Page 60 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

Glancing across at Grayson, I see him nod in encouragement and I let out a breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. The others eagerly wait for my response, but I don’t know what they expect, I know next to nothing about magic, after all.

“I’m not sure,” I admit, as I shrug my shoulders, instantly regretting it as pain follows the movement. Pierre emits anannoyed sound in the back of his throat, making me flinch. Anger bubbles up inside me. I’m annoyed, but I don’t want the magician to see how much he’s affecting me.

“This is pointless,” Pierre growls, looking like he’s about to jump up and use a different, more violent method to force me to talk. He doesn’t believe me, and I get the impression that whatever I say, he’s going to believe otherwise.

“She’s telling the truth. Let the girl talk,” Merrin chides, and I can hear a note of anger in his tone that hadn’t been there before. Perhaps it’s not just me who dislikes the magician. “Continue, please.”

“We have found that since I was blessed,I can…” Pausing, I try to determine how to describe it, recalling what Grayson said when we first discovered my gifts from the Mother. “I can detect magic. I can feel it. It’s like there’s a heaviness in the air. I can also amplify magic.”

The atmosphere of the room seems to change as I speak, the mages watching me with a new interest in their eyes. Their expressions range from general interest to greed, and it makes me nervous. I won’t be used as a tool, not anymore.

“Yet she has no magic?” Merrin directs his question at Grayson, who simply nods to confirm.

“Show us,” Pierre demands with a hungry gleam in his eyes, suddenly interested now that I may be of use to him.

Glancing over at Grayson for reassurance, I see how tense he is as he watches us, but he nods reluctantly. Closing one hand into a fist, he gestures with the other, muttering under his breath, and once he unfurls his fist, a small ball of light sits in his palm. The thick, syrupy feeling fills the air again as I stare at the light. Magic amazes me, how it can create something out of nothing.

Looking up, I watch as Grayson smiles slightly and tilts his head as he waits for me to walk over and join him. Slowly, and with more pain than I would like, I make my way to his side.

“Just touch it like you did before,” he instructs, glancing over at the other magicians who are watching closely. “You might want to shield your eyes,” he warns, his smile growing slightly as his cheeky side starts to surface. I don’t know if they heeded his warning or not, I simply reach out and touch the glowing orb. Like before, it instantly grows, filling the room with a blinding light before it seemingly explodes into a hundred little lights that fizzle around us.

The room is completely silent. Ellis and Merrin stare at me in surprise, while Pierre looks like all his wishes have come true.

“Are the fireworks over yet?” Jayne’s voice breaks the silence and the energy in the space settles as they all smile.

“Yes, thank you, Jayne,” Grayson answers, as she bustles in and places a tray of steaming cups on the small table in the centre of the room. The three high magicians talk together as Jayne arranges everything on the table and then leaves with a small smile aimed at me, her eyes gleaming. I know that the tears and hugs are not over yet, and once our ‘guests’ leave, I will be barraged with more questions.

I don’t blame her, I have so many questions myself,I think to myself as the memories from earlier today flash through my head. Flinching away from the images, I realise I’ve closed my eyes and I’m still crouching next to Grayson, who is watching me with a concerned frown. I stand quickly, hurrying back over to my chair, acutely aware of several sets of eyes on me as I go. As I sink into the armchair, fatigue settles over me and drags me down, and I struggle into an upright position.

Too much. It’s too much.My body seems to be screaming, and I know if I have any more interaction with magic, Iwillpassout. I don’t know where that knowledge comes from, but I take it as truth.

“Just think, if we had her on the battlefield, we would have the advantage over the elves. They wouldn’t stand a chance with her amplifying our magic.” Pierre sounds gleeful, something dark sparkling in his eyes.

“She would also make a good spy. She’s used to blending in and being unseen from her life as a slave, and with her ability to sense magic…she’s invaluable,” Ellis agrees, his expression thoughtful.

“Yes, she is. But she is meant for something else, remember the vision,” Grayson barks, fury flashing through his eyes, and something that looks a little like fear. “She’s not going anywhere near a battlefield.”

“We still haven’t worked out her purpose yet. The Mother has yet to reveal it to us, we only know she is important,” Merrin chimes in, looking around the room as he speaks, meeting the eyes of each person. “It also doesn’t explain how she survived that much magic. That should have been a killing blow.” I shift uncomfortably as they all look at me thoughtfully once again. “Ellis is capable of pushing his will into his magic, if he shoots to kill, then it will. He can do the same with pain, pleasure... you get the idea.”

I must have unwritten the spell, like I did with the magic in Vaeril’s cuff,I realise with shock, my body going numb with the possibilities. I can’t tell them that I can break spells, they would never let me out of their sight. Although, when they cast magic over me earlier to cloak me from view, and when Grayson used his magic to turn my hair blonde, I didn’t break their magic, nor the light I just touched, so it must only be with certain magic then. Maybe it’s the intent behind the magic that I break? The veil and changing my hair were meant to help me, whereas themagic that was thrown was to kill. Vaeril’s cuffs are to contain and force him to work.

A cough in the room brings me back to the present and I realise they are still staring at me, as if waiting for something.

“I’m not sure.” It’s not a lie, not really, but my eyes flick to Merrin. His expression doesn’t change, his encouraging smile steady. “I guess it’s part of my gift from the Mother,” I reply, my hand raising to touch the mark on my wrist. As if in response, it starts to glow softly. Ellis watches me with a revered expression as he pushes up from his chair and takes the few steps towards me before kneeling. I watch him wearily, quickly looking up at Grayson for comfort, who is frowning but nods.

“Clarissa... When I saw you jump in front of the elf, I thought I’d killed you. I’ve never felt panic like it before, and I want to apologise to you.” Eyes wide at his confession, I watch as he bows his head. What do I say to that? In such a short span of time, I’ve had two of the high mages, one of the most powerful beings in our culture, kneeling before me, an ex-slave. I’m exhausted and overwhelmed, but I need some answers.

“I know you weren’t trying to hurt me, and truthfully, it didn’t really hurt.” He raises his head as I speak, surprise clear on his face as if he wasn’t expecting my forgiveness. If this was Grayson, I would reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, but I don’t really know this person. However, I think the two of us would have got on well in different circumstances. “But you can’t hurt Vae—the elf.” I catch myself before I say his name, knowing they wouldn’t understand. “He is instrumental in what is going to happen here. The Mother told me this.”

Truth.

Ellis stands and moves back to his seat, and they all seem to mull over what I’ve said, and just when they seem like they’re about to agree, Pierre leans forward. “You’re asking us not to kill our enemy.”

“Yes.” I don’t bother to explain any further, he doesn’t deserve it. He looks as if he’s going to protest, but Merrin shakes his head slightly and raises one hand.

“We won’t harm the elf for now, it is not why we came here.”

I don’t miss the ‘for now,’ but I’ll take it. After all, Merrin can’t lie. I reluctantly nod, but his words spark my own questions.

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