Page 14 of Under Restless Skies

“And you’re quite tall, and must have been tall since you were ten or something.”

He grins. “You think I’m tall?”

“I don’t think. It’s an objective fact.”

“I guess.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “And you? Since when have you known about your magic?”

Did I mishear him? “My what?”

“Your power.” He looks behind me, perhaps to check that the men aren’t nearby, and lowers his voice. “That you used to see through the cups.”

This is the weirdest assumption, unless he’s joking. “That’s… not what happened. Nobody can see through things.”

All traces of a smile vanish from his face, replaced by an icy stare. “So what did you do?” This is the man who taunted me when I was in a cell, and I can’t believe I was silly enough to forget it.

“I smelled the ball—or rather, the absence of the ball under the cups.”

“So you have no magic?” he says it like an accusation, as if it wasn’t something impossible.

A thread of fear permeates my spine, but I keep my voice calm. “Why would I have it when nobody does?”

“I trusted you. I brought you here because I believed you were something more.” The manic glint in his eyes tells me I won’t be able to put any sense in his head.

With his fists clenched and his face a mask of fury, Alayel is nothing like the friendly recruit who let me leave a note for my brother and gave me new clothes.

Warning bells of danger ring in my mind—pointlessly. There’s nowhere to run.

“I have a great sense of smell,” I say, hoping I can calm him down, as fear courses through my veins. “You saw it at the trial. It worked. Tell me what you need from me. I might be able to do it.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, all the anger gone from his countenance at once. “I’m so sorry, I… There’s so much at stake. We won’t have time to check each cave to see if the dragons are there. I thought you would be able to see through the rock and find the right one.”

Amazing. I’m embarking on an almost-impossible mission with someone completely cuckoo.

“Then there’s no problem.” My tone is firm and calming, just like when I used to tell my brother there was nothing to fear. “I’ll be able to smell where the dragons are.”

“You should have told me.” His voice is calmer, but the accusation is still annoying.

He should have asked, but I don’t want to say that and cross him. “Did your friend, the one who was going to come, did he have magic?”

“You are here, not him.”

“If you were alone, how would you find the cave?”

“Different method. Riskier.” His eyes soften, getting brilliant in the glow of the moon. “If you can find the right cave by smell, it will work. I… I was worried for a second. Didn’t mean to snap. You understand, right?”

Not really, but I’m glad he’s friendly again, and when he looks at me with apology in those stunning eyes, it’s easy to forgive him. His talk of magic is bizarre, unless— “Does anyone have magic in Cainara?”

“It’s a rare gift, kept secret most of the time, but possible, definitely. I saw what you did and assumed you had it. My mistake.”

“So you’ve never actually seen a person with magic?”

He tilts his head. “How could I know? I have seen tricks. In the Great Market, a juggler could levitate objects. Was it magic? Something else? How can I be sure?”

“But you believe magic is possible.”

“I do. Across the ocean, I’ve spoken to far too many people who don’t believe that dragons are real. Just because you can’t see something, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” He sounds serious and not as deranged as before, yet his argument is still flawed.

“Then the amount of things that might exist is limitless.”