Page 142 of A Touch of Stars and Stones
“That’s a very useful defensive and offensive power,” Rowan reviews the three of us. “I’m sure Orion Ciro will be interested in this.” He nods to Aurelia, and she busies herself with her notebook. “Well, shall we carry on? Maybe there’ll be more than just that he’s interested in after we’ve finished.”
Capella stays, and Micah switches with Azur. Nerves creep over me after last time, but he volunteered, and I wasn’t going to be able to practise without people like him. At least I know what he did last time.
Like before, we take up hands, and I feel for that pulse or vibration of energy. But this time, it’s like a whisper. It’s hard to focus on, like the energy is floating, moving, seeming to be looking for something, as if it doesn’t want to be caught.
It makes me nervous, and I want to shove it away, and a feeling tells me it’s Azur doing this. He’s drawing me in again, but I recognise it this time, and I push my own calmness, my own power towards him, stopping him from seeing anything inside my mind. And I see my own faint whisper rise from the water.
“Hey, hey! What did you do?” Azur’s grip weakens, but he doesn’t let go.
“What is it?” Capella asks.
“I can’t see. I’m blind.”
I look at Capella, and she shakes her head. “I’m fine. It’s only Azur.”
“Is that normal?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Try to feel for the power. See if it’s something you can push to me, too.”
The pulse of power seems to bang against my skull as I try to take hold of it and control it. But it’s there, like a tendril, smoke on a breeze, and I urge it to Capella. It resists like it’s fighting back, not like with Azur.
“Did it work?” I ask.
She turns to me, and then I see a grey mist cloaking her eyes, stealing her sight. Like shadow thieves doing their bidding.
“Okay, that’s freaky. I can’t see anything.”
“Azur?”
“Nope, still blind here.”
I drop our hands, and they both shake their heads, coming out of it. “Not so helpful,” I murmur, and check that Capella’s back to normal.
“Interesting that you seemed in control, Ever. What made you want to steal their sight?” Nova asks.
“I didn’t. It was something else that triggered that.” I look at Azur, whose cheeks darken. He was trying to get in, and this was my defence. “Azur, the two times we’ve connected, I’veresponded to whatever you’ve done first. I’m defending against whatever you’re planning.” Anger ripples through the well in my chest.
“I’m not planning anything. I just thought…”
“You’re a Guard,” Ten interrupts. “You know what you’re doing.”
“Okay, a good theory, Aten,” Aurelia interrupts and takes down more notes in her book.
This is going to take forever. Working out all the intricacies of each other’s gifts and how they might blend. No wonder training is so drawn out.
“Okay. Ten, why don’t you join Ever, as you’ve had such a response previously?”
“No. Not Ten.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I can’t do this with him here. “Not yet. I don’t want to hurt you,”I offer as a way of explanation. My eyes flash to him.“I promise we can practise alone, but I can’t do it here. Not yet.”He did the talking thing to me last night, so I scream the words towards him and hope the tether between us still works.
“Okay. But be careful. You’re right to call out Azur. Ask for Calix.”
“Calix?” I look at him without another second. He steps up immediately.
We spend the rest of the morning repeating the process with as many combinations of people and magics as possible until every fibre of my body is protesting, and I can barely hold myself upright. I sway, just a little, like I’m going to pass out from exhaustion.
Each mix gives me a new feeling, like a unique colour, like the signature before, but it also gives something physically too, as though the body of water I draw on is being filled, replenishing with every touch.
So far, each touch seems to help clarify and hone my own recognition of my power. And although Azur still scares me, he’s given me more of a clue as to how to work and defend using my magic.
