“Lady Kaelia,” she called out. “Please, join us.”
My stomach dropped, and I bit down on my bottom lip to stop the instinctivenofrom escaping. I shook my head, my fingers tightening around the leather strap of my bag. “Oh, no. I could not. I was merely heading to the river.”
Eladaria’s smile deepened, a spark of quiet amusement shimmering in her gaze. “Nonsense. You would do well to practice your newly acquired abilities, rather than letting them fester.”
A rush of heat climbed my neck, followed by a cold, sliding wave of dread. Did she know? Had she felt the moment I had lost myself to the dark and struck Neya?
The children’s eyes, wide and expectant, fixed on me. Their tiny fingers wiggled with excitement, their innocent faces holding no malice, only unfiltered wonder.
“It is quite late,” I murmured, glancing at the shifting violet shadows.
“Veythar children do not sleep many hours, dear,” Eladaria said, her tone wistful. “Our rhythm does not follow the same essence as the human one. Come. Just one drill.”
I drew a long, grounding breath and gave in. I moved toward a stone pillar, carefully setting down my foraging satchel. The silver shears clinked softly against the glass vials inside as I moved into the open circle.
They began with the simplest of drills. Eladaria’s instructions were patient and measured. First, a spark of shadow. Then, a sphere. Then, a cube. Around her, the children strained with fierce concentration, conjuring translucent wisps that wavered like breath on a winter window before vanishing. Their giggles filled the courtyard, bright and unguarded.
“Now, Lady Kaelia,” Eladaria said softly. “Reach inward. Find the stillness. Find the control.”
I closed my eyes with a weary sigh, trying to ignore the memory of the cold wellspring that had erupted in the Gauntlet. I reached for spirits I was not sure would answer, intending to draw only a thin, harmless thread.
My eyes snapped open at the sensation of a cool mist tickling my fingertips.
A serpentine spiral twisted upon my palms, its wispy tail wrapping around my wrist in an intimate caress as it twirled. A dozen or so wispy bodies formed a shape much larger than I was intending, their soft, choral sighs the only sound in the courtyard. They pulsed with a violet-black light, a living lace of shadow that felt… safe.
I looked up at the sudden silence and saw only open mouths and wide, star-struck eyes.
“Whoa…” one boy whispered, his own small shadow flickering out as he forgot to hold it.
The form dissipated from my hand the moment my attention wavered, and I clenched my fingers as the cool air took its place.
“Again! Do it again, Lady Kaelia!” a girl cried out, bouncing on her toes.
Eladaria moved silently, her earlier amusement replaced by measured intensity. There was pride in her gaze, yes, but also a sharp calculation that made my skin crawl. “Try again, Kaelia. Think of something different. Protection.”
I closed my eyes again, drawing in a deep breath. I reached toward the cold, infinite reservoir and guided it carefully, imagining not a spear but a barrier. I thought of the dense rock of the Umbral, the steady heartbeat of the mountain.
When my eyes opened, a swirling vortex of obsidian energy hung before me, pulsing with deep violet light. It rotated slowly—a compact sphere of defensive magic. It absorbed the bioluminescent glow rather than reflecting it, deepening the twilight.
The children drew a quiet, collective breath, their small bodies packed close in the stone courtyard, the faint glow of moss-light catching in wide, unblinking eyes.
Even Eladaria’s face softened.
“Magnificent,” she breathed, her voice a mere whisper.
The shield dissipated slowly, leaving the courtyard bright once more.
“Thank you,” I said, a small smile tugging at my lips as I looked over the bobbing heads of the children.
“Lady Kaelia, you must teach us!” a small body shouted, and a chorus of affirmations followed. I almost giggled at their unbridled delight.
“I will organize a time with Lady Eladaria,” I said with a nod. “Maybe you can teach me something too.”
Quiet laughter and babbles broke out from the group. I turned from them to face Eladaria, dipping my head formally. “I must return. Thank you for your guidance, Lady Eladaria.”
She returned the gesture with a graceful tilt of her head. “Rest well, child. And remember, Kaelia. You are gifted becauseyou are extraordinary. Fear will not grant mastery. Acceptance will.”
I nodded, turning from the courtyard with quick steps. I retrieved my satchel and kept my head down as I navigated the winding halls.