Tristan glared at Cade, sipping quietly on his hot chocolate, and I rolled my eyes. “Can’t you be a little more cheerful?” I asked, exasperated with his moodiness.
Tristan ignored me. His grandmother smiled.
“I spoke with your grandmother and the other elders last night,” said the dowager after she had a sip of her hot chocolate. “And although Tristan will continue training you as a warrior, there are other skills you require to fully master your powers. So you will come to me every afternoon, and I will oversee the rest of your magical training.”
I didn’t know what to say—this was much more than I could have hoped for. The dowager was an Elder Fae, possessing knowledge I could never hope to gain without her. She was a bit abrupt and strict, but she had given me her protection and I was grateful. Maybe I could ask her about the Dawnstar. I had to wait until the exact right time.
I thanked her, finished my breakfast, and ran down to the training grounds with Cade and Tristan. Skye was already there, sparring with two other girls. She waved when she saw us and sauntered over, her hips swaying.
“Hello boys!” she said, and Cade blushed. “Back for another beating, Aurora?”
“Yup.” I picked up my staff, and Skye grinned.
Aiden ambled over. “So, the half-breed thinks she’s strong enough to spar with the High Fae,” he sneered, drawing his sword from the scabbard on his back. “Let’s see how good you are, Princess.”
Tristan stepped between us. “Leave her alone, Aiden. Once she’s trained you can have your way and fight her. But for now, she only spars with whom I say she does.”
Aiden looked like he would stab Tristan right then and there. But he lowered his sword and narrowed his eyes when he looked at me. “Your dear protector won’t be with you all the time, half-breed.” He stalked off, his blond hair blowing in the wind.
I shivered at the menace in his voice; it reminded me of Damien’s taunts and threats. I was stronger and more in control of my magic than when I faced Damien at the academy. But Damien was only a student—Aiden was a full-fledged High Fae warrior, a member of the Elite Guard and a prince. If he was going to come after me, there was no way I would win that fight. It was best for me to stay away.
“We’re going down to the city this coming full moon,” said Skye, dismissing her brother and twirling her staff deftly in her hands as we walked to our positions. “It’s in a few days. Want to come?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to make the same mistakes I had before.
“Come on, Aurora.” Skye leaned her staff on the ground. “It will be fun. Tristan and Cade are coming. There is a new troupe playing at the theater.”
My eyes widened. “You have a theater?” I had never come across one in other kingdoms in Avalonia. And if Tristan was going, I would be safe. I glanced over at him. He stood with his arms crossed, looking at me. Well, glaring would be the more appropriate term.
“The very best.” And quick as a flash, she knocked me down.
“Oww,” I cried as I hit the ground, but I managed to hold on to my staff this time. “I wasn’t ready.” I pushed myself up and positioned myself to defend against her blows.
Skye smiled briefly and shrugged. “You need to be faster.” She came at me again.
The whole morning went by in a flash, sparring with Skye while Tristan looked on and barked orders at me as I was bruised and beaten repeatedly.
“Get up,” shouted Tristan. “Again.”
I healed myself and pushed myself up, only to go down again. But I didn’t let the beatings deter me; in fact, my determination grew with every blow.
After a quick lunch I picked up from the kitchen, I spent the rest of the afternoon walking in the gardens with Tristan’s grandmother. We sat down on a smoothly polished stone bench in a flowering gazebo overlooking a little fountain.
“I want to hear your whole story,” said the dowager. “Start from the beginning, and don’t leave anything out.”
I recounted my story for the hundredth time. When I told her about healing the pegasus and my encounter with the archmage in Calos, she raised her eyebrows but didn’t interrupt. Finally, I told her what my grandmother had said, but I didn’t tell her about the Dagger, the Book of Abraxas, or the Dawnstar. I would ask her about them another time.
I was not under any illusions anymore; I knew everyone who befriended me had an agenda, and the politics between the High Fae courts was as complicated, if not more so, than in any of the other kingdoms. At least Tristan had made sure I could move about the castle unharmed. The dowager’s protection saw to that. I wondered if he did it so he didn’t have to watch me all the time or if under his scowl he cared what happened to me.
“I can already see your magic is powerful, Aurora, but stupidity can get you killed. The water magic you performed in Calos was virtually impossible to do.”
“I don’t understand what you mean. It wasn’t difficult to tap into. I felt the magic within the water, and it responded to my call.”
The dowager nodded. “Yes, but when using water magic, especially on the sea, you need to be very careful and very experienced. You are a conduit for the water, not the water itself. You must isolate the water you are using. Connecting to the water like you did was very dangerous—it could have drained your magic completely, turning your body to liquid and trapping you beneath the waves, never to return.”
I looked at her in horror. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was lucky to get this far. Fae magic was vast and complicated and I had barely
