She made several noises as if trying to form the right wordbefore she bowed slightly. “My, um, lady.”
Sylph smiled, used to people being awkward around her, but therewas something charming about seeing someone completely at sea. She waited untilthe maid moved around them and out the door before she said, “My savior.”
The blush darkened. “Um, yes. My name is Thana. I’m the queen’spyradisté.”
Sylph had heard the name in the garden, but she’d forgotten it inall the rush. “Sylph.” She took a breath to continue with her surname and titleand all the rest, but something made her stop. She didn’t want to be a lady orthe daughter of a duke or an heir or anything else in this moment.
“Please,” Sylph said, gesturing to the chair before takinganother. “I could ring for some refreshment.”
“Are you all right?” Thana asked, nearly interrupting, thenducking her head as if realizing her faux pas. “I mean, I know you didn’t wantanyone to know, but if you’re hurt…”
The raven asked questions as if answers were easy, as if secretsdidn’t exist.
“I’m not hurt,” Sylph said. “You?”
“No.” She licked her lips, thinner than Sylph’s but so much moreexpressive as she chewed on the lower one. “Look, we have to talk about whathappened.”
Sylph fought the urge to order her out. She’d never uttered aword about the magic, and every part of her wanted to deny it now. Instead, sheforced herself to nod and could nearly hear her tendons creaking.
“No one knows?” Thana asked.
Another bit of force, this time to shake her head.
“So you’ve had no training?” Thana looked at nothing as sheasked, the question seemingly directed inward. She took a deep breath beforemeeting Sylph’s eyes again. “This is what it looked like to me. You retuned oneof my pyramids to another purpose, shaping stone. Then you used it to move thewall. This means you’re not only very powerful, you’re impossible. It shouldn’thave been able to happen.”
“Can you make it go away?” All the other words bounced off her.This was the answer she had to have.
Thana stiffened. “I tell you you’re very powerful, that you’re animpossible puzzle, and all you want is to make it go away?”
“I cannot be a pyradisté.”
Now those expressive lips turned up in a sneer. “Why? Is magictoo lowbrow for a noble?”
“Yes.” She regretted the word, but it was fact.
Thana laughed humorlessly and looked away. “No, I can’t make it go away. I would loveto have your strength, but unfortunately, I can’t take it. You’re going to haveto learn how to control it.”
“No. You can make it stop. You…have to.” She willed it to be so,willed her savior to be happy for her, to lose that look of disgust and beworried for her again.
“I’ve studied pyramid magic for a long time, read everythingwritten about it, but you think you know more than me?” Thana drew herself up,and Sylph thought she might stand, might bolt, but she sank back again andcrossed her arms. “Being highborn doesn’t give you knowledge as well as power.”
Sylph wanted to crumble, but the derision on Thana’s facewouldn’t let her. This was not her friend, couldn’t be if she didn’tunderstand. “Then…”
“I can teach you how to control it so you don’t use it.”
“You’ll teach me?” Her hope rose again, a little. If Thana wasn’tgoing to insist she go to the Pyradisté Academy, then there was a chance hersecret could remain silent.
When Thana looked up, her face softened as if she’d seen a bit ofSylph’s need. “Yes. And no one has to know.”
Sylph could have kissed her or wept or any of a thousandemotional reactions, but she kept still, not knowing if there could be trust.
Yet.
Chapter Three
If Thana could have kicked herself in the ass while walkingback to her apartment, she would have. She’d known nobles were arrogant anddismissive of anything or anyone they considered beneath them, but she’d nevermet one who wanted to just…throw power away.
Or who managed to look heartbreakingly beautiful while doing it.
And that was where the ass-kicking came in. Lady Sylph Montaguehad no right to look the way she did while spitting on everything Thana hadworked her whole life for. She was extremely powerful without even trying, andshe just wanted it gone.
Thana sighed as she reached her study and dropped into her chair.Deep down, she’d always assumed that the nobility scorned pyradistés becausethey were jealous, or they didn’t know all the things magic could do, so theyturned their noses up at it. But Sylph did know, at least a little, and stillsneered.
No, that wasn’t quite fair. She’d been terrified.
Another sigh, then Thana stood and paced, glaring at the booksand at her worktable scattered with unworked crystal, tools, bags of sand, andrags. She’d tried so hard to be good at the thing she knew so much about, buttrue mastery always seemed just out of reach. Now along came a novice who couldretune a pyramid without even thinking and summon enough power to turn a wallinto a wave.
And she didn’t want it.
Thana could have slapped her perfect cheek, then watched the swayof her full hips as she walked away.
“Ugh,” she said aloud. “Stop.”
Gunnar would tell her to take a lover, someone to have some funwith who didn’t want anything serious. Then she could have a place to focus hersexual frustration. And all that would be left for Lady Sylph was scathingderision.
But who had the time?
Thana nodded, deciding that work was the best distraction. Shegathered a few books, then retreated to the desk. She needed to figure out justwhat Sylph’s abilities might be, then she could train her more easily. And themore Sylph wanted to dampen her power, too scared to embrace it, the more Thanacould hate her and kill any fantasies about grabbing her waist and pulling herclose and kissing her lips, her neck, her—
“I said stop,” she whispered harshly, fully knowing thatcensuring her libido out loud placed her firmly on the road to lunacy.
She
