Blessed Mother, did such an affinity exist? Surely not.
But I didn’t fully understand the complexities of affinities, and if I remembered correctly, one of Georgyanna’s affinities was manipulation, which she seemed actively practicing at this very second given the slight trace of oily magic swimming in the air. That hadn’t been there before she arrived.
Shuddering, I forced my attention away from her. The other two females, Meegana and Beatrice, still stood near the door. They shot the prince and Georgyanna curious glances before Nuwin waved toward the wall.
“Shall we, ladies?” The other males followed the young prince as he led the females across the stone floor. Everyone ignored me except for Michas.
The young lord gave me a mischievous glance when he passed, then dipped his head in acknowledgment.
I returned the gesture, but my cheeks flamed when all of them began casting their magic and showing off their affinities as they laughed and teased one another, making their “training” session look more like a courtship ball filled with bursting egos.
Lady Beatrice Leafton was the tallest of the three females and had the most athletic build. She seemed very practiced within her affinities. She spun around the room, weaving her hands through the air as objects lifted and flew under her telekinetic command, and every time her wings flexed, I thought she would take flight, but instead, the stones levitated her in a combination of telekinetic and elemental power.
Lady Meegana Ockson, while not as quick to show off her skills as Lady Leafton, didn’t seem any less capable. She conjured water from the air, pulling the particles together to form at her command, then gave playful splashes to those around her. And under Nuwin’s insistence, she shifted into her colantha form, the large jungle cat in complete contradiction to the sweet, shy side she’d exuded earlier.
The males laughed and showed off their skills as well, all of the elements at play between them along with various tactile, sensory, and emotional affinities. One of them must have had a seduction affinity. Such a thing had to exist because something hot washed over my skin, and then my nether regions were warming and craving.
“Blessed Mother Above and Below,” I whispered. How in the realm do I compete with this kind of power? I cut a glance toward the crown prince, but Lady Endalaver had sunk her manipulative claws into him so deeply that she still had him cornered in the room.
A rush of lust and rage shot through me simultaneously when someone’s seduction affinity hit me again.
Matron Olsander gave a frustrated sigh. “Lady Seary, you shall need to concentrate despite this interruption.” She again smacked me upside the head, the pain briefly releasing me from whichever male held the seduction affinity, before she barked sharply, “Pay no attention to them as we begin your next lesson. You’re falling prey to their affinities since you have no Shield in place.” She clucked her tongue. “You have much to learn.”
I rubbed my head, my cheeks warming again, but I tried to heed her warning as I valiantly attempted to ignore the triumphant glances from Georgyanna and the fluttering giggles from the other two.
But my lack of control and juvenile attempts at learning my affinities were on full display during my next lesson, which had my neck flushing and me wishing I could sink through the floor.
“How in the realm is she going to pass any of the tests?” Lady Meegana Ockson whispered. She was the smallest of the three, with short hair that curled at the ends. She’d shed her colantha form and had since returned to her fairy body, but I didn’t bristle under her comment since her question sounded genuinely curious versus scornful.
Lady Beatrice Leafton shrugged and held her hand out for one of the spears. It floated toward her. “I haven’t the faintest idea, Meegana, but if she doesn’t learn the basics by the time the tests start, she’s bound to come in last.”
Shame burned through me again. It was such an old, unwelcome friend, but a companion who’d been at my side my entire life.
And to think I’d felt nothing but joy and confidence this morning when the prince had showed me the field in Harrivee. For that brief moment, I’d felt special. Powerful. But it soon became apparent to me and everyone else in this room that I was the weakest of them all despite what Prince Norivun claimed I would be.
And that only meant one thing—there was no way in this realm or the next that I could ever win the Rising Queen Trial, which meant I was destined for marriage with whoever the king chose for me unless the prince was able to stop him, or Cailis and I escaped.
CHAPTER 4
By the time evening rolled around, I was so exhausted I could barely stand. But after seven hours under Matron Olsander’s tutelage, despite my embarrassing failures and inability to control my affinities, I’d at least learned how to find my magic inside me, bring it forward, and utilize my Outlets while forming a weak Shield. Granted, I hadn’t mastered the amazing skills I’d witnessed in the others, but I could see why Matron Olsander was the royal’s tutor. The female knew her stuff, and her affinity made her unparalleled in her ability to teach a fairy.
I stumbled toward the training room’s door, my legs wobbling since at one point, Matron Olsander had made me stand on a balance beam twenty feet in the air. It was only fear of dying every time she pushed me that had called my air elemental affinity to the rescue, completely baffling me as to how it happened.
But she said that was to be expected. After she quizzed me on what I knew of my magic, it hadn’t been that shocking to finally understand why it had manifested during Vorl’s attack. Apparently, when a fairy feared for their life, affinities came running. In other words, as much as I hated my village’s archon, it was actually Vorl that had been the catalyst to my manifesting.
As for why it’d taken so long for them to show at all and why Vorl’s previous attacks hadn’t initiated them earlier, I didn’t know, but Matron Olsander thought it was related to my black hair. For some reason, that neither she nor the queen knew, our affinities bloomed late because of our unusual genetics.
Maybe someday, after this idiotic Trial was over and the continent’s crops were thriving again, I could dig into the history books to try to understand why I looked the way I did. But until then . . .
I refused to look toward Prince Norivun when I exited the training room. Lady Endalaver had spent the entire afternoon with him, and even though I repeatedly told myself that I didn’t care and that it was for the best if she wove her manipulative spell around him, I couldn’t stop the ache in my chest.
So stupid, Ilara. Just forget that kiss and your ridiculous attraction to him. He’s the crown prince, and you’re merely a pawn in the court’s arsenal.
I forced my chin up and stepped into the wide stone walkway. Scents of food being prepared in the kitchens filled the air. My stomach growled in appreciation. Down the hall, Sandus waited next to a huge statue of the God Xerious. The guard had his hands on his hips, a pleasant smile on his face.
I was about to join him when a soft female voice said from behind me, “You looked like you made progress today, Lady Seary.”
I turned to see Lady Meegana Ockson. Since she was an inch shorter than me, I gazed slightly down at her soft smile and curious eyes. A genuine feeling of warmth radiated from her.