The Bound (Ascension #2)(100)

“Especially when they erase it and have no hope of learning from their mistakes,” Vera said in response. She shrugged her shoulders at Matilde. “I philosophize; you implement, Kathrine. So…implement.”

Matilde grumbled under her breath and tossed her wild hair to one side. “Must we stay in Eleysia? Is this Dean so important?”

Cyrene nodded. He had become so important to her in such a short period of time, but he was very important to her. She had to see this through.

“Can you still train me here?” Cyrene asked.

Matilde huffed in protest and looked to Vera. They seemed to be speaking their own language for a moment.

“We have to,” Vera said to Matilde.

“Always making things difficult.” Matilde wrenched a door open. “In, all of you, before I change my mind.”

“Should I go find Maelia?” Ahlvie asked Cyrene.

“There are more of you?” Matilde asked. “How many people actually know about your powers?”

Cyrene bit her lip. “Um…more than one.”

“Gods!” Matilde cried, walking away. “We’re nearing a two-millennia ban on magic and the Circadian Prophecy’s potential conclusion. And the first magical wielder we’ve seen with any strength in hundreds of years is running around with a Leif, proclaiming herself to anyone who knows what to look for. If we felt that disaster, Mari, then you know we weren’t the only ones!”

“Do you mind sealing the room before you start going off on philosophical diatribes?” Vera asked, pursing her lips.

“That’s normally your area of expertise,” Matilde said.

Matilde dramatically waved her hand in the air. Avoca’s eyes widened again. Even Cyrene, who had practically no knowledge of magical properties, could sense that what she had done was powerful magic. And she had wielded it effortlessly.

Vera smiled at her sister and then sank into a chair. Cyrene looked around and saw that they were in a quaint sitting room. There weren’t any rugs down. Only a few wooden chairs rested against the wall before a low table. A few cushions were tossed in front of the table. And there were old, really old, paintings on the walls.

“Please have a seat,” Vera said.

Avoca immediately dropped onto a cushion, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Ahlvie took the one next to her, but he looked significantly less comfortable sitting on the floor. Orden leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms, and stared around at the lot of them. Cyrene dropped into one of the chairs, but Matilde remained standing, pacing back and forth across the room. She didn’t seem to be able to stand still.

“So, by my estimation, you have a long way to go,” Matilde said, walking to one end of the room and then back. “What exactly were you doing in that hallway anyway? The amount of energy you used could have had disastrous consequences.”

“I…was locked inside,” Cyrene said.

Vera tilted her head. “Why?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Dean’s sister, Alise, and one of his soldiers, Robard, locked me in there. I don’t know what their motive was or what they were doing. At first, I thought it was because Alise hated me and didn’t want Dean to be with me, but I think that’s such an extreme. The reasoning doesn’t make sense.”

“We can get to the bottom of the issue later,” Matilde said. “All I’m gathering is that you used a very powerful energy blast to unlock a door?”

“Um…yes,” she whispered.

“That’s child’s play. I can give you five hundred different ways to use the energy you possess to open a door without destroying half of the palace.”

“Well, I don’t know any of those,” Cyrene said. “I had to get out of there, and that was all I knew how to do. At least, I didn’t black out.”

“You’ve been having blackouts?” Vera asked softly, her voice serious and concerned.

“Yes, nearly every time I use my magic in any significant capacity. You can be upset with me for how I got through that door, but I’m not trained. The only training I’ve had is with Avoca in the woods, and she has Leif magic, which is different than Domas.” Cyrene sprang to her feet. “Neither of you knows the difficulties I’ve already gone through to find you so that you can train me. I did the best I could, and that got me here. I think the very fact that I’m still alive—despite half of the Byern and Aurumian armies, three Braj, and a pack of Indres tried to capture or kill me—is pretty impressive.”

Vera and Matilde looked at each other, and then huge smiles spread across their faces.

“Good, they said.

“Good?” Cyrene asked.

“We wanted to make sure you were ready,” Vera said.

“How did you get that I was ready to train out of that?”

“You faced adversity and came ahead, all on your own. Most Doma who go untrained don’t last past seventeen. None of your strength,” Matilde informed her.

“So?”

“So, you’re ready,” Vera said. “We’ll train you.”

“When do we start?” Cyrene asked, clapping her hands together.

“Now,” Matilde told her.

“Now?” Cyrene blurted out.

Vera stood. “Yes, I think now sounds perfect.”