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"It can be. You've already demonstrated that you can use magic, so there’s no harm in trying."
"Why not move on to something dangerous?" I muttered.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice smooth as silk. Eyes as amused as ever.
I suspected that was a front for his real emotions. Covering the fact he very much took everything seriously when it came to protecting the Winter Court.
He clasped his hands in front of him and arched an eyebrow at me. That was a challenge if I ever saw one. Evidently he knew me well enough to know I didn't back down from a challenge.
I nodded. "I suppose so."
"Close your eyes," Ryze instructed. "Focus on your breath. Let everything else fall away."
I did as he said, taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly. I pushed aside the doubt and uncertainty that were gnawing at me. Partly about handling magic at all and partly trusting him enough to even try. Would he have done all of that, only to put me in danger a couple of days later? That seemed like a lot of effort to me. And he didn't seem like the sort of man to waste a drop of sweat, much less a resource like he claimed I was.
"Good," he said. "Now, feel the magic within you. It's there, waiting to be used. Let it flow through you like a river. Just inside you, don't aim it at me. Leave it in the jug for now."
I snorted, but concentrated, feeling the magic coursing through my veins. It was a strange sensation, cool but buzzing like electricity humming just below the surface of my skin.
"Now, imagine a place you want to go," he said, his voice soothing with Fae melodic tones. Under other circumstances, it might put me to sleep. Or in a meditative trance. Maybe he should have been a priest.
"Picture your bedroom, with your bed in the centre. The stunning, picturesque view out the window. The tastefully decorated walls.”
"I think you're overselling it a bit," I remarked.
He chuckled. "Focus, woman. It's a nice room, imagine you want to be there right now. If you like, picture me naked in your nest, waiting for you."
I cracked an eye open and looked at him. In spite of everything, that was an enticing visual image I’d have to do my best to ignore for now.
He raised a hand. "Sorry, it's too soon."
I murmured my agreement and closed my eye again.
I pictured my room, without him or anyone else in it. Neat and tidy with no clothes lying all over the floor, no half read books sitting open. Fortunately, I’d tidied up before our lesson today.
"Good," he said again. "Now, hold that image in your mind. Focus all your energy on it."
I closed my eyes tighter, trying to visualize the room with every detail. I imagined the feel of the carpet under my feet, the warmth of the sun coming through the window, the sweet fragrance of the bathroom with the oils on the shelf.
I poured all my energy into that image, trying to make it as vivid as possible.
"Open your eyes," Ryze said. "Keep that image in your mind."
I did, although it left me a little disoriented. The world seemed different somehow, as if I was seeing it through a veil. It hadn't looked like this when Ryze made the portal. Maybe it only looked like this to the person doing the magic. I made a note to ask about that later.
"Now," he said, "reach out your hand. Imagine you're touching your room, reaching through the veil that separates us from that space. Draw the water out and form the portal from it."
I tentatively reached out my hand. In the back of my mind, I drew a little bit of water, like I was raising steam from a cooking pot. Not too much, and careful not to flick any onto him or myself. Okay, mostly myself. A few more drops wouldn't hurt him.
My fingertips brushed against something firm and cool, like frozen stone, if stone was somehow yielding at the same time as it was hard.
"That's it," Ryze encouraged. "Now, pull back the veil. Open a doorway to your room."
I closed my eyes again. Power surged as I concentrated. I imagined my hand as a key, turning in an invisible lock. Slowly, the veil parted, revealing a clear view of my room and the window with the view overlooking the harbour.
"Good," Ryze said. "Now, step through."
I took a deep breath and stepped forward. Just before I walked through, the portal snapped shut and disappeared.
