Page 33

The scar cutting down her face and over her eye was a perfectly clean slice, though the wound must have been intense, because the scar was still slightly raised and lacked her normal coloring.

Quinn walked in a military manner—her chin held high, shoulders rolled back, and every step filled with confidence.

That didn’t surprise me, though, since from what I understood, she’d been raised to be general of the Southern armies for her entire life.

Falling asleep in Robyn’s arms the past few days had led to lots of talks about the different members of the Valwain, and ourselves.

From him, I learned that Quinn’s late father was the previous general, and his father before him was general before that.

Quinn was an only child, and apparently has no family left since her father died two years ago.

She’d been general since then, with great difficulty.

She was the first female general in over two centuries in the South, and she was not kindly welcomed by her soldiers.

In the beginning, she had their respect because she was her father’s daughter only—not because of her own abilities.

It’d taken her the full two years since her father died in battle to gain enough respect that her soldiers didn’t openly object her now, but she was constantly having to prove herself to them.

Honestly, it sounded exhausting.

According to Robyn, she was the most disciplined crystal wielder he knew—and extremely skilled because of it. He trusted her enough to leave me alone with her to train, though he did warn me she wouldn’t go easy on me just because I was her queen. If anything, he said she’d push me even harder.

I’d be lying if I claimed I wasn’t at least a little anxious.

I looked to Quinn again as we passed yet another of our usual training meadows, and finally gathered the courage to speak. “So, where are we headed?”

“You’ll see,” Quinn said, not bothering to glance my way.

I sighed, though I knew there was no use in trying to ask her again. She very well might be the most stubborn person I’d ever met.

A chill erupted over my skin as the wind picked up, blowing my bangs into my face. I blew them out of my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself.

It sure is windy today, I thought to myself.

I continued to follow Quinn as we walked through the forest until we reached the other side, coming out of the brush to be greeted by the vast ocean that made up Echen Bay.

I paused in my tracks and stared out at the water, watching as the wind and water forced powerful waves to come crashing onto the shore time and time again.

Almost every other day I’d visited the bay, the water had been calm and tranquil.

But today it seemed almost angry, like it was trying to punish the land for something.

I realized I'd fallen behind as I saw Quinn reach the shore, and I sprinted to catch up, stopping at her side.

Just as I opened my mouth to ask Quinn what we were doing here, she spoke.

“Get in.”

Stunned, I spun around to face her. “What?”

“I said, get in, ” she said, obviously beginning to get annoyed. “You’re wasting daylight.”

Flabbergasted, I threw my hands into the air, wings flaring in unison. “I don’t even know what we’re doing down here! I know I don’t know how to communicate very well, but apparently neither do you,” I said, exasperated.

Quinn’s nostrils flared, and just when I thought she was about to pounce on me, she sighed instead. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she explained.

“When you’re in battle, you never know what kind of opponents you’ll come up against, what kind of zirilium they have, or how strong they are.

You have to be able to adapt at a moment’s notice.

When fighting Northerners specifically, they like to play dirty.

They’ll slip ice under your foot to throw you off balance before attacking.

They’ll make whips out of water, sometimes even ice, and some of the strongest wind wielders will throw you up into the air to disorient you.

You have to be prepared to face anything, while also maintaining a constant connection to your zirilium and surroundings.

” She paused, turning her head to look out across the bay.

“So to practice, you’ll be learning to crystal wield while being pummeled by waves. ”

My jaw dropped open in shock. “Isn’t there an easier way to accomplish that? Is this,” I threw an arm towards the water, “really necessary?”

Quinn gave a stern look, and I clenched my jaw shut.

A heartbeat later, I went to ask another question, but Quinn beat me to it. “And no—you’re only permitted to wield crystals during this exercise.”

I didn’t ask any more questions after that.

A couple moments later, Quinn and I were both standing out in the water, and I was fighting back a chill. The water was cooler than it looked—I didn’t realize until now just how accustomed to being warm I’d become.

I was standing farther away from the shore than Quinn, per her instructions, both of us fully clothed as I turned to face her. The water was up to my collar bones, while on Quinn, it was only up to her chest.

I silently cursed her for the inches she had on me.

While walking out, I noticed the sand was hiding quite a lot of rocks underneath, and suddenly I was finding myself annoyed that I wasn’t allowed access to any other zirilium during this training session.

“Alright. Everything has an energy it emits—especially living people. Focus on the energy of the things around you and underfoot,” Quinn said, speaking loud enough to be heard over the water.

But even staying in place was proving harder than it seemed.

I couldn’t find my footing as the waves continuously crashed into me from behind, sometimes forcing my head under the water.

I blinked the salt out of my eyes and stumbled forward, instinctually trying to get out of the path of the waves, when I felt something stopping me.

I looked up to see I’d been pushed forward so much I reached Quinn, who had both of her hands firmly gripping my shoulders. She walked forward, forcing me backwards, until the water was once again up to my collar bones. Then she returned to her spot.

I felt my frustration boil as she pushed me, and I wanted to snap at her. But for once, I found Quinn with a smooth expression, no ill intent behind her eyes.

“This exercise is supposed to be frustrating, Aviva, that’s what makes it realistic,” she said. “Try again. Find your footing, then really focus this time.”

I sighed, fighting back a groan. Taking in a deep breath, I nodded to Quinn, then closed my eyes and focused on the sound of her voice.

“Bend your knees slightly, and try to dig your feet into the sand and rocks some to help ground you in place. Then, focus . Focus on the energy under and around you, and block out all the rest,” Quinn spoke, her voice calm and neutral.

I did as she said, digging my feet into the ground below and finally finding solid footing, no longer stumbling forward with each wave that passed. But when I tried to focus, I couldn’t feel anything—the waves, and water, and fish swimming between my feet were all too distracting.

Quinn was silent for a moment, then she asked quietly, “Do you feel them?”

“Feel what?” I responded, slightly annoyed.

“The sand is hiding a pocket of crystals not but a couple feet from us. Reach out your energy as though you’re reaching out a hand.

The same way you call to the earth or to the plants when you use their zirilium.

Focus on the energy the crystals emit, and feel them.

Reach for them,” she said, her eyes closed.

I suppressed a sigh as another wave crashed into me, but I stood firm, my resolve growing stronger. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get this, but Quinn didn’t seem to be giving up on me, so I wouldn’t either.

I closed my eyes again and reached .

As though my energy was a third arm, I reached out, scanning the area around us for different energies.

I searched the ground below, feeling lots of rocks through my earth zirilium as well as small sea plants.

I cast my reach farther, like a fishing net in a circle around us, and finally felt the cluster of crystals.

Their energy felt almost like a prickling sensation at first as I adjusted to the new zirilium, then I dropped the connection.

“I felt them!” I cried out, eyes flying open.

For the first time since I’d known her, Quinn smiled . I couldn’t help but return her smile with one of my own.

“I knew you could do it after your freak out a few days ago. You just needed to be pushed,” she said, still smiling slightly.

“Like I said, everything has an energy—you just have to learn what they all are. Now, reach out again. But this time, draw the crystals towards you. The energy of crystals is important in wielding them, but they’re also complex.

They almost have a mind of their own. Pull the energy of the crystals towards you, and the crystals should come, too. ”

I nodded enthusiastically, suddenly feeling reinvigorated in my efforts.

I closed my eyes again, casting my net of energy towards the left where I felt the group of crystals before. I found them easier this time, but when I tried to tug at them, they didn’t budge.

“Remember, they don’t like being told what to do. Pull at their energy with your own, not on the crystals themselves,” Quinn said, her voice calm and tranquil once again as she instructed me.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

The waves crashing into my back barely bothered me anymore, the water simply ebbing and flowing around me.

I felt like a rock standing tall in the water, taking every hit without budging.

I felt pride swell in my chest, and I used that positive energy, feeding it into the connection I felt with the crystals.

I used my energy and imagined wrapping a giant hand around the bundle’s small circle of energy.

Gently, I pulled on the crystal’s energy with my own, but nothing happened.

I breathed slowly and deeply, then tried again. I tugged softly a second time, and this time, I felt the crystals give. I continued to pull on their energy until I’d placed them between Quinn and me, letting the connection break off.

As soon as I dropped the connection, my eyes flew open and I beamed up at the redhead before me.

She smiled in return.

“Nice job, my queen,” Quinn said, and I could almost hear a hint of affection and pride in her voice.

On the inside, I could tell this was a huge turning point in our relationship. She’d finally just accepted me not only as her queen, but as her friend. I didn’t realize I cared what she thought of me so much until that moment.

I didn’t let any of that show on my face, though. I simply smiled wide, and let my pride surge for a moment.

“Now, that was just the warm up. Are you ready for more?” Quinn asked, a mischievous smirk replacing her beautiful smile.