Page 2 of Death Will Follow

It was Nox himself who had spoken in her mind. He’d taken to summoning her in this manner after weeks of assurances from her that it was far more convenient than him wandering around the Estate in search of her. That it wasn’t an invasion if she granted him permission. Nova smiled to herself as she hurried along, imagining Lucan often received similar mental messages from his mate, the Noble Lord of Silvergard.

As yet, Nova hadn’t shown much skill with either mind reading or mind control, abilities bestowed upon the Noble bloodline of Silvergard by the moon goddess, Orika. Nova had always relished the mastery of a craft. While she wished desperately to harness her abilities, the prospect of learning to control something as intangible as magic proved daunting. Like grasping at smoke. Swordplay was visceral. Something she found could be conquered through repetition and sheer determination. Her attempts at magic had been far less fruitful.

Fortunately, Nox was a patient tutor. In their daily sessions, he taught her about magic in general and, more specifically, how to connect to her own abilities. Self-healing, a gift of her mother’s Solar blood, was involuntary, requiring no more effort than breathing or blinking. Through trial and error, however, Nox and Nova had discovered her ability to heal others was minimal.

She often healed smaller wounds for her sparring partners, like the split brow Lucan sustained when she’d headbutted him. Though she had once healed a mortal wound, after Callan had been run through with a blade, Nox surmised that had more to do with their mating bond than a true gift. The realization—that she was little more than a glorified bandage—still stung.

After several minutes, Nova arrived at Nox’s open-air garden. They’d chosen the location for her training as she always felt at ease with the breeze rustling through the leaves and the hum of the insects flitting here and there. Nox looked up from the book splayed in his hands when the gate groaned, announcing her arrival.

“Ah, there you are.” He set the book down on a table and crossed to the entrance to greet her. While Nox had never taken particular interest in reading before, he’d become an enthusiastic scholar over the past several moons. Because his own abilities of mind reading and influence came easily to him, he’d explained, he needed instruction on the subject in order to instruct Nova. His smile faded as he neared, his fine brows drawing together as he no doubt caught wind of her foul mood. “Is something the matter?”

“I’m well enough,” Nova replied, shaking her head and aiming for a cheerful tone.

Nox smiled faintly and nodded, seemingly content to take her at her word. While he chose not to read minds at will, he could easily sense the emotional states of others. Nova knew it was silly to imagine she could hide her unease from him, but her uncle never pressed her to speak about anything before she was ready.

“Very well, then.” Turning, he walked farther into the garden, Nova following close behind. “Where should we begin? Perhaps some exercises to calm your mind would be wise?”

“Whatever you think is best.” Her words came out with a harder edge than she’d intended.

“Nova.” Nox stopped short and turned to face her. “As we’ve learned, when you’re agitated, your walls are up. When your walls are up, you’re a—”

“I know, I know,” Nova sighed, massaging the space between her brows. “A broken conduit.”

“I never said that.” Nox laid his hands atop her shoulders, ducking his head slightly to meet her eye. “I distinctly remember saying blocked conduit. Blocked is not broken.”

Nova nodded, appreciating the reminder, thankful her uncle could sense she was tender. A raw nerve, exposed.

“When we use our abilities,” he continued, “we are acting as conduits for our patron. Noble bloodlines have the strongest connection to the gods. Your walls, though they have served you well, hinder that connection. It’s no wonder your first use of your healing ability came at a time of extreme emotional distress.”

In her mind, Nova returned to the day Callan and Lucan had recovered her after staging a hurried mission to rescue her from the caves beneath Schadwen Mountain. She recalled the wound that had nearly claimed her mate. His blood pooling in the black sand beneath his body.

“All reason abandoned you in that moment.” Nox’s voice pulled Nova from the memory. “Your walls came crashing down. While that allowed you access to Aurore’s healing magic, you were acting without control. The gods’ magic takes as much as it gives. Draw too much or for too long, and it will consume you. That’s why your training is so important. Why I won’t allow you to skip any of our sessions.”

Nova drew in a deep breath. “I understand,” she said, willing her anxiety to ebb. “I see how one might drain themselves completely wielding fire or ice. But how does it work with Lunar gifts?”

Nox motioned for her to sit in one of two chairs beside a small table, apparently content for the day’s lesson to be an intellectual exercise rather than a practical one.

“Wielding the elements drains the physical body, same as healing. The Lunar gifts drain the mind. If I were to control someone—mind or body—for too long, or a group of significant size for even a short time, my mind could be forfeit. There are those who have lost themselves.”

Nova thought of how Idrian had seemingly struggled when he took full bodily control of Callan all those months ago, pinching the bridge of his nose as if his head ached.

“The same is true of shifters,” Nox went on. “If they remain in their shifted form for too long, they risk losing sight of who they are outside of the beast.”

“But Idrian poisoned the thoughts of hundreds of soldiers for years. How was he able to do so without losing himself?”

“One might argue that he did. Unfortunately, hatred isn’t a fire that needs continuous feeding. Once the spark has ignited, the flame needs only to be fanned from time to time.”

Nox sat for a moment in quiet contemplation, watching the delicate white moths fluttering around the blooms on his magnolia tree.

“Channeling your gifts, whatever they may be, will depend on you being able to let down your walls. I can see something troubles you today. Let’s pause our work until after you return from Nivali. Perhaps some time with Callan will ease whatever worries you carry.”

Nova reached for her uncle’s hand where it rested on the table, taking it into her own and squeezing once. Nox tipped his head toward the gate.

“Go on,” he said, smiling. “I’m sure you have preparations to make before your journey.”

Two

Callan surveyed the enemy line stretched out before him, his fist tight around the hilt of his sword. Looking to his left, he met the eyes of his friend Arik and gave a quick nod.