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“That makes sense.” Essie reached out and rested a hand on his knee. “I wouldn’t want to just steal your magic from you.”

Farrendel rested his hand on hers. “I have more than enough magic for both of us. It is yours to use, and I will never wish to keep it from you.”

Maybe he did not mind sharing his magic. He might even be a little relieved not to have to carry the burden of it alone. But, Essie wouldn’t want to just take magic from him, as if she had the right to just use him however she liked. He’d already had two troll kings torture him with the most extreme version of that mindset. “I know. And thank you for that trust.”

“Still, I would prefer that you could use it without my permission, in case I am ever unconscious and you need to defend yourself or me.” Farrendel’s frown deepened, and he stared down at the piece of paper.

Ah, now she understood his logic. Of course that would be his worry. “I take it another question on that list is whether I can use your magic even if you are incapacitated due to stone and troll magic?” Essie gripped one of his hands in both of hers.

“Yes.” Farrendel stared up at the overcast sky for a long moment. When he spoke, he seemed to be thinking out loud, as much as he was speaking to her. “If I give you permission to use my magic when I place it in the heart bond, then perhaps if I store a large amount of my magic in the heart bond, you would always have access to that. The magic seemed more...stable after it was in the heart bond than when you use it directly from me.”

“Yes, it does seem far more controlled and less overwhelming when I draw it from the heart bond. Perhaps because it doesn’t have the full scope and power of your magic behind it?”

“Or, maybe, the heart bond does something to the magic. Makes it steadier, somehow?” Farrendel shrugged. “I guess I will have to experiment to see how my magic feels to me if I run it through the heart bond before I use it rather than tapping on my magic directly.”

“Go ahead. We’re here to experiment, after all.” Essie let go of his hand, then leaned her elbows on her knees. Besides, if Farrendel was experimenting, then she could sit and watch and take a break.

Farrendel pushed to his feet and took a few steps away from Essie before he drew on his magic. Perhaps it was all the practice or she was simply concentrating hard enough on his magic, but she could feel him use his power in a way she hadn’t before.

Magic twined around him, crackling and filling the air with a tingling sensation, like the moment before a lightning strike. He sent a blast toward the sky, exploding it with a boom that shivered through the dirt. Sparks of magic rained down, fizzling into the grass.

Once the magic had dissipated, Farrendel drew on it again, but this time he dumped it into the heart bond, filling Essie’s chest with a faint fizzing feeling, before he tugged the magic back out.

Magic burst into the air around him again, and he whipped it into a whirlwind before letting it explode outward.

Essie blinked as the magic whipped past her face, tingling against her skin. When she blinked to clear her vision, Farrendel was sitting down across from her again.

“Well? What’s the verdict?” Essie leaned forward.

“It does not seem to make a difference for power, and I think I can reach through the heart bond and use my magic the same way you do. It takes more concentration for me to access it that way, but...” Farrendel’s forehead furrowed, and his gaze was unfocused. “I wonder if that was how I drew on my magic there in Kostaria while I still had stone inside me. Or, that was how it began. Once it started to pour out, it unleashed in a torrent that even the troll magic could not stop.”

Essie resisted the urge to shiver, and not just because the damp earth beneath her was chilly. Farrendel had come far too close to destroying their own armies when he had lost control of his magic. He normally kept such a tight grip on his power. What if she messed up and lost control? She could accidentally destroy half of Aldon if that happened.

She let out a long breath. That was why she was training. Besides, as long as she just drew on the magic that Farrendel placed in the heart bond, it should be more or less safe.

Farrendel went back to staring at the sky again. “If I can reach my magic through the heart bond, perhaps I can no longer be cut off from it, though I guess we will not know unless we experiment with stone laced with troll magic.”

“Not something I really want to test.” Essie grimaced. If she closed her eyes, she could still picture Farrendel as she had found him, pinned to the stone floor in a puddle of his own blood. She wasn’t sure she could handle watching a troll wrap him with stone and magic, even if it was just an experiment.

“I would rather learn the answer in a safe experiment than in a life-or-death situation.” Farrendel rubbed a thumb over the puckered scars on the inside of his wrist. “With trade opened with Kostaria, I can probably send a message to Melantha to have Rharreth lace some stone with his magic, then send it along with the next ice and stone trade shipment. I am sure Lance can figure out a way to experiment with it.”

“That sounds sensible. But only when you’re ready, all right?” Essie reached across the space between them to squeeze one of his hands. His idea for experimenting sounded much better than what she had been envisioning. Still, there was no reason to rush things. Surely Farrendel wouldn’t need to be fighting trolls again anytime soon. And, even if he did, he would have the might of both the Tarenhieli and Escarlish armies to back him up. “What is the next item on Lance’s list?”

Farrendel picked up the paper from where he had dropped it on the ground. “Looks like we answered a bunch of these. Here is one we have not:Can we use my magic at the same time?I think I already know the answer, but we might as well be thorough. Lance will quiz me relentlessly tomorrow and might drag you into his workshop for more experimenting if we are not.”

“He might try anyway, even if we’re thorough. I’m sure he will just think of more questions that need to be answered.” Essie shrugged and patted his arm with her free hand, since she was still holding his hand with the other.

There was still some magic in the heart bond, so she drew on it to create a few small bolts of magic.

Farrendel held up his hand, magic twining around his fingers as well.

“Yep, we definitely can use magic at the same time. This might be the most useful skill. I can hold a shield or something while you do your whole attack thing.” Essie thought about the ambush they had suffered near Lethorel. She could have kept up a magical shield around their group while Farrendel attacked. It would have freed him to concentrate on winning the battle.

She would have to practice until she could confidently wield his magic. She didn’t want to become a warrior or fight like Farrendel did. But if she could prevent him from being captured or killed, then it would be worth it.

Would this magic sharing have happened if not for Farrendel’s capture and torture making him desperate enough to try dumping his magic into the heart bond? Leyleira had mentioned that heart bonds themselves could be strengthened through difficulties. Perhaps linking his magic with the heart bond wouldn’t have worked if he’d tried it earlier since it was their separation that strengthened the heart bond to what it was now.

Maybe there had been no other path to get where they were than the one that they had walked. But, Essie was going to do everything in her power—and apparently everything in Farrendel’s magical power—to make sure that he never suffered torture ever again.