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Adelaide bit back a cry as Regulus sank the dagger into her left arm, halfway between her shoulder and elbow. He grabbed her opposite shoulder to steady her. Tears squeezed out of her eyes and her chest heaved with each labored breath. A crushed neumenet leaf glinted in the trampled grass at her feet.
“I’m sorry,” Regulus murmured.
She nodded, unable to respond. Pinching pain surrounded the blade, while pulses of pain radiated up and down her arm in time with her heartbeat. He withdrew the dagger and she whimpered and sagged forward. Blood streamed down her arm. After being stabbed three...no, four times now, she thought she should be better able to handle it. But, by the fairy realm, it still hurt.
Regulus guided her right hand to the wound. “Come on. Heal it.”
Adelaide’s hand shook, but warmth spread across her palm, then over the wound. The area numbed so she couldn’t feel the flesh knitting back together. The pain gone, she straightened and looked over. A vein stood out on Regulus’ forehead, and his jaw clenched, emphasizing every angle of his temples and jawline. She finished healing herself and dropped her hand. Regulus exhaled but didn’t relax.
“That’s enough.” He rubbed his eyes.
“I’m all right,” she said to convince herself as much as him. “I can keep going.”
“But I can’t.” He looked at her dagger smeared with her blood still in his hand. “I’m done. We’ll practice another way. This isn’t working. And...I won’t hurt you again,” he whispered.
“But it’s all right. See?” She pointed to her arm. “You can’t even tell.”
“Yes, you can,” he said, his voiced strained. “You have blood down to your hand. We need a new plan.”
Adelaide was inclined to agree. She didn’t enjoy getting stabbed. Not to mention the embarrassment of her repeated failures to stop him. She wasn’t used to fighting with magic, but her throwing knives and daggers wouldn’t prevail against Kirven. Regulus was quick, good at misdirection, and took advantage of the slightest opening. If he could stab her, what would Kirven be able to do with sorcery aided by the Staff?
“If I can’t even defeat you, how am I supposed to defeat Kirven?”
Regulus mussed his hair. “Maybe you’re not trying as hard because it’s me? You could keep me from even getting close if you really wanted. You’re subconsciously holding back.”
He might have a point. She sighed. “Are you holding back?” His glance away told her everything. “Great. I can’t even keep you from stabbing me when you’re trying not to.”
“Trying not to kill you.” He turned red. “To be honest, I did try to stab you.”
She sank onto the grass, her confidence dwindling again. “Do you try to stab Dresden when you train?”
Regulus sat down and cleaned off her dagger. “We train with swords. And we wear armor. There are bruises involved. I cut open his leg once. He had to be stitched up and limped for a week.” He handed over her dagger. “The last couple years I mostly did defense. If they hit me, I’d be okay. But I had to be careful not to...kill someone by accident.”
She turned her dagger over a few times before sheathing it. At least she hadn’t backslid. After regaining her magic, she had worried all her progress over the last few months of practice would be lost. She could still conjure a flaming sword, raise a shield, throw a blast, and everything else she had painstakingly taught herself. If anything, she could do them faster—the neumenet tree’s presence hummed through her, strengthening her grasp on her abilities. Despite all of that, Regulus kept winning.
“Maybe I should have taken up the fairies—”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Regulus plucked blades of grass. “I would have gone crazy worrying if I’d ever see you again.”
She smiled and elbowed him. “Aw. That’s so sweet.”
He threw a handful of grass at her. “Besides, your mother would probably have killed me if you vanished into the fairy realm. She’s terrifying.”
Adelaide laughed and brushed the grass off. “She’s just protective.”
His lips twitched toward a smile. “She threatened to slit my throat when you were unconscious.”
“She did not!” At his serious expression, her chuckle died. “Sorry. She wouldn’t...I don’t think.”
“I believe she would if it saved you.” He handed her a neumenet leaf. The leaf shimmered, pinpricks of color dancing along its translucent surface. The soft and pliable leaves in contrast to their glasslike appearance still surprised her. “Here. Something you can practice that’s not dangerous.”
She pinched the stem of the leaf between her thumb and forefingers and rolled it back and forth. The leaf glittered as it twirled. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“You’re smart.” Regulus laid back. “You can figure it out like everything else.”
“Right.” She stared at the leaf. Just...direct the magic into the leaf. Sure. Her palm glowed, and she imagined her power flowing into the leaf. Then she sensed it. The transfer of energy running down her hand and into the leaf. The leaf glowed blue. “Regulus.”
He sat up and looked at the glowing leaf. “That was fast.”
The magical energy stopped flowing, as if it had nowhere else to go. The leaf ceased glowing, and then so did her hand. I guess an object can only hold so much power. Adelaide spent the next hour practicing storing magic in leaves, then in neumenet twigs, and finally a couple of sticks of a pine tree at the edge of the meadow. That proved more difficult, and between fighting Regulus, healing herself, and all that magical transference, she was drained. She sensed the neumenet tree replenished her magic faster than it would otherwise come back, but she had used a lot.
“I think now’s a good time for you to rest. Maybe try to sleep,” Regulus said.
“I look that tired?”
He stroked her hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep watch.”
“I’m not worried.” She laid under the massive canopy of the neumenet tree and drifted to sleep within minutes.
––––––––
ADELAIDE WOKE TO A fire crackling in the darkness. Regulus sat next to her, staring into the flames. She stretched and sat up. “It’s night?”
“Sun set half an hour ago. You hungry?” He held out a small cloth bag.
Inside, Adelaide found dried venison. Between bites of the tough, salty meat, she said, “I think we should only stay here one more day.”
Regulus raised a brow. “The fairies said—”
“Yes, I know.” She ate another bite. “But I want to find out if Father has heard anything about the progress of the messengers.”
Regulus pursed his lips. The intensity of the unspoken question in his eyes made her uncomfortable.
“What?”
“I thought we were past secrets.” He picked up a long stick from next to the fire and poked at the glowing embers. “Are you not being honest with yourself, or just not with me?”
Adelaide lowered the food to her lap. “I don’t know what you’re—”
“Why do you want to go back? Really?”
All right, there was another reason. But did she have to say it out loud? She tore off another piece of venison and tossed it in her mouth.
He sighed. “Information on the messengers will be important for plotting our next step. But it could wait. I don’t want you ever to feel you need to hide from me.” The softness with which he repeated her own words back to her pricked her conscience.
“I need to make sure my parents are safe.” Saying it aloud somehow made the threat seem more real. “I’m afraid of what Nolan might do.” She met his eyes. “Truthfully, I’m more afraid of him than Kirven. And I know that’s stupid, but I can’t help it. Kirven wants to rule. He’ll kill the king and anyone who gets in his way. If it was only Kirven, maybe...” She trailed off, ashamed of herself.
“You’d be tempted to let him win.” He didn’t sound disappointed or disgusted. In fact, he sounded sympathetic. “I had the same thought. Would it be so bad? Maybe if we ignored him, he would ignore us. But he’s vindictive. I doubt he’ll feel satisfied with killing the king. I’m not sure anyone would be safe. And if he learns your magic is back... He’d see you as a threat. I don’t think we can be free until he’s dead.”
“I know.” She set the bag of jerky on the ground, her appetite gone, and pulled her cloak tighter around her arms. “And even if I could convince myself that wasn’t all true...” She shuddered. “If Kirven gives Nolan the political and military power he wants, I’d never be safe. You and my family would never be safe. I’m more worried about that than the kingdom.” She laughed weakly. “I suppose that’s selfish.”
“It’s not selfish to want to protect the people you love.” Regulus stood and offered her his hand. “Come on.”
Without hesitation, Adelaide took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere. But you need a distraction. So practice.” He pointed at the fire. “Put up a barrier from the fire to the trunk of the tree.”
They practiced for hours. Adelaide put up one barrier after another. Straight, curved, a complete dome over her and Regulus. Then Regulus made her keep a barrier up while she conjured and used lances, knives, and swords. The neumenet’s power flowed alongside hers, as if guiding her, helping her learn. By the light of one of her spheres, Regulus set up a bunch of branches in the ground and had her knock them all down while he tried to break through a barrier. She sent the last branch flying into the forest and dropped the barrier. Regulus stumbled forward as she bent over, hands on her knees, breathing hard. Her stomach growled.
“All right. That should be enough for tonight.”
She smiled at the pride in Regulus’ voice.
