Page 70 of Daughter of the Serpent

She nodded, hanging on every word.

“Yet each of the gods are unique, are they not?” He asked. “Each of them have their own way of using magic - their own unique strength. Hallva the god of wisdom. Freya the goddess of beauty and war. Frigg the goddess of wind and sea. Each and all of them have their own power - distinct to them.”

Sylvie’s eyes widened as the truth sunk in. “You’re saying we too can develop a unique magic? Buthow?”

“You must shift your thinking. It is a part of you. You are one with magic, as it is one with you.” He stepped behind her, his voice smoothing out, drawing out each word with a certain softness that wasn’t there before. “It is the very air you breathe. It is in every touch, every beat of your heart.”

“How do I cultivate its power?”

“You do already, without even trying.” He told her. “You call upon its strength the moment you’re in need, and it answers your call as naturally as a mother to her child.”

“I thought I had to prove myself, to show I am worthy of its power.” She said, her eyes widening.

“It values strength, yes.” He nodded. “It must see you as capable, and able to channel its power effectively. That is why it will reject unworthy hosts, those who cannot maintain a proper balance of energies. It requires equilibrium.”

Sylvie tried to absorb his words. “That is why it causes injury?”

He nodded. “When one draws upon such strength, or force too soon, it must compensate. It will draw energy from other sources - often taking life force energy - or in other cases, life or limb.”

Realization took hold as to why she had used her magic, she had been left so depleted, so exhausted.

“Over time you will be able to channel your power more effectively, with less energy expenditure.” He explained, as if reading her thoughts. “That is why emotion is power. It can feed the magic, fuel it.”

Her eyes widened as the realization took hold.

This truth changed everything.

All her life, she had been told that those who failed to wield magic were unworthy, lacking in some fundamental way. But what if that had never been true? What if they weren’t failures - only untrained, their power untapped, their energy unbalanced?

A weight she hadn’t even realized she was carrying lifted from her chest, as if his words had loosened something long buried inside her.

It was never about worth. It was about strength. About balance.

Perhaps Thyra, herself - and so many others - had never been undeserving.

Perhaps they had only ever needed a different way.

Yet just as quickly as this one truth took hold, another rose in its place.

Why wouldn’t the temple not know this?

Her gut twisted.

Or had they known all along?

Before more questions could surface, she suddenly became aware of how closely they stood. Reaching towards her, the calluses of his fingers snagging her palm as he gripped her hands, turning them upward.

He brushed a forefinger along one.

“This is where the magic will be strongest, the energy most intense. Direct and channel the fire from here.” His cloak smelt of pine, fresh forest, and ruddy green earth. “Call upon source,” He instructed, stroking her hand, his amber eyes searching hers as his dark hair spilled over his forehead. “Feel the magic rise in your palm at your command.”

She nodded, but hesitation pinned her in place.

Her mind felt like scrambled eggs, jumbled up and confused. There was so much that he had already told her in this one evening, that she had to sort out and lay straight.

Her fingers trembled as she stared at her open palm, her mind trying to grapple with what she now needed to do. Despite the raw power she had unleashed over the past few days, doubt crept in, cold and relentless, stopping her in her tracks. Her magic had surged in moments of desperation, bending to her will when there was no other choice. But now, with no danger pressing against her, no strong emotions that held her in her grip, she hesitated.

Her mind flickered to all the times she had tried to follow in Tara’s footsteps - how she had watched her friend wield with effortless control, how she had envied the ease with which it answered her call.