Page 143 of A Touch of Stars and Stones
No other special gifts or dangerous ones arise in the morning session. Some even appear to do nothing, although the hum of energy is there. Perrin explains that that’s when more practice would help unlock what the magic created. Working outside rather than inside, with plants, animals, and near bodies of water. He also pointed out that’s what the trials would do, too. Test us in ways we haven’t yet seen.
More experiments led to more explanations.
Those born under a full moon—Aslendrix at her strongest—would likely align to show the more impressive or interesting magics.
In the afternoon, we switch practice for volumes of books, which I’m happy to comb over, no longer solely focused on the mysterious Order of Fifths. Now I’m studying all the Triune powers, when they were recorded, and what magics they formed.
Many people have studied and failed at predicting what will happen when three people combine. And somewhere in the library is a witness account from everyone who’s completed training in Kirrasia. Recording the results of mixing three people within training, just like us today, but only ever from the same training year.
I’ve yet to find out why.
Tiredness, from the early morning training and the exertion in class, has my eyes sore and dusty, and my mind muddled by the end of the session. All I want is to fall into bed and sleep.
“Hey.” Ten catches me as we head out of the classroom. “Got a minute?”
“Um, sure. I was going to lie down before dinner. Especially if…” I switch,“You want to practise later?”
“You can rest, Ever. Nobody will mind.”
“We don’t have time for me to be tired. That’s what you’ve said, well, not actually like that, but you made me believe there’s no time. You were right. Training is slow.”
His brows furrow, and I wish I hadn’t said anything.
“We should practise, too. You’re the only one that I can see how we might train our powers together.”I hadn’t given up on the idea that touching might get easier, either.
“Let’s get you back to your room.” He leads the way back towards the residence building.
His words seem to soothe something in me. I was concerned, perhaps, that, like last night, he wouldn’t come and find me, and leave me in limbo between wanting to talk to him and hurt that he kept things from me. There is still plenty to talk about, like working out where or how we might find the information that might tell me more about my parents. Micah seems to have ventured to the library again, but that feels like a time-consuming task. There is still too much to do. To learn. And if we’re not asking Ten’s father…
My mind starts to trip over itself, one thought after the other, rushing together and gathering pace as I’m taken right back to the kiss at the waterfall, the night before in my bedroom, experimenting with him, his voice in my head… Visions of us, what we did and what I want to do spear into my mind and catch my breath.
“Ever,” Ten’s growl snaps my attention back, and the images and thoughts dissolve from my mind.“While I’d happily get lost in those thoughts of you and us. Please, can you give me a little warning next time?”
“What?”
He stops just outside my room, braces his forearms on the wall over his head, and leans his head on them. “You have avery strong ability, especially, it seems, when you’re not thinking about using it.”
“Sorry. I um…” My blush warms my face as I realise what he must have picked up from me. “I might just go and get a drink. Maybe a snack.” A spurt of energy chases me down the corridor and into the hall, and I knock on the little door to the kitchen to request a plate of snacks and a pitcher of the fruity water they serve with dinner.
With the heat from my cheeks sufficiently chilled, my mind in check, and what I hope might be a barrier of kinds, I take the refreshments back to my room, where Ten’s still leaning against the wall.
“Here. Can you get the door, please?”
He opens it for me, and I step inside, setting the jug and plate on the desk.
“I guess we might need to work on that.” I gesture between us. I still didn’t know why it happened so easily.
“Probably. Or at least defending against it. I think shields need to be part of everyday training for everyone, building those so nobody can get in.” He holds his hands behind his back and shifts his weight.
His eyes look over the bed before he drags them back to me. “Are you going to eat? You need to keep your strength up.” He smiles, warmth emanating from his deep hazel eyes.
“Sure. Kyra will be here later.”
“This won’t take long.”
“Oh, I’m not kicking you out.” I offer him one of the apples from the plate, and he accepts before sitting on the bed opposite me.
“I know I messed up when I didn’t tell you what I suspected. I’m sorry. And I don’t want to do anything that might cause you doubt, so I want to tell you how it went with Kamari.”
