Still, Bryn remained silent.
Maude leaned over and shoved Bryn to the side until she fell over. Her sister sat up and scrambled to her feet just as Maude stood and faced her.
"You are acting like a fool, and you'll end up losing Liv if you keep pushing her away when we all see how you two seem to orbit around each other," Maude scolded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Take it from me, it's not worth the heartache if you keep denying yourself like this."
"It's different for you! You said so yourself," Bryn shouted.
"Our circumstances were different, but the result will be the same," she replied through her teeth. "Read the damn letter Bryn, or I swear to the Allfather that I'll make you."
Maude lurched forward and started searching for where Bryn had hidden the letter. She knew her sister well enough to know she would carry it with her always. For a moment, they struggled against each other.
"A-ha!" Maude exclaimed as she found the bloodied envelope tucked into Bryn's thigh sheath where her axe hung.
"Give itback," Bryn said as she jumped to try and grab it from where Maude was holding it over her head.
Bryn tugged her splayed hand back into a fist, the force of a wind gust she was controlling nearly tearing the letter from Maude's fingers. Prepared for her sister's use of her airgalder, she was able to grip the worn envelope tighter before it slipped away. She pulled on her shadows, the darkness slithering through her blood in a blanket of warmth that wrapped around her hands and hid the letter from her sister.
Refusing to give up, Bryn raised her fists to hover in front of her face, the soft orange and copper of her flames dancing harmlessly around her skin. Her fire reflected in her hazel eyes as she jabbed out, catching Maude in the chin.
Her head snapped backward, tears forming in her eyes from the sharp bite of her sister's flames.
"Asshole," Maude growled through her teeth.
Suspending the letter above her head in the ball of shadow that Bryn was unable to break through with her control over the wind no matter how hard she tried, Maude lifted her palms from her waist in one swoop, pulling dark green vines through the cracks in the wood beneath them until they wrapped around Bryn'sankles. In a silent whisper, the greenery wound its way up her body until it reached her elbows.
With great effort, Maude snapped the vines tight until they constricted around her sister, immobilizing her.
"Bitch," Bryn shouted, her rage becoming palpable in the thick, salty air.
Almost there, Maude thought to herself with a smile.Just one more push.
With a flick of her fingers, Maude dispelled the shadows around the letter that still hung over them. Maude willed the envelope to move until it hovered right before Bryn's paralyzed form. Sparks rose until the glowing embers started to dance around the edges of the dry paper. Corners began to smoke.
"Stop," Bryn bit out.
"You won't read it; perhaps I should just get rid of it then," she replied, the effort to hide the smile in her voice almost breaking her concentration.
The strain of wielding multiple forms ofgalderwas starting to wear her down way too quickly. Her father's words echoed in her memory from when they had been killing time before the ritual to remove Herrick's iron band.
You've spent your life mastering your control overgalderwith the understanding that you had limited resources— your emotional influence and the limits of your strength and imagination. Now that you have access to all the elements, you'll feel inclined to fall back on the strength of your back and the power of your emotions. But you need to remember: you are half Elven, and thegalderin your blood recognizes that. Pull on the resources around you as well.
In her distraction, Bryn was able to wrangle one of her arms free to pull the letter out of the line of direct fire that Maude had flamed to life. She snatched the letter before Bryn could reach it and released her from the vines that had held her in place.
"What are you two doing?" Dahlia asked from the entrance to the lower deck, her brows knit together even if she looked amused.
"I'm trying to force Bryn to stop being a coward," Maude replied before shoving the letter in her hand. "Read the damn letter, Brynna. When Dahlia and I have finished our lesson, I'm going to come check on you."
She paused before taking a step closer to her sister and gently putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It's time to say goodbye; Revna would have wanted that for you. It's the only way to start living again instead of just existing. Don't let the memory of her death be the last thing you have to hold on to."
With that, Maude walked away, leaving Bryn alone to sort out her next steps.
Bryn clutched the letter from her raven in her hands until she was sure the paper would rip.
She couldn't do this, couldn't read what Revna had to say. She already knew, in a way, that Revna would tell her to be happy, to move on and find love. But that didn't mean she dared to read it.
With shaking fingers, Bryn broke the seal on the letter and withdrew the last words Revna left for her.
