“Gareth has other business this morning.” He stops a few feet away, studying me through those oddly pale eyes of his. “I'll be conducting your training today.”
I force myself not to grimace. “How exciting for me.”
A smile ghosts across his lips. “I thought you'd be pleased.”
I glance at Blight. She's now watching the scene unfold without any more emotion or any body language I can read, almost a mirror image of the stone dragons that recline atop the wall protecting Lucindris.
I expect her to warn me to be wary, as she did yesterday. But she’s silent, even as Reave walks past me and begins sizing her up instead.
“I heard you were attempting magic,” he says, looking back over his shoulder. “So I thought I might offer some...insight.”
I bristle, embarrassed to think about what else he mighthave heard—what sort of report his advisors gave him. But I try to keep a level head.
“I could use some insight, I suppose,” I say evenly.
That little smile is back on his face. “It’s hard for you to accept help, isn’t it?”
“I’m used to being the helper. Not the helped.”
“I see.” He holds up his hand and allows Blight to nuzzle it, to fully breathe in his scent. As she does, his eyes cast about, taking in the targets that are still set up from yesterday. Angling his face toward me, he says, “You do realize you can’t manage this particular task on your own, though?”
“Of course I realize that.”
He nods toward one of the targets. “Show me what you can do, then.”
An order that oozes with arrogant authority, just like yesterday.
Show me the worst of it.
Gritting my teeth and rolling the tension from my shoulders, I push all the memories from our last meeting down. I move closer to one of the targets, reaching out a hand toward it while mentally grasping for Blight and her magic.
Unlike during our last session, I feel her respond immediately. Showing off for the king, I guess. Warmth flares through my body, hot enough that it makes me draw in a sharp breath, leaving me momentarily light-headed.
But as soon as I try to shape it into flame, to push it outward…
Nothing.
Frustration swells in me, and my insides go cold.
“Interesting,” Reave murmurs, his eyes on my outstretched hand, which is shaking. “You're holding back.”
I clutch that hand against my chest to hold it still. “I am not.”
“You are. You're reaching for magic, but refusing to truly accept it once it’s offered. You want the power without the connection.” He lifts his gaze to mine. “That's not how it works.”
My frustration continues to simmer, making my words clipped. “Are you an expert on divine bonds, then?”
“No. But I know a thing or two about power.” His expression is insufferably smug as he holds his hand out in front of him, beckoning with his fingers.
His eyes darken as an icy wind rises, briefly lifting the sand and swirling it around his body.
Even though I don’t think he’s directing it at me, I feel some of his power crawling over my skin, slowing my breaths and making my body heavy and sluggish.
A shadow overtakes the arena moments later, something massive soaring over the opening in the roof—a dragon. Just like the ones that heralded his arrival on the night we met.
Blight rises to her feet, her frill flat against her neck as she gazes up at the circling beast. I still can’t get a proper read on her emotions, but curiosity remains one of the clearest. And now there’s something that I think might belonging.
Like she wishes she could fly, too.
