Gathering Darkness

“That’s right,” he said. “This is quite different from what we did yesterday, which was just simple elemental manifestation.”

“Yes, so simple.” She raised an eyebrow.

His lips curved upward. “For you, it seems to be. However, I guarantee that this will be more of a challenge. Think of your magic as an invisible muscle that, when strengthened, will increase your control. You can conjure fire yourself, or you can take someone else’s.”

“All right. My magic is a muscle.” She studied the flame dancing on the palm of his hand. She concentrated with all her might, until the world closed in around that small tuft of fire. She could feel the warmth of both the flame and Alexius.

Not her magic. His magic.

She focused as much as she could, until beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. “This is difficult,” she managed.

“Yes, it is,” was his rather infuriating reply.

She refused to give up. It took several minutes, but, finally, with great effort, the flame disappeared from Alexius’s hand and reappeared in hers.

She inhaled sharply, then laughed with relief. “I did it!”

“You did. Well done, princess.” He nodded, his expression pleased. Then he waved his hand and extinguished her flame. He held out his palm and a second flame appeared. “Now, do it again.”

Her laughter faded. “Again?”

“That’s right.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Did Eva have to do these sorts of lessons?”

Now Alexius was the one to laugh. “Well, Eva was an immortal, born of magic and power. The original sorceress was not a mortal girl whose elementia didn’t awaken until the age of sixteen. So, no. Eva didn’t have to do these sorts of lessons.”

Lucia knew she could complain and today’s lessons would end immediately, but that wouldn’t get her anywhere. Controlling her elementia was her sole purpose, and Alexius could help her. Plus, she couldn’t say that spending hours upon hours with the boy of her dreams was that much of a hardship, even if she’d already found him to be a harsh taskmaster.

She focused on the flame, her brow furrowed with concentration. This time, it took her half as long to steal his magic. She held the fire in her hand and grinned at Alexius.

“Good,” he said. Once more, with a wave of his hand, the fire disappeared and reappeared in his palm. “Again.”

Her smile fell.

And so it went, the same lesson again and again—ten, twenty, thirty, forty times—until she could do it with ease. As they neared midday, Alexius finally called for a break and went to the balcony to gaze out at the landscape beyond the palace walls.

She stared at the flame, entranced by its beauty before she squeezed her hand into a fist to extinguish it. “You know, I’ve come to learn that this palace’s library has many more books about your people than the Limerian library does.”

“My people?” Alexius glanced over his shoulder from where he stood at the banister. “You mean Watchers?”

“It’s funny to me that you call yourselves Watchers.”

“Most of us don’t. Only those who have had contact with the mortals, who coined that title for us. Really, a more appropriate moniker would be Guardians.”

“Because your kind was created to guard the Kindred.”

He eyed her with curiosity. “You have been reading some interesting books, haven’t you?”

“Some. But there are many legends that have been passed down through generations. Generations that existed before the age of books.” Lucia once had a nanny who would tell her bedtime stories that the king or queen wouldn’t have approved of, had they known . . . stories of beautiful immortals that could turn into hawks.

“My people,” he said, “were originally created to be guardians to this entire world, to help keep it safe. To protect it from anything or anyone who might wish to harm it. But some plans don’t work out the way they’re intended.” Lucia joined him on the balcony, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her face. “Originally, six immortals were created to be these guardians. They are the elders of our kind, and they existed for centuries before the rest of us came into being.”

She was pleased that he seemed willing to share new information with her today. “Melenia is one of the six elders?”

He nodded. “Eva was one, too.”

“I read she was the youngest, and the most naïve.”

“That’s not true,” he said quickly. “Actually, Eva was the first immortal created, which is why her magic was the most powerful. All who were created after her were somewhat . . . less. She drew a lot of envy because of this.”

Lucia frowned. This was not what she’d believed all this time, and it was a revelation. Eva was the first? “That isn’t a well-known detail of the legend. It’s not in any book I’ve ever read.”

“No, it wouldn’t be. There are some who prefer to keep such truths locked away to serve their own agendas.” He winced, and began to rub his chest as if it pained him to speak.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.” A grin spread across his handsome features. “I guess you wore me out with our morning of lessons.”

That made one of them. Lucia felt energized, ready for more.

Looking down at her hands, she said, “So . . . my magic is the same magic Eva possessed. It’s as if it’s a separate entity entirely, which can be passed from one person to the next. Much like what we did with the flame.”