Page 43 of The Bound Mage
Araya leaned forward, her tea forgotten at her elbow. “So it’s not random?”
“Certainly not.” Veria shook her head, sprinkling the blossoms in front of her with a careful dusting of sugar. “Magic always follows our will and desires—or our needs. Most of our children who have grown up here have become weatherworkers, a product of our desperation to push the mist back enough to feed us all. Sometimes I wonder what gifts they might have found instead, if they’d grown up in a different world.”
“What about fae who grew up with their magic bound?” Araya asked carefully. “Do they ever manifest?”
Veria paused in her work, the sugar spoon hovering above the tray. Araya didn’t look up from her tea, staring down at the dregs in her cup like they were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.
“Magic can be a tricky thing, sometimes,” Veria said finally. “It doesn’t always bloom the way we expect after spending so long buried. But as surprising as the results can be, most of us here still believe everything happens for a reason.”
“Fate.” Araya snorted, dragging her finger through a dusting of spilled flour on the table. “Fate and I aren’t friends at the moment.”
Veria chuckled softly. “No one is, dear. Not at your age.” She reached for a second tray of blooms, setting it in front of Araya. “Here—why don’t you try sugaring these? These were some of Loren’s favorites, he could eat an entire tray of them at Bloomtide.”
Araya swallowed hard, trying to ignore the twist of pain his name sent through her chest. He’d claimed her against her will. Drugged her and stolen her across the Shadowed Sea. He’d made her hold a knife to her own throat andlefther here.
“Is he coming back to Ithralis?” she asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Veria said carefully. “I was going to send these with Thorne when he goes tomorrow.”
“Thorne’s leaving too, then.” Araya stared down at sugared blossoms without seeing them. He hadn’t said anything—but she’d been avoiding him since she discovered Veria was more than happy to let her eat in the kitchen. Still, he hadn’t come looking for her either.
“But I’m staying,” Veria said gently. She reached out, her cool hand covering Araya’s where she clenched the spoon in her fist. “We’ll have our own Bloomtide here, dear. And trust me, you’ll eat better than any of them.”
The garden was almostunrecognizable in the pale morning light.
The heaps of broken branches they’d dragged into a pile were gone, and someone had scraped the moss from the flagstone paths, revealing the shape of what it must have once been. Thorne was already hard at work clearing another garden bed of sodden, rotting leaves, but he straightened as she stormed across the courtyard.
“You’ve been busy,” Araya snapped.
“Nothing like a little hard work to clear the mind.” Thorne stretched, twisting from side to side. “It’s come a long way, hasn’t it? You should be proud.”
“I know what you’re doing.” Araya crossed her arms. “You’re trying to make me manifest and affinity with all these ridiculous tasks.”
“Clever,” Thorne said, his amber eyes dancing. “Did Veria help you figure that one out?”
“She also told me you’re going to Lumaria.” Araya scowled, refusing to let him off the hook. “That you’re going to seehim.”
“I am.” The cheer faded from Thorne’s face, replaced by something gentler. “Someone has to check on him too, Araya. Being apart from you—well, it’s probably hurting him worse, since he completed his side of the bond.”
She wanted to deny it. She didn’tmisshim. He’d claimed her against her will—drugged her and stolen her across the Shadowed Sea. Made her hold a knife to her own throat. But when she tried to speak the words, they stuck in her throat.
“Why did he leave then?” she whispered.
“Because he’s an idiot and a martyr.” Thorne sighed deeply. “You’re welcome to come to Lumaria with me.”
That was the last thing she’d expected him to say.
“Loren said I couldn’t,” she stammered. “He said I’m dangerous—I could hurt myself or someone else with my magic out of control?—”
“I wouldn’t let you go if you were dangerous,” Thorne said with a shrug. “Maybeyou could lose control of your magic if you’re in extreme emotional distress. But generally? You’re pretty even. Have you felt like you’re about to burst out of your skin lately?”
She hadn’t. Not since Thorne started working her to the bone every day. But still…
“I can’t,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Thorne assured her. “I’m leaving after lunch, but Veria is staying. You won’t be alone here. I’ll be back after Bloomtide and we can continue our training then.”
Araya nodded stiffly, She wanted to believe him—to believe she wasn’t dangerous, that she could be trusted with herself. But Loren’s voice still echoed louder, telling her she was a threat, that she couldn’t protect herself?—
