Page 51 of A Spell of Bones and Madness
Heat lingered along her skin from more than just her power coursing through her veins. Tingling remained in the places his lips had been, his hands had dug into. It only fueled her further and gave her a new found sense of calm, of center, and control. She never had control before—over her destiny as queen, of the scars that remained from wicked men—or a chance to choose her future. But with Ander, she always had a choice, even if she didn’t believe him the first time he’d spoken those words to her onThe Nostos.
“Maybe my intentionisto burn your arm off,” she said with a smirk.
Sea-tide eyes stared right through her very soul, captivating, all-encompassing. “After the way you screamed my name earlier, I find that very hard to believe.”
Late autumn breeze slid around Katrin, raising the hairs on her arms. It was warmer here in Nexos than it was back home. Shewasn’t sure if it was the warmer air or the gods-damned fire in the way Ander raked his eyes over her, but her body began to shimmer with a faint glow. A small ball of light crackled in her palm like a flaming star, casting ringlets around her hand and up her arm.
“Good! Whatever you’re thinking about, keep that image in your head.” Ander took a step farther away, but never left her line of sight. Fog began to swirl around his feet, creeping up his legs like a shield. Thunder sounded above, droplets of rain fell from the sky, then stopped right by Ander’s arm, morphing together into an arrow-like object and flying straight toward Katrin. “Now picture a shield and throw your arm in front of you.”
Katrin’s left arm flung across in a block and a white hot disk formed before her. Taking a step back, Katrin flung her right hand back and hurled a lightning bolt shaped as a throwing knife back at him. In a shadow of fog, Ander aervaded several feet to his left, narrowly escaping the sparking weapon.
“You really are trying to kill me,” he laughed once more. “That was perfect, Starling. Now we just need to work on you doing that everytime.”
“I don’t know if I can. I’m exhausted and we’ve been at this for what—an hour at most?” Sweat lingered on her brow and down her back, her thick black shirt clinging to her skin. Chest heaving, Katrin walked toward a small table by the side of the training ring. Singed marks peppered the edge of the ring and the ropes that outlined it, marking all the times she missed her mark. Lightning and starlit fire had illuminated the ring, crackling as it left her fingertips.
In that moment, it was easy, when she felt empowered by so much more than the light, but every time before that… She would never control it in time, even with Ander’s help.
A firm hand cupped the small of her back. “It’s alright to take breaks. You don’t need to drain yourself—especially not when practicing.”
“Breaks are a luxury we don’t have time for, Ander. As much as I loved this morning, do you really think King Athanas or King Edmund are taking breaks? Do you think Hades lets them rest or gallivant around for a day? Do you think he does not manipulate Kohl with each waking breath?”
A small part of her heart shriveled thinking about Kohl. She would never forgive him—not after the part he played in torturing Ander, not after he took her home from her—but in the very back of her mind she wondered if he was always being controlled. If somehow he did not knowingly do the bidding of some wretched Olympi—of his father.
“You are correct. My father never rests,” a voice echoed from just beyond the tree break. Clad in deep brown leathers, Farah emerged from the forest and entered the clearing where they trained. “Sorry to interrupt, but I needed to get away from the castle.” Her hands shook by her sides. Katrin’s eyes were locked on the black snaking up from Farah’s fingertips. Images from when they’d fought off Kohl back on Alentus flashed in her mind. “Don’t worry, Katrin, I am not as volatile as my brother. I just need a release. Something I can’t seem to do—well, something I can’t do here.”
A smirk crossed Ander’s lips, a curious glint in his eyes. “That is quite alright, Starling here was about to rest. Why don’t you join me in the ring.”
Maybe he was right. Maybe she did need to take a break. And by the way the vein pulsed in Farah’s neck, it looked like she might need this time more. “Yes,” Katrin said with a hint of reluctance, “I’ll just sit this one out.”
Katrin went to grab a water jug out of her pack by an overturned log, using the fallen tree as a seat.
“Are you ready, Prince?” Farah taunted, black flame snaking around her palms.
“I am always ready.” Gray fog curled around his arms, swirled beneath his feet.
Farah twisted her palm up and a spear of black flame hurtled itself toward Ander. Katrin’s breath hitched, and for a moment she forgot they were only training, but then Ander started running toward the oncoming spear, creating a shield of water in front of him. The spear shattered against the wall and he quickly threw two long tendrils of fog out from his arms, locking them around Farah’s arms and dragging her closer to him.
“That was a mistake, Prince,” Farah said through gritted teeth, as she was pulled mere inches from him.
“Is that so?” Ander goaded, but his fog recoiled as fast as he said the words, Farah’s flame now humming along her whole body. She twisted her body toward Ander, summoning a dagger-like weapon with her power, thrashing it toward his side.
Once again he used water to douse the flame, and Farah would summon another. Katrin was fascinated by the techniques each used. They were almost delicate in the way they moved, like two dancers circling each other, each move well-thought-out despite being instantaneous. This is what Katrin wanted to become—how she wanted to harness her own power.
Farah slid on her knees, wrapping one arm around Ander’s knee and sending him to the ground. She tucked one arm against his throat, her knee now on his chest. “Looks like I won this round.”
Fog whipped around them and Ander disappeared, reappearing behind Katrin. “You can think that, Princess,” he laughed.
Farah pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “That little trick of yours does not count, Ander.”
“You’re just jealous that you can’t aervade,” he retorted.
“Honestly, it would have saved me a lot of trouble in the past,” she huffed, snatching the jug of water from where Katrin had placed it. “And how are you holding up?” she asked, giving a light kick to Katrin’s shin.
“I’ve been better. Forming light was easy, but this weapon thing you both do, the deep concentration it takes, I’m not sure I’ll be able to master that,” Katrin replied, tucking the loose strands of her hair behind her ear.
“You will, sister.”
“Sister?” Katrin cocked her head to the side.
