Chapter 61
Durvla
I’ve been deep breathing for ages, trying to get my mind to somehow find Carys’s subconscious—or anyone’s, really.
I’m bored out of my mind. Cracking one eyelid open, I stare at Kilkenny where he sits in front of me with his eyes closed.
His legs are crisscrossed, as mine are, and the grass beneath us is slightly damp—it’s starting to seep into my trousers.
Above us, pink and lilac blend into the grey-blue sky as the sun slowly wakes.
“I think it’ll rain today,” I say.
Kilkenny’s eyes open and his chest heaves with an impatient sigh. “Your focus is terrible,” he motions.
Around us, the others are beginning to prepare for our day of travel. Alys was the first to wake and ensured that I took my tincture before she began her morning routine.
I pull a face at Kilkenny. “Sorry, but nothing is happening. I don’t know how this daywalking works.”
“You aren’t trying hard enough.” I don’t have to be able to hear to know his tone is sharp. He sighs again and holds up his hands in apology before raking his fingers through his hair. “Neither of us knows what we’re doing. It isn’t your fault.”
I gasp theatrically, feigning shock. “The great Tiernan Kilkenny admits he doesn’t know how to do something? Alert the town crier!” He scowls at me, and I smile with mocking sweetness for a second before my shoulders droop. “Maybe I’ll never be able to control it.”
The wheels in his mind begin to turn. “Let’s try a different approach. Close your eyes and let your mind wander. That shouldn’t be hard with your focus.”
Now I scowl before closing my eyes. Deep breath in, and out, in, and …
I’ve never been this far from home before.
Will I ever see Cluain Baile again? How tall is Taig by now?
Will he be happy to be reunited with me?
What will life be like for us after this?
I envision wrapping my arms around Taig’s little body and hugging him tightly.
He’ll probably growl at me. I chuckle, imagining Kilkenny’s face right now.
He’s probably rolling his eyes at me. I’m tempted to peek at what emotions play over his face. I’d love to see that dazzling smile of his again.
Instead, it’s my own face I see.
My eyes are closed, a smirk on my lips. My hair is wild and messy, dark coils tumbling over my forehead and onto my shoulders. Impatience and admiration fill my body. No, not my body; it’s as though I’m looking at myself through …
“Whoa!” I force my eyes open and scoot back on my bum. Soil makes its way underneath my fingernails as I clutch at the grass, needing to hold onto something, anything.
Kilkenny leaps up to his feet, his face frantic. Our gazes clash and we share one very loud thought: What in Ludga’s hells was that?
“Stop that.” Kilkenny points a finger at me.
“Stop what?!” I don’t even bother to lift my hands to sign, but clearly I was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.
“Everything alright?” Osheen signs.
I shrug and Kilkenny shakes out his limbs before steepling his fingers atop his head. He walks back and forth a couple of times before spinning back to me so quickly that I recoil. “Did you … You … Were you …” He can’t form words.
Honestly, neither can I. All I can do is shrug uselessly again. “You said let my mind wander, so I did.”
He peers over my shoulder. “Alys! A word, please.”
I glance at Alys, who approaches as she ties a scarf over the front of her hair, securing any frizzy strands. “What’s going on?”
“Durvla …” He points to me, but his words run away again. He exhales slowly and tries again. “She was in my head a moment ago.” His rushed signs follow soon after.
“As in mind whispering?” Her eyes bulge.
“No, this was different. I asked her to let her mind wander, but then I felt her presence in my head. As though she’d taken over my mind for a moment.”
Gods, I didn’t know it was that involved. “I … didn’t mean to.”
Alys presses her lips into a line. “This seems to be a newly developed part of your daywalking.”
I try not to sigh heavily, but my control fails me.
“For someone in the early days of developing her powers, it’s likely that you’re only able to make such connections with those you feel … bonded to. Like Carys … and Tiernan.”
Kilkenny smirks at me and a flush creeps into my cheeks.
“It means you’re on the right path to figuring out these powers.” She faces Kilkenny and signs for my understanding. “How about you take a break, and I’ll work with Durvla for a while?”
“I’m fine,” he snaps. He turns away again and my heart sinks. Is he afraid of me? Kilkenny afraid of me?
“I know you’re fine, but you both need to learn to delegate sometimes. Just because you have the ability to do something, doesn’t mean you have to do it. We’re a team. Asking for help is not an admittance of weakness.”
Kilkenny and I exchange glances. I hate asking for help. I nod, but I know I’m the weakest link here, and if I ask for help, it’s essentially proving that. Alys raises her perfectly arched brows at Kilkenny, and he also nods before sulking away.
With a cheery smile, she turns to me, “So, where were you?”
“I don’t even know at this point.”
Alys chuckles. “I’ll tell you what,” she signs. “I’ll teach you to shield your mind. It comes in handy when in the company of a Whisperer.” She winks and I giggle.
“It sounds handy. Thank you, Alys.”