Page 46 of Entranced By the Basilisks

My place is here doing my job. This job will afford me more information to help Emilia with what she wants. I can be useful here.

But maybe I can help Emilia with something other than my connections, something that will make this easier for her.

21

EMILIA

“Nothing is happening!”I scrunch my nose.

“Patience, my spark. Skills like this are not built in a day. And you wanted to start with the hardest part.”

My cheeks burn and I twist my mouth to keep from snapping in pure frustration at him for calling me his “spark.” If it had felt anything along the lines of “fiery Latina,” I’d have already told him to stop, but it doesn’t. His voice caresses the nickname like it’s something precious.

I did want to start with making the snakes go away. According to Ari, most serpent kin can shift to their alternate, more human form and all Chosen he’d known have the ability. I want the snakes gone, even if it isn’t permanent. I want to be able to walk down the street and not worry about them hissing or biting anyone passing by.

I roll my neck and stretch my legs out in front of me, trying to release the frustration of failure.

My power heels are discarded in the corner at Ari’s insistence and my position sitting cross-legged on a pillow stopped being comfortable after the first ten minutes, let alone hours later. Training so far has been full of visualizing and meditation. I didn’t think I was an impatient person, but I’m also not someone who meditates on the regular. Yoga breathing to calm myself? Yes. Thinking deep thoughts about my supposedinner power? No.

The room is full of cushions and the windows let in light that is diffused by swaths of bright fabric, giving the room a comfortable, cozy vibe without it being too cluttered. There are crossed swords on the wall and a large open area in the center of the room, so I’d guess Ari uses this room to practice fighting.

It doesn’t help that the snakes are out on display. Hearing soft hisses and feeling them move against my skin is one thing, catching movement and color out of the corner of my eye is another.

Ari sees my stretch and stands, holding out his hand to me. “Here, let's stretch your legs. You must be uncomfortable.”

I huff a laugh. Obviously, Ari isn’t uncomfortable. Jasper had told me that I need to push back because Ari isn’t human enough to have my limitations. I take his hand and groan as I stand.

“If we’re going to sit for a long time, can we get a chair in here?” I ask.

“Like a sofa?” Ari asks, his attention rapt.

“Sure.” I shrug. “Anything with a backrest would do.”

“Consider it done. Let’s take a break from you sitting for now. It may be easier to focus moving around.”

I nod with relief.

“It would also help if you let yourself believe you can accomplish what you’re trying to do,” Ari adds, his words gentle, almost musing.

I freeze. “I don’t know if I believe I can do any of this though.”

I’m supposed to be recognizing the way my body feels, trying to identify my strength, and channeling it into shifting the snakes into the hair I visualize… Which all makes absolutely no sense and I’m stuck at trying to identify anything, let alone tapping into some inner power.

Ari doesn’t seem surprised. “It’s something you’ve never done before. Of course you have doubts about your abilities. Again, you picked one of the hardest things to start with.”

I bite my lip. He did warn me that I’d probably fail. I was so focused on trying to get rid of the snakes that I insisted we start with that. Ari let me.

“What would you recommend starting with?” I ask.

Ari’s grin is quick. “Your gaze. You’re walking around with an unleashed weapon on your face. The only reason I’m not a statue is because of what I am. And luckily, it doesn’t take as much discipline as the shift. Otherwise, young basilisks would be killing people with their gaze left and right.”

“Killing? Basilisks don’t turn people to stone?”

“No, many serpent kin have abilities involving their gaze with a variety of results. Turning people to stone would seem to be your unique ability. It’s possible that, if focused, you too could have a killing gaze, but maybe not.”

“I hope not. Turning people into stone is lethal enough for me, thank you very much,” I say.

Ari shrugs, full of humor. “You never know. Sometimes permanent solutions work best.”

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