Prince Lochlan held his hands in front of the fire, warming them. “Your magic depletes itself when you use it, your body becomes fatigued, and your mind can sometimes grow foggy. It depends how much you use, what you’re using it for, and how much stamina you’ve built up. Some practice their magic use regularly, training themselves to use it without getting fatigued so easily. But the price for using your magic is not a dark one.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I’d never use my magic if I knew it could cost someone their life.
We fell into silence, all of us lost in our own thoughts, my mind turning over everything I’d learned tonight. Everything Gran had kept from me. I’d always known Gran had her secrets. I accepted that she kept them to keep us safe, and that might have been true in some respects, but to keep something like this from me—I’d never have used that magic bean had I known the cost. If Gran had just told me, she might still be in that tower, recovering from her cough, and I wouldn’t be in this mess.
I awoke to moans.The sky was fully dark overhead, stars dotted across the inky black. I slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, gaze sweeping around our campsite. The dying fire provided just enough dim light to see the sleeping figures of the prince and Leoni.
“He does this a lot.”
I glanced over and realized Driscoll was sitting up as well, his blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Prince Lochlan groaned and tossed from side to side.
“The moaning,” Driscoll said. “Really unfortunate because I’m alight sleeper and he wakes me up constantly.” He pointed to his face. “It’s why I have the eye bags. Those aren’t normally there.”
I looked back at the prince, whose face twisted into a grimace. “Is he having a nightmare?”
Driscoll spread out his arms. “We don’t know. He won’t talk about it. Or can’t. I’m not sure. He says he doesn’t remember his dreams.” He donned a thoughtful expression. “I kind of think he just doesn’t want to remember them.”
I shivered as a gust of chilly wind infiltrated our campsite. “Why wouldn’t he want to remember his dreams?”
Driscoll paused. “It’s really not my story to tell.” He scratched the back of his head. “I think he dreams about his shadow. Who took it as well.”
My breath hitched. So I’d been right. This was a sensitive topic. If the prince wouldn’t even open up to Driscoll and Leoni about it, how could I expect him to open up to me? Maybe he didn’t need to, I reminded myself. He’d promised to help find Gran, was leading me to her as we spoke. So I wouldn’t poke at this wound of his. Not unless I absolutely needed to.
“Yes, Master,” Prince Lochlan mumbled. “Thank you, Master. So kind. So generous.”
Master... the one who took his shadow. Likely the one who took Gran.
Driscoll was already lying back down. “I know it’s hard, but try and get some sleep anyway. Your eye bags will thank you.”
He rolled over while I continued to stare at the prince. It wasn’t the secrets I’d learned tonight that bothered me the most; it was the ones the prince kept, the ones I didn’t know, that would keep me up long into the night.
Chapter Fourteen
POPPY
Asprinkle of rain peppered my hand, and I watched in amazement as my magic flowed through me. Using this power was exhilarating, made me feel alive in a way I’d never felt before. Like I’d found a part of myself that was always missing. I could only do small amounts. The prince told me that he’d seen sky people who could bring a storm upon an entire city. That kind of magic would take time. For now, I was happy with this little bit I’d accomplished over the last few days of practice. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder for Gran’s disapproving stare, still remembering my ten-year-old self begging her to teach me to use my magic.
“I rescued you, girl. Saved your life and have kept you safe from those who would do us harm. Is that not enough?”
She’d also made the argument that she didn’t know sky magic, that it might be irresponsible for her to teach me how to use a power that she knew nothing about. Obviously that wasn’t an issue, not when my companions had no problem giving me lessons.
Leoni squealed from next to me. “You’re doing it, Poppy. You’ve come so far in just a few days. And just in time for Day of the Storms.”Her blue eyes lit up with excitement like she was the one performing this magic.
We walked through the rocky hills of Feathered, the second isle of Valoris. A little valley sat low in the middle of the hills, filled with sky elementals, everyone here to celebrate Day of the Storms. Legend said that this was Spirit Sky’s favorite day, where he’d gather all of his followers, and they’d bring rain, thunder, lightning, and wind down upon the land. The dark skies rumbled above, rain sprinkling over us. Driscoll was none too pleased about getting wet, but the prince had agreed to let us stop and enjoy the festivities, to celebrate the power of Spirit Sky and the sky elementals.
I let the rain in my hand dissipate. “Thank you,” I said. “You, Prince Lochlan, and Driscoll have been good teachers.”
Well, Driscoll had mainly spent his time telling me all the gossip in the earth court. The prince mainly spent his time flirting with me.
Leoni beamed as we walked, Prince Lochlan and Driscoll up ahead of us.
A single road connected all three territories, so it wasn’t like we had a lot of choices in the path we took, and it had been a fascinating surprise stumbling upon this celebration. Sheep and goats grazed around us, and I marveled at the beauty of this world. A beauty I’d been robbed of for so long.
I’d seen the world through the mirror, through Gran’s words, through pictures, and stories, but looking at it with my own eyes made me realize how much I’d been missing. I’d always questioned if it was worth it, if us staying safe and hidden was worth letting life pass me by. I’d come to the conclusion that it was. That we’d stay hidden until one day Gran would announce the threat was gone and that we could leave the tower. Now, being surrounded by the wind, the greenery, the blue skies, I wasn’t so sure. I had no idea how Gran gave all this up to live in that tower with me.
“You’ve made a lot of progress,” Leoni said. “Most of us have been learning magic since we could walk. Everyone has to attend Academy to learn about our powers and other subjects. We’re in Academy for six years before we graduate to take more specialized classes in our areas of interest. It takes months to learn what you’ve done in days.”
