Page 36 of Of Shadows and Blood

I close them and wiggle my fingers, only abiding to entertain her and to hopefully help her forget I was sort of fleeing.

“For some of us, we see it as a small candle flame. For others, it’s a bolt of lightning. But we can visualize the essence of our magic as it courses through us,” she says, her voice filling my ears.

I press my lips together, trying to conjure up the smallest image of a flame.

I get nothing.

“It’s not going to work for me,” I say. What I don’t say is: “This isn’t going to work for me because I am not truly Elivienne and I am not sure how to be vampyr or cess. I feel like a lousy human who cries when she gets a splinter.”

“Try harder,” she urges.

I continue to focus and surrender to this game. Every muscle in my body is tense as I attempt to imagine whatever it is I’m supposed to be imagining. Slowly, my mind drifts and I think of last night. The blood that splattered the floor. The aching in my teeth. The smell of it as it pooled against the wall. Something cool touches my palms. I flick my eyes open. Avonde has laid a sword in my hands, the metal sparks against my skin. I jump, nearly dropping the weapon. Its weight catches me off guard.

“What’s this?” I wrap my fingers around the metal, which continues to shock against me. My cotton dress must be causing static.

“Come at me,” she says, an equally sized blade in her hands now. She gets into a defensive position, eyes drilling into me.

I really, really don’t want to do this right now. My muscles ache even as I hold it at a relaxed position at my side.

But I cannot ignore the little pops between my fingers and the hilt of my sword. The prickling sensation doesn’t stop. The metal acts as a conduit for this weird current coming from me and I roll my shoulders back.

Avonde motions with her hand.

“I’m not going to come at you,” I snort.

Seriously, I’m ready to mope in the cottage again. Tomorrow will be more successful as I’ll remember to avoid this side of the castle.

Avonde lunges forward just as she had with Cedric. Quickly, I jump back, sucking my stomach in to barely miss the point of her blade. My eyes heat up as I realize she just tried to stab me.

“What in the Gods are you doing?!” I yell, slowly trying to lift the sword. My arms shake as I barely get it to waist height.

“You can feel that power surge. I know you can,” she says, eyes trained on me. “The faster we get some of that power back, the faster we get your mind back.”

“My mind is fine the way it is!”

Avonde kicks her foot out, planting it on my chest and throwing me back. I fall to the ground, the air in my lungs escaping me. I stand back up, raising the sword a little higher. We begin circling each other. I have never fought in my life.

“I see your boots. You think you’re strong enough to run away into the woods?” Avonde cuts, anger presenting itself in her tone. “Well, you’re not,” she answers herself. “Now swing your blade.”

I pause, unsure of how to even swing such a heavy object skilfully. Noticing my apprehension, the sorceress brings her blade down above my shoulder. Upon instinct, I throw my sword up and deflect the blow. My muscles scream as the sword drags its edge on the pavement.

“Good,” she says, noticing the weariness of my gait. I sway a little, letting the sword drag as I try to right myself.

“That’s one way to dull a blade.”

To my left, Sawyer comes out from one of the castle doors. My heart races as I take him in. He walks so proud and confident, his grin beaming as he approaches me. The sword clatters to the ground.

“Avonde,” he says, nodding at her. She ignores him. I turn away from him, bending to grab my blade.

On the scale of trust, Sawyer falls very, very low in the trenches. I reach and pick my blade up again in an attempt to ignore him. He walks directly to me.

“You seem well,” he says as he inspects my face. I nod, averting my gaze. I know we’re being watched so I don’t speak.

“There is nothing wrong with speaking to me, Liv.” He looks over his shoulder and leans towards me. “Thinking of leaving? I doubt the woods are guarded heavily tonight,” he whispers. I also check over my shoulder knowing Avonde can sometimes hear my thoughts, but I doubt she can hear us from where she is, polishing a dagger.

“I don’t trust you,” I whisper back. “As a matter of fact, who are you? Though you obviously won’t answer that.”

“I’m happy to answer those questions. You want an easy answer?”