Page 52 of To Kill a King
“How long did it take to reach that point?” Elessan asked.
“I’m not sure.” She licked her lips. “Two or three months? I waited until the night of the summer solstice, because I always felt more in control of it then. Anyway, I went out into the woods behind my father’s estate. I found a clearing I thought was open enough so as not to catch the surrounding trees on fire.”
He nodded. “What happened next?”
She bit her lip and glanced at him. “I pulled on the magic.”
Zadé’s jaw dropped.
Taking a deep breath, Aliya swallowed. “I don’t remember most of it. Lightning came down from a cloudless sky and struck me. When I woke up, the area had been carved into a perfectly round crater. The bottom of the basin turned black, like melted glass. And the forest was burning.”
“Valek.” Elessan shook his head. “You’re lucky you survived.”
She shrugged. “Other than a bump on my forehead from falling, I didn’t hurt. My father was livid. He thought I burned his hunting range on purpose.”
She frowned at the pinched expression on Elessan’s face. He already didn’t like her father, and this story probably hadn’t helped.
“It’s negligent to have a powerful mage in your family, and not make sure they’re trained.” He crossed his arms.
She raised an eyebrow at him and held back a snort. “Powerful? Hardly.”
“No, he’s right, Princess. Yer magic jus’ gouged a new canyon through th’ earth to sep’rate yeh from the townsfolk. There’s only a few other mages who can do that.”
She peered at Zadé. “How many, exactly?”
The other woman shrugged. “Two, maybe.”
A hard lump crystallized in Aliya’s gut. She’d always believed the wizard when he told her without control, she and her power were both worthless. And now with Jalius saying she needed someone stronger than her as a teacher, her chances of mastering her powers were getting slimmer by the minute.
Elessan broke the silence. “What Zadé isn’t telling you is her aunt is one of them.”
Aliya spun her head to gape.
Zadé snorted. “She is. She’s also snobby, stuck-up, and thinks she’s smarter’n everyone else.”
Aliya studied the moon elf. “Does that mean you’re a magic user, too?” She didn’t act how Aliya had imagined an elven mage would, but she didn’t have a ton of experience with elves, so…
“Nah,” Zadé waved the comment away. “I fell too far from th’ apple tree, as the humans say. My family wants nothin’ ta do w’me, and the feelin’s mutual.” She crossed her arms and looked away.
Her gut twisted. “I’m sorry.”
Zadé scoffed and turned her back on them.
Elessan beckoned. “Aliya, come here. I promised to hone your skills with a sword, didn’t I?”
His change of subject shattered the tension.
She jogged to catch up to him. Handing her one of his blades, he adjusted her fingers. “Here, hold it like so. As we walk, we can start with some basic grips, and how to move your arm and wrist. Tonight, after we camp, we can work on your footwork. A physical weapon may be more reliable for you than magic for the time being.”
Satisfied with her grip, he took a few steps away, turned and walked backward. “Now, attack.”
Holding the steel above her head in her right hand, she swung hard. The blade wooshed several inches from his face, missing him completely.
“Okay,” he said once she regained her footing. “Excellent first attempt. Why did you lead with your shoulder?”
She thought for a moment before answering. “Because that’s how you swing in stickball, and it feels strong.”
He nodded. “You’re correct, it is. But you left your torso undefended when your arm was up and knocked yourself off balance afterward. Moving that way is also slow. Fighting with swords needs to be fast, or you’ll be dead. Try again, but imagine your elbow is tied to your waist, and you can only pivot it and move your wrist. That way, your weapon is in front the whole time, protecting you.”