Page 63 of The Lands Defying
“We will rest here tonight,” Darius calls, and I look around, noticing we are nearing the end of the valley.
I walk over to the nearest tree, dropping my pack with a soft sigh and rolling my shoulders out. It’s not exactly light.
“Come.” I turn and see Darius walking a little ways away as the others look over at us.
I shrug my shoulders and follow behind him through the scattered trees.
Coming to a stop out of listening distance, he turns and a ball of his magic is already in his hands.
“Practice.” He demands, and I scowl. “Let’s see how you have improved.”
“We have just been walking forever, why can’t I rest a little while?” I can hear the whine in my voice but I don’t care.
“That won’t protect you. We have no idea what we are going into and you need to be safe.”
I go to argue, but I see something in Darius’s eyes that makes me stop short.
He’s scared.
For me.
I give him a lingering look, but raise my hand. He must have sensed I called my magic, just like I can sense when he does the same, because he has balls formed in his hands the next second.
The air shifts around us and blue gently lights my palm. I focus on it, on the amount I let trickle into it, at the way I want to shape and mold it.
The circle grows slowly, and pulses bigger every few seconds as I lose hold on how fast magic pours into it.
I can create small balls to light the way, but anytime I do anything else with it, I just cannot grasp it enough.
Darius steps forward so he’s right in front of me, his magic coming up and around my forearm.
“It’s an extension of you, remember? So control the flow. Go too fast, and not only will it tire you more quickly, but it makes it volatile.”
“I know all of this,” I grit out, annoyed how his power just moves effortlessly along my arm, trying to soothe me.
“Knowing and doing are not the same.” I huff out an annoyed breath. “Okay. Let’s say hello to your wolf, shall we?”
“Wait,” I manage to get out, but he’s already putting a palm to my chest, and then blackness surrounds us again.
I blink my eyes open, looking around the dark space, the only light coming from my floating balls of magic.
“Is it even safe to do this now?” I ask Darius when he steps in beside me.
It’s always strange being inside of myself, but even stranger when Darius is able to come too.
But to be honest, I wouldn’t have even gotten this far without him.
“We are standing exactly where we are, frozen in place. The others will look out for us and this will be quick.” He tucks a piece of my hair that’s fallen behind my ear.
“Then what’s the point if we are quick?”
He shrugs, taking a step forward. “I didn’t want a certain wolf to feel left out in this training. No matter how small.”
He didn’t want Runa to feel lonely.
I blow out a breath at the emotions rising within me.
I stay back and watch as he moves forward into the darkness, but with him being made from it. It’s almost like the darkness flows to him, crawling around his feet and up his body.
