“It’s okay.” Thana touched another pyramid, her movements slow.“Um, this is a mind pyramid. It can hypnotize people, letting pyradistés sortthrough their memories. More complicated mind pyramids can control people.”
“But none can read…us, right?” Sylph asked, gesturing betweenthem. The thought of them being an “us” in any way made the heat rise in herface.
“No, mind magic doesn’t work on pyradistés,” Thana said. “Forutility, I’ve brought a light pyramid, which is used, um, in the dark.” Shegave another nervous laugh. “If the name didn’t clue you in. There are alsoutility pyramids that detect other pyramids being used, including trappyramids, and cancellation pyramids, which render other pyramids inert. All ofthem can only be used by pyradistés.” She held the light pyramid out. “Let’sstart with this one.”
Sylph tried to keep from staring as if the thing was a rat, butThana’s flat look said she failed. And she couldn’t apologize for that. Thiswas a part of life she should have never had to deal with. That wasn’t herfault.
Thana pressed her lips together and then released them with alittle pop. “I know you don’t want to do this, but you have to learn what you’re trying tocontrol in order to master it. And I need to see what you can do with a pyramid,so I can figure out what happened in the garden.”
Sylph had to force her hand not to tremble as she took thepyramid, telling herself the smooth sides were glass, not crystal. It was anornament. It meant nothing.
“Stare into it, see the way it’s made, the way the five sidesconnect at the points. Look through it to the other side, at the way thelight’s distorted.”
It drew the eye. She gave it that. Looking through it took thelight and transformed it into an explosion of color, every hue she’d ever seen,many she hadn’t even known existed. Strange how something half the size of herfist could seem to contain the whole world.
“Call forth the light,” Thana whispered.
Simple enough. She was already inside the pyramid. All she had todo was step out and bring the light with her.
The pyramid blazed, a fountain of colors shining forth. Sylphcried out and tossed it into the air. Thana caught it and fumbled, coming torest on one knee as she lost her balance and hugged the pyramid to her chest.
“What in the spirits’ names?” Thana said, gasping as if she’d runa mile and staring at Sylph with wide eyes.
“Did I…was that wrong?” Sylph’s heart was trying to beat forthfrom her chest, mostly from the pyramid but also from the fear in Thana’s eyes.
“How did you do that?” She looked to the pyramid as if it mighthold the answers. “So bright, all those different colors.”
“They were all in there.”
Thana didn’t look at her. “All in where?”
Sylph took a deep breath. Nothing had exploded. All was well. “Inthe pyramid. Every color, every hue. Was that not what I was supposed to see?”
With a long sigh, Thana stood and put the pyramid back on thetable. She leaned on it as if she needed it to stay standing. “I’ve read aboutpeople like you.”
Fear creeped up Sylph’s throat again. “People like—”
“Those so powerful, they can bring forth every bit of a pyramid’spotential.” She straightened, and the fear on her face morphed into hard linesand simmering anger. “You’re the most powerful pyradisté I’ve ever met, mylady.”
Fear tipped toward terror, clawing at Sylph’s brain. She castaround for a chair but only saw those spirits-cursed sheets. She could sit onthe floor—how long had it been since she’d sat on a floor—that was where she’dbe when her father discovered this, beneath everyone’s boots. How could shehide something that had built in her like some wasting disease until it cameboiling out whenever she was near a pyramid?
“Are you crying?” Thana’s voice sounded strained, as if shebarely held in a scream. “You just found out that you’re extremely powerful,and you’re—”
“Ruined,” Sylph managed to say. She would not weep, not when shehad a choice. She’d wept in the garden, and that had been enough for the restof her life.
“I don’t believe this. Don’t believe you.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Oh, ofcourse, I don’t. I had to struggle with my ability, had to provemyself time and again, have to constantly contend with the fact that I mightnot be capable of doing my job as it needs doing. So, no, I can’t understandunlimited power thrown at my feet along with being rich and titled andbeautiful.” She paced as if no longer talking to anyone but herself, waving herarms about and letting all her emotions loose upon her face. “No one shouldhave that much spirits-cursed good luck in their life!”
She didn’t understand, and Sylph didn’t want to make her, notwhile she railed against her lot in life and bemoaned her fate. Meanwhile,Sylph was a hair’s breadth from losing the title and money and security andbeing left with a power she didn’t want. She drew on every one of her father’stactics and drew herself up. “The difference is, you’re a peasant and I’m not,and these are a peasant’s powers.” She shrugged and made herself march to thetable. “Perhaps if you spent less time bemoaning your fate and more timepracticing, you could make something more of your life.”
She could feel Thana’s stare, could almost sense the anger. Butif Sylph wanted to survive, to be a duchess one day, she had to keep movingforward. She had to be brave. She picked up the light pyramid when she wantednothing more to do with the thing. “Now what?”
Thana’s face nearly glowed red, and her shoulders worked up anddown as if barely containing her fury.
Sylph lifted an eyebrow, telling herself it was all right. No onecould read her thoughts, could see how badly she wanted to apologize, see howmuch she wanted to explain and ask for understanding. But that wasn’t the pathto a duchy. It led only to ruin. “Teach me how to suppress the power to controlthis pyramid, and perhaps some
