Page 17 of Veiled Yearning

Corralling the snow, I coax all the flakes into a sphere, with hundreds of variations of color glimmering. We’re hidden within it; if anyone looked from the outside, all they’d see is a softly glowing ball composed of every color of the rainbow.

Once I have the snow stable, no longer needing my attention, I shift my gaze to Gavril. He’s watching the snow with a smile, tiny sparks of refracted light dusting his face. “What do you think?”

His gaze jumps to mine. “Chiara. This is… it’s incredible. I had no idea.”

“Sometimes I come out here and build things.” I redirect the snow, turning the sphere into a tower, complete with a little turret at the top. “Maybe it’s silly. Being out here, alone, playing in the snow—”

“No. It’s not silly.” Gavril looks at me seriously. “It’s beautiful.”

“This is the first time I’ve shown anyone.”

“Chiara.” His brows jump up. “Why? Wouldn’t you have shown Frederick? Or—”

“Frederick doesn’t come here for little tricks like this. He comes to check on me, or to get talismans. But this… it seems unimportant.”

“It’s not unimportant.” He’s adamant. Gently fierce. “You can create something incredible. Something beautiful. We don’t get enough of that. Making something like this is very important.”

Warmth fills my chest, and for a second, I’m close to tears. “Thank you.”

Gavril glances at the snow again, wonder brightening his features. His nose and cheeks are pink and he looks more handsome than I’ve ever seen him. “How can you do this? Do you mind telling me?”

I don’t get the feeling like he’s asking for some strategic reason, this time, but because he’s truly interested.

I shift the snow again, turning it into a rainbow igloo, with a small doorway peeking out into the yard. “There’s latent energy everywhere. Just sitting there, passively, waiting for the right catalyst. Kind of like how… water is in the air. In the right conditions, it turns to snow, or rain, or fog.”

“It took a long time to figure out how it worked,” I explain. “At first, I didn’t understand how I could do it. So I wasn’t as good back then. The energy I’d summon would be scattered and weak.”

Gavril’s gaze doesn’t leave my face. “And later?”

“I practiced. I tried to open myself up to feel the types of energy—light, fire, shadow—so I could draw out the one I wanted. So, to do the snow trick, I collect light, and sort of… infuse it into the snow. But I don’t let go entirely, so I can still control it.”

“And with the talismans? The tokens? You let the energy go, with those?”

I nod. “Yeah. So the healing tokens use light. The weapons use fire. And the shielding talismans use shadow. I draw in the energy, concentrate on the item I want it to go into, and just sort of…let it go.”

As I trail off, quiet settles around us. Gavril is silent; a contemplative look on his face. And a niggle of worry works its way in. Did I say too much? Is he already trying to figure out how to use my ability for the Sentinels? Does he think I’m strange?

Suddenly uncomfortable, I sever the connection with the snow, letting it fall in white clouds around us. “We should go inside.”

“Chiara.” Gavril reaches toward me, but stops himself halfway, shoving his hands in his coat pockets instead. “I…” He hesitates, his forehead creasing. “Thank you for showing me that. Truly. I meant what I said. It’s beautiful.”

“But weird.”

“No, not weird. Amazing.”

As our eyes meet, my breath catches. His gaze isn’t speculative. Not assessing. It’s appreciative. Admiring. Interested.

“I’m sorry I came here the way I did,” he admits. “I should have thought it through. Not acted so impulsively. It was wrong.”

“I understand.” And I do. My anger has fizzled to annoyance, and I can understand better why Gavril acts the way he does.

“It’s not an excuse. But one thing I don’t regret is coming here and getting to know you.”

Oh. Gavril isn’t supposed to make me feel this way.

Shoving aside my confusing feelings to be dealt with later, I say, “I’m glad I got to know you better, too.” A pause, and then, “Now. You mentioned snowballs?”

A smile spreads across his face. “I think I made a mistake when I mentioned that.”

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