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“Why does magic scare you?” she asked.
“It doesn’t,” I said defiantly, jutting my chin into the air.
“Do you have a family?” Nylah asked.
I stilled. Dex had asked me that, too.
“No,” I said tightly.
“No one at all?”
I shook my head. “They didn’t want me.”
Nylah’s expression changed. Her eyes filled with sadness. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“I’m not the orphan that believes I just got lost, and my mom is still out there, looking for me. That kind of hope kills. I know who I am, and I don’t need them. I’ve gotten this far without help, and I’m doing just fine.”
“You are,” Nylah said. “But it never hurts to have someone in your corner. I’m in your corner, and so are Dex and the King.”
When she mentioned King Rainier being in my corner, my chest tightened a little, and my heart fluttered. He wouldn’t be in my corner like that, I reminded myself. He believed I would be an asset, and that was why I was here—not because he saw anything else in me.
I went weak at the knees whenever I saw him, but those feelings were one-sided.
“Would you like to come to me after training more often?” Nylah asked.
“Why?”
She looked at me, and it didn’t offend her that I’d asked.
“Your company is pleasant. I’m always alone.”
I didn’t have a good reason to say no. So, I agreed. I enjoyed hanging out with her, too, not that I would admit to that.
I could be friends with Nylah, and that was rare. I’d never had a true friend.
* * *
Where my relationshipwith Nylah was going better, Dex hadn’t seemed to forget that I’d been late before.
He was still hard on me, even though I’d been on time this morning and for the past six days. He ran me through drills even harder than the days before. I had to run for miles, combined with strength training, only to run again.
By the time training was over, my lungs burned, and my legs screamed at me. Every muscle group was numb, and with every step I took, I feared I was going to fall over. Despite how hard I worked and how much I put my body through, I felt good. Stronger.
For the first time, I had a purpose.
“You can have a drink of water,” Dex said, and I all but fell into the well next to the training arena when I went to fill my water bottle.
When I returned to the arena, my clothes soaked with the water I’d poured on myself and my hair, it wasn’t Dex who stood there waiting for me.
It was King Rainier.
I swallowed hard. “Your Highness.”
“Ellie.” He nodded curtly. “I came to see how you were doing.”
“I think I’m doing okay,” I said. “But you’ll have to ask Dex if he agrees.”
I wiped my brow with my sleeve, feeling stupid for dumping all that water over me. I looked terrible, once again. I wanted the King to see a better side of me, but our meetings only happened when I looked disheveled.
