“I’m Julietta. It must besodifficult,” she says, her tone dripping with condescension, “for someone like you to keep up in a place like this. But you’ve lasted a day, which is longer than I would’ve guessed.”
I blink, taken aback by the blatant hostility, but I recover quickly. “There’s certainly been challenging moments,” I reply, with a dramatic sigh. “Of course, not everyone I met today has been a raging bitch.”
Her eyes narrow and she steps closer, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. “You should watch that tone. Rylan wouldn’t appreciate hearing about you acting above your station.”
My heart skips a beat at her mention of Rylan, but I refuse to let her see any weakness. “Oh, I see the misunderstanding. You have me mistaken for someone who cares what the prince thinks,” I shoot back, giving her a mock look of apology.
Shock flashes across her face, but she quickly transforms it into a smirk and leans in even closer. “Oh, but you should,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “Rylan and I have… an understanding. And I’ll make sure he knows exactly what kind of trouble you’re causing.”
I force myself to hold her gaze emotionlessly, but the words sting more than I want to admit. “Please do. I know he’ll jump at any chance he can get to talk about me,” I say coolly, before entering my room and closing the door with an echoing slam before the mask slips.
Once inside, I sink against the door, the weight of her words settling heavily on my shoulders. I tell myself that I don’t care, that her threats mean nothing to me. But deep down, the doubt lingers. I can’t shake the nagging worry that maybe, just maybe, Julietta’s words hold more truth than I want to believe.
ELEVEN
Eirabella
The next morning,I arrive fifteen minutes early to the training grounds, determined not to give Rylan another reason to berate me. The air is crisp, carrying the faint scent of morning dew, and I take a deep breath, preparing for the day. And then I see him, already standing in the exact centre of the field, completely absorbed in his manoeuvres.
He’s not training; he’s commanding his Strengths like they’re an extension of his body. Fire and water swirl around him, responding to his every move with a fluidity that leaves me mesmerised. His sword cuts through the air, trailing flames that dance and twist around him like living things. With a powerful thrust, he sends a wave of water surging into the air, forming a massive, cresting wave that looms above him, and then twists into a swirling tornado a hundred feet in the air. Twirling his finger, the tornado spins faster and faster until it looks like it isdefying the heavens itself, before it suddenly ignites into flames—a breathtaking, spinning, blazing top that spits embers like rain into the sky.
I take an unconscious step forward, too captivated to think, and my foot dislodges a small stone. The noise is tiny, but Rylan reacts instantly, spinning around. His concentration breaks, and the fire column wavers dangerously, cascading toward him. “Be careful!” I shout, panic lacing my voice.
Rylan’s reflexes are faster than my fear. He flicks his sword with a minute movement of his wrist, and the fiery wave dissipates into a shower of mist, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air, creating a rainbow across the entire canvas of the sky. For a brief moment, our eyes meet, and I see a flash of vulnerability, a glimpse of something raw. But it vanishes as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual stoic mask.
“Good, you’re here on time,” he says, his voice cold, as if I hadn’t just witnessed him manipulate the essences like a god.
“Actually, I’m early,” I manage, still a little breathless from the close call.
“If you’re on time, you’re late,” he replies, his tone sharp. “Let’s go.” He steps forward, pointing his sword at the centre of the field, and a small puddle of water appears. “I’ll make it easy for you today. Start by pulling that water into the air,” he instructs, his voice all business. “Then form a sphere and hold it steady in the air.”
I stare at him, incredulous. “You want me to dowhat?”
“It’s a basic exercise; any child with water Strength can do it,” he says, his expression veritably bored. “Just pull the water up from the ground and shape it. You don’t need to freeze or shatter anything. Just show me you can control it.”
I swallow hard and focus, trying to summon the energy I know is there. I picture the water rising from the ground, see itin my mind’s eye, but when I attempt to pull the water up, nothing happens. The puddle remains stubbornly unmoving on the ground, as if mocking my efforts.
“Keep trying,” Rylan demands, his tone already impatient.
I try, again and again, but each attempt is met with failure. There isn’t even the tiniest whisper of magic in me, and my frustration builds with every passing second. The pressure of Rylan’s gaze feels like a weight on my shoulders, heavy and oppressive.
“You’re not focusing! I’ve seen you do much more difficult manoeuvres than this!”
Finally, I snap. “Maybe if you stop just raising your voice and actually tell me how to do it, then I’ll learn how to get it to work!” My voice shakes with the effort to keep my emotions in check, but I can’t hold back the anger any longer.
Rylan’s eyes narrow, his voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. “I can’t tell you how to do it. Everyone’s magic is different. I might as well do it for you.”
“At least you’d be doing something,” I retort, the words spilling out before I can stop them. I can’t understand why he’s being like this. Is this just his way of pushing me, or is there something else going on? Why does he have to be so cold, so distant? I know he’s capable of more—of kindness, of warmth—but you wouldn’t know it, the way he has it entrenched behind this impenetrable wall of indifference.
His expression hardens, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. “If you’re waiting for someone to hold your hand, you’re in the wrong place. This isn’t a game. This is life and death. Either you master your abilities, or you end up like every other failed Keeper—dead.”
Dear Janus,
I’ll write more later when I have a chance.
But I just wanted you to know that I’m alive and well. There is so much to tell you, which I will once I know that you, Kahlia and everyone in the village are also doing okay.
You can send correspondence back to me at this address. And no, I’m not making a joke. I’m currently staying at Aetherhold Keep in Narathia. And that’s the least surprising thing I have to tell you.
