alright. Continue."
?So we did. And continued. And continued.
?Every single attempt resulted in absolutely nothing, far too much, or something entirely unrelated to the task.
At one point, a patch of nearby flowers trembled violently as if caught in an earthquake.
A few minutes later, the creek inexplicably splashed a wave of water directly onto my shoes.
Then, a gust of localized wind scattered an entire stack of his practice papers across the clearing.
?I stared at the drifting parchment, then crossed my arms. "This is a disaster."
?"You're frustrated," he noted. "Your magic is mirroring your mood."
?"What?"
?"You get annoyed, and your magic becomes unstable."
?I scowled. "Well, it needs to stop taking my feelings so personally."
?A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
?Eventually, he took a step back. "One last attempt."
?I sighed. "That is exactly what people say right before a magical catastrophe occurs."
?"Try anyway."
?Scanning the ground, I spotted a lone, innocent leaf resting on the stone path. "Fine. But if I accidentally incinerate the forest, I'm blaming your teaching methods."
?I focused.
?The leaf trembled. I held my breath, gently coaxing it.
?Slowly, miraculously, it lifted into the air. It floated a few inches above the ground, perfectly suspended.
?My eyes went wide. "I did it!" A massive smile broke across my face.
?For one glorious, triumphant second, I forgot to maintain my grip.
?The leaf instantly burst into flames. A tiny, incredibly enthusiastic fireball.
?We both watched in silence as it burned into a speck of ash, which drifted gently into the creek. I stared at the empty space where my victory had just been.
?"The next lesson in magic," Rhaevan said, his voice perfectly calm, "is to actually pay attention to what you are doing."
?"Hey, that's unfair. I was celebrating!!!"
?"Too early."
?I frowned. "Do you think the leaf was offended by my happiness?"
?To my absolute horror, he laughed again.
?"Why are you laughing?" I demanded. "It spontaneously combusted!" I crossed my arms tightly. "It's tragic, not funny."
?"Don't look so miserable," he said, the smile lingering in his eyes. "Progress rarely looks perfect."
?I rolled my eyes. "I'm not miserable about my performance. I'm miserable about your teaching skills."
?Before he could respond, hurried footsteps echoed down the path. A junior mage skidded to a halt a few steps away and bowed deeply. "Master Rhaevan, Princess Lysenne Eryndor has arrived. She requests an immediate audience."
?I watched-with absolutely no personal investment whatsoever, of course-as something in Rhaevan's expression instantly softened.
?"I'll be there shortly," he told the messenger.
?The mage bowed again and vanished.
?Rhaevan turned back to me. "That's enough for today."
?I nodded, entirely ready to head back to bed. He turned to leave, but stopped after a couple of paces.
?"Cassiane."
?I looked up.
?"Nothing is achieved without practice," he said quietly. "You'll get there. I'm sure of it."
?I huffed. "That is a terrifying amount of confidence to place in someone who just spent the morning murdering vegetation."
?A small, incredibly gentle smile appeared on his face. "Then I'll simply have to become a better teacher."
?I blinked. "That sounds dangerously like you're accepting the blame for the leaf."
?"I am."
?I narrowed my eyes, looking for the catch. But his expression only softened further.
?"I believe in you, Cassiane," he said.
?I opened my mouth to fire off a quick, sarcastic retort. Nothing came out.
?"I always have."
?I froze. He held my gaze for a beat longer, and for a fleeting second, his smile looked almost sad.
?Then, he lifted his hand, and a ceramic cup materialized in his grip. It looked alarmingly identical to the one I had thoroughly shattered the night before. He extended it toward me.
?"Try not to take your frustrations out on this one."
?I stared at the cup, then up at him. "...Are you seriously carrying around crockery for my emotional support?"
?A quiet, genuine laugh escaped him. "Only when strictly necessary."
?I accepted the cup with as much regal dignity as I could muster. He inclined his head slightly, turned, and walked away.
?I watched his retreating figure in total silence. Then, completely against my will, a small smile crept onto my face.
?This was fast becoming a serious problem. Staying angry at him was considerably easier when he wasn't standing around looking at me with that stupid, gentle expression.
?"Rhaevan," I muttered under my breath, turning back toward the castle, "please stop making it so difficult to hate you."