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“How many times? How many tests were done?”

She swallowed, her heart beating so rapidly she was sure everyone at the table could hear it. “Tests were performed once a year from the time we turned ten years until we turned eighteen. Then they were performed seasonally until the Selection,” she answered, barely suppressing the shudder that wanted to go down her spine. The tests were not pleasant. Over five years of seasonal testings had been agony.

“And you scored highest in the wind and air element every time?” Valter continued, his hazel eyes watching her closely.

“From what I was told, yes. I have never seen the actual reports.”

“You have seen her results, Father,” Theon cut in. “Why are you interrogating my Source regarding her element? We will all know the answer in a few weeks’ time.”

“Because I was given very interesting information today that suggests she will not emerge with the air element, and I am trying to figure out how such a glaring mistake could have been made on her assessments,” Valter answered tightly.

Tessa glanced at Theon, finding his eyes were fixed on his father. She looked across the table to Axel and Luka, but their attention was on the Arius Lord as well.

“And what information is that?” Theon asked.

“I am told she created that crevice in my gardens with her bare hands, which would highly suggest the earth element,” Valter replied.

“That’s impossible,” Theon scoffed. “She has not emerged yet. She couldn’t display any sort of magic.”

“Do you know how the assessments are performed, Theon?” Valter asked condescendingly, a cruel smile turning up the corner of his mouth.

Theon gritted his teeth, that muscle feathering in his jaw. “Yes.”

“Then one could assume the events of today would have elicited such a display of power,” Valter concluded, bringing a bite of meat to his mouth with a smirk.

Theon slowly set his drink down. A dull thud sounded as it hit the table with force. “Tell me, Father. Why were Pavil and Metias chasing my Source through the gardens?”

Valter scoffed dismissively. “They simply want to get to know her as your mother and I do, Theon. We are all going to be working together closely after all.”

“And coming to my rooms uninvited to meet her without my presence was the appropriate way to get to know her?”

Theon’s voice was low and dripping with venom, and Tessa shrank back in her chair as inky shadows drifted around him. Eviana was instantly at Valter’s side, a snarl on her lips, as she placed herself between the Arius Lord and his son.

“Not necessary, Eviana,” Valter purred, running a hand down her back. When he came to her hip, he tugged her down into his lap. His gaze returned to Theon. “Control yourself, or you will be reminded why control is important,” he ordered sharply.

Tessa watched as Theon took several deep breaths, that darkness slowly fading. His fingers flexed on the table, the light glinting off his rings. When Valter was satisfied, he said, “As I was saying, the reports I received from Pavil and Metias today suggest one of three things: either the assessments performed at her Estate were not done properly, the reports in her file are false copies, or your Source found a way to hide her true abilities.”

Valter’s gaze settled back on her as he said the last words, and Tessa couldn’t get a breath down. Air couldn’t get to her lungs, and her chest wouldn’t expand to take any in.

The assessments were torturous. They were put in situations that elicited natural self-preservation responses and were intended to push dormant magic to the surface. When they were young, the assessments were mild, but for the last five years, the tests had been excruciating, involving everything from physical pain to mental distress. It would have been impossible for her to somehow hide her abilities. She didn’t even remember displaying any actual magic. More than that, they were not one hundred percent accurate. They were only a series of educated guesses.

“Did you know?” Valter demanded so loudly Tessa jumped in her seat.

“I do not know what you are asking, my Lord,” she answered softly, twisting the fabric of her dress in her fingers.

“Did you somehow hide your abilities during your assessments to remain unseen by the other heirs?”

“No, my Lord. That would not be possible.” Her voice had risen an octave, her fear seeping into her tone. She may have hidden other things, but there was no way she could have hidden any elemental magic during an assessment.

“Then explain the gardens, my dear,” he hissed.

“I do not know what happened in the gardens,” she said, failing to keep her voice even. “I do not know how the crevice appeared or what the things were that crawled up from it. I swear it.”

“Calm down, Tessa,” Theon ordered from her side, his hand squeezing her knee again in emphasis.

She swung her gaze to him. “I swear it, Th— I swear to you. I don’t know what happened in the gardens.”

Theon stared back at her, his features hard and tense. “We will discuss this later,” he finally answered tightly.