Nine
I never told Julian what happened that night. What happened scared me right to my core. I knew with absolute certainty what I had done.
I'd stopped Asmo's magic. Somehow. I stopped him from further harming the bird and, somehow, my magic helped heal it. He didn't seem to make a fuss when I released it later that night.
I didn't see Asmo again after that night.
Whenever Julian left, I was left alone.
Which was fine by me.
Julian and I just dove into training again. And it was training that I was more than happy to learn.
Kymra, as it turned out, promised us three months.
She'd stall for three months at most before Robyn would become suspicious. And even that wasn't guaranteed. Robyn could throw a wrench in her plans and make it much shorter than that.
Which meant I had three months to train.
Three months to heal...
Training would start at sunrise stop at lunch then continue until sundown.
Every day was exhausting. And every day I would climb into the Roman tub, fill it with hot water and sit in it until my fingers would turn pruny then pass out on the bed afterward only to get up in the morning and do it all over again.
Nights were the worst.
I had nightmares almost every time I managed some sleep.
Sometimes they were so bad I'd wake up screaming, other times I was jolted awake shaking in fear.
I couldn't go back to sleep afterward, too scared to close my eyes for too long again. In an effort to try and forget them, I just threw myself into the training. I tried magic on my own in my room.
Magic, we found, did not come as naturally as we both thought it would.
Almost a month after I'd first arrived, I was still struggling to specter. I struggled at what he called the most basic magic tasks. And it wasn't for lack of effort or Julian's shortcomings as a teacher.
Julian was a great teacher. I felt like he was taking it too easy on me sometimes but he was a great teacher, nonetheless.
He was patient, kind, quick on his feet and he reminded me so much of Damien ...
Julian wasn't like Damien in the physical aspects at all.
Julian was a warrior and everything in his actions and features screamed it.
Damien had been a prince all his life then a King. His skin was alabaster, somewhat pale from years inside a castle. His hands and skin were incredibly smooth. Julian's was tanner, kissed by the sunlight like he was always doing something outside.
Damien was tall and lean with athletic, slenderly muscular arms. Julian was brawny with broader shoulders, thicker, brawny arms and calloused hands.
No. It wasn't the physical aspects that reminded me of him. It was this kindness, his patience and understanding.
All attributes that Damien had.
It wasn't Julian's lessons that weren't working. It wasn't the sarcastic exchange between the two of us, the banter that I secretly looked forward to that made the days more bearable than the last couple of months.
It was me.
Broken faerie, broken magic.
The words haunted me.
Julian said that Robyn hadn't really broken me, but I found it increasingly hard to believe as the days went by. Magic was easy, Julian said.
To me, it wasn't.
And Julian was starting to notice the despair increasing in me every day.
Today was worse than usual--after a long day of training, I still didn't have much to show for it. I could barely specter, produce light in my hands or build a barrier.
He sat back in his chair placing a hand on his chin during dinner that night. "Maybe tomorrow we should take a break. No training."
I shook my head as I skewered a potato in the dinner bowl in front of me. "No way."
"Rest is also a part of training."
I shook my head again. "We don't have any time."
"I'm afraid I insist--" He froze, head turned toward the front hall, he practically hissed, "Oh, for fuck's sake."
I frowned as he abruptly disappeared from in front of me at the table as we ate.
Suddenly, a female voice rang through the empty estate. "Big brother!"
I recognized the voice and sprang from my seat, running to the front hall where it came from. I watched from behind an open door as Julian and his sister exchanged words.
Julian, I noticed, was squarely placed between his sister and the hall that led to the rest of the home downstairs where I currently was.
I remembered her. I remembered the black hair that she flipped over one shoulder as she spoke, the kind voice.
"Of course I'm going to be here, brother," she smiled as she looked at him. "Saddaim is tomorrow, it's time to party!"
He shook his head. "Not this year, Naida."
"Nonsense!" She beamed as she started to walk past him and to the door I stood behind.
Julian stepped in and cut off her stride.
She frowned and placed her hands on her hips.
"Skryen must celebrate Saddaim. I - we - do it every year." She stepped around him but was stopped again. "What is with you?"
He shook his head. "I mean it, Naida, this is not a good time."
"October thirty-first is tomorrow. Tomorrow. As Lord of Skryen, you are obligated to attend the Saddaim celebrations. You can't just skip out."
He cursed - it seemed that she had brought up a point. He then sighed. "It's...complicated but you really need to go-"
She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Explain to me why you can't attend. Uncomplicate it."
He said something in hushed tones.
I struggled to listen and leaned closer, placing my weight against the door as much as I dared.
I leaned in so much I fell right through. The door swung open under me and I fell to the floor.
I squealed as the heels of my hands scraped on the tile as they stopped my fall.
I skidded to a halt as I heard Naida sigh and a loud slap. When I looked up, I saw that Julian had the palm of his hand on his forehead then pulled it down his face in frustration. Naida had her hands on her hips.
"Gods above help me," he mumbled.
Naida's hand shot out in front of her and slapped him on the arm.
Julian rubbed his arm where her hand collided with him. "Ow."
Naida looked at me, but the tone in which she spoke to Julian anything but sweet. "Who is it this time, Julian? Whose wife is in your bed?" She tsked as she turned back to him. "It's not the Earl's, is it? You two have such a history."
I stood and dusted off my training clothes as she approached.
When our eyes met, she froze. She didn't recognize me before, but she did now. She looked at Julian then at me again.
"My Lady!" Suddenly, she curtsied, her head low.
I blanched, reaching forward. "No, no, God, please don't curtsy."
Julian stifled a laugh. "I do forget you have a royal title."
Naida turned around and proceeded to quickly slap her brother multiple times. She mainly focused on his arms then chest. It looked like she was hitting hard but he made no attempt to actually stop her.
"Ow, Naida, stop it!" He placed his hands up to protect himself, as futile as it was against the smaller woman.
She was furious. "What are you doing with the Lady of Elendil? Does the king even know? Did you kidnap her? He will kill you, Julian - kill you when he finds out!"
"Naida," Julian was exasperated. "If you give me five minutes to explain- "
She spun on her heel and turned toward me, her brown eyes wild. "What has he told you? What has he promised you?" She was blazing mad. "Has he told you he loves you? That he can't live without you?"
I blanched. Julian hadn't said anything similar to that.
She continued in a rage. "Whatever the dangers you were in no longer apply you don't have to stay with him, regardless of the false promises he made to you. He'll say anything to get you into his bed."
Julian looked at her as if she'd slapped him across the face. Whatever she said touched a sensitive nerve. "You witch."
She turned on him, her black curls whipping around. "I'm only telling her the truth. How many times have you told other women that? Other married women?" She walked towards me, her hand reaching for me. "I will specter you home, my Lady, back to Blackdown Keep."
I stepped back just as Julian appeared between the two of us. Her eyes moved from Julian then back to me.
I looked at her over Julian's burly arm as he stood between us. "Please don't."
She looked at Julian, frowning. "What did you do this time?"
Julian asked me to give both he and his sister some privacy while they spoke and he explained the situation. I took the time to go outside on the patio and watch the sprites in the forests of the mountains as the sun went down, trying to practice summoning a small light in my hand.
I sat cross-legged on the grass near one of the fences with my hand close to my chest.
It didn't matter how hard I concentrated, nothing appeared in my hand.
Just as I was about to give up I heard footsteps come closer to me in the grass.
When I turned, Naida stood there, hands behind her back, as if afraid to approach. "Julian explained everything to me."
I looked behind her and saw Julian's silhouette watching us, dark against the light of the patio. "Did he?"
She nodded as she sat down next to me. She extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Naida."
I gave a small smile, touched at the sudden emotion her kind action brought. I gave her my hand and shook it. "Please call me Emmy."
She nodded and let out a long breath. "I was afraid I'd screw that up. I wasn't sure how humans greet each other. You've been human up until recently, right?"
I smiled again. "That was great, actually." I cleared my throat. "Thank you for what you've done for me before."
She smiled. "It was the least I could do given the circumstances."
I shook my head. "You and your brother are remarkably kind. And bold, if I remember the conversations with Robyn correctly."
She shrugged then placed her hands behind her on the grass, placing all her weight on them as she leaned back. "Robyn respects it- we needed him to respect us enough to offer us a seat at the table. Truthfully, I was pretty scared."
I shook my head. "Why did you need to have a seat at his table?"
Her eyes widened. "I wasn't supposed to say that." She cleared her throat and looked back to the patio. When I looked too, Julian was no longer there. "We had our reasons, Emmy. But it's not what you think."
I raised an eyebrow. "So you weren't trying to rebel against Damien?"
She laughed. "Goodness, no. One thing you should know is that knowledge is power. The more information you have, the more valuable you are."
"Julian mentioned making a bargain..."
She nodded. "Very common in the faerie world. We only wanted information." She looked at the sky. "Julian told me you're not training tomorrow maybe we can spend the day together on the grounds. Just the two of us."
I frowned. "What about Julian?"
She shook her head. "He'll be far too busy preparing for Saddaim - the biggest night of the year in the Underworld. As the Lord of Skryen he is required to be there. Something that he likes to neglect. He likes the party just not the responsibilities he inherited."
I leaned back on the heels of my hands too. "What's Saddaim?"
She smiled. "The yearly celebration we hold to celebrate dark magic.
All of the kingdoms celebrate it. It's especially sacred in the Underworld.
There is a grand festival in town, everyone dresses up, comes out.
It's very social and a lot of fun." She sighed and began to get up.
"I'm pretty tired, I'm heading inside. Spectering from home always knocks me out. "
I got up as well and walked alongside her as she headed inside. "Where is home?"
She smiled reaching for something around her neck. "The Winter Kingdom." Something silver flashed in her hand. A necklace, I realized, with a beautiful diamond crusted snowflake pendant.
No, not diamonds. Something else. A precious stone I'd never seen before.
"It's stunning," I breathed.
She smiled, a new light in her eyes as she looked at it. "My husband is a Lord in the Winter Kingdom. Ward of the Far North." She laughed. "We are both perfect and wrong for each other."
We walked through the halls of the estate, half expecting to find Julian as I always did. I hid my disappointment at not seeing him. "Will your husband be here for the celebration?"
She shook her head. "No. He detests it but understands it's part of my culture."
I nodded as she spoke, following her up the stairs to the second floor. I froze in the hall and turned to Naida. "Is there a guest room? I can stay there since you're back."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
I shrugged. "Julian said I could use your room and clothes while I stay here."
She laughed and looked over my training clothes. They were black in color, tight against my body with some loose fabric on the stomach and pants. "I thought that outfit looked familiar."
"I will make sure that it's all washed and everything put back and clean."
She shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll stay in the guest room, I don't want you to move your things -"
I shook my own head. "I don't have anything-"
She smiled. "I'll just pop in from time to time to take some clothes, it'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
She gave a broad smile. "Yes."
I turned to the room as she said, "I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast!"
When I turned again she was gone.