Chapter 18 #2
“She says you have more natural ability than you realize. Your mother’s sight, and your grandmother’s knowing, are real magical gifts, just undeveloped.
” Seth squeezed her hand gently. “And before you panic, Judy isn’t going to turn you into a combat mage overnight.
She wants to teach you basic shields and how to recognize when someone’s using magic against you.
Defensive measures that could save your life when the mages return. ”
Petra looked down at their joined hands, processing this information.
Part of her wanted to pull the covers over her head and pretend none of this was happening.
But she’d committed to fighting, and standing her ground.
That meant accepting help, even if it involved crash courses in magic from mysterious mages.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll do it. Just give me a few minutes to get dressed.”
“Of course. You can even stop for a quick bite of breakfast along the way.” Seth stood, and Petra tried very hard not to watch the way the muscles in his back rippled as he moved.
“For what it’s worth, Judy says you have potential.
Natural aptitude for defensive magic specifically. She seemed excited about that.”
“Excited,” Petra repeated weakly. “Right. That’s good, I suppose.”
Seth’s smile was warm, and understanding. “Meet us in the garden as soon as you’ve eaten? The east garden, near where we first met. Judy says the energy there is cleaner than most of the castle.”
“Okay,” Petra agreed.
Seth left her room dressed only in that towel. She should probably have worried in case anybody saw him leaving her bedroom like that, but she was sure all these shifters had seen stranger things in their lives.
Petra scrambled out of bed and grabbed clothes from her wardrobe, trying to calm her racing heart.
Seth had been in her room. In her bedroom.
Half-naked. Sitting on her bed. And instead of doing anything about the attraction that was currently making her skin feel too tight, they were going to learn magic because evil mages were coming back early to attack her.
Her life had become absolutely surreal.
She had just a few minutes to make herself presentable and mentally prepare to learn magic from a stranger while trying not to think about Seth’s bare chest.
Petra took a deep breath and headed for the bathroom. She could do this. She’d fired Herr Müller and the others. She’d stood up to intimidation and chosen to fight instead of run. She could learn some basic magic. Right?
After a hurried breakfast of toast with butter and a half-cup of coffee, Petra was hurrying out into the garden, her hair still damp from the world’s fastest shower and her clothes thrown on with more speed than care.
She’d settled on jeans and a simple blue top that seemed practical for whatever magical training might entail.
She found Seth waiting near the entrance to the east garden, looking patient and devastatingly attractive in the morning light. He smiled when he saw her, and Petra felt her stomach do that annoying flip again.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Absolutely not,” Petra admitted. “But let’s do this anyway.”
“That’s the spirit.” Seth gestured toward the garden path. “Judy’s already out there setting up. Fair warning—she’s very direct and doesn’t believe in easing into things gently.”
“Wonderful,” Petra muttered, but she followed him along the path toward the spot where they’d first met.
Judy radiated an energy that seemed too large for her frame. She had brown hair pulled back in a messy bun and hazel eyes that fixed on Petra with laser focus the moment she came into view.
“Finally,” Judy said in a thick Texas accent. “Thought I was gonna have to come drag you out myself. We’ve got work to do and not much time to do it in.”
“I’m Petra.” She extended her hand politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Judy shook her hand briefly, then immediately turned to the space around them with a critical eye. “Your natural shields are pathetic. Like, dangerously pathetic. Anyone with even basic magical ability could read you like a book right now.”
“Oh,” Petra said faintly. “I take it that’s not good?”
“That’s an understatement, honey.” Judy pulled what looked like salt and chalk from her pockets. “But don’t worry. We’re gonna fix that. Seth, you can stay or go, but if you stay, you need to be quiet. This requires concentration.”
Seth looked at Petra, a silent question in his eyes. She sent him a pleading look. She wanted him here. His presence made her feel safer, even if she couldn’t explain why.
“I’ll stay,” Seth said, moving to lean against a nearby tree.
“Fine. Just don’t interrupt.” Judy turned back to Petra, her expression intense but not unkind. “Now, let’s see what we’re working with. Close your eyes and tell me what you feel.”
Petra closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing thoughts. “I feel nervous.”
“Not emotionally. Energetically. What do you sense around you? In the air, in the ground, in the space between things?” Judy’s voice had taken on a teaching quality.
“I hear your grandmother had the knowing. That means you’ve got the genetic framework for sensing energy. You just need to learn how to use it.”
Petra tried to focus beyond her nervousness, beyond her awareness of Seth watching, beyond everything except the sensations around her.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then, gradually, she became aware of something.
There was a subtle vibration in the air, a warmth beneath her feet, and a sense of interconnected energy flowing through everything.
“I feel…” she started, then stopped, unsure how to describe it.
“Don’t think. Just feel and speak,” Judy encouraged. “First impressions only.”
“Movement,” Petra said, keeping her eyes closed. “Like everything’s connected and moving together. And there’s…uh…warmth? Coming from the ground and the trees. And something else, something that feels…” She frowned, concentrating. “Wrong. Like a dark spot in all the light.”
“Good,” Judy said, sounding impressed. “That dark spot is residual dark magic from the Venifucus workings. You’re sensing it naturally, which means your shields aren’t just weak.
They’re basically non-existent. That’s dangerous but also useful for training.
At least we’re starting from a clean slate. ”
Petra opened her eyes. “So what do we do?”
Judy grinned. “We build you some armor, sweetheart. The magical kind. And we’re gonna do it fast, because those mages are coming back sooner than expected, and when they do, you’re gonna need every bit of protection we can give you.”
She started drawing symbols on the flagstones with her chalk, her movements quick and precise. “This is gonna be intense. But I promise, by the time I’m done with you, those Venifucus bastards are gonna find you a hell of a lot harder to mess with than they expect.”
Petra looked at Seth, who gave her an encouraging nod. Then she turned back to Judy and squared her shoulders.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s do this.”
Judy’s grin widened. “Now we’re talking.”