Keir was already in the meadow when we arrived.
“Took you guys long enough!” he hollered in jest.
“Sorry,” I offered. “It’s my fault.”
Keir tipped his head to the side like he didn’t believe me.
“Krew and Owen had to have a little argument about who is and is not coddling me.”
Keir looked to each of them and back to me. “And both live to tell the tale? Well, you’ve got your magic suppression mastered, I see.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, thankful for Keir cutting through the tension.
Krew rolled his neck to the side, his magic already slithering along it. “Let’s go first, brother. Then I’ll practice with Jorah.”
Keir gave him a look. “And you are sure you want to do this full speed?”
Krew nodded. “I’ve never been more sure.”
Owen nudged me with an elbow. “Let’s go watch where we did last time. Watching them this time might give you some ideas for how you can use your own magic.”
With as much sarcasm as I could possibly muster, I said, “Can’t wait.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a hardass,” Owen said gently as soon as we were settled against the tree trunk. “I know you are struggling. I just want to fix this for you, and I know the faster you trust your magic, the better off you’ll be.”
My palms heated. It was crazy how tied together my magic and my emotions were. “I don’t know how to just flip the switch and do that, Owen. I’d love to. There have been times I wanted to try something. Put up a sound barrier when I knock yours down. Or try to fix the lake. Or try to make an orb just to see if I could. But I am scared, Owen. Every time I’ve used magic, I’ve done something extra.”
“Not every time.”
I looked to him, my eyebrows pulling together.
“The second tree you healed. You did exactly what we asked you to do and nothing more.”
I considered his words.
“And that was right after you healed the first tree. See what happens when you use it regularly? It’s easier to control.”
I sighed. But what if it was worse? What if the more I used it, the more dangerous I became? Wasn’t that how Krew became this powerful to begin with?
“Owen,” Krew barked from where he and Keir were about to begin. “Can you stop scaring my wife so I can focus?”
“Yeah. My bad.” He put an arm around me and gave me a one-armed hug. “I might be hard on you, but I love you and I want you to be safe. Learning how to use your magic correctly is important. And it’s a luxury very few Enchanted have been given. We are teaching you the right way.”
“Owen,”Krew snapped.
“Got it,” Owen hollered back. He winced as he looked at me. “Okay, done talking now. Promise.”
“Doubt it,” I mumbled.
Keir and Krew took off, their blue magic lighting the night sky.
In between throwing magical orbs and what looked like bricks at Keir’s head, Krew sent down the bond,You okay, love?
I snorted.Yes. Please focus.
He grinned and sent another brick at Keir’s head.
As they picked up their intensity, at first all I was thinking of was how Krew seemed to be holding his own. He certainly didn’t move or act like he had only a drop of magic in comparison to Keir.
