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“Goddess’ knickers!” I squealed and jumped back, right into the frame of the Boy who had been sitting behind me.
He made a noise of panic, rushing to face me as he hastily reattached his shroud and gestured a question in panic.
‘Alright?’
“Yes, yes,” I nodded my head vigorously, hair bobbing around my face as I watched the spot where the sparks had grown. “I was just trying to get my magic to work.”
I held my hand up as though the lights would still be there as proof. There was nothing.
“I want to be able to control it.” He nodded in response, sliding into the seat opposite from me, his gloved hands were wide as he gestured to me, then to his hand, then made the same motion he had in the training pit.
‘Show me.’
“There isn’t much to show. I thought I produced light during the Pankreatin, but I’m not sure. It feels as though something is stopping me.” I pushed my hand out again, once again waiting for the magic to spark. The motion was something used more in combat training, but it didn’t matter, no magic flared anyway.
The Boy shifted forward in his seat, grabbing my hand as I pressed it forward. His touch was gentle beneath the leathers as he turned my hand, my palm up as he ran a gloved finger from the other hand from my fingertip to my wrist.
“The bracelet is there,” I whispered, knowing what he was asking even if the softness of his touch was making my head spin. I forced myself to breathe normally.
He nodded, holding up his hand and lifting one finger after another, the pace slow enough that I knew at once what he was listing.
“Fíra, wôder, vio, Ær, lðt.” He nodded along with me as I spoke, then again placed those fingers down one right after another, tapping against my collar bone. “They are all in me.”
Another nod. That we knew, but I still leaned forward, staring at him eagerly. He had known how to get my magic out before, I knew he would know now, although how he knew… he had always paid more attention to the magic training when we spied on the accolades. I had been focused on the fighting.
The Boy placed his palm flat against my chest again before pulling back and lifting only one finger, the thumb. I knew exactly what he was saying.
“Focus on lðt.” I don’t know why that scared me so much, or made it seem more impossible. The Boy, however, was nodding vigorously enough that he clearly had far too much confidence in my skills.
The Boy's breaths evened out as he pushed the hem of my sleeve back, revealing the intricate braided hair band. The Boy ran his finger over it, before putting his hand to my heart then moving his hand down from my collar bone to the bracelet.
I just blinked at him, usually I was fairly good at deciphering what he was trying to say, but even after he repeated the motion a few times I was still lost. My eyes darted from the now dark window, and back to him before I scooted forward, his hand still holding mine as I leaned in close to the black shroud, to the face that I was sure was becoming clearer every day, even if I could see nothing.
“Say it quietly,” I whispered to him and he stiffened, leaning back even if his hand didn’t leave mine.
His touch was still soft, his breathing even through the shroud, even as mine picked up.
“Please.” The word was barely more of a gasp as I leaned closer, my lips pressing together as my face moved even with his, the face I could not see clear in my mind.
The Boy exhaled with a shake, the gloved hand that held mine tightening as he pulled back, that free hand coming to rest against my heart again.
“Your magic is here. Push it here.” The depth of his voice rumbled through me and I shivered, the shiver growing as his motions slowed and that gloved hand journeyed down my arm toward my hand. Each snag of the leather against fabric sending trills of energy over every inch of me, heat flooding in all of the forbidden places. “Use the bracelet as a conduit. It has its own power, let it guide you.”
I swallowed, his words quickly becoming a jumbled mess in my head as my heart rate accelerated. I wasn’t sure I understood his words more than his actions.
“You are powerful, Elara. It’s time we find your strength.” I swore I could see him smile behind that shroud as he spoke, leaning in with his hand on my heart. “Find your magic.”
I stared at him for only a moment too long before he cleared his throat, and I forced myself to swallow. When did my mouth get so dry?
Nodding, I did as he asked and breathed in, the chirp of the crickets rising to a swell. I pulled all of that buzzing energy right to my heart, right to where his hand laid against me.
“Let it find its way out, let it find the conduit,” he whispered as he moved his hand down, the soft touch seeming to pull all of that power as though it was on a string, taking it right down to that bracelet, to the palm where he cradled a glowing orb of light.
Again, I shrieked and jumped as the ball swelled into an orb of golden luminance that expanded out as though in a silent explosion. The glow surrounded the carriage and made everything as bright as day before it faded, leaving us in darkness.
“I did it!” I gasped, resisting the urge to jump up and down and send everything rocking. “I did it!”
I turned to the Boy, who sat there unmoving. I could just imagine the grin behind that shroud as he turned to me.
