Page 81 of Her Dreadful Will
“Because that’s the rule. When a human finds out about magic, there has to be a report. Documentation, testimonies—” But even as she said it, Soleil realized how badly such reports could complicate Achan’s life, and hers. “We can’t register them, can we?” she said. “It would only mess things up.”
“You’re getting it now. The Institute’s teachings, the Convocation’s laws—they are nothing but lessons to be unlearned, obstacles to be avoided. Let’s forget about them, okay? Forget all of them. It’s just you and me here, right now.” Achan closed his eyes, tipping his face up to the sun. “You feel it?”
Soleil could feelhim—the magnetic pull of him, as she took in his easy stance, his upturned palms, the faint smile playing across his lips. Was she supposed to be thinking about touching his chest and his mouth, or swirling her fingers through his dark hair?
She could make a move. He’d reciprocate, she knew it. But then the lesson would end, and she would learn nothing of the power she craved.
Sex later. Power now.
She closed her eyes and focused on the searing kiss of the sun on her face, its hot pressure along her bare arms. The faintest breeze wafted between the rustling trees, lifting sweat-damp tendrils of her hair.
“Do you feel that?” Achan said again. “The air, moving?”
“Yes.”
“Air is made up of molecules, being pushed by changes in temperature. You can introduce a little extra chaos into those molecules, like this.” He stretched out both hands, and the breeze picked up speed, eddying wildly around Soleil for a few seconds. “I can control it better when I’ve got a focus talisman—a ring or a necklace. But the trees help me out, too.”
Soleil pursed her lips. “You expect me to do that? My first time?”
“No, I was just trying to cool you off. Let’s step into some shade.”
She shifted sideways a few steps and he followed. “Better?”
“Yeah.” He picked up a broken half of a brick. “Hold this, please.”
“Wait! My ring.” She held out her left hand, showing him the oath ring around the pinkie finger. “You mentioned a loophole or something? Some way that I won’t get caught when I do magic that’s just for me?”
He winked at her. “Listen to you, being all sneaky and rebellious. Honestly the way around the ring is quite simple. If it works the way I think it does, it should only communicate the personal use of your mind-flex magic, not other types of magic. So you should be able to do nature magic, and its cousin, chaos magic, without alarming any of the witchy Powers-That-Be.”
Soleil narrowed her eyes. If she was allowed to do other kinds of magic for personal benefit, surely Highwitch Erlich would have told her that?
Or maybe not.
After all, the Institute professors seemed to have left out quite a bit of useful information. She was beginning to think their real purpose wasn’t education so much as control of young, powerful witches.
She was beginning to think like Achan.
“So basically, you’re hoping my ring only monitors my mind-flex magic. And to know if you’re right, we’ll have to go for it and see what happens.”
He winced. “Pretty much.”
“You’re risking my entire magical future on a theory.”
“Maybe?”
“And if you’re wrong, what happens? What will the ring do?”
“You studied magical vows at the Institute—you tell me.”
Soleil sighed. “I suppose it would tighten, or heat up and sear my skin, or snap, or release some kind of magical poison. Maybe even glow or change color.”
“You took the vow online, right? They didn’t warn you about results, or risks?”
“Nope. They mailed me one ring of the pair with a few lines of instructions, and they kept its mate.”
“Its mate?” Achan’s gaze sharpened.
“Yes. I said it’s one of a pair. Isn’t that normal?”
