Curse of the Celts Clara O'Connor (new reading txt) 📖

of my betrothed, of everything I – outwardly at least – fitted into so beautifully while all the time feeling like a fraud. I had never felt entirely worthy or right in the life I was walking through. Now I knew why: that path hadn’t been mine. Even the sodding shoes hadn’t been mine. Too loud, too unaware of the world. I just needed to figure out how to walk in this one, besides being simply quieter.

“As I was telling you before, there are four elements: earth, water, air and fire. Each section helps you focus and hone the one that is your core element. Latents who display magic tend to have an affinity for only one or two, and usually it manifests as a very particular skill. For example, the city lights are tended by a woman with a small ability with fire and some air, but she has little skill beyond that.” Callum led me over to the quadrant closest to us. It contained rocks of various sizes dotted around, from small pebbles to large boulders. “Let’s see how you fare.”

I picked up a smooth pebble and ran my thumb across it. Despite the coolness of the morning, it already retained some heat from the sun. I trailed my fingers across the considerable boulder that stood upright in the centre of the section, the white and pale-green lichen indicating that it had stood there for a long time.

“What now?” I asked, turning back to Callum.

“Breathe in. Focus. Centre yourself. You need to reach out and pull in the energy from below. There are currents deep down in the earth, streams of power that flow across the planet, all interconnecting with each other, and feeding the earth above, enriching it with life-giving power. Can you feel it? Let it come to you, absorb it into yourself.” His voice was low, calming. “Relax, be at one. The breeze lifts you, the current carries you, the earth holds you and fire lights the way. Be at one. Repeat it with me.”

Devyn said the same words to me in the cell in the arena. It wasn’t the best association, but together we repeated it until I felt my body relax and grow calm. I wasn’t sure I could feel any of this power he was talking about but I tried to do as he said. I felt a vague tingle, but nothing like the surge I felt in times of danger. But it was something.

“I’d like you to raise one of these stones off the ground.”

“Right…” I put the small pebble on the ground. I tried to lift it, I really did. Or at least, I stared at it and sort of repeated over and over in my head that I wanted it to lift off the ground.

Nothing happened.

Callum shrugged. “Maybe not earth then. Let’s try to do something with the water. Nothing too taxing, maybe just get it moving.”

I focused on the pool of water in the second quadrant, again commanding it to move. Or to do something. No result; not even a ripple bothered the surface of the still water. We were there for what felt like for ever as Callum talked me through the techniques of how to command magic. He instructed me to breathe in and out, using the chant to focus. Sometimes I could feel something – a hum – but it seemed to draw energy from me rather than supply it.

I was exhausted when we finally sat down for our meal at the end of the second day. I could barely drag myself to the table. My eyes were practically closed as I mechanically lifted the much-needed food into my mouth. I felt as though I hadn’t eaten in weeks. Trying to do magic was much harder than actually doing it. I had brought a storm down on Richmond without breaking a sweat; attempting to lift feathers and light candles, on the other hand, left me wiped out. Attempting being the operative word. I still had very little success in using whatever magic pulsed through my veins.

Finishing my plate, I reached out to scoop up seconds only to discover the three men had barely touched their own plates and were instead watching me devour my dinner in amusement.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Devyn’s lips were quirked in a half smile, and Callum was smothering what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. I scowled down at my plate.

“I’m hungry,” I declared. They had a fair point. I had inhaled the food so fast it had barely touched my throat because I had been in such a hurry for it to reach my belly. I smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, okay. I’ll wait for you lot to catch up, shall I?”

Even Marcus smiled at my barely contained dismay at having to civilise my eating style. Marcus had slept away most of the last two days, but he finally looked more like his old self. I sat dumbly, trying to think of a way to ask him if he was better without sounding like he should be better. His father had died and it was going to take more than a few days’ sleep to recover from that, but it looked like he had recovered from depleting his power at least.

“Time to get you up and about, young fella.” Callum’s attention had also fallen on Marcus’s revived form.

Marcus was slow to acknowledge the suggestion. It was too soon; he would quickly become exhausted once more if he joined in the training to which Callum was subjecting me. Not that he needed it. Marcus knew what he was doing; he already consciously used his magic.

“No, no.” Callum saw that Marcus, like me, had assumed that he would be joining me. “You don’t need to be using your magic yet, and you could do with a bit more rest. I’ve never seen anyone drain themselves like you did, boy. No, if you’re going to empty yourself out like that, you need to be able to defend yourself