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Rather than answering the question directly, Arcon looked at her. “I asked him to return. I can sense your fear and thought you might be more comfortable if one of your mates were present.”
Feeling like a fool, she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m just not used to being alone with men. As I indicated, my upbringing was unusual.”
“Tell me more about it. What was life like for you on Earth?”
She explained the purpose for Still Water Farms, the lie the residents had been told as well as the real reason and the complex. “The founders chose Black Bear Island because it was so remote. One careless slip by any of us and all their secrets might have been revealed. It was easier just to keep us in the dark.”
“You never interacted with humans?” When she shook her head, Arcon’s eyes lit up with anger. “Isolation is a control technique used by every abuser I’ve ever known. The founders are beneath contempt. I’m very glad you were rescued.”
His vehemence allowed her to smile. It was definitely easier to relax with Kyrex sitting beside her.
“Now, you said you were at the Citadel for five weeks. Where you being trained the entire time and who was your mentor?”
“I was one of forty-five conduits that all arrived at the same time. Well, forty-six if you count Ansley. Anyway, they were training us all as one big class.”
“They? You were working with multiple trainers?”
Eden nodded. “There were six trainers and Provost Nadis. They’d break us down into smaller groups and we rotated through the trainers. Each one focused on a different skillset.”
“That’s a solid strategy, but I’m not sure what they could accomplish while your powers were still latent.”
The longer he spoke, and the less personal his questions were, the more comfortable she felt. “That was a common complaint among the trainees. We all felt like we were wasting our time.”
“So bring me up to present,” he prompted. “How did you get from the Citadel to Houkdi?”
“Jevara’s thugs got their hands on Neloff and I was the only one who could sense him,” Eden explained. “That’s when I met Kyrex. We worked together to rescue Neloff.” Much to Eden’s relief, he didn’t ask about the specifics of the rescue.
Instead, he asked, “How long have you been here on Houkdi?”
“A little over two weeks.”
Arcon nodded. “Did you have access to your power while you were at the Citadel?”
“I thought I did, but I have sensed my abilities a lot more clearly ever since…” Her cheeks heated and she looked away from Arcon.
“Since our courtship began,” Kyrex finished for her. “We’ve gradually removed the barriers while she’s been distracted.”
Arcon chuckled, easily understanding what Kyrex meant. “Courting is good for that sort of thing.” He waited until Eden looked at him again to continue. “Right now you only have access to your personal store of mystic energy. Once Kyrex and Neloff claim you—if that’s the direction you decide to go—you will have access to their energy as well. However, the skills needed to function within a triad are basically the same as controlling your own energy. The scope of what you can accomplish will simply grow. Does that make sense?”
“It does.” Thinking about sex was making her restless, but she desperately wanted to start manipulating her magic. Maybe all of this would finally feel real if she started behaving like a conduit.
“Your energy feels Altorian to me,” Arcon decided. “Do you know which planet you were born on?”
“It was my understanding that most of us were from Altor,” she confirmed.
He flashed an encouraging smile. “That means you were born of Fire. Your abilities, or most of them anyway, will manifest as flame.”
She shivered, anticipation starting to replace her anxiety. “I’ve seen video files of triads at work. It’s really hard to believe I’ll be able to do any of the things I saw.”
“It could take some time, or it could happen effortlessly. The only way to find out is to try. Are you willing to experiment just a little?”
She returned his smile. “I am.”
“Then let’s start with some simple concentration exercises.”
It took Eden almost a week to manifest fire for the first time, but once she located the pathway, she was off and running. The skills she had learned at the Citadel had seemed pointless at the time, but they allowed her to progress much faster than she would have without them.
Her first manifestation was a six-inch flame, which she quickly shaped into a softball-sized sphere.
