Page 30 of Fiendish Delights
I gritted my teeth, then I threw everything I had at the spot at my feet, pulling back when the hole was the right size. When I gazed at the results, I beamed broadly. ‘There! I did it!’
‘Too untidy. The edges are ragged – it looks like it was created by a toddler.’
‘It’s three inches,’ I argued. ‘It’s what you asked for.’
‘Only perfection is acceptable,’ Hugo told me. He pursed his lips. ‘Close your eyes.’
I gave him a suspicious frown but did as he said. I sensedhim draw closer and stiffened slightly when he moved behind me.
‘May I place my hands on your shoulders?’
‘Uh, yeah.’
His touch was light but it still made me shiver. ‘Now,’ Hugo said, ‘pay close attention.’
I felt his warm breath on the nape of my neck. I could hear the distant chatter of the others from around the campfire but I blocked them out and concentrated on nothing but the sensation of his hands. When I felt the vibrations of his magic, I couldn’t prevent a gasp.
‘Take a look,’ Hugo said softly.
I opened my eyes and squinted. There in the ground was a perfectly formed hole. And yes, as far as I could tell it was three inches by three inches. But it wasn’t the end result that made me inhale sharply, it was the way Hugo’s magic hadfelt. There had been steely strength behind it but also a delicate touch that dampened the effect to a pointed whisper of power.
I knew that my magic was nothing like that; I was like a bulldozer in comparison to the finest chisel. ‘Show me how to do it like that,’ I said.
I couldn’t see his face but I knew he was smiling. ‘As the lady commands.’
Chapter
Ten
I’d never considered sleeping bags and cramped tents conducive to a good night’s sleep, but I was so exhausted after the session with Hugo that I was out for the count immediately.
I slept like the dead until morning. I took my time stretching before I dressed, aware of an unfamiliar ache that had settled in my bones from my efforts the night before. It wasn’t only the bursts of magic that had affected me; once Hugo was satisfied with my attempts to create a perfectly formed hole in the ground, he’d moved onto meditation. That had been harder to accomplish than the magic; emptying my mind and concentrating on my breathing definitely didn’t come naturally.
But I could already feel the benefits. More gallingly, I was painfully aware that these were basic techniques that could have taught me how to control my magic more effectively if I’d learned them at a young age. I’d never have had to resort to spider’s silk.
I could regret the past all I wished but I couldn’t change it. I could only work with what I had now.
As soon as I stepped out of the tent, Miriam accosted me. ‘The sun won’t be up for another hour,’ she said in a stern tone that was nothing like the kind one she’d used the night before. ‘And Rizwan is on breakfast duty so it’ll be ages before anything is ready. He is not a morning person.’
I heard a few clunks and a muttered curse from the campfire area. Fair enough. ‘Good morning, Miriam,’ I said politely.
She frowned at me as if there were no time for such niceties. ‘Good morning, Daisy.’ She pointed at Gladys. ‘Get out your sword and come with me. We’ve got work to do until it’s time to eat.’
I’d been hoping for at least twenty minutes of staring vacantly into space with a cup of coffee before I had to do anything. ‘Er … can we start in half an hour?’
‘We start now!’ she barked.
Okay, I guessed she meant business. Hester, who was perched on my shoulder, stifled a yawn and sidled up to my ear. ‘Take my advice, Daisy, and run away now. Very fast. It’s far too early for this.’
Otis, on the other hand, bounced around in the air in front of me. ‘Brilliant! I want swashbuckling drama! Samurai skills! Blade work that will beat even the most skilled of swordsmen!’
Miriam placed a heavy stone in each of my hands. ‘We will begin with a run.’
‘What are the stones for?’ Otis asked.
‘Throw them at her, Daisy!’ Hester hissed. ‘You can knock her out and still get away!’
‘You will carry the stones at all times during the run,’ Miriam said. ‘We need to put some muscle on you.’
