Page 64 of What Is Dark Within Me

Any annoyance Aleja had at being ordered around by the Knowing One was overshadowed by curiosity. Her grandmother couldn’t leave the world of dreams and Bonnie never strayed far from her cabin or the gardens. Aleja had spent several mornings standing on the balcony outside her room, watching the smoke curl out of chimneys in buildings closer to the mountains, wondering what else was tucked away in the Hiding Place.

* * *

She’d seenthe man in the field once before, slipping out of Nicolas’s office. Like then, he wore two axes strapped to his back and black leather armor emblazoned over the chest with a coiled red serpent.

Taddeas was startlingly tall, even from a distance. His long black hair was held in tight braids that gathered at the base of his neck. White tattoos swirled across his dark skin, crawling down his forearms and up his neck, petering out just under his chin. He was one of the most beautiful men Aleja had ever seen, Otherlander or not.

“I should warn you about something,” Nicolas said, as they approached the edge of the field. Unkempt grass tickled her knees. Surrounding them was a ring of oak trees so old and wide, it felt like they were standing in the ruins of a labyrinth.

“That Taddeas is a gruff warrior who won’t go easy on me?” she guessed. She was half-joking, but the thought of sparring with the man in the field made her wonder if she’d be better off trying to fend off Amicia’s advances.

“No. I mean, the Trialsturnedhim into a gruff warrior, but this is a training session. Don’t take anything personally. Tad is shy, but he likes you.”

“Shy?” she asked, but Nicolas picked up the pace and she had to jog to keep up with him. A large black insect hummed as she disturbed its resting place, shooting toward the trees like a small missile.

“Hey, Nic,” Taddeas said, once within earshot. She had expected him to speak with the lilting accent of the Otherlanders, like Bonnie and Amicia. But if Aleja had to guess, Taddeas sounded like he’d grown up in New York City.

The man made eye contact for a moment before returning his attention to the grass. “Aleja. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you properly.”

“Thanks. No one’s told me what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said, glancing at Nicolas before the sentence was over.

Taddeas kept his head down, but the ghost of a smile passed his lips. “You know how to use magic, don’t you?”

“Sure, but normal witchwork. Crystals. Tarot cards, that sort of thing,” she said. She’d been trying hard not to remember the power that surged through her and killed James Thomson, yet she could still feel the heat of it under her skin. A persistent sensation she could never quite ignore, like the itch of an unhealed wound.

“You’ve already used Otherlander magic,” Nicolas said. “It’s more intuitive than witchwork. You can become a master of the Silent Art without ever opening a book. Wasn’t every Ruiz forced to take fencing lessons at some point?”

Aleja narrowed her eyes. She knew Nicolas had watched her family, deciding who to pluck away from their lives, but it was still unnerving. He must have caught the way her mouth twitched, because he continued, “Once you get the proverbial footwork down, the rest will come easily. Do you have the sickle?”

The weapon felt oddly light in Aleja’s hand. Perhaps it was her new strength. Perhaps she hadn’t held it properly in a while and it had become heavier in her memories.

“You need to learn to call up your power when you’re not emotional. It may take a while to master it, but—” Nicolas went on.

As he spoke, Aleja tried a basic swipe.

The ball of fiery light that surrounded her was scorching, but brought no pain. A man’s deep voice shouted, the words lost to the roaring in her ears. She dropped the sickle to her side and the light receded with it, as quickly as a candle being blown out.

The grass was blackened, and the air smelled of smoke, but not the pleasant woodsmoke of Nicolas’s skin. This was the smoke of a forest fire—of crackling plant life and burned soil and insects evaporating in the heat.

Gods, Aleja thought. She hadn’t even been trying.

“I guess I have to take back that last sentence,” Nicolas said, sounding amused, though Aleja’s fire had nearly consumed both him and his High General. Even Taddeas looked impressed when he briefly made eye contact with Aleja before dipping his chin toward his chest.

“Well, Tad, I guess we can skip the lecture. Why don’t you teach our former Lady of Wrath exactly what she needs to know?”

* * *

L,

I hope you’ve been well. I noticed the blueberries are growing back, so maybe you’ll have reason to venture into the lowlands soon.

Where is this cave system? I could use the practice.

—Firebird

Firebird,

There are multiple Remnants there. Even Our Lady of Wrath and Fire shouldn’t go alone.

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