Page 80 of A Touch of Stars and Stones
We repeat the steps I took with Micah. Now I recognise the energy, that buzzing. And it’s there instantly, and I wonder if the difference in what I’m feeling is related to everyone’s individual strength of magic.
I latch onto the signature and stare at Raiden. She’s concentrating, too. I can feel there’s something at the other end of that power.
Auralia said to wield it, so I push harder, trying to mould or shape the feel of it. But it doesn’t budge. This isn’t like Micah or Calix. She raises her other hand and curls it in the air as if pulling something, and there’s a gasp in the room as one of the wooden tables splits and starts to grow. A gnarled, broken branch emerges from the crack in the wood as if it had been cocooned inside. The bigger it grows, the weaker I feel, and I realise that Raiden is using me.
“That’s not possible,” she whispers.
“What?” I ask as I watch the branch snake over the floor towards our feet. My heartbeat picks up as panic starts to override, distorting my concentration.
“It’s dead. The wood is dead.”
The knotted and twisted branch keeps coming, so I shove my fear of what it will do next down the connection that Raiden’s controlling. Deadly thorns, more than a foot in length, splinterthe dead wood, spearing out at different angles, one of them close enough and sharp enough to slice at Crimson’s leg.
Shit.
“Hey!” she shouts, and we both look at her, and the maze of branches and thorns on our classroom floor.
People start to move in all directions to avoid the tangle of thorns growing around them.
“Fascinating.” Perrin’s eyes are wide as he surveys the damage.
I drop Raiden’s hand, breathing hard, but she doesn’t run away. Instead, she stands fast and studies me, the puzzle nobody can figure out.
“I’m a Natural. We take our power from nature itself. It answers to us, but when I called, it didn’t come. It was like you blocked it. But I could grow these—from something dead,” she says.
“I… don’t know,” is all I can say.
I turn to look at Aurelia, a flash of heat and exhaustion rushing over me.
“Ascella,” Rowan calls.
“No. I will not.” Her tone leaves no room for argument.
“You don’t have a choice.” Rowan looks at her.
“I do. And I choose not to re-live my death. If you’re so keen to train, you do it.”
He smirks. “I have already passed my power. And I am a Custodian. It’s my job to train you, remember, Ascella.”
“I’m sorry,” I huff out as I fight the weariness overtaking me. “I am. I never meant to cause you harm.” My apology is sincere, and I hope she can see that.
“You tried to kill me. You have death written all over you. And I will never train or work with you,” she screams at me and storms out, climbing over the branches barricading her. Raiden moves to follow her but stops after a stern look from Rowan.
My head drops forward, and I’m suddenly back in that vision, the taste of blood thick on my tongue.
“Azur,” Rowan calls.
“No. I’m done with your little experiment today.” I back away, careful of the thorns and look at Ten, who is the one person I hoped to work with.
“Fine. It has been a physical day. Tomorrow then. We’ll have study, too.” Rowan takes a look at me, and I hope he can see how drained I am because of this little training session. “We’ll be looking at the archives for anything to help guide us with these gifts.” He nods as if I should take comfort from his words.
Nothing is a comfort at the moment.
But as I think the words, my eyes betray me, moving to Ten, and I know he’s the exception to the rule.
Frustration crackles at my fingertips.
Maybe I can train outside of the classroom? But then, I think about everything that’s happened so far. Is that even safe? What happens when people touch by accident? A brush of hands as something is passed back and forth, or stumbling and catching someone from falling. There must be instances when these things happen... My mind starts to race with more questions. And the real fear of surviving here without doing someone harm looms in my mind.
