Page 34 of Wicked Thieves
His answer came naturally with a shrug of his shoulders. “Not at all. Merely reminding you. Then again, you can, of course, choose not to come along. I can find anothernevitsomewhere around here, I’m sure. Found you easily enough.”
“I think you mean to say that it was I who foundyou. Being prideful doesn’t suit you, remember?”
“Mm, pride does seem to get in the way of one’s most inner desires. I’m sure you can’t relate to that, Temperance.” Aeric’s eyes flashed with amusement when she caught onto his meaning.
As they walked into the opened hall, they were met with the sound of lively voices chiming below.
“It’s not as simple as conjuring for me. It never has been,” she muttered below her breath, though she knew he could hear her.
He was quiet for a moment, taking her words in, before saying, “Every Vedran comes about their power at different moments. What’s important is to nurture it and learn how to coax it into becoming an extension of yourself, rather than having it obey mindlessly. We all hear the call in our blood, but we choose when to answer it.”
“It’s easier said than done. I just wish…I felt that connection the way you all seem to say I should. It feels as though something in me is missing. A piece I have yet to find. Or maybe I never had it at all.”
“Being anevitis proof enough that you do.”
“You seem to be the only one who thinks so. Adan would gladly claim otherwise. Perhaps it is my ignorance that is getting in the way after all.”
It should have hardly come as a surprise, seeing as how she and Enid weren’t born amongst the Vedrans the way she assumed the twins or Aeric had been. Their powers all but mastered compared to her. In many ways, she felt just as much like an outsider amongst her own people as she did with the folk in the port district. Leaving her to wonder if she wanted to be a part of either at all.
He stared at her for a long moment, then said, “Very well.”
“What?”
“If it is a connection you seek, an understanding for the Vedrans and what they’ve lost, I’ll take you. Back to where it all began. For you to understand the true extent of what the king is capable of and the destruction he left behind. But I can’t promise what you’ll see there will be all that pleasant.”
She blinked. Surprised by his offer. The choice granted to her should she decide to take it. Go back. Back to where it all started. Where countless deaths filled the air in the forest that had once been flourishing with life, crowning the forest its namesake. Where the Vedrans used to live before they were all slaughtered by the king.
The Forest of the Dead.
“You would do that. Take me, I mean?”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I would hardly call this a favor. The last time I went in there I was a boy, and I still havenightmares about what I saw. Once you see what lies beyond the trees, you can’t unsee it. Take the time to think it over.”
“Boss, are you two done yet?” Idris called from below, earning their attention from a rounded table below where he was seated. And sitting in one of the other chairs, sending an unimpressed look their way, was Adan, unsurprisingly, who took a long drink from the tankard before him.
“Dinner! Come down before I eat your portion.”
Aeric waved a hand before he faced her. “Shall we then?”
“You go ahead, I’m not hungry.”
Before she could turn and retreat to her room, she heard him say, “Zara said you were training all day with Adan. If you’re going to build any sort of stamina for your power, you’ll need to eat. Regain your energy.”
Adan’s lesson—no matter how questionable his methods had been—had remained with her for she recalled what he’d said about anevit’senergy.
It made her hesitate long enough for a hand to land on the small of her back, guiding her toward the stairs. She tensed and glowered up at him. “I’m perfectly capable of making a decision for myself.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” He leaned forward, close enough that she could smell the scent of soap and embers, as if he’d used his power earlier. The warmth emanating from his body seeping into her back as she felt his chest graze her shoulders. “It doesn’t hurt to receive a slight…push.”
When he did just that, she caught herself on the post before they could reach the stairs and sent him a glare as he walked past her. Tucking the hands in the pockets of his pants, his walk was slow as he made his descent—moving like a lazy, mischievous cat.
“You are the most exasperating man I think I have ever met,” she remarked as she followed.
“That’s funny, I would have sworn it was Adan who brought forth your ire.”
“He’s a close second, believe me.”
His answer came as a chuckle as they made their way downstairs. The last thing she wanted was to be seated anywhere near Adan, and while she knew there was no avoiding his scalding gaze, she took to seating herself between Aeric and Idris.
