Page 74 of Daughter of the Serpent

All her life she had yearned for such a connection, a family, a bond to call her own.

Yet was it safe to do so with him?

He exhaled slowly, as if releasing something unspoken, his gaze sharpening.

"You need to know this - I will protect you. With my life, my soul, my sword. I will stand beside you. I will train you, as my teacher trained me. I will help you survive the trials." His voice was steady, weighted with certainty. "This is the path of the Hazier. And it will be this path… or none."

She searched his face, his eyes - looking for any trace of deceit. She found none.

Yet she knew.

A quiet darkness lived within Axel, an intensity he kept carefully caged. She saw it in the way he held himself - the rigid control, the deliberate calm that masked whatever churned beneath the surface. He was honest, but something lingered beneath that honesty, something guarded.

And despite herself, she wanted to be the one to draw it out.

As if sensing her hesitation, he sighed. "I need your trust. Without it, I cannot help you."

She hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. I shall try."

A flicker of something crossed his face - approval, perhaps. "That is enough."

He stepped back, widening the space between them, as if the matter was now settled. His gaze flicked towardthe clearing.

"Now - pull upon an emotion. Anything that makes you feel, strongly."

After a moment of hesitation, she conceded, closing down her eyes. At first her mind was a flurry of thoughts that she was unable to settle. Everything felt chaotic, fuzzy, and unclear. She squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to focus.

“Release any force - let it come naturally.” He urged. “Think of that night in the forest - when you wielded without thought, without hindrance. What were you doing? What did you feel?”

She focused, taking herself back to that moment - the strange voice, the fear that had clutched her body, the anger - and then the light, the peace, the love.

She touched it, and leaned in, feeling the warmth spread through her. That energy, that love - it was…everything. She had never felt so connected. Magic hummed to life at the memory, like a sweeping wave of current instantly inhabiting her veins - the magic coated her insides until she was full. Her mouth opened, breath expelling in a puff of steam, her heart beating strong at the intensity.

“Good.” His voice was but a sound that seemed far off in the distance. “Now move it through you.”

She concentrated harder, tuning into the currents of energy that now inhabited her cells. The white light that now overwhelmed her, and thrummed through her with a power she had never known she could possess. It felt big - like a mounting ocean wave - beautiful,but could it be tamed?

“Ask it,” He reminded her. “Speak to your magic like a friend - ask it to do what you seek.”

Her mind quieted, her thoughts pouring out, emptying like draining water from a glass. The word came clearly, surfacing from the recesses of her heart, her soul space itself. “Ignite.”

Her hand lifted upon its own accord, unfurling her fingers. Source pulsed in her hand, roaring from the center of her palm. Electricity danced along her skin, before she opened her eyes.

A solitary flame, as gold as the sun flickered erratic and wild, birthed from her own soul.

Chapter Thirteen

Sylvie stirred at the sound of the wooden door creaking open, her eyes fluttering against the dim light filtering through the cracks in the stone walls. Though she had spent long hours training with Axel deep in the dreamtime, she awoke feeling strangely refreshed - free of the exhaustion she had expected.

But as her vision cleared, her breath caught.

"Tara…"

Her eyes snapped wide at the sight of her friend, framed in the sunlight spilling through the doorway. Relief surged through her, followed by a tidal wave of emotion - joy, disbelief, and the desperate urge to pull Tara into her arms.

"You’re back!" she breathed, pushing herself to her feet despite the weakness in her limbs. A smile broke through her sudden tears as she reached for her friend.

Tara stiffened.