Page 68 of The Scribe (Irin Chronicles 1)

“But the magic—”

“Never.” Malachi’s grip tightened around Rhys’s wrist and the man winced. “Warn her if you will, but never attempt to silence her again.”

“Let go of my arm,” Rhys growled.

“No one is looking.”

“They will be if you don’t let gonow.” Rhys warned Malachi with a glare.

Malachi released him as Ava let out a breath.

“What on earth just happened?”

Rhys cleared his throat. “Forgive me, Ava. I was concerned and I overreacted.” His eyes cut toward Malachi. “As did your defender.”

“What did I do?”

“Nothing,” Malachi said. “You asked a perfectly reasonable question.”

“But you must be very careful, Ava,” Rhys added, his voice dropping. “Remember that the words you hear are in the Old Language. The eternal one. It is the same language we use to cast spells. For scribes, those spells must be written down to have power. But for singers—”

“Ooooh.” Her own eyes widened. “They speak them, right? So if I say something—”

“You could be performing magic you have not been trained for. Rhys is correct about that,” Malachi said softly. “We start to manifest power near puberty. It is why we start training then. But for you, who has no training in magic, even repeating a simple phrase you hear from the mind of a human could be quite dangerous. You do not understand your own power yet.”

He saw the curious gleam in her eye.

“But I can learn? Even though I’m older?”

Rhys and Malachi exchanged a look.

“Irina magic is always taught by other Irina,” Rhys said. “What we don’t know outweighs what we do. Still, there has to be a way. There are Irina in the world, though they are mostly in hiding. We will find a way to let you unlock your power, Ava. I promise.”

“As do I.” Their eyes met in the flickering candlelight, and Malachi had a vision of Ava, her arms spread, her voice raised in song. Magic poured from her. He imagined her voice whispering secrets in his ear, the ancient words a mate would share. The most beautiful power imaginable that bound two into one. The thought brought a rush of emotion he hoped she heard. From the flush of her cheeks, he was guessing she did.

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