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S he woke up in the infirmary. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to pass out. What happened? Her head ached.

The face of Lord Helmer came into view. “Oh good. You’re awake.” He looked relieved. She was covered in a layer of sweat.

“Easy there.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “You don’t need to get up.”

“What happened?” Lilith asked weakly. She felt drained, as if she could not call upon an ounce of energy.

“I had to stop the tournament. You…You went into your emergence. I had to knock you out.” For a lord that was usually calm and domineering, he was very flustered at the moment.

“In truth, I should have excluded you from the competition. Your father had warned me of your, uh, predicament. Honestly, I didn’t believe him.” He muttered the next part: “Although, with Lord Elwin involved, I should have known.”

Lilith growled and murmured curses at the mention of Lord Elwin.

Lord Helmer actually chuckled. “It seems that we have that in common.” He cleared his throat.

“When a normal person goes through their emergence, they usually feel unwell a day or so beforehand, and then there’s a surge in power before they are overcome and need to rest and recover.

With you, it is a different story. Your runes are supposed to mute your fullest powers, correct? ”

“I’m not sure what these runes mean or what conditions are placed on my magic. At first, it felt like I only had a limited range in my abilities, but lately I’m able to harness more and more mana. For the record, I did feel unwell for the last couple days.”

“Then for once I find myself thankful for Elwin. I would assume without this binding spell, your magic would supersede my abilities. What is muted for you would still be quite powerful to others. We’re lucky the damage you did was minimal.”

“Taran? Silver and the others? Are they okay?” Lilith looked around the infirmary but saw very little through the screen dividers.

“Please.” Lord Helmer rested his hand on her foot. “They’re fine. Silver needed some treatment, but they’re all okay.”

Lilith’s shoulders relaxed. “Why am I so powerful? Why is it so different for me?”

“The same question could be asked by many. Why are some only able to harness a few elements, while others harness many? Why are some able to control and call upon their powers more readily than others? Some say it is preordained by the universe. Some say it is the will of the old gods, a gift they bestow on us as we walk our path.”

“So, what now? Am I a danger to others?”

“There are lot of unknowns. It seems like discussing this with Lord Elwin would be a wise place to start. Even though I detest the man, I will write to him. In the meantime, I have set up some private lessons with Sir Tornbury, and I’ve asked Prince Demetrius to help too since his power is similar to yours.

For now, you should rest. I fear the next couple of days will be hard.

” With nothing further to discuss, Lord Helmer left.

Lilith went in and out of sleep. Her muscles ached and the throbbing behind her eyes was intense. The healer gave her a tonic to help her sleep.

“When I told you to give them a show, I didn’t mean to almost kill everyone.” Felicia and Taran were the first to visit her. “You looked like an ethereal goddess. How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I don’t know if this is a dream or if this is real.” Lilith slowly sat up. The room was still spinning, but she had already thrown up everything in her stomach.

Taran gave her a boyish grin. “I would not have gone so easy on you if I knew you had those skills. You kicked Silver's ass by the way.” The memory of what happened still was unclear. She had lost all recollection when she entered that state.

Lilith was exhausted. “Lord Helmer was here, at least I think he was here. He told me he had to stop the competition. What happened after? Are they redoing the tournament?”

“Well, after Lord Helmer knocked you out with a spell, we all stood in a daze. He carried you to the infirmary and Mistress Rhodes told us the tournament was over. Silver was pretty banged up. His back was broken.” Taran paused as he saw Lilith’s eyes widen.

He quickly continued, “But don't worry, the healers were able to mend it. He’s fine now.” Lilith scowled at herself, while Taran went on.

“You won’t believe the uproar that started though.

The whole school is buzzing about what happened.

They haven’t announced if they will be redoing the tournament, and considering people placed bets…

The battle is left between you, Storm, Orin and myself. ”

“I can yield if that makes things easier. I don’t need to be in some sort of pissing contest between you, Storm and Orin. I would have had no chance if I hadn’t gone through my emergence.”

“My stance is that you're the unofficial winner. I’m obviously second runner up.” Taran smirked. “It doesn’t matter, really. You just get better. What does the emergence feel like?”

“It’s like the worst sickness you’ve ever experienced. Everything hurts. Your body is trying to fight itself. When the surge happened, it was like I was weightless. It felt like my body was awakening for the first time, filled with pure energy. But also insanely painful.”

“I guess yours would feel different considering you have those runes suppressing you. Could you imagine it if you didn’t?” Felicia stared at her in wonder. “Anyway, Lilith, I have some letters here for you.” She put letters next to the bed. “We should let you rest.”

“Wait. Taran, what did the prince say?” Lilith was curious about his reaction.

“He hasn’t said much to me. Actually, he’s been hard to track down. He’s not mad though.” They both stayed for a few more minutes, discussing school work, and then parted.

Lilith tore open her first letter from her father.

My Dearest Lilith,

The house feels empty without the playful sounds of you and your brothers.

I have spent most of my time in the capital.

Work has its usual troubles, only amplified by certain guests.

I can’t explain further, as this letter may be seen by others, but I caution you not to venture too far from school grounds.

Your brothers are doing well. They’ve settled into their classes and they are doing well with their studies. How are you settling in? Have you made friends? What is it like living there? Let me know if you need anything.

Love,

Dad

She read the next letter from her brother, Arlen:

Sister,

How is the school treating you? Have you had any issues with your powers?

We miss you greatly. The school atmosphere has changed this year.

The teachers have imposed new rules about visiting the nearby towns, but we have snuck out a time or two.

I’m not sure how you’re going to react, or if I should bother you about this, but Lord Elwin has asked about you.

He said you are welcome to transfer here.

Lilith, do what you want. Stay there if you have settled and have made friends.

It is not worth dwelling on what your life could have been like here.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Amiriel. He has not brought up your name, nor does he seem to care about you.

It could be that he doesn't know, but I refuse to believe that his father has not mentioned something. You are not alone.

Stay safe,

Arle n

Her thoughts darkened. He has not asked about me? She wondered if Lord Elwin only bound her magic. She mutter a curse at the thought of being the only one living with this curse. She had tried not to think about Amiriel. For weeks she had succeeded, until now.

Lilith spent the next several days recovering.

She sent reply letters to her brother and father about what her life was like and asked about theirs, keeping the tournament and details about her emergence hidden.

When did I start hiding things from my family?

She wondered, and thought about how much she’d changed since she came to Skilheim.

A violent spasm of pain lashed through her and she curled into herself.

There were times that her body felt hot and then she experienced a smaller surge in power.

The healer gave her an oral suppressant, but it only took off the edge.

She thought about Lord Elwin and what he said about his son.

He said he had a hard time controlling his power.

She couldn’t imagine going through her emergence with access to her full power.

The recovery alone would be intense. Amiriel must have been in a lot of pain.

Good, she thought. Hate and bitterness wove themselves within her heart.

The prophecy did not matter, because she loathed Lord Elwin and his son.

Every fiber of her being detested them as she cast them as villains in her story.

She spent a lot of time mulling over what to do next.

Her goal was to get rid of the runes and gain access to her full powers.

She wanted to show those that hurt her that she was not a monster.

For now, she needed to learn how to control and master the abilities she possessed, versus wishing that she could have more .