Chapter 16 #2
“This will help with your headache,” he explained and emptied the contents of the bag into the water. “Unfortunately, there is not much time to recover, the Abbot is back and has called a meeting in the temple library.”
The thought of having to travel the Pathways with Caelan made me feel sick to my stomach. I drank the potion Cae had mixed for me and was slowly starting to feel a little better.
“Don’t worry, it has happened to the best of us. You should have seen Theo when he started using his magic. One time, he actually conjured up a bull and started riding it around the temple. Man, the Abbot was pissed.” Caelan chuckled.
I wanted to laugh, but every movement made my head throb.
“I don’t even remember what happened. I tried to make the tree fall over by the river with Lydia, and the next thing I know, Theo is there in the water and I’m… having so much fun!” I took a sip, trying to gather my scattered thoughts.
“Let’s walk and talk, shall we? The others are waiting for us,” Caelan said, taking my elbow to steady me as I struggled to stand.
“Yes, it seemed like you were in an excellent mood after hurling a tree at yourself, nearly dying, and then stripping off for a swim,” he added, a smirk tugging at his lips.
I gasped. “You’re not serious! That’s—awful!”
“Oh, please,” Caelan said, waving a hand. “I’m sure you aren’t the first woman to have flashed the God of Purity.”
I froze.
“Even though,” he added thoughtfully, “now that I think about it… I can’t actually recall that ever happening before.” He glanced at me, clearly enjoying himself. “Impressive, truly.”
My face went up in flames. “I did not—I wasn’t—that wasn’t on purpose!”
“Hm,” he hummed, eyeing me sidelong. “So merely an unfortunate side effect of near-death, temporal magic, and poor impulse control?”
I made a strangled sound and covered my face. “Please stop talking.”
He laughed. “Relax. If it’s any comfort, I don’t think he’ll hold it against you.”
“That is not comforting,” I muttered. “I want to disappear.”
“Ah,” he said lightly. “A very reasonable response.”
We stepped onto the Luminaris and I held onto Caelan’s arm. Luckily, the descent was quick. Thanks to his magic powder, I felt steadier by the time we entered the temple, though it was powerless against the blush still scorching my cheeks.
I could already hear voices from the library, and they weren’t happy ones.
“She has absolutely no experience if a little magic can make her lose control like that,” a male voice shouted.
I didn’t recognize it, but assumed that it was coming from the Abbot.
I couldn’t catch Theo’s response, his voice remained calm as ever, but the Abbot’s reply was forceful: “And how does that make it any better, Auretheos? She is a child, a mortal, a nobody. She has never practiced magic before, and we have a war upon us. Instead of trying to get her ready for battle, we should find the fuck out how we can harness her power for you and be done with her!”
We had reached the door. I saw Theo getting up from his chair and walking towards the Abbot, only stopping an inch away from him.
“Don’t talk about her like she is only some kind of vessel for her magic.
She deserves the chance to learn about her potential and she needs to do so under our guidance.
I will not tolerate you speaking badly about the one person who can help us fulfill this prophecy.
I have been waiting for too long for her, we have been waiting too long to lose faith in her after only a few weeks. ”
The Abbot backed down and took a swig of his drink.
“Are you ready?” Caelan asked.
I nodded.
He knocked and put an encouraging hand on my back when we walked through the doors.
All eyes turned to me, but it was the Abbot who nearly choked on his drink when he saw what I was wearing.
I hadn’t even noticed it before, but I was wearing one of Theo’s tunics.
It was way too large for me, but someone had rolled up the sleeves and tied a belt around my waist to hold it in place.
I probably looked awful and yet, there was something unsettlingly intimate about it.
The faint scent of Theo lingered on the fabric, even though it had been freshly washed, and it made my chest flutter in a way I didn’t entirely understand.
Theo’s eyes flicked to me, only for a moment, and a hint of something—approval, amusement, or perhaps surprise—passed over his otherwise calm expression before he quickly masked it.
“I am sorry you had to hear that,” Lydia said, “emotions are running a little high with everyone today. How are you feeling?”
I walked closer towards the sofas and chairs and took notice of who else was here. There was the Abbot, who I recognized as the man I had briefly met in the hallway. Malek and Lythandra were also there, the latter giving me a small wave and a smile.
I returned his smile.
“It’s quite all right, I understand that you are all disappointed in me. I tried to move that tree and I don’t know why it came flying towards me or what happened after that. I only remember Lydia stopping time so I could escape and after that everything is a huge black hole.”
The Abbot raised an eyebrow. “Girl, are you mad? Lydia may be powerful, but she does not have the power to stop time. Somehow you managed to access Auretheos’ powers and stopped time yourself.”
The breath left my lungs.
I looked over to Theo, a smile playing on his lips.
“We don’t know that, Abbot,” he said while turning towards the man clad in dark purple robes. “I have never heard of a wordsmith, let alone a mortal, being able to access the magic of Gods,” he continued.
Lydia quipped. “There is another, much simpler, explanation for her powers.”
All eyes turned towards her.
“I think we have underestimated her in every sense of the word. Maybe she is your consort.”
And with that, she looked at Theo, who blanched.