Page 59 of Somewhere down the Ley Line
“I did. So, what’s on your mind?”
For the first time since the ambush, excitement stirred inside her. She had been thinking about this a lot. “It’s something I’ve noticed,” she began. “Magic isn’t just in ley lines or in mages. I think it’s in everything – animals, plants, and people.”
“You’ve mentioned that before. The vase thing, right?” Felix said.
“No, this is different.” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “I think even people who can’t use magic still have it. When I healed Leif, it was like… I had to talk to the magic inside him to convince his body to heal.”
Felix raised an eyebrow, his face curious. “And…?”
“And I know that for a mage, their magic and their life force are intertwined. That’s why draining it from them – well, you know. But I wonder if it’s the same for others. I wish I could find out.”
“Why…?”
“Academic interest,” she replied, her gaze drifting into the distance. “It would explain a lot.”
“Not because you’re curious if you can essentially drain the literal life out of anyone, not only mages…?” He asked, eyebrows raised even higher. “Because I will admit that would be pretty terrifying. Just…” He reached out and spread his fingers, clawlike, then squeezed it into a fist. “Crush their minds. Or whatever it is you do.” He glanced sideways at her, and she caught his eye, then mimicked the movement he had made in his direction with a grin.
“Are you threatening me, my lady?” he asked, pressing a hand to his chest.
“Would you like me to?” She countered, smiling sweetly. A flash across his face of something darker, sharper, was her reward. Something wolfish.
“If it actually involves crushing minds,” she continued, feeling wicked, “then you have little to fear.”
“Why don’t you try, and we’ll find out?”
Isolde blinked, taken aback. “What?”
Felix shrugged, far too casually for the implication of what he’d just offered, but she did not miss the spark of excitement in his eyes. “You want to see if people who are not mages have magic inside of them, right? And if you can… manipulate that magic. Test it on me.”
“Absolutely not, Felix. What if I hurt you?”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that!”
“I saw you in that fight. You were terrifying, but you were in control. I trust you.”
She opened her mouth to reply but found herself speechless. He was still looking at her, the joking grin now gone from his face. He was serious.
Isolde lowered her gaze. “You shouldn’t trust me. I don’t trust myself.”
“All the more reason to do it. Go on, try. Nothing flashy, just… reach out?” He extended his hand and touched hers. A jolt shot through her as he did, and she looked up.
“Alright. But if I hurt you, it’ll be your own fault.”
Felix grinned. “Never been so excited to get hurt in my life.”
She couldn’t help but return the smile. “So, um, now?”
He laughed. “Yes, but not on the horses. Learned my lesson last time.” He called out to Luella, riding ahead of them. “Lu! We need a quick break!”
When they told the others what they were planning, Luella was indifferent, and Leif seemed excited. Garren protested at the idea, but when he discovered she’d be practising on Felix, he merely shrugged and left them to it. Luella led the horses away, Leif and Garren went off to do some sparring.
The sky above them was stark blue; the hills around them quiet and ancient. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound; there was only the soft susurrus of the wind. A fitting place, Isolde thought, for magic.
“All right,” she said, a little breathless. “You’re sure?”
Felix removed his axe and dagger, then turned to face her and shrugged with that infuriating, amused expression. “Not in the slightest. Do it anyway.”
