Page 138 of Fated or Knot

“Don’t be sad, please. I can’t stand it,” he said, though his words were punctuated with menacing redcap’s growl. “I’m going to figure it out. Promise.”

“Telling Theodred what’s going on would be a good start,” Fal suggested. He also rested a hand on the small of my back, steering me aside to take the space between me and his brother.

Tormund resumed rubbing the back of his neck, his expression tight with stress. I couldn’t blame him. I, too, wouldn’t want to talk about this with Theodred. However… “If anyone would know what you’re going through, it’d be him,” I said in agreement.

“He’s never struggled like I have,” he practically snarled, pacing side to side in the hallway. “It’s not fair. I just want to hold my li’l bird and be at peace. Is that so much to ask?”

“Sometimes you have to fight a war before you get peace,” Fal answered.

“Ach. It’s not fair,” he repeated. “I need to go before dad gets mad that I took too long to pack a bag. Bye, Lark. I love you.” Even though his teeth were pointed in the beginning stage of his monstrous transformation, he still managed a forlorn expression that just about broke my heart.

“Goodbye, my gentle giant. I love you too, and I’ll see you soon.” I mirrored him with a pout. I felt a little deflated after watching him go and returning to the parlor.

Fal followed me in, waiting for a lull in conversation before he asked, “Room for one more?”

“Always for you, son. We have to discuss this afternoon’s agenda anyway,” Elion answered.

I returned to my seat, and Fal took the one on Marius’s free side. I’d gotten concerned looks from both of his brothers as I poked at the remnants of my lunch. “What happened?” Kauz asked.

I kept my answer a careful undertone. “Tormund’s having trouble.”

“Ah, he finally told you. For once, it’s not me that’s the problem,” Marius muttered.

Fal snickered. “Don’t be so hasty. The day’s only half over.”

It was probably the presence of the royal pack that dissuaded the kelpie from punching him.

I did a lot more walking that afternoon. Fal had duties to return to, as did Elion and Nemensia. Marius and Kauz blew off whatever work they had to follow me to the workshop.

Thalas had me work on my vortex spell while the other two males watched and whispered amongst themselves. After I asked a few questions about how much essence the spell required, Thalas took a step back to teach me how to sense my essence levels. It wasn’t a perfect process for anyone, even a skilled essence spinner, but I started imagining my magic as a dense core of threads within myself.

Once, that core had been the size of the tip of a finger. Most of the threads were ripped away before I could access them, leaving me with little to work with. The core I had now was nearly full and the circumference of my fist.

Casting vortex took only a few threads, which traveled through my essence channels wherever they were directed. That meant I didn’t have to have the spell originate under my feet, as I kept casting it by accident. It could come from my palms, my wings, or even my breath. I could make it weaker or stronger, depending on how quickly I cast it. With practice, I could even point and create a vortex away from my body, but that was a too complicated right now.

Maintaininga vortex spell was a different kind of magic. I practiced with a small circle of magic to keep me floating a few feet off the ground, and threads of essence unspooled quicker than my heartbeat to maintain it.

Thalas observed and eyed me with a hum. “Something to save for when it’s necessary,” he suggested.

“She’ll be hard to catch in flight,” Kauz commented from a few yards away. I looked over at him, amused to see that he was trying to clean up a corner of the workshop. Marius had left at some point. “Mind if we throw daggers, Dad? Marius is getting a target.”

“Don’t hit anything important.”

“Of course.”

It was such a calm exchange that I almost didn’t question it. Then it sank in. “Wait. Inhere?”

He said he’d let the kelpie explain and continued clearing out a space for the wooden target Marius eventually returned with. It was a battle-scarred veteran of many practices, by its severely chipped face. The four-foot target stood upright by a solid block of wood and still had a hint of colors painted on it in concentric rings.

Marius approached and held out a weapon to me by the hilt. He wore a bandolier of them. “We may be able to repurpose your secret wind sprite spell for self-defense,” he said. When I still wavered, not taking the dagger, he flipped it in his hand and pivoted, throwing it. It embedded in the target near its center, quivering from impact. “Do you think you can throw anything that hard?”

“No,” I said, wary.

He offered me a second dagger. “Try it.”

This time, I took it and tried to hit the target. It went about as well as a first attempt to throw a weapon. It hit the ground halfway to its destination and skidded with a clatter. I was embarrassed enough that I was ready to never do this again. Marius pinched his lips to hide his first reaction and exhaled slowly. “All right. We’re practicing for a reason.”

Kauz went over to retrieve the fallen weapon. “This isn’t about physical strength anyway,” he said.

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