Page 31 of Daughter of No Worlds

“Both of you need to calm down.” Willa’s voice took on a tone that sounded as if it was meant to soothe cranky children. “I spoke to Nura about this before coming here. Tisaanah, because of your unusual situation, we’re willing to let you do your first round of tests early. The other apprentices have their evaluations in five months. You test with them, and from there, we can see whether you’re fit to move forward more quickly.”

If this was supposed to be good news, it didn’t feel like it. I nodded and tried not to show how tight my jaw was, or the way my fingernails dug into the flesh of my palms. Who knew where Serel would be in five months? Whereanyof my friends would be by then? And that was only thestart…

Calm down,I told myself.You’ll prove it to them. You’ll find a way. You always do.

“This still doesn’t change the fact that I won’t train her.”

Gods,I wanted tothrottlehim.

“After five months,” Willa said, somewhat pleadingly, “we can see about switching things around.”

“I told Nura no.”

“Well, Maxantarius, as you know…” She continued to fidget, her voice halting, as if she was very much dreading saying what she was about to say. “You are still beholden to the Orders. You know what the penalties are for failing to uphold your duties. Especially because ofyour—”

Max raised a palm. Fury seeped into every line of his face, drawing harsh wrinkles of tension around every feature. “Right, I see where this is going. You’re saying I don’t have a choice.”

“All of us have obligations,” Willa said, apologetically.

He let out a scoff, then turned those inhuman eyes on me. “They picked an unusual battle inyou, didn’t they?”

I returned his glare with a sweet, accommodating smile. “I will beexcellentapprentice.”

Max crossed his arms and went outside without another word, leaving Willa and I staring at each other. I picked up her bag. “Thank you,” I said, then grabbed the skirt of my shapeless dress. “I’m glad to rid this thing.”

That was good news, at least.

* * *

Willa stayed for a while longer,helping me unpack the clothes she had brought. In this case, “unpacking” simply meant trying to find a clear surface upon which to place them, but I didn’t mind. I was just thrilled to be able to get out of this hideous dress. Instead, I changed into a pair of close-fitting trousers, paired with a blouse that wrapped around my body and tied around my waist, both rendered in shades of dusky blue. Simple, but worlds better than that awful chiffon thing.

Before she left, Willa looked at my wounds and seemed pleased with how they were healing. She had me lay on my stomach while she hovered her hands over my bare back, muttering under her breath. Whatever she was doing itched, but didn’t hurt, even when she touched open wounds directly.

“Could all Valtain do this?” I asked her.

“No, just some of us,” she chirped. “Everyone’s abilities manifest a bit differently. Certainly, it is a useful skill to have.”

Then, before she left, she took my wrist and removed the bandage that I’d noticed when I first arrived, revealing a tiny, neat wound.

“I’m sorry, dear. This will sting.”

I winced as she took a small knife and opened the wound just enough to coax forth a few drops of blood, which she captured in a glass vial. I resisted the urge to pull my hand away.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Just for tests,” she said, as if it were nothing. Then she replaced the bandage. “There! Now, what’s left…”

Max didn’t come back inside at all during this entire encounter. Before Willa departed, she pulled me against her in an unexpected embrace.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered into my hair. “Everything will come together.”

“I know,” I answered, if only because I wouldn’t allow myself to consider any other possibility.

And then, Willa was gone, leaving me alone again in this house where I was clearly so unwelcome.

But, there were worse things to be than unwelcome. At least now I had a goal, a plan. And a teacher who, at the very least, couldn’t kick me out.

I found Max out in the garden, clipping dead blossoms from a shrub. He didn’t even look at me as I approached.

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