“Is there a difference?” Halder smirked. He looked so completely unaffected by their hours of training that Mara wanted to smack that smug smile off his face. Fortunately for him, she was too exhausted to even sit up, let alone assault someone. Halder continued, “Look, I know it’s not fun, but you’ll start seeing results soon enough.”
“Forgive my skepticism, but I don’t understand how any of this is helping. Levitating rocks is bad enough, but meditation? Really?”
“You have to master your emotions, Mara.”
“Why?” she asked.
He sighed and set the pan aside, running a hand down his face. “Do you remember the first time you ever used your Gift, before you knew what was happening?”
Mara nodded, thinking about Tobias’s execution.
“What were you feeling?”
“Panic… rage,” she replied.
“I’m guessing you felt panicked when we were training this morning as well, right? Strong emotions like panic, fear and rage will fuel your Gift, but not always in a good way. Lack of control and a lack of training make a lethal combination.”
“This sounds personal for you,” Mara said, pushing herself up until she could look him in the eyes. “What happened?”
“We used to live in solid houses, you know, in the city of Mordryl. Thousands of us. Until three years ago, when the Order attacked, burning everything to the ground. Out of our whole town, only two hundred survived. My parents and my little sister were killed during the attack.”
Mara covered her mouth with her hands, horrified. “Why?”
“Revenge,” he said simply. “Though the Order had been banned from Tregydar for years, we maintained a tenuous peace. We kept to ourselves and they left us alone for the most part. One day, on a trading mission, one of ours decided to spread the word that the Order was lying about dregs and Gifts— something they very much want to keep secret. If everyone knew that you didn’t need a Magi to awaken your Gift, they would soon become obsolete. All they want is to maintain that power, even over kings. We crossed the line, and Cadmus destroyed our home, our community, to make a statement.”
“I’m so sorry. We can’t let them get away with this. Killing your parents, your sister… it’s awful.”
Halder shook his head and his voice grew so quiet that she had to strain to hear it. “The Order didn’t kill my family. I did.”
Mara bolted upright, and all her exhaustion vanished in an instant. “What?”
“Why do you think Opal placed me in charge of your training?”
“I thought it was because you’re an Impriga, like me.”
“Not just that. It’s because I know firsthand what will happen if you lose control, even for a second. Some may view our Gift as a blessing, but in reality, it’s a curse.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I was eighteen years old and my Gift had manifested only months before. My parents were thrilled. Having an Impriga in the family was rare, considering only one is born in every ten thousand. Maybe fewer. Like you, I wanted to experiment with my powers and see exactly what I was capable of. Why should I bother with lifting rocks and meditating when I could already lift a wagon with my mind? I was a fool.”
Halder stood and walked away with short, jerky movements. He leaned against the cavern wall with a forced calm, obviously struggling to keep his emotions in check. “The day the Order came, I was out training with my friends. No, that’s a lie. We weren’t actually training. That was just the excuse we’d used to sneak away for a few hours. In truth, we just wanted time away from our responsibilities and be kids again. We heard the alarm, but by the time we got back to the city, it was too late. Disciples were everywhere, cutting down my neighbors like weeds. It was chaos, and I didn’t know what to do, so I sent out a blast of energy, intending to knock them down and give everyone a chance to escape. But, in my rage, I leveled everything, knocking down houses like they were made of feathers. I ran to my house, finding nothing but a pile of rubble where our home had once stood, my family crushed underneath. And peeking out the side was my sister’s hand, still clutching her favorite doll.”
Mara wiped tears from her eyes and walked over, pulling him into an embrace. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t your fault. You… you were only trying to protect them.”
He pushed her away, refusing her offered comfort. “You don’t need to try to make me feel better. I’ve made my peace with it.”
“You seem well adjusted, considering everything you just told me,” Mara said, a question in her voice. “I would be a complete wreck in your place.”
“Oh, I was for a while. A very long while,” Halder admitted.
“What changed?”
“Opal. Rather than condemning me, or blaming me for what happened, she helped me. If it weren’t for her, I would have never learned to control my Gift. Look, I was reckless. I ignored everyone when they told me I was advancing too quickly, and I needed to slow down, and I ended up killing the people I loved the most. I don’t want you to make the same mistake.”
Mara swallowed, regretting her actions more than ever. If she’d harmed her friends with her rash behavior, she would never have forgiven herself. Halder was right, and if she had to float rocks around for a month, then that’s what she would do. “Okay, let’s get started.”
“Tomorrow,” Halder said. “Tonight, you need to rest. We’ll resume training in the morning.”
***
“Again,” Mara said, gritting her teeth. They’d been working for hours, and she was far from mastering even the most basic skills. Halder grinned at her, levitating a boulder in front of him and passing it slowly to Mara. She caught it, allowing it to float in front of her before passing it back. It was painfully repetitive, but with Halder’s story still fresh in her mind, she refused to complain. Even when she realized they would be lifting more rocks. More boring, stupid rocks.
“Hold!” Halder called out.
Mara obediently tightened her mental grip, feeling the energy within the stone, letting it hover halfway between them. She would keep it there until he said otherwise. Her back ached from the strain and her energy flagged. She took a deep breath, doing her best to ignore the discomfort. Sweat dripped into her eyes and she blinked, trying to sooth the sting. Her arms trembled. The pounding in her head grew into an unbearable, pulsing headache. She collapsed, and the boulder fell with an echoing thud.
Halder’s face swam inches from her own and Mara blinked again, this time to clear her blurry vision. “I think we should stop for the day,” he said, slipping an arm behind her back to help her sit up.
“Are you crazy? I’m finally making progress,” Mara wheezed, chest heaving. “I just need a few minutes, then we can get back to work.”
“No, you need to rest, Mara. You’re pushing yourself too hard,” Halder said, his face filled with concern. “If you keep going at this pace, you’ll burn out.”
“It’s the point of this exercise to gain better control as well as build stamina?” she argued. Halder nodded reluctantly. “So, why not keep going and see how long I can last?”
“Because it’s suicidal.” He frowned, staring off into space. Then, the light dawned in his eyes and he smiled, pulling her to her feet. “Come with me.”
Mara opened her mouth to protest, but he placed a firm hand over her lips before leading her back through one of the tunnels. The ground disappeared beneath her feet and she nearly tripped, unprepared for the sudden downward slope. As they walked, Halder lit the torches hanging from the wall, filling the cramped hall with flickering light. To their right stood a small doorway, low enough that they had to duck to enter.
She gasped. Five steaming pools filled the room. The largest one in the center boasted a small waterfall that churned the water in gentle waves. The Azora crystals on the ceiling reflected in the water, making it appear as though thousands of tiny lights floated on the surface. Mara bounced on her toes, anxious to dive in. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a proper bath.
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“You like it?” Halder asked shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“This is perfect! Thank you so much for bringing me here.” She threw him a wide smile before stripping off her layers one by one and tossing her outer clothes to the floor.
Halder spun away in alarm, cheeks turning crimson. “What are you doing?” he hissed.
“Getting in, silly,” Mara replied, dipping her toes in the warm water. “Did you expect me to just stand here and look?”
“Umm… I’ll just leave you to it then,” Halder said, turning towards the exit.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Ansel and I used to go swimming in our underthings all the time,” she said, completely unbothered. “You know, for someone who lives in a giant tent with two hundred other people, you sure have a weird sense of modesty. Figures I’d be trapped in a cave with a prude.”
Without another word, she waded deep into the pool, letting out a groan. “Oh, this is amazing. I changed my mind, Halder. I want to live in this cave forever.”
He laughed. “I knew you’d come around sooner or later.”
Mara ducked her head under the water, scrubbing at her scalp. This was complete bliss. She floated, weightless, wishing they could stay here forever and forget the outside world.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A week passed by, then two. Mara spent every waking moment training, graduating from rocks to water. It was a tricky thing, but after some practice, she was able to find a pattern and draw on the liquid energy. Soon, she was able to manipulate water almost as if she’d been born an Irrigo.
From there, Mara focused on air and fire, not stopping until she could read their unique energy signatures and bend them to her will. Well, mostly. Halder said that it would take years before she truly mastered them. Then, she’d learned how to draw energy from plants to restore her flagging core and now, she would try to siphon energy from Halder.
“I don’t know about this, Halder. What if I hurt you?”
He waved away her concerns and sat down by the fire. “That’s impossible. No offense, but you’re years behind me in training, and I will stop you before you take too much. This is a critical skill that can help you in a fight.”
She gnawed on her lip, uncomfortable with the idea. He’d said it himself; she was powerful— maybe even more powerful than him— but, he did have more experience, so she swallowed her protest, deciding to trust him.
“Okay, so what do I do?” she asked, sitting across the fire from him. The flames offered a comforting warmth, helping her relax and focus.
“This is no different than the others. Close your eyes and reach for my energy signature. Then, when you have a feel for it, pull. You want to absorb the energy into your body, then store it. It can help you when you’re exhausted.”
“Back up a second. You’re telling me that all those times I collapsed while training were preventable?”
He smirked. “Technically speaking, yes.”
Mara threw a pulse of energy at him, knocking him onto his back with a thud. He chuckled. She couldn’t believe it. Here, she’d been working herself into an early grave, and all she’d needed to do was borrow energy?
“Look, those exercises were necessary. You can’t just skirt through life by cheating. You need to build up your own stamina. Think about it this way. If you borrow too much energy from your surroundings, you could disrupt the natural order of things. Killing a few trees or a few feet of earth won’t do much damage in the long run, but what happens if you pull more? Borrow more? It would be disastrous. By increasing your own store, you have more energy to tap into before resorting to desperate measures.”
That made sense, in a way. She closed her eyes, following his instructions to the letter. Halder’s energy glowed amongst the others and she tugged on the thin threads as hard as she could, absorbing it into her body. The power swirled inside her, tickling at her core. She grimaced at the foreign feeling, deciding that she didn’t like it at all.
“Stop,” he said, panting. Mara’s eyes flew open and she broke the connection. Halder slumped in his seat, face pale, his body trembling. “Clearly I underestimated your abilities. Again,” he wheezed.
She would have felt bad, but now she had all of this extra energy swirling inside, trying to escape. “Umm… what do I do with it now?”
“Give me a second. I need to take some back,” he said, struggling to sit up. She felt a gentle tug, and the energy lowered to a more manageable level. “Now, you can channel the rest. Try making an orb or, even better, a whip.”
A whip sounded incredible. She funneled some energy through her hands, imagining it forming into a solid coil. It sizzled, then disappeared entirely. Undeterred, she tried again. This time, five feet of pure energy lengthened into a whip. She gave it a few test swings, grinning like a maniac.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You’re a natural, Mara.”
The sound of a twig snapping echoed through the cavern and they froze. Halder’s face reflected her alarm and Mara reached for her dagger before she stopped, realizing that she didn’t need it anymore. She was a weapon. They crept up the tunnel that lead to the secondary exit, feet moving silently over the smooth stone. Mara motioned for Halder to stay quiet before ducking around the entrance for a better look.
Halder gripped her shoulder and tapped the side of his head. Well, now she felt stupid. Mara closed her eyes, using her Gift to scope out the intruders without exposing their position. She reached out, trying to get a feel for them. The bodies glowed bright with energy, though one kept flickering, only to show up a few feet away. Mara shook her head, baffled. Maybe this constant training was finally getting to her.
Mara held up three fingers. Halder nodded, slipping out the mouth of the cave first. She followed, ready to call on her powers at a moment’s notice.
There was a flash in the shadows and Mara felt a pat on her shoulder. She spun around, palms lighting up in the dark. Recognition dawned, and she said, “Wynn?”
The scarred woman vanished, then reappeared in the shadows to her right. How did she do that? Mara jumped and whirled around to face her, only for Wynn to disappear again.
“Surprise?” Wynn said, this time ten feet away, hanging from an ice-coated tree branch.
Mara stared in shock. “How are you doing that?”
“One of the many perks of being a Caligo, I’d imagine. She’s been driving us crazy ever since she was Gifted,” Steel said, pulling Mara in for a smothering hug. He held her at arm’s length, scanning her for injuries. “It’s good to see you again, Mara.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Other than appreciating the startled look on your face?” Ansel said, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Mara raced forward, throwing her arms around him in a fierce embrace.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she said, then turned back to Steel. “So, what Gift did you get?”
In lieu of answering, Steel opened his water skein, pulling a stream of water through the air and launching it at Mara. She ducked, laughing, and it hit Halder in his surprised face instead.
“An Irrigo! That seems fitting for the heir of a coastal kingdom.”
“Former heir,” Steel said, giving her a sweeping bow. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
“How did the Gifting go? Any nasty side effects?”
“Other than a headache and a fever that made me wish for death, it went smoothly. Opal gave us an herbal elixir to speed up the process,” Steel replied.
“Apparently it’s the same one the Magi use during Gifting ceremonies to awaken Gifts in infants,” Ansel added, frowning.
Steel continued, “She said that because our abilities have been suppressed for so long, our Gifts wouldn’t manifest on their own.”
Mara nodded. “That makes a lot of sense, actually, based on what Halder told me.”
“Enough talking!” Wynn said, appearing inches from Mara’s face. “We need to leave, now!”
“What? Why?” Mar
a asked. She’d only been training for two weeks, which wasn’t nearly long enough. There was so much more to learn.
Halder stepped forward to stand by Mara, settling a hand on her shoulder. “Mara can’t leave yet. While she’s made considerable progress, she hasn’t finished her training.”
“Don’t care,” Wynn said.
Mara noticed the clues she’d missed in her excitement over seeing her friends again. Wynn was a complete mess. Her shoulders shook, and her eyes grew glassy with barely-restrained tears. It looked like she was seconds away from breaking down and sobbing.
“What happened?”
Wynn’s voice broke and she ran a hand through her choppy hair, tugging on the ends. “They got Tova.”
“Who has Tova?” Mara asked, but deep down, she already knew the answer. “The Order.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Steel said. “A day ago, Tregydarian scouts intercepted a missive. Tova had been captured from Dumont Castle and is being transported to Order Headquarters.”
“That’s a week’s journey! How are we supposed to get there in time?” Mara asked. Maybe Wynn could teleport them there? She dismissed the thought. No, if Wynn were capable of jumping large distances, she would have done it the second she heard the news, tearing apart the Order with her bare hands.
Ansel cast a nervous glance at Wynn before he said, “We don’t think they’re planning to hurt her. Not yet, at least.”
“What do you mean they’re not going to hurt her? She… oh.” Mara stilled, understanding the implications of what he said. “She’s bait. They’re going to use her to draw us out.”
Halder stepped forward, throwing his hands up. “All the more reason to stay here. If you go, there’s a high chance you’ll be captured or killed. Mara, you’re not ready yet.”
Mara ignored him, her mind spinning. “What about her father? Can’t he do anything to get her back?”
“His status as a delegate won’t protect Tova within the Order. She’s a dreg, and as such, has little to no rights. Besides, her father hates dregs, so I wouldn’t count on his help,” Steel said.
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