Chapter 36 #2
The way he said her name tingled at the base of her skull, and either he was casting a spell or her subconscious idiocy was overruling her once again. Either way, she started to believe she was safe with him.
Sera shielded her eyes and blinked a few times before she stepped into a field. The tall grass was shaped into a perfect circle. Not a tree or shrub disturbed the clumps of wildflowers swaying in the slight breeze. The air was sweet. She breathed it in.
Beyond the massive ironoak trees that surrounded the training circle were the white-capped Lanac mountain peaks reaching for the sun. At this distance, they were stunning.
Vasso snapped his fingers. His tailored clothes morphed into an all-black leather ensemble that fit his frame perfectly. The tunic, tied at his throat, was reinforced at the elbows and chest and around his long torso, accentuating his tapered waist.
“No,” he said. “That won’t do.” He snapped his fingers again, and her Legion uniform shifted to buttery-soft black leather, clinging to her like a second skin. It smelled glorious.
“How did you do that?” she asked, stroking her arms.
He gave her a deadpan stare. “Magic.”
“Very funny,” she bit back. Vasso’s smile lit up his face. Her heart beat so hard at the sight of it, she wondered if he could hear it. “What’s with the leather?”
“Harder to burn.” Vasso flicked something off his finger, and an ember of black flame fizzled on her thigh.
“They’re ruined now!”
“I’ll make you a new pair, Subdina.” He smiled again, and it felt like a lightning bolt slammed into her chest. “Stand in the center of the circle.”
Sera waded through the tall grass and swore to look up what that word meant if she ever set foot in the keeper wing again. It was the fourth time he’d called her that. At this point, she wanted to know if she should be offended or not.
The blades and petals of the wildflowers tickled her palm with every step toward the center. Her hesitation lessened with each second the sun warmed her face.
“You sure like touching things.”
Sera sighed. Taking a moment to engage with one of the senses, like touch, grounded her, especially if what she touched was organic. Something about the way Eraphon’s life felt between her fingers… But he didn’t need to know that.
“Can we get on with it?” she asked, brushing the tall grass against the hollow of her palm.
“So prickly… Burn the field.”
Her mouth went dry. “I don’t want to set the forest on fire.”
“I didn’t say the forest, I said the field. You think you can handle that?”
Sera glanced back at the tunnel they’d just come from. She hoped Alistair hadn’t followed them. Moons, if he had seen anything, he’d flay her alive.
Vasso waved his hand, and the stone door scraped closed. “There, now go.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The darkness twirled in her gut. She coaxed it to the surface, heat spreading through her veins, down her arms, and under her fingertips. She pointed her palms to the ground, let her head fall back, and released.
The tension she’d carried for months vanished from the planes of her back, released from her shoulders and hips. Even her ribs felt less restrained as she took in a deep breath.
So long she had kept this power caged.
The grass crackled, and the scent of smoke scorched her lungs. Sera winced. She was safe. There wasn’t anyone there to hurt. But still, the sounds of people’s screams, the feel of flesh burning… She stopped.
Peering out at the field, she yelped.
Half the field was alight with black flame, which sped rapidly toward the trees. Smoke billowed so thick she couldn’t make out the entrance to the cave, and Vasso was gone. Panic clawed at her.
“Vasso!”
He stepped to her side. “I wish I could say I wasn’t impressed, but…”
“Shit.” She clutched her chest. “You scared me.”
He kept his hands in his pockets. “How did it feel? I bet it felt good.”
It did. Shadow, it did. “Are you going to put it out?” she asked.
He arched a single dark brow at her, held out his hand, and released a stream of black flame. It trickled into the darkness, ripping its way across the field.
The sensation of his magic mixing with hers vibrated deep inside her.
It was strange, the flip of her stomach and the flutter in her chest. Sera glanced at Vasso to see if he felt it too.
His jaw was as sharp as a knife, his eyes focused on the flames, and a soft curve pulled at his lips. He didn’t seem affected at all.
The buzzing in her body intensified as he took longer to contain her mess. She crossed her arms tight on her chest as she watched Vasso work.
The reverberation drummed to her stomach, then lower. Sera clenched her thighs tight.
Vasso closed his eyes, the muscle in his jaw ticking before he made a fist and extinguished every flame. Once they were out, the vibrations stopped.
When he opened his eyes again, they were bright red. The heat of his gaze raked over every inch of her body. She couldn’t contain the blush rising to her cheeks.
“Again,” he growled.
Planting her feet, Sera pulled at the abomination’s well.
She could do this for days without burning out.
It was so much easier to play with this vatra magic.
This was what it was like to be powerful.
To feel like you could make a difference in the world.
That your life had significance, that you had the ability to stand your ground and be heard.
No wonder her mother was so entitled, and Al, and Nora.
Once the other half of the field was alight, Vasso let loose his magic again. Sera bit her knuckle so hard it left marks as his magic raked over hers.
Vasso didn’t take his time. Instead, they absorbed and extinguished almost immediately.
“That’s enough for today,” he said. Vasso ran his hand through his white hair and stalked toward the manor’s secret entrance. The lord’s shoulders were tense under his leather tunic.
“That’s your lesson? Burn a field?”
Vasso hovered over her, his eyes flashing from gray to red again. “I said we are done.” There was the promise of death in that glare. Sera shivered.
A harrowing screech came from the forest; only then did Vasso break his stare.
“What was that?” she asked.
Vasso sighed. “Looks like you just got your second lesson. Follow me.”