Page 94 of The Demon's Discovery
“If you feel heavy, that’s good,” Magnus coached. “Embrace the sensation of weight in your limbs. Invite the stone to take you over.”
I had no idea what that meant and began to worry I was trying too hard. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, feeling silly and like I’d failed all at the same time.
“No apologies needed, brave little niece. It’s not your fault you were never taught. Most start training around ten years old, so they can have it mastered by fifteen or so. You weren’t old enough to start training when your mother… went away.”
“Five years?” I gasped. “It’s going to takeyearsfor me to learn?”
“It’s a skill like any other and takes time to master,” he said gently, reaching across the cushions to pat my shoulder. “But no, I don’t expect it to take you much time at all to learn. Your body is desperate for the restorative sleep it provides. And look, some success already! You’re an apt pupil, to nobody’s surprise.”
My two smallest fingers on my right hand were a greenish gray color up to the first knuckle. The joints moved a little stiffer than normal as I flexed them. Unlike when they’d flashed to stone once the binding was removed, there was no discomfort.
“See?” he praised. “Wonderfully done. Shall we try again? Perhaps it would help if it were darker in here.”
Magnus went around the round room, dropping cloth shades over the windows. The breeze still flowed through, but the waning afternoon light was significantly dimmed.
He slid one of the cushions over for himself and sat, getting his oversized form into a meditative pose as he coached me through some relaxation. It was next to impossible for me to get my mind to stop. At every turn, I scolded myself for wondering if I was doing it right, if I’d started to change, if this was the time I turned to a statue for a proper rest. The inside of my head was a maddening place to be.
“Greta. Stop thinking.” Magnus chuckled.
My cheeks flushed hot, embarrassment rushing through me. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. You’re not in trouble, little one. This is about you resting. If we can get you to cross over into proper stone sleep, you’ll heal faster. Your body will have a chance to repair itself and at least some of the damage it’s taken on all these years. You’ll likely awaken more rested than you’ve felt in a very long time. You just have to stop trying to be in control.”
I had literally less than zero idea how to stop trying to be in control and grumbled as much.
“I know, little niece. It’s a big thing to ask.”
Panic suddenly shook away any semblance of relaxation. “What happens if I get stuck? Will I be trapped a statue forever? But… sentient?” Horror chased the panic through my veins, and I found myself scrambling to my feet. “That sounds terrible, I don’t think I can?—”
Magnus crouched in front of me, hands heavy on my shoulders as I drew in one ragged breath after another.
“If you get trapped, I can pull you out.”
“You can?”
Magnus nodded, his expression comforting, the weight of his hands grounding. “I can. And if for some reason I cannot, there are others who certainly could. There is no danger here, little niece, only hope.”
My shoulders dropped away from my ears, and warmth replaced the cold tingle that my panic had sent coursing under my skin.
“Okay.” I breathed out through my nose and returned to my cushion. Magnus did the same, a slight grin on his mouth. I closed my eyes, focusing on my heartbeat and the steady sound of my breathing as I tried to force myself into relaxation. It helped that I was genuinely tired after the burst of energy the adrenaline had provided.
“Get comfortable,” Magnus waved a hand. “Perhaps imitating how you’d normally prepare to rest will be helpful.”
“Even if I just fall asleep?”
“Even then. If that happens, you’ll get a nap, and we’ll try again later. This is not a test you’re going to pass or fail. I promise, I’m only trying to help.”
I adjusted myself on the plush cushions, lying on my back. I smiled, finding a fairly accurate map of the night sky painted on the rustic ceiling in whitewash and charcoal.
“Which is your favorite?” Magnus asked. I glanced over, and he was lying down as well, ankles crossed at the end of his long legs, arms butterflied under his head.
“Constellation? Probably the three tails.” He grinned and I looked back at the sky.
“Calista,” he said.
“Sorry?”
“That’s her name. Do you know the story?”
