Page 168 of Gift from the Stone

“What the fuck was that?” Caspian growls.

“Oh shit,” Will whispers, turning her shocked expression on me.

I just gape at the three of them, my mind taking a long time to catch up. I’ve done this one other time in my life. The worst day of my life.

“Did you just command us to stop?” Corentin asks. He doesn’t seem pissed, though. He seems to be putting the same pieces together in his mind that I just did.

“How it that possible, though? He shouldn’t be able to use his gift on us like that?” Draken asks incredulously.

“I didn’t have any ill intentions. I just wanted you to stop so Willow would calm down,” I tell them, rubbing her stomach in a comforting gesture so she knows I’m not trying to put her on the spot. I’m trying to get them to realize what was going on.

“The same with his mind reading and my shadows. We’ve always been able to use them on each other as long as we had no ill intent,” Caspian summarizes, still staring daggers at me.

“What is happening?” Willow whispers.

“I’m not completely sure. But between the power behind Draken’s fire, you being able to pass your purr through the bonds, and what I did just now, it’s easy to assume we’re getting a power boost,” I tell her.

“Get up, try it again. Try it on Draken,” Corentin orders, ready to work this entire situation out right here and now.

“Me? Why me?” Draken asks.

“Just go stand over there, Draken,” Corentin orders impatiently.

Willow hops up out of my lap and offers her hand for me to pull myself up with. Despite her current mood and gloomy thoughts she’s trying to ward off, she can’t help that curious nature of hers. She’s got to see for herself what’s going on.

The five of us walk out into the back lawn and I stand a few feet in front of Draken, whose cocky thoughts and ‘this won’t work’ smirk makes me chuckle darkly.

“Come on, T-man. Give me what you got,” he taunts.

I take a deep breath and center myself, calling on the calm and patience I’ve had to build up over almost two decades. Just like when my gift first emerged, I had to learn then too how to become balanced and focused for it to work for me, not overwhelm me. So I do the same now.

On my exhale, I call forth my new ability and I instantly recognize it’s difference. It feels powerful, commanding.

“On the ground,” I command.

Draken, without hesitation, belly flops on the grass. I can hear the wind being knocked out of him, and I have to cough to cover my laugh when Willow gasps and runs over to check on him.

“Asshole,” he grunts, catching his breath.

“I didn’t tell you to be all dramatic. I just told you on the ground.” I justify.

“Try again,” Corentin instructs, stepping up next.

Unlike Draken, Corentin grounds himself. I push my magic out to test his block, and he’s got that shit locked up tighter than we keep Rebel Castle. He means business right now.

Focusing on his mind, I think intently about what I plan to command. It obviously can’t be anything with any ill intent, nor do I want to cause him any harm. Draken getting hurt was his own damn fault. But for Corentin, I’d like to get some amusement out of this.

“Throw your jacket on the ground.” I lace my words with my magic, pushing them hard against the block on his mind.

He grunts, his limbs shaking from the restraint he’s trying to use to not do this. He prepared himself far better than Draken, and he’s doing a damn good job fighting this shit off, but I can tell he’s close to breaking.

“Throw. It. On. The. Ground,” I command again forcefully.

Cussing me six ways to the Central, he snaps the buttons on his jacket. The poor plastic pieces fly through the air and we all watch in silence as they fall to the ground. No one speaks as we watch a royally pissed off Corentin snatch his jacket off and throw it to the ground. There’s a beat of tense stillness because we all know how he is about his damn clothes.

A sweet little giggle falls from Willow’s lips and Corentin’s head snaps to her, and that just causes her to absolutely lose it.

“I’m not laughing at you,” she unconvincingly swears between her fits of hysteria.

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