“Oh yes,” she said with a nod. “Not to work, despite me doing exactly that now. Perhaps when this is done, I’ll build a small cottage behind the main house and garden in my spare time. When I left with you, Rorik essentially fired me—with an unnecessary amount of coin, of course. He wanted me to live, too.”
“Vora...” Emotion swelled in my throat.
She gave me a knowing smile. “He’s not all bad.”
He wasn’t wholly good, either, but I suppose there wasn’t anyone who was a true paragon of morality. We were all just shades of gray, shifting between something darker and lighter with the choices we made and the circumstances thrust upon us. Myself included. I’d ended someone’s life without a second thought and little—no—regret.
“I know,” I said.
“But enough of my past.” She nodded toward the serving tray. “Are you going to finish that? If not, I can clear it. I’m going to spend the day helping the attendants with a few things and catching up with some friends. Unless you need something?”
“No.” I waved her off immediately and stood. “You’re not my attendant anymore. Enjoy yourself. I’m going to meet up with Amalyss and Tasia first.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
I lifted a shoulder as I eyed the door. “Maybe Lydia has some ideas.”
Vora snorted. “Gods help you.” She reached for the tray and settled it against her hip. A quiet thread of hope wound through her voice as she spoke. “I know you’re doing this for you, as you should, but if you think of anything that can help him...”
“Of course.” I gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want him or Seville to die.”
She let the door close gently behind her. I wrapped my arms around my stomach as I stared at the space where she used to be. Her story was still on repeat in my mind. The fear she must have felt, the relief when Rorik pulled those men off her. My heart twisted painfully.
My feelings toward Rorik were as conflicting as his shifting moods. I dressed quickly, grabbing a smooth pair of silken pants and a loose, long-sleeved blouse from the armoire. Then I traveled down the hall to a set of double doors I recognized as Amalyss and Tasia’s quarters. After a quick knock, they called for me to enter, and I stepped into the room.
With vaulted ceilings and countless open windows, the space was bright and airy. Two canopy beds manned the walls on either side, and a few heavy shelves of white oak framed the main bay window. Weathered books were neatly tucked among vases full of flowers and golden bookends. Amalyss and Tasia stretched out on an enormous fur rug before a marble hearth, and they had a small stack of tomes beside them.
“Edira,” Amalyss said with a smile. “How was your first night back?”
“Fine.” I sank to the floor beside them, crossing my legs and placing my hands in my lap. “What are you up to?”
“Helping to the best of our abilities.” Tasia had a book cracked open before her and flipped aimlessly through the pages. “I’m guessing Rorik was useless, as per usual?”
“That would be correct.”
“Asshole,” Amalyss muttered. “Well, we pulled a few books that mention heartbonds and family magic.”
I reached for the first book on the stack and flipped it open to find the title:A Beginner’s Guide to Familial Magic. “Your mother taught Clesian about Fernglove magic after they bonded, right?”
Tasia nodded. “She and Father went to town on an errand, but they’ll be back soon.”
Amalyss picked up her own book and rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin in her hands. “She’ll help, unlikesomeonewe know.”
I chuckled as I turned my focus to the text before me. Time passed with the quiet scrape of paper and the occasional soft conversation from Amalyss and Tasia. At one point, Vora brought small sandwiches—egg and watercress—and tea around midday before slipping away. I nibbled on the corner of one as I read, leaning closer to the pages when one passage in particular snagged my focus.
Harnessing familial magic is largely an innate ability, and in young children, it often flares with their emotions until they learn to control their newfound power. Even so, perfecting magic varies from family to family depending on the unique strain. While children may bear the raw potential of their parents, wielding it effectively comes from years of finesse and practice, and is best taught by another family member. If that power is never refined, the individual in question will likely never be able to perform the same feats as their ancestors.
In other words, I was royally fucked unless any of the other Ferngloves could effectively teach me to harness Rorik’s gift. I snorted and nearly blew sandwich bits across the book. Wiping the last crumbs from my lips, I turned to the next page.
In the case of heartbonds, acquiring new magic can be quite jarring. Both parties may be familiar with their own unique brand of magic—assuming their familial powers were strong enough to be passed down—but the influx of a foreign magic can be difficult to manage. Guidance from both parties about their respective powers is necessary to fully realize their shared potential and harness their combined magics. Furthermore, while heartbonds require no romantic attachment to form, there is an emotional component to their connection.
No fucking shit. I absently rubbed the left side of my chest as I remembered the torrent of unbridled feelings that had battered against my heart.
As such, learning how to harness familial magic through a heartbond can be developed quite quickly and efficiently, since the bond itself allows both users to feel deeply through their connection. This grants the individual the ability to acutely experience how said magic is accessed and shaped versus learn through years of trial and error, as children do when learning about their inherited familial power.
A weighted groan slipped from my lips. Pinching my nose, I let my eyes close. No matter how well-versed Lydia was in heartbonds, I had the inevitable sinking feeling that she would be able to accomplish only so much. Especially with Rorik shuttering his emotions from me and apparently stilting the power that seeped down our bond. I needed him to take the wall down between us, but did I even want that? That meant he would have access to my magic and, worse, my feelings, which were already a whole ass mess.
“Find something?” Tasia asked.
