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“Follow my lead,” Serena coaxed.
She pushed her hands out before lifting them to the sky and lowering them in a wide circle as she pliéd and twisted her torso.
I followed each repeated motion, feeling like we were doing tai chi. I relaxed and went through each step with her less than a beat behind. Whether my magic was in sync with hers or if the several weeks of training paid off, predicting her next movement came naturally to me.
The trees swayed around us, bending as we did. I could only imagine how beautiful this would be in the spring or summer. More plants would be alive, and I would feel more of the Earth's energy singing back to me.
The magic flowed through my body. The sensation had started out unfamiliar, but now I recognized it had always been just below the surface, as if waiting for me to call it up. Thanks to Serene, Emily, and her mates, I finally knew how.
My magic danced in my palms as we moved. I didn’t stop it. Instead of trying to control it, I coexisted with the energy and closed my eyes, going through the next few steps until I felt Serene stop.
I tried to keep my smile from my lips. I could sense her movements and knew what she was about to do. I threw up an invisible shield before her snowball even left her hands.
“You’re getting better,” she said.
I finally opened my eyes. “Either that or you’re getting sloppier.”
“I was quite sly that time. I have to admit you’re impressing me.”
“You sound surprised.” I put my hand over my chest, feigning hurt.
“Well, when you first came to me, you were basically a novice, not at all settled within yourself or your magic. I knew you hadn't been training for long, and this whole side of you was new. I expected it to take a lot longer to get to this point.”
“But you knew I’d be able to?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I know you would. You're no longer conflicted. You’re not fighting against yourself or your nature. You're able to recognize this part of you. I wish there was more than I could do to test you, but we're limited this time of year. I don’t want to do anything that would cause permanent damage to the land. I don’t think the pack would appreciate that very much.”
She led me to a small frozen grove. “Can you show me what you've been working on with Niall? How's your Water coming?”
I smiled. Icicles, varying from twelve to twenty-four inches, grew in the circle of trees around us.
She glanced around and finally laughed. “So you’re getting better?”
“I think so,” I said with a slight smile. “Niall will always be ahead of me, no matter how long we train, but I'm finally accepting that. I'm happy with the progress I'm making, rather than resenting being so far behind. I'm not sure if I would have been able to do that at the Academy.”
“You know, I've always hated the saying, ‘everything happens for a reason.’ Especially after losing my family. What possible reason could that have been?”
I nodded, understanding that more than she knew, or maybe she did.
“But maybe in this case, it's true. Whatever the catalyst was for the Alpha trying to find you after all this time, and the Council forcing him to act,” she paused, “I'm glad that it happened sooner than later. It probably would have come to you, eventually. The Academy is a great place. I learned a lot while I was there, but I certainly learned more out on my own. They can give you the basics, a solid foundation, especially for those that don't come from families able to teach them. In the end, though, real life teaches you the most. You don't know what you don't know until you get into situations that call for more skill than you could learn from the Academy.”
She spoke from personal experience. We weren’t affectionate with each other, but I patted her arm.
“I want to be able to fight to protect myself and my bond. We want to get our families back together, and I couldn't have done that without coming here. I'm still not sure I'm in any position to go up against an opponent, but I have a chance now. You've given that to me.”
“I wish I could guarantee you’re ready, but until you come face to face with a true challenge, there is no way of knowing. I can teach you absolutely everything I know, but it might not ever be enough. More often than not, I learn out of necessity. I have a feeling you're the same way. The most important thing they tell you at the Academy about being a witch is true. No matter your affinity, remember it's all about your intent—not what you think you're capable of. Your magic is far more powerful than you can comprehend. You set your own limits—not the magic. If you face a situation and the only spell you can remember is how to heal a dying tree, use that. Put your intent into making that tree the weapon that you need it to be.”
I hadn't thought of that, repurposing what I knew when I needed it, but she made sense and gave me more confidence.
“You think I could kick someone's butt with a pine?”
She laughed. “Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised.”
“Thank you, Serene. You've done more for me than just tutoring me with my Earth magic, and I hope you know that.”
She folded her arms. “Why does this feel like a goodbye? I'm going to see you in two days when we train again. It's not like you're done.”
“No. I know.” But now that she mentioned it, our talk felt strange. Different. “I just wanted you to know.”
