“Please don't tell anyone that I told you any of this,” she begged, her nervousness blatantly obvious as she picked at the sand on her shins.
We stood, and my pulse quickened as he strode towards us, so fluent in the way he walked. His dark hair blew from the ocean breeze, and the vibrant sky joined with the blue in his eyes, amplifying their beauty.
“You two are going to be late for your wielding sessions,” Sebastian said as he approached us.
I stared at him intently. He didn't seem like a man who was followed by darkness, but I knew better than anyone that sometimes it was necessary to hide your truth from the world.
Sadness bombarded me. Maybe he and I were more similar than I had thought.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He raised an eyebrow at me, and I realized that my mouth had dropped into a frown.
My brain somehow managed to create an excuse withouthesitating. “I was just thinking about how sad it must be to have nothing else to do besides follow me around all day to inform me of the time,” I joked, trying to hide any indication that Pia just spilled some of his deepest secrets to me.
His lips curved up and he gave the sarcasm right back to me. “You know, itisquite sad.” He took a step towards me, putting his body within inches of mine. His head dipped down so he could speak more directly at me—our height difference made that difficult.
“What's even sadder though, will beyouwhen Stoll throws you out of class for being late,” he taunted, a mischievous expression taking up residency on his face.
My jaw went slack. Without breaking our eye contact, I reached behind me and grabbed Pia’s arm, dragging her across the sand in a hurry.
We made it to Professor Stoll’s class without a second to spare. I suppose having Sebastian looking after me did have its perks.
Pia and I were the last two to arrive, so she plopped herself into a desk at the front of the classroom and I made my way to the last empty spot in the back. I slouched into my chair, tossing my rucksack down by my feet.
“Ladies,” Professor Stoll addressed us. “Nice of you to decide to join us.”
A few students snickered under their breath. I ignored them, crossing my arms over my chest.
Stoll walked around to the front of his desk, pushing himself up to sit on top of it. “I imagine you have all been practicing wielding outside of class, and I would like you to continue doing so.”
I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. I had been trying to wield, but when you had no implication of the type of magic you should be wielding, it was extremely difficult. I questioned if the constellastones marking my skin were really a gift at all. So far they had deemed themselves useless.
Pia had tried helping me. She explained how you could feel the magic tingling in your skin. From there, you should be able to use the depths of your mind and soul to harness the magic. She explained it like an expert, but it made no sense to me.
Stoll’s voice carried through the room. “Today we will discuss the topic of mental shields. Not always, but there will be times where you may be able to block out magic that someone harnesses against you. If your shields are strong enough, you can stop someone from wielding their own powers against you.” He slid off his desk and began to pace up and down the classroom. “It's a very complex use of power. But once you have mastered it, you will be grateful that you have.” He stopped when he reached my desk, making eye contact with me for a moment before whirling on his heel and marching back to the front of the room. “Choose a partner, and I will teach you how to apply the power of these shields to your mind.”
Everyone jumped out of their desks. Pia rushed to my side, claiming me as hers.
“Are you sure you don't want to work with someone else? I can't even wield yet. It's going to be a pretty one-sided lesson for you if you work with me,” I explained in a whisper.
“Just because you can't wield your magic yet doesn't mean that you can't block someone else's,” she argued.
“I know, but?—”
“We are working together. Shut up.”
We followed Professor Stoll out of the classroom and on to the academy grounds. He had decided to keep wielding lessons outdoors until we all get a better handle on our power. Last week, the first death of the year occurred. A student from another class had lost control of their fire magic, burning their partner down to the bone.
I recognized the student as someone in my row during the Jewel-Light ceremony. Anora, her name was. Her bodywas sent home to her village, Ferolla, where she would be buried.
“Stand across from your partner, about a foot away. Decide which one of you attempt your shield first. The other will harness some of their power against you,” Professor Stoll instructed.
“Well I have no magic for you to block, so I guess I’ll try to shield yours?” I asked Pia for confirmation, not that it was needed.
“Wielders, please inform your partner on what magic you plan on performing. Shielders, knowing what you’ll need to block can help simplify things,” Stoll announced as he circled around our groups. “In battle, your opponent obviously will not tell you what magic they plan to use against you. But for the sake of this lesson, the knowledge will help you be successful.”
Pia turned her attention to me. “Okay, I'm thinking that I'll try to use my healing powers on the cut on your face. I know I couldn't fully heal it the other night, but maybe now that it's closing up on its own I can finish the job,” she suggested.
I agreed. If I could block her magic—great. If I couldn't—at least my face would be healed.
