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“Is this the first time this has happened?” Queen Soteira asked.
“Never this severe,” Cassia answered. “But I do get very tired whenever I do magical exercises.”
“I agree with Komnena. You should not be this depleted.” Queen Soteira adjusted her hand on Cassia’s chest and appeared focused once again. “I sense that you have a small reserve of latent magic, which is how you’ve been making plants grow. That supply of power is currently fully exhausted. Perhaps it acts as a draw for the rest of your power, which you are still expecting.”
“But you can restore the power I currently have?”
“Our spells for treating magical exhaustion work by stimulating your own internal magical reserves to replenish themselves. I have been performing that spell as we speak, but your affinity isn’t responding. I believe all of this is a symptom of how much you need your full magic to arrive.”
“Does that mean I should go somewhere wild? That helped last night.”
“Even if you fully restore your current reserve, it will be very difficult for such a small amount of magic to sustain your body.”
“What about mages who have small amounts of power? They never become ill from it.”
“You are meant to have three powerful affinities. Your body, mind, and spirit are crafted to sustain your triune affinity—and be sustained by it. Have your symptoms been getting worse?”
Cassia’s mouth went dry. “Yes.”
Was Queen Soteira saying Cassia was running out of time?
“No,” Cassia said, “that can’t be. All of this is simply my Craving, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Queen Soteira. “Craving does not make a human this ill.”
“But I’m always this ill when I’m away from Lio for too long.”
“Cassia,” Komnena said in dismay, “you never told us anything about that.”
“Lio and I thought it was normal. You said you felt your need for Apollon before you were a Hesperine.”
“Certainly. I pined for Apollon, physically and emotionally. But I was never ill like a Hesperine deprived of blood.”
Cassia grimaced, thinking of her delayed Gift Night. “It must be because I’ve remained human for so long. It was pining at first, when Lio returned to Orthros without me. But after I came here and we were together again, I began having physical symptoms. Then, in the Maaqul…that was when we realized it was dangerous.”
“What have I told you about not keeping things from me?” Komnena said. “If you and Lio withheld this because you were trying not to worry me…”
Queen Soteira did not look pleased. “I examined her myself after her return from the Empire, and she also said nothing to me. We were admittedly preoccupied with her mental wounds from her imprisonment with that vulture Dakkoul who calls himself a theramancer.”
“I didn’t mention it because I didn’t think I needed healing for my Craving. When I’m with Lio, my symptoms are cured.”
“When you’re in his presence?” Queen Soteira asked.
Cassia’s face flushed. This was far too embarrassing to explain in front of Lio’s mother.
Komnena gave her a rueful look. “I know how the Craving works, my dear. But I will stop my ears with veils if it will put you at ease.”
“No, it’s all right.” Cassia mustered her composure. She needn’t go into intimate details. “My symptoms go away when I…” Now that she was saying it aloud, she wondered if it sounded strange. “Well, we realized in the desert that this is possible. I drink his magic, so to speak.”
The two elders exchanged glances.
“That is not consistent with the Craving,” Queen Soteira said with kindness and calm. “In fact, it is unprecedented.”
“A phenomenon unique to Lustra magic, perhaps?” Komnena sounded worried. “We now know hulaia is a channeling paradigm. Perhaps that enables Cassia to channel magic from Lio?”
“We can only theorize,” the Queen replied.
“We need to consult with Kalos again,” Komnena said.
