Page 98 of The Call of Crimson
I shove my elbow into his stomach behind me, making him grunt. “Don’t be rude. It’s unbecoming of a prince.”
“You are the definition of what is unbecoming for a princess,” he retorts easily.
“Now you’re just being crass.”
“No, I’m being honest. Neither of us really cares what’s unbecoming for our station, now do we?”
I huff a reluctant laugh. “I hate that we have anything in common.”
“Stop lying, Princess.” His illusion in front of me disappears, and he releases me, stepping away.
“So, how are you going to help me?”
“First, I’ll train you how to recognize illusions.”
“What are the signs?”
“There aren’t any.” Ayden smirks, his eyes dancing with delight.
I roll my eyes. “Well, that certainly makes things easier.”
“It’s more about feeling your environment, listening to your intuition and gut when they tell you something is off.”
“I don’t know if I trust my intuition right now.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your intuition, Breyla,” Ayden says, tone firm. “The problem is you’ve been ignoring it.”
I hate it, but I know he’s right.
“My head says not to trust you, but my intuition disagrees.”
“Good. Never blindly trust anyone.” He grins. “You can trust me with this, though.”
I hesitate, then nod. “Let’s try, then. Give me an illusion and let me see if I can tell the difference.”
“Close your eyes.”
I comply, waiting for him to give me a signal to open them.
After a few moments, he says, “Open.”
When I open them again, he holds two identical parchment rolls in each hand. I reach out and run my fingers over both. They feel identical, and I see no visible differences.
I’m at a loss and make a guess, grabbing the one in his right hand. “This one?” I ask.
“No,” he says, and the illusion evaporates.
We try three more times, and I get one of them right, but it’s pure luck, and he knows it. I have no idea which one is the illusion.
“Come on, Breyla,” Ayden says, pushing. “I know you can do this.”
I try again. I fail again.
“I’m exhausted,” I groan, throwing my hands up. “This is pointless.”
“No, this is not pointless. This is crucial.”
“Why, though? Why is it so important for me to know this?” My gut is telling me there is something else going on, something he’s not telling me.
