Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Riona glanced out of one of the library’s massive windows. Today was, as her mother would say, a cozy day. Outside, the sky was overcast and gray. A light drizzle pattered against the windowpanes. Beside her on the large plush chair Ava snored lightly while Riona picked at her lute.
Riona was glad that Aiden had given her a break today from the court etiquette training. It was grueling. Though she didn’t mind the dancing. The thought of being pressed against Aiden’s body made her stop playing. Think of something else, or you’ll twist yourself into knots. Riona made herself begin to play again to help distract her from thoughts of Aiden. A song was forming in her head, but it wasn’t quite there yet.
A smile pulled at Riona’s lips at the thought of one of the many cozy days with her family. One where they’d all sat together at the kitchen table and played dice for hours. She still remembered how Finella had accused her father of not playing fair and how his eyes flashed with affection, but he didn’t deny it. Her mother’s laughter rang in her head, soon followed by her father.
Riona’s fingers strummed on the lute aimlessly as memories of her family danced through her head. She didn’t realize it at first, but she was playing a song she and her mother used to sing. The one about the woman and her lover who were killed by her betrothed. The song she sang in the glade the day Aiden found her.
It had much more meaning now that Riona knew about Finella’s past. As Riona began to sing, she let her emotions bleed into the words, and the air around her shifted. Her fingers faltered, but she continued. After a few lines, she was immersed in the song again.
Riona closed her eyes and continued. The sadness ebbed away, and hope began to replace it. Hope wasn’t just for her mother. Her end, while wasn’t happy, did have happiness. The hope was for herself. For her future. Golden eyes flashed in her mind, and just in the song, she allowed herself to think about what could be.
Yearning twined in her voice, along with hope. Hope for things she was still afraid to acknowledge. These weeks with Aiden had been some of the most peaceful and happy for her in a long time.
Riona opened her eyes, and her voice died in her throat. Her fingers slipped, causing the lute to emit a discordant note. Aiden was watching her with wide eyes just beyond the doorway. She placed her fingers on the lute, stilling it to silence.
“Don’t stop,” Aiden’s voice was hoarse. “Please continue.”
Riona paused. She wasn’t sure that he recognized the song she’d been playing, but she hoped that he didn’t. They’d been getting along so well, she didn’t want to discuss the past, not right now. They would need to at some point, but they’d formed a fragile bond. One that could disappear like smoke if one of them said the wrong thing. It was still too new.
“I struggle with that one. How about another song instead?”
“You didn’t sound like you were struggling to me.” Aiden’s words had a note of a challenge to them. But she didn’t rise to the dare. Instead, she played it safe and began to pick out another song about rolling hills and blue skies.
Aiden shot her a mocking smile, but he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he settled down in the other chair. His golden eyes raptly watched her performance with something like disappointment until she finished the song.
“That was lovely, but it wasn’t the same as the other one.” Riona’s heart fell a little at Aiden’s comment. Then, she chastised herself. What do I care about Aiden’s approval?
“What do you mean?” Aiden frowned at her question.
“You played it safe with the second song. It was missing your magic.”
“My magic?” She wasn’t sure what he meant.
“Don’t you notice when singing with deep emotion, it’s magical?”
“Thank you,” Riona said. The compliment warmed her heart.
“I wasn’t giving you a compliment.” Riona opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “You’re one of the best musicians I’ve heard, but that’s not what I meant. Don’t you realize that when you have strong emotions, especially when you sing, your magic manifests?”
“My magic,” Riona repeated, unsure she was hearing him correctly. She didn’t have any sort of Fae gift. A voice in the back of her mind tried to protest, but she ignored it.
“Yes, your magic. You’re a Fae, and like all Fae, you have magic. Some more than others.”
“But...” Riona was confused at Aiden’s words. His magical skills were obvious and powerful. But Riona didn’t quite see what he was talking about with her.
“Why do you think your mother made you promise not to sing around others?”
Riona considered his question for a minute. When she sang, there was something in the air. A memory she’d successfully tangled into the deep recesses of her mind surfaced. Cold sweat broke out over her body. The memory of the boy dancing in circles, crying until he fell to the ground. The look of terror in her mother’s eyes when she found them. The tearful promise.
“Once, when I was a child, there was a boy I didn’t like, so I sang to him and punished him. My mother made me promise to never sing. After you turned me, I always thought that she didn’t want me to sing because someone would recognize my voice as Fae, but there’s more to it. There’s always been more. I hurt him.” A tear slid down her cheek. The boy and his family had left Loch-Gaar shortly after the incident. Riona hoped wherever he was, he was doing well.
“How badly was he hurt?” Aiden asked gently.
“He collapsed from exhaustion,” Riona whispered.
“But no other damage?”
“No,” Riona said vehemently. How cruel did Aiden think she was?
“What did the boy do?”
The image of the boy leering down at her while he dunked her head in the watering trough appeared. The feel of his cruel hands pushing down on her neck as she tried to come up for air made her neck prickle.
“He tried to drown me.”
“I think you were more than justified. If he were here right now, I would do more than make him dance until he collapsed.” Aiden’s eyes burned with anger.
Riona tucked away the memory and took a shaky breath. She thought about when the air crackled when she sang sometimes. “When I sing, I can compel people if I feel strongly, can’t I?”
“Yes. You can influence others with your voice. You can project emotions or compel your audience to do things with your song. It is a special bardic magic few Fae have anymore. Today, when I heard you singing, I was drawn to you. Every emotion you sang, I felt it.” Aiden took her hands into his.
Riona pulled away, horrified. She didn’t want to force her emotions onto him, or anyone else for that matter.
Aiden held up a hand. “It’s okay. You weren’t subtle about it, and you were just projecting your emotions, so I only felt a closer connection to the song, which was beautiful. You would have to make a very concentrated effort and master your skills before you could sway me. That goes for almost all Fae. But your gift is powerful. Very powerful, even untrained, you could easily compel a human, probably a crowd.”
“So Fae can’t be swayed by my magic?” Knowing Aiden couldn’t be harmed by her song relieved her.
“Yes, but you don’t know how to use your magic like that yet. But if you practice, it could be possible, but this isn’t a gift you could unintentionally use among the Fae successfully right now.”
Relief had Riona sagging against the chair. Ava grumbled but didn’t stir. Her tail twitched ever so slightly.
Aiden spoke again. “Actually, you would be very popular at court. Fae love experiencing raw emotions and it’s even better through a song.”
“But what about humans?” Riona asked. She was worried about the answer.
“Until you can control your gift, they will be susceptible. But that shouldn’t be a problem as you won’t be around any humans for a while, and the ones at court can handle themselves. Your gift is the least of their worries.” Aiden’s words put Riona at ease. This nebulous magic of hers didn’t seem as terrible as it had a few minutes ago.
“Can you teach me how to control it?” Riona asked tentatively.
Aiden took her hands into his own, and this time Riona didn’t pull back. “I can help you, Riona. All you had to do was ask.”
“Thank you.” Riona met Aiden’s gaze, and his hands tightened around her own. Heat pooled through her body at his touch.
“Of course, it is going to be grueling between learning court intricacies and your gift at the same time. If you think I’ve been tough on you about etiquette, that is nothing compared to how hard training will be for your magic.”
“I think I can handle it.”
Aiden smiled a lopsided smile, and a dark lock of hair fell over one golden eye. “We’ll see. Let me know how you feel in a fortnight.”
“I like a good challenge.”
Aiden’s only response was a cryptic smile.