Chapter 34 Ellowyn
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ellowyn
“Again!” Torin called from across the grounds, barely winded despite the length of our training session and the depths of power he’d pulled.
I, on the other hand, fought against dimming vision and diminishing energy.
My chest fell in ragged pants as I pulled at the two foreign magics that nestled close to my wells of Creation and Destruction.
For so long, I’d believed I only had access to two magics, but on Lex’s insistence and Ilyas’ instruction, I’d parsed through the mess of power in my chest and discovered four unique strands.
While the initial shock had all but worn off, it was still uncomfortable to wield Pleasure and Pain in the same way as my Creation and Destruction.
I wiped the sweat from my brow with the hem of my untucked tunic, the fabric coming away far more saturated than should be possible.
“Breathe, Ellowyn. Breathe, then reach. It’s an extension of you, as easy as grabbing either of your other magics. Just different,” Torin called, then laughed when I sent him a half-hearted, rude hand gesture in reply.
A crowd had gathered around the edges of the training grounds, other Mages and Vessels intrigued by the godlings in their midst. What started as a private session for Torin and me quickly devolved into a public forum, and deep chatter and laughs echoed from behind where our audience watched in rapt fascination.
Advice was easy for Torin to give—his practice was smooth, effortless. It was easy as breathing for him to draw upon one power after another, force the ground into the air before incinerating the falling chunks of earth so they returned as particles of ash.
Never once did he break a sweat or falter.
It was mesmerizing and more than a little intimidating.
He’d shot me a cocky smirk before sauntering to the other edge of the training grounds, giving me space to work and call forth my own powers.
I appreciated the distance despite wanting his instruction initially—I was unsure what accessing Pain and Pleasure would do and how my other magics would respond.
At first, I’d worked only with Creation and Destruction, using one right after the other to create vine cages and mile-high walls before returning them to the ether. It was exhilarating and beautiful, like watching the cycle of life in real time.
Eventually, though, Torin told me it was time to work with my other magics. Which is how I found myself frustrated and dripping under the midafternoon sun.
A growl built in my throat as I tried to reach for my Pain Magic, Destruction bouncing into my palm instead.
I released it with a grunt, spearing the ground and revealing a four-foot-deep hole. Gasps and exclamations sounded, followed by a round of clapping, our people not caring that the result was not the intended outcome.
“Pause!” Lex called, jogging from where he leaned next to Torin, soulful brown eyes tracking me while maintaining a loose conversation with my soon-to-be husband.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as he drew closer, boots sinking into the earth softened by Torin’s Water Magic. I pawed at the tendrils of hair that had escaped my high bun. They, like everything else, stuck to my damp skin.
“Nothing,” Lex said with a shrug. “Just came to talk.”
I raised my eyebrows and cut him a glare.
“I’m kind of busy right now,” I grumbled, much to the Mage’s amusement.
“I can see that, little godling. I’m just wondering what it is you’re trying to do.”
I blinked rapidly, turning to face him fully. “Channel all four of my magics.”
Lex nodded his head with a hum. “At the same time?”
“That’s what Torin can do,” I shot back immediately, but my tone never changed Lex’s affable nature.
I could see why Ilyas—and now Folami, and even my brother, though he’d vehemently deny it—were drawn to him.
He was like the calm after a storm, the peace of sweet summer rain. Even I felt calmer in his presence.
“But you are not Torin,” he said simply. My shoulders sagged, body deflating.
“No, I’m not,” I admitted quietly with a shake of my head. Torin shot me a quizzical look from his position on the side of the field, silently asking if I wanted his presence.
Warmth filled me at his desire to be near me, to help, but I shook my head. I loved him, was happy to have his instruction, but I needed to do this on my own.
“I don’t say that like it’s a bad thing, Ellowyn,” Lex said lightly, drawing my attention again.
He studied me with an unreadable yet soft expression.
“Torin is unique in that he can pull four distinctly different elemental powers. You are unique because the four magics you hold are the strongest in Elyria on their own, let alone stuck in one person’s body. ”
I hummed in agreement, acknowledging the war that constantly occurred just beneath my skin, like my powers were fighting for dominance.
“Your powers are also much more intertwined than Torin’s.
Each of the elements are completely separate entities and, so, easier to draw on individually or together.
Yours, however, are twined so closely together that they’re hard to separate.
You even thought they were the same power not too long ago. ”
“What’s your point, Lex?” I asked, draining the water skin.
“Destruction brings Pain, Creation brings Pleasure. They are already drawn together when you access either of your more preferred powers. So you need to think of them as separate entities. If you want to draw upon Pleasure, then you need to think about pleasurable things. Same with Pain. Otherwise, you’ll always draw your dominant power. ”
I stood silent, blinking rapidly at him with the water skin suspended in the air between us.
“That . . . that is both logical and intuitive,” I admitted as Lex’s cheeks pinked under my praise.
“It’s nothing, really,” he said, gripping the back of his neck.
“I had the same issue with both of my powers at the beginning, before I was Bonded to Ilyas. Pleasure and Pain were so interwoven for me, one did not exist without the other, and I could never call upon just one power. Made for a lot of late-night, exhaustive training with no progress.”
My gaze softened as I saw the pain flash behind his eyes. Subtle movement drew my attention; Ilyas and Folami shuffling as they debated easing the darkness clouding his eyes.
“Let me show you,” he said, pulling a crystal from his pocket. “I’m only going to draw a little bit of power, just because—”
“You’re not Bonded and don’t have an infinite well?” I finished, and Lex shot me a tight smile.
“Something like that. Are you ready?”
I nodded as he clutched the crystal in his fist. “Right now, I’m thinking about my time in the dungeons of the Academy while pulling on my magic. Notice how nothing is happening?”
I nodded briskly.
“That’s because that memory is too convoluted to use.
Now, if I think about something else . .
.” he trailed off as viscous dark purple magic pooled in his opposite palm.
“Then it appears,” he said through gritted teeth.
Sweat instantly beaded on his brow and temples, saturating his hair at an alarming rate.
The magic in his palm flickered and died as he released his hold on it, stumbling back a few steps on uncoordinated legs.
“Lex!” Ilyas was by his side in an instant, supporting the Mage before he fell.
“I’m okay,” Lex said, patting Ilyas’ arm with shaky hands. Ilyas and I made eye contact over Lex’s head, an understanding passing between us before Folami joined.
“What happened? What did you do?” she barked, concern harshening her tone as she inspected Lex for damage.
“It wasn’t Ellowyn, Folami. I drew from the crystal,” Lex panted, finally pushing to a wobbly stand. Both Folami and Ilyas hovered by his side, refusing to move lest he fall again.
“This happens often?” Folami asked, dark brows furrowed over clouded eyes.
Lex shot her a small smile and a shrug, not answering her question, yet not denying it either.
Folami outwardly grappled with the reality that Mage Sickness from not using his Pain Magic might take Lex before she had the opportunity to come to terms with the fact that she was his True Pain Bond.
My heart ached for them.
“Try it,” Lex said, tilting his chin in my direction.
“Which one?” I asked, and Lex shook his head.
“Doesn’t matter. Whatever emotion is more powerful right now.”
I chewed my lip in thought, scratching my arm through my tunic sleeve. Memories and feelings bombarded me from every angle, but none of them were pure. Each was tainted by either my desire to destroy or my longing to create.
There was one, however, that stood out above all others.
The tension in my face lifted as I came to a conclusion, a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.
With a breath, I closed my eyes and spread my palms open and to the sides, concentrating on the overwhelming joy I’d felt when Torin asked me to marry him.
It was unexpected, but not unwanted, and I let that excitement fill me completely.
“That’s it, Ellowyn,” Lex said, voice more slurred than I’d ever heard. “Just like that.”
I opened my eyes to see bright pools of gold in each of my palms, shining brighter than even the sun. A quick glance showed glazed looks and dopey smiles, my Pleasure Magic potent enough to put everyone present in a deep state of relaxation.
“Really good to be able to separate sexual pleasure from emotion, too,” Ilyas remarked with a large, dazed smile.
I giggled at their reactions, focusing on Torin, who wore the widest, most brilliant grin. His body was languid and relaxed, leaning against a fence post while his head rested on Peytor’s shoulder.
Slowly, I retracted my magic, rescinding the Pleasure I’d released into the air enough so everyone could function once more.
Torin let out a “whoop” once my power had faded completely, and a proud smile lifted the corners of my mouth.
“That,” Lex said, eyes connecting with mine once more. “That was perfect.”