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“Speaking of training,” Desmond started, giving Malcolm a side-eye smirk, “Claire’s magic seemed to be a bit more forceful today than it has been.”
Malcolm growled at Desmond who just laughed and Claire buried her face in her hands, shaking her head.
“What do you mean?” Toan asked, concerned.
Claire lifted her head. “I’ve been training with Malcolm on absorbing the Energy from blows and pushing it back towards him in my counterattack. I thought I was only using a little bit of magic but apparently not. I don’t know why it’s been so volatile.”
Toan thought for a moment. “It’s probably because you are coming closer to your coming of age. If I had to guess, I would think that Winona’s bindings on your magic will expire on your birthday or coming of age date. Your magic doesn’t have anywhere to ground itself right now. We’ll have to move up your royal coronation ceremony to this week so you can connect to the Royal Tree.”
“Coronation ceremony?” Claire squeaked. Sorry, what? Coronated? She was going to have to lead? She couldn’t lead the Elves, she barely knew anything about her Elven heritage and she was going to have to leave to find answers.
Toan’s face softened as he observed her panic. “Coronation doesn’t mean you have to lead yet, the Elders can still lead until you are ready. But it will tie you to the Royal Tree and the Forest and provide your magic a much needed grounding outlet until your birthday.”
Claire nodded, mind still racing with thoughts of the coronation. Her eyes widened. “Umm, when is my birthday?” She asked softly, wanting to bury her head in her hands again from even having to ask. “I mean, I know when the orphanage celebrated it—” If they even did, she thought, “—but I don’t know my actual birthday.”
Malcolm’s hand covered hers on her lap and gave a soft squeeze. Claire clutched it tightly and let out the shaky breath she was holding. It was okay. It was all going to be fine. It was perfectly normal that a princess didn’t know her birthday, she thought, trying to hold in an inappropriate, if slightly hysterical, laugh.
Toan must have sensed she was still panicking cause he answered quickly. “You were born on the Autumn Equinox. Winona used to joke that you were always balanced, even as a baby.”
Well she definitely didn’t feel balanced right now. She felt overloaded. The Autumn Equinox was only a few months away. She had so much to learn and do in that time.
“Grounding to the Royal Tree is going to help,” Toan promised her, his voice steadfast and soothing. “Puck can also help.”
Claire took a deep breath to get herself together. A princess could not be hysterical, she thought with a wry laugh. “Greta mentioned learning something like that tomorrow.”
“Perfect,” Everett said, sending calm down their bond, further settling Claire’s swirling stomach.
Malcolm nudged her plate closer to her in a silent demand to eat and she rolled her eyes while smiling. She picked up another piece of fruit as Desmond jumped in with a lighter topic. She could deal with everything else tomorrow. Tonight, she would enjoy dinner with her Triad and getting to know the only family she might have left.
5
“Afamiliar is a gift, not one to be taken lightly. With a strong connection, a familiar can not only help one control their magic but also provide it with a boost if needed,” Greta said, perched on a rickety chair that looked as old as she was in the corner of the Elder Tree.
Claire had learned that morning that not all of the Elders lived together but she wasn’t surprised that Greta had claimed the Elder Tree as her own. Greta had lost all of her family in the Great War with the last of them falling at the brutal battle that drove the witches and shifters out of the Fae lands. Claire hadn’t gotten a chance to ask her about Lorna yet as Greta had been all business when Claire arrived that morning.
Another restless night of sleep with strange dreams left Claire feeling a bit groggy as she sat on the floor in front of Greta with Puck on her lap. His warmth against her stomach made her want to curl up and fall asleep. Her eyes shut and she stifled a yawn. A small zap against her stomach jolted her upright.
“Hey!” She frowned down at Puck.
Pay attention, his yellow eyes seemed to tell her as he gave her an indignant stare.
“Like I said, a strong connection is required.” Greta’s voice was amused.
Claire gave her a sheepish smile and straightened her spine. She needed to learn this.
“How do I use him to ground my magic?” That was her primary concern. She didn’t need to add any more magic to her already wild swirling mass at her center but some control would be nice.
“Focus on your connection with him. Get a clear picture in your mind of it. Now imagine casting that connection over the magic in your center. Not like a solid blanket but more like a net. Your goal isn’t to smother your magic but provide it with boundaries about what is too much. Puck will help absorb any stray magic without you losing the ability to cast it.”
“Will it hurt him?” Claire didn’t want to hurt Puck even if it meant having more control. She would rather figure out a different way.
“No, the opposite in fact. Notus’s are high energy creatures and usually have large appetites.”
Claire looked down at Puck. She hadn’t known that. Had they been feeding him enough?
Almost as if he was reading her mind, he sent an image through their bond of his hunts. He was doing just fine. If anything, Everett spoiled him with turkey. Claire shook her head and listened to Greta.
“What most do not know is that Notuses can also ‘eat’ magic as a form of sustenance. Your extra magic will do nothing but fuel his energy. Almost like a sugar high that young children can get so all you have to worry about is a hyperactive Notus on your hands.”
