A Baron of Bonds (Conduit of Light #2)

40. Saelyn

Chapter 40

Saelyn

I would be seventeen in two weeks, and I was convinced I was the most hideous creature on the isle.

One particular raging red blemish had refused to leave my chin for days and days , and I would see Thevin again in just a few hours.

I knew I shouldn’t care. I knew he wouldn’t care…at least, I was trying to convince myself he wouldn’t.

But as I searched the many, many volumes of the Magical Language Hall of Viridis, I became more and more irritated that my stupid face was not cooperating with me.

I found myself rubbing my chin again and rolled my eyes. No wonder it was pocked.

Usually, I didn’t bat an eye at my appearance, choosing to let my long hair, long torso, and long legs fly free. The idea of prepping my appearance each day seemed like the biggest waste of time. But less than two-hundred minutes away from seeing Thevin again, I wondered if I should have taken the time to learn more about this.

My mother was of no use. She barely remembered to braid her hair each day, let alone line her eyes in kohl or add pink to her cheeks and lips. I had thought of asking Pah-Pah for help, since he always wore something lovely around his eyes, but I loathed the thought of more teasing.

Sighing, I let my focus settle back on my book.

Beauty in Magic: A Guide to an Effortless Appearance by Olyviah Destyn.

Whomever this author was, she had probably been gorgeous and wrote an entire book about it.

Inside were enchantments to make your fingernails grow long and strong, potions one could brew for shinier hair. I flipped through the pages eagerly, wondering if this beautiful woman had ever had to even deal with blazing red sores on her face.

“Demarcess: to fade or wither. This enhancement can be used to subdue any type of imperfection on the skin. Use it wisely, however, as the spell can also wither your current state of being if you are not properly trained yet in your magical focus.”

I scoffed, sure but also slightly unsure if that last part applied to me.

I set the book down on the bench and held the hand mirror up to my face. Of course, I had come prepared. It was one of my greater qualities.

I breathed heavily, focusing on the raging red of my chin and stated confidently, “ Demarcess .”

The pockmark recessed immediately, fading to what looked more like a budding freckle on my chin.

Also, my heart slowed, and I felt my chest deflate.

Dammit.

The nerves and excitement I had felt moments before were nowhere to be found as I squinted at myself in a strange sense of confusion, my head swimming with murky waters.

Great. I guess I didn’t have the proper training to avoid this part of the spell after all.

I grimaced, trying to focus as I moved time. “ Revertayden en tepiore.” The seconds ticked backward, my chin once again marked and painful.

I didn’t like moving time. When I had first discovered the spell by piecing together words of magic, I had used it often. I liked playing with the space between truth in its purest form and reversing it, winding the seconds back, changing a small piece of the world in my small, little way.

As I grew older, I understood what I played with. I understood that what I had done was discover a way to manipulate the truth into whatever I wanted it to become. I was very powerful, and that must remain a secret for as long as I could manage. My desire to see Thevin again without a marred face, however, was enough to convince me that moving time—just this once—wouldn’t hurt anyone. I picked up the mirror again, but technically for the first time, and spoke the spell. This time, I understood that my focus needed to be more intentional on exactly what I wished to do.

The mark left my chin, and I took a few seconds more to just hold onto the spell, refusing to let it wither my mind as well.

Grinning with a clear face, I closed the book and patted its surface, hearing it thwip back to its proper place on the shelf behind me.

Realizing I was hungry, I casually walked down the steps into the courtyard. I admired a patch of lavender which was humming due to the visiting swarm of fluffy, striped bees and slowly made my way up the marble stairs to Viridis’s portal.

The whisper of my name caught my attention from the tips of the birch trees that swayed, and I narrowed my eyes, wondering why it had followed me here. I usually didn’t hear it for years at a time, but now it breathed twice so close to turning seventeen?

I shook my head and ignored it again, stepping into the portal and away from the mystery that had surrounded me since I was seven years old.