Page 28 of Hollowed

“Yes.OnceIlay eyes upon them,Ican see their magic pooling around them, like an aura of sorts.”Hestood from the chair. “Now, if you are serious about helping me find out more information about the sluagh, the first thing we must do is teach you how to access and utilize your powers.Allyour power.”

Uneasesimmered in my stomach, andIlooked up at him, channeling the simmering into false confidence. “Andwhere do you propose we use my powers?I’mpositive you have noticed we are in the forest, and my magic is fire.”

“Donot worry yourself,Katrina.Youwill not burn down the forest.”Heheld out his hand, looking at me more patiently thanIwould have expected from the dreadedHorseman.

“Whatis your name?”Iasked, my cheeks flushing once more at my careless statement.Perhapshe did not even have a name. “Iapologize.Youdon’t have to answer.”

Hepaused for a moment, tilting his head to the side as he continued to hold his hand out.Quickly, beforeIcould tell myself how bad of an idea it was,Itook his hand, standing from the table with him.

“Alexander,” he said, so quietlyIalmost did not hear him.

Ifhe had been on my other side,Icertainly would not have heard him.

Ipaused, looking up to take in his strong features.Alexander.Itfit him better than theDullahanor theHeadlessHorsemandid.Iwondered if someone gave him the nameAlexander, or if he had chosen it for himself.Iwouldn’t be foolish enough to ask that question aloud, though.

Nodding,Iforced a smile onto my face. “Thankyou,Alexander.”

Hesqueezed my hand once before dropping it.Myfingers twitched, missing the contact more thanIexpected. “Now, will you train?Willyou let me show you how to use your magic?”

Ihesitated, but the utter ease with which he looked at me—so confident thatIwould do the right thing—was addicting.Iwanted him to keep looking at me like that, to keep believing in me, untilIcould do it for myself.ButIhad to remind myself he was still theDullahan.Stilla child ofDeath.DidItruly have a choice here?Idoubted it.

“Y-yes,I’lltrain.Butonly if you’re certainIwon’t hurt anyone.”

Theroom stood still as his hand reached for my face.Smilingwryly, he tucked a loose curl behind my ear, moving it from my forehead. “Ipromise,Katrina.”

Myheart squeezed, like a fist wrapping around it and crushing it slowly.Untilhe had taken my hand—until he’d briefly grazed his fingers against my face,Ihad not realized how little others touched me.Thiskindness was foreign, butIenjoyed the feeling.Iwanted it again, even if it was just holding his hand once more.Icurled my toes in my boots, focusing on the sensation.

“IfIburn down your house, you will feel very foolish,Dullahan.”

Theonly responseIgot was a half-smile as he turned and led me out into the yard.Thesun was battling against the clouds, the oppressive gray wisps winning the war against the bright light.Steppinginto the large clearing on the side of the cottage,Itook several deep breaths.Iwas about to use my power, afterIwas told thatIcould very well destroy the world ifItried hard enough.Despitethe icy morning breeze, sweat trickled down my spine, dampening the back of my wool dress.

TheDullahan—Alexander—took a few more steps before turning back around to face me.Helifted a hand, waving it in a half circle motion above his head, and the world shimmered.Hishead disappeared, and he stood, a truly headless being.Wherehis head had been was now a swirl of purple magic, dark and curling around his neck, flicking lazily like a cat’s tail.Myeyes widened, entranced by the unfurling power spreading from his body and extending around us.

Everythingdulled in color, taking on a grayish-purple haze, as if we had stepped into a room of violet smoke.Eventhe sound of the birds and wind was muffled.

“Whatis this?”Iasked, wincing as my ears popped, distracting me from the unnerving bubble we’d found ourselves in. “Isthis why they call you theHeadlessHorseman?”

“Isurrounded us… spirit…” he began, his voice too muffled to hear him clearly.Honestly,Iwas surprised he was speaking at all.

Itook a step closer to him and tapped at my right ear, frowning at my deficiencies and how much of a burden they again posed. “Please, speak up.”

Hecleared his throat, a soundIhad not been expecting, given that he had no head, and moved even closer, raising his voice as his arm brushed against mine. “Aveil of spirit magic surrounds us.Anythingyou do here will not harm the environment outside of it.Youcan use your magic freely.”

“WhatdoIdo now?”Iasked, glancing at the field surrounding us.Myfists clenched tightly, and my breathing grew uneven, alternating between shallow breaths and panting gasps as my chest tightened.

Ididn’t know what he expected, and that never led to anything pleasant in my experiences.Ineeded instructions, explicit guidelines, and measurable goals.Ineeded to study and explore every detail of what was to happen, soIcould do things perfectly the first time.Anythingother than perfection was deemed a failure and met with punishment.Butthere was no instruction here.NobooksIcould pore over to find these answers.I’dtried.

“Tryconjuring your flames,” he instructed. “Howdo you normally conjure them?”

“Inever conjure them intentionally.NotsinceIwas a child.Theycome out when they want to,”Isaid, ducking my head.Admittingthat out loud, especially to a man who obviously had a plethora of magic beyond whatIhad ever considered possible, was embarrassing to say the least.HethoughtIhad more magic than him, which was impossible.

Icould hear the irritation in his voice, even ifIcould not see it on his face. “Thenhow does your magic feel when it manifests?Yourflames have come out several times since we met.Whatcaused it?Whatdid it feel like?”

“Itfeels hot, like it’s burning up from my chest and trying to escape my body.”Iswallowed hard.Sharingwhat provoked my powers was not high on my list, considering that all reasons were because of my failings. “Ihave a temper.Andanxiety.Mymagic spikes whenIhave strong emotions, and between my anger and anxiety, it happens quite a bit.Ihave worked most of my life to smother my flames, not release them.”

Hecrossed his arms over his chest and walked closer to me. “Why?”

“Why, what?”Iclenched my hands into fists at my sides.Formy entire life, scrutiny only led to being told how much of a disappointmentIwas.Idid not enjoy anyone, let alone someone like this man, looking at me too closely.Hewould be just like the others, disappointed by what he saw.

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