I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “I guess verbal composing works differently.”
“Maybe…” Coralie’s wide-eyed gaze unnerved me.
“I am excessively tired. In fact, I think I’m going to head for bed now.” I stood but paused before leaving. “Remember—don’t mention it to anyone.”
“I won’t.” Coralie gave me a quick smile. “But I can’t wait for you to show the rest of them.”
And I had to admit that thought occupied some of my own mind as I finally slipped into bed. At least until my head hit the pillow and sleep instantly claimed me.
I missed the breakfast bell and would have missed combat class as well if Coralie hadn’t hammered at my door without pause until I stumbled out of bed and let her in.
“Elena! You’re not even dressed!”
Her horrified face galvanized me into action, and I soon had my clothes and robe in place and was hurrying toward our usual training yard. It had been a long time since I missed breakfast, but the extra rest had no doubt been worth it. I felt rejuvenated and alive, everything in me buzzing to try composing again.
I was so full of energy, in fact, that I managed to knock Finnian entirely off his feet with my staff. Thornton, who had been passing us at the time, actually paused, a look of pain on his face.
“Well done,” he managed to choke out before hurrying off.
I giggled as I helped Finnian back up. “Did you see how much it hurt him to say that?”
Finnian rubbed his rear and shook his head at me. “Someone’s in a good mood today.”
Even sitting through composition was less painful than usual, and I volunteered the answer to not one but three questions, which put Redmond in a foul mood. I carefully listened to everything he said, considering how I might apply it to my own ability. Not that I intended to do any practice here in class with him. But I already had ideas for what to try next with Walden.
Only the prince’s narrowed eyes—all too often focused on me—managed to somewhat depress my good mood. What was going on inside his head? Had he told anyone about my working at the palace? And did he suspect I had finally managed to unlock my ability?
But as soon as class was dismissed, I put him out of my mind, hurrying off to the library, a whispered encouragement from Coralie trailing behind me. She had wanted to come with me, to see my compositions in action, but I had convinced her to wait until I had things under better control.
Later at dinner she gave me a sympathetic grimace in response to my new downcast air. “It didn’t go well?”
I considered her question. “No, it went fine.”
When she looked at me disbelievingly, I sighed.
“I’m just being an idiot. I was hoping I would improve faster, but I know I need to put in the work. I’m sure I’ll get there.” I was trying to convince myself as much as her.
She just shook her head and went back to her food. “You only think like this because you don’t know how this stuff normally works. You’re already making unbelievable progress, Elena. Seriously. Unbelievable.”
Walden still hadn’t mentioned my apparent stamina, so I suspected Coralie had exaggerated there, but I knew she was right about my progress. After a season and a half of no progress at all, I was now flying along. I just needed a little more patience.
But it was hard to have patience when I wanted to finally catch up with the rest of my year. I couldn’t wait to unveil my new ability in class.
As more days passed, however, I realized that even with so much dedicated help from Walden, it was going to take weeks before I reached that point. In fact, I doubted it would happen before spring.
And so I kept my progress to myself.
But I was making progress. I had far fewer failures now, as I slowly acquired the knack of picturing the words at the right speed and detail to allow me to speak them. I could even complete quite long and detailed workings.
But I needed to have them memorized in advance, of course—at least if I didn’t want to end up getting muddled and leaving out something important. So a lot of my time went to memorizing the words I would need.
Except with all the time I spent practicing, I could hardly think without words springing into my mind’s eyes. So still more time went to suppressing the words when I wasn’t composing so that they didn’t appear at unplanned and dangerous moments.
This risk was Walden’s biggest concern, and he kept me to a slow pace until I was sure I wouldn’t accidentally unleash any uncontrolled power outside of his office.
I never lingered in the main library now, always hurrying straight for his door. But one day, on the way out, Jocasta stopped me.
“I haven’t seen you here in a while.” She frowned at me.
I stared at her blankly. “What do you mean? I’m here every day.”
“No, here in the library, I mean.”
“Oh.” I looked around for some kind of escape, not wanting to have this conversation. “Well, I guess I don’t have any classes in here yet, and…”
She just watched me.
“I really appreciated your help, though. All the reading you gave me…” I’d been wondering for a while if she was offended that I’d abandoned her tutelage in favor of working with Walden. But then, she’d never seemed to like the assignment, anyway.
I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
Jocasta sighed. “It’s your life, Elena. I guess I’m just a bit surprised.”
I stared at her.
“When I started teaching you, you were so excited to learn. Something about unlocking mysteries. I even heard you muttering to yourself once about the words calling to you.”
I managed a weak smile, embarrassed she’d heard that. I used to think they called to everyone, but now I wondered if it was actually my suppressed ability that had created the effect.
Jocasta shrugged. “You seem to be making great progress now, but I guess…”
I frowned. None of the other instructors had mentioned anything, so I hadn’t been sure if Walden had been keeping any of them updated. He knew I wanted to catch up before spreading the word around, but then I guess it wasn’t surprising that the assistant head of the library would know what was going on in her own library.
“I guess I thought you had a greater interest in reading than just unlocking your power,” she finished. When I just stood there, she gestured at the library behind her. “I gave you books on composition because I knew you needed to catch up in class, but this library holds a lot more than that. And it’s always open to students.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, suddenly unable to meet her eye. She was right. I had become obsessed with controlling my power and catching up with my year mates. So much so that I had forgotten that early excitement at being able to unlock all the secrets of this vast place.
“The dinner bell’s already sounded,” I said, mumbling a quick farewell and fleeing the room. Jocasta had always been impatient with me, so there was no need to let her poor opinion affect me so much now.
I should be more than used to it. With the exception of Walden, Coralie, Finnian, and possibly Saffron, everyone here had fairly low opinions of me. Well, maybe not Damon or Acacia, but I saw them so little they hardly counted.
But her disappointed expression still haunted me, which is perhaps why I didn’t notice any warning signs before something hard hit me in the back of the head, sending me sprawling forward across the corridor floor.
Chapter 19
“Really?” drawled an unimpressed voice. It was a girl, but with the ringing in my ears, I struggled to recognize it. “Is this what we’ve come to?”
I twisted around, scuttling backward to get away from the threat. Five figures loomed over me.
“It’s been half a year, Dariela,” said Weston, sounding almost as bored as the previous speaker but a great deal more vindictive. “So apparently this is what we’ve come to. Expected to share class time with a commonborn girl with no control whatsoever. I thought we coul
d safely leave it to our elders to get rid of her, but they seem unable to act for some reason. And since she didn’t seem to get my message in combat on her first day, I’d say it’s past time we showed her she’s not welcome here.”
I was too focused on his face to see the movement to my right. Calix’s foot caught me in my middle, driving me back against the stone wall with a crack.
I groaned, barely able to get the sound out before he kicked me again. Pain lanced up my side to join the throbbing in my head. I tried to push myself upright, drawing on my months of combat training, but a new foot kicked me back down. Four of them circled me now, keeping me pinned against the wall. My vision had started to blur, but it wasn’t hard to make out the twins and the Stantorn cousins. Apparently I had been wrong when I deemed them harmless compared to my other worries.
“I don’t have time for this nonsense,” said Dariela. “I’m here to learn. You all want to distract yourselves, go ahead. But I’m out.” She took off down the corridor toward the dining hall.
But she hadn’t yet disappeared from sight when a new figure appeared. A brief surge of hope that it might be an instructor or one of my own friends was dashed when I recognized the silhouette.
“Lucas knows we’re right,” Lavinia said with a nod to the new arrival, but her voice lacked confidence. I should have taken more note of Coralie’s warning. Apparently my year mates’ distaste at seeing me invade even more of their world had led to a more violent response than I had anticipated.
I looked past Lucas, hoping he wasn’t alone, but no one else was in sight. I was later for the meal than I’d realized. My eyes returned to him, my silent plea cut off by another foot to the ribs that caused my head to crack back against the stone of the wall. I whimpered—the only sound I could manage—and curled up with one hand around my middle and the other attempting to cover my head.
“I can assure you I am not in the habit of beating my unarmed year mates,” said the prince’s voice.
Calix just snorted in reply. “Princes don’t get their hands dirty, Lavinia. That’s what they have us for. Not that we’re using our hands.” He smirked as he drew his foot back to strike again.
When the attacks had been nothing but words, the two boys had been happy to sit back and leave it to their sister and cousin. But just like on my first day with Weston, when it came to physicality, the boys apparently had no hesitation wading in.
Despite knowing better, my eyes flew instinctively to Lucas. A dark look had come into his eyes, and he stepped toward us, his hands balling into fists. I had the fleeting impression he meant to attack—but me or Calix? As always he only left me confused.
Anger surged through me and with it a sensation of power. The initial shock and pain had driven any thought of defense from my mind, but I now remembered that I wasn’t the helpless common girl they thought me.
Unbidden, the binding words rose up in front of my eyes, and I spoke them, almost tripping over the words in my haste. Calix paused, casting a confused glance at Weston.
His hesitation gave me the extra moments I needed to complete my composition. “Shield my body from blows, and repel—” at the last moment, I realized I needed a tighter focus on the working and forced new words to form in front of my eyes. “…my four attackers without causing serious injury. End binding.”
As I spoke the final word, power blossomed around me, wrapping me in a bubble. At the same time, four tendrils of it burst outward, thrusting Calix, Natalya, Lavinia, and Weston away from me. They all hit the far wall hard, Lucas just dodging out of their way in time to avoid getting swept up.
For a panting breath, I stayed curled in place, pain still radiating through me, my eyes locked on his. He didn’t turn to check on his friends, and I couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. Because it couldn’t possibly be elation.
Then he broke my gaze, striding off down the corridor without a backward glance for the others who all now slumped against the far wall groaning.
I watched him go. At least I had retained enough sense to modify my working at the last moment. For all my rage against him, it would be unwise to magically attack a prince.
Just like it would have been unwise to leave my composition open enough that I might have caused serious damage to a trainee from an influential mage family. If I’d had more time, I could have shaped it not to harm them at all, but the blinding pain in my middle and head made it hard to regret the lack of direction.
I managed to push myself to my feet, although both hands now clutched my middle and I couldn’t quite stand straight. Wobbling slightly, I glared at my four slumped opponents.
“I may be commonborn, but I do have control. So I recommend you all leave me alone.”
All four of them stared at me, apparently struck dumb with shock.
I shrugged, the movement making me wince, and shuffled off down the corridor. I had made it a short distance when racing feet sounded, and someone rushed to put their shoulder under one of my arms.
“You’re on your feet and moving, that’s a good sign,” said Acacia’s calm voice. “In that case, let’s get you into my offices.”
I let her guide me forward, groaning again when she lowered me into a chair.
“You look worse than the first time we met,” she said, actually grinning as she selected a series of parchments from out of her robe and drawers.
“You’re a monster.” I groaned.
She ripped the first parchment, and her cool mist settled over me, bringing numbing relief.
“I take it all back,” I said, “you’re a credit to the Academy.”
She just shook her head, still grinning, as she ripped another parchment, this one considerably longer than the ones I had seen her use in this office on my first day. I tried to ignore the grinding noise that preceded a sudden increased ability to breathe freely.
She ripped two more, and I focused on breathing deeply while the last of the mist settled over me. When the sensation disappeared, I gingerly pulled up the layers of my clothes and examined my side. The skin looked clear and unblemished, not so much as a bruise in sight.
“You know, you first years have been a quiet year.” She bustled about, disposing of the torn pieces of parchment and closing her drawers. “I expected to have you at least in here before now.”
“Thanks? I think.” I hopped to my feet. “Although don’t go forgetting my epic failure in the library.”
“No, indeed. How could I forget? It took me weeks to replenish the compositions I had to use on you and Jocasta. Those were the big ones.” She gave me a mock glare.
“Elena?” Coralie came bursting into the room. “There you are! I heard there was a fight. Thank goodness Acacia was on hand.”
Acacia shook her head. “Looked more like a beating to me.” She eyed me. “Are there other patients needing my attention then?”
I shook my head. I had no doubt that if any of the others had been sufficiently hurt to need her attentions, they would have barged in here on their own demanding she see to them first.
“Come on, you’ve completely missed dinner, but I’ve saved you some food.” Coralie waved her hand for me to join her at the door.
I shuffled over with a murmured thank you to Acacia. It wasn’t until I was long gone that it occurred to me to wonder how she had known to come running for me in the first place.
I don’t know who talked—I couldn’t imagine the others being eager to broadcast their attack and subsequent defeat—but somehow the word got out. Whispers and stares followed me as they had in my first couple of days and after the disaster in the library.
And when I arrived at combat the next morning, Thornton sent me straight back inside.
“You’re wanted in Lorcan’s office,” he said as Natalya smirked at me.
I ignored her. She and the other three had all drawn back at the sight of me that morning, and two of them had visible bruises, so I could cope with a little smirking.
Lorcan’s reaction worried
me a great deal more. Had one of them reported the interaction to him? I could only imagine how they would have described it, if so, and I didn’t imagine the narrative would have carried much similarity with the truth.
But when I knocked on the Academy Head’s door, he greeted me with a broad smile.
“So, it seems you’ve been holding out on us, Elena.” He gestured toward a chair, and I sank into it. “I take it your studies with Walden have finally borne fruit.”
I swallowed and nodded, waiting for him to make mention of the altercation the evening before. He said nothing about it, however.
“Naturally I am fascinated by this development.” He fixed me with a stern stare. “But I will need you and Walden to keep me apprised of your future progress.”
I nodded, glad to hear Walden had indeed kept my trust.
“Now.” Lorcan clapped his hands together. “A demonstration would be in order, I think.”
He had me compose a working to lift several small objects from his desk and send them flying around the room. A glowering Redmond, who arrived soon after, had me set several pieces of parchment on fire. I half expected Lorcan to object to that suggestion, but he merely scribbled down a shield composition, tearing it as soon as he’d completed the last word.
Lorcan had barely thrown a jug of water over the burning pile when Jessamine, the University Head, came bursting into the room.
“She did it?” She looked around until her eyes latched on me. “I came as soon as I got your message.”
“I imagined it might bring you running,” said Lorcan, an amused gleam in his eye.
Jessamine eyed the sodden, blackened mass on the floor. “What have I missed?”
Voice of Power (The Spoken Mage Book 1) Page 18