Heir of Stardust and Secrets (Mythic Spark #1)

43. Testing Theories

Chapter 43

Testing Theories

T he days blurred into one as I fell into my new routine. Morning breakfast together, followed by throwing and reading in the woods, magic sessions in the training facility, dinner, and then reading again until Thaddeus coaxed me to put the book down and place my attention elsewhere.

It was rare now when he didn’t stay with me until morning, and I savored waking up next to him. I could get used to this new routine. This new life. Him waking me with soft kisses and sometimes pulling pleasure from me before I was fully awake.

Accessing the spark had grown more instinctual, and I was beginning to understand its boundaries. Unfortunately, even though my powers were gifted by the fae, elemental magic eluded me, no matter what we tried. But my true strength was pure, raw power—untouched by the spells that bound Thaddeus’. Still, I delved deep into the art of spellcraft, learning its every nuance.

Currently, Thaddeus had me practicing what he’d playfully referred to as parlor tricks . The task was simple: make items vanish, or at least transport them to another room, and then summon them back like I’d seen him do countless times. In reality, my efforts proved…unpredictable. I’d lost a lot of objects. Ava found a rock in the cutlery drawer, and we still hadn’t found Thaddeus’ favorite pen. He’d jokingly teased me about it, but he’d never had me practice with anything important after that.

I’d grown to discern the faint differences between casting magic versus spellcraft—the spark preferring the former compared to the structured commands of spells. Like an abstract artist being told to paint realism, she obliged, but she had no passion for such things.

Thaddeus continued splitting my focus between the two, eventually wanting to combine our efforts—my spark with his spellcraft.

The three of them returned every night empty-handed, unable to find any trace of the magical object, or discern where the fae realm began. Only the fates knew how long we had, and with every failed attempt, the air of tension they brought back with them was more taut than the day before.

Even after training day and night, the simple truth was that I still didn’t have full control or understanding of my powers—and no amount of time would catch me up to Thaddeus’ lifetimes’ worth of experience. I had the strength, and he had the skill. The question he’d posed at dinner one night was simple: Was it possible to combine the two?

As I walked to the training facility to find out, I felt a flutter of excitement, and wondered if a different kind of intimacy would form between the two of us by bringing our powers together.

I arrived before Thaddeus and lazily conjured white embers. Lying on my back, I watched the tiny floating specks bob as they floated above me. I’d taken to doing this as often as I could, connecting to the spark, playing with her.

Shifting the embers into a kiwi green, I smiled at how the color played against the blue sky above, appearing fluorescent against the backdrop. One by one, I added colors until counting them was futile. I pulled them into a tight ball and then threw it wide, then brought it back, like the rippling of water going out only to come back to its epicenter .

My thoughts drifted, and I mindlessly flowed the glittering wonder through my fingers, fidgeting.

I kept coming back to what Thaddeus had said in the study: Don’t think for a second they wouldn’t do the same thing to us, given the chance, Nyleeria. Were Caius and the Summer Court really our enemies? I had gone over what had transpired in the fae realm, every single detail. Had I missed something? Was it possible I’d naively misinterpreted their actions or words as kindness? But nothing seemed to indicate that Caius had any ill will toward me, no matter how many times I revisited our encounter over the weeks.

“Comfy?” Thaddeus’ soft voice jolted me from my thoughts.

Leaning over, he looked down at me, a bemused expression on his face. I let the sparks absorb back into me and smiled.

“I am, actually,” I said. I gave him a sensual look. “Care to join?”

He raised a brow and shook his head as if trying to dispel the tantalizing ideas that’d flooded him. Resisting the temptation, he held a hand out and helped me to my feet.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, leaning in and stealing a kiss. “We tried a different way to get into the fae realm today, and it took longer than expected.”

I could tell by his tone that the trek was unfruitful; they still hadn’t found a way in.

Slipping up onto my tiptoes, I tilted my head and offered him a proper kiss, knowing there was nothing else I could do to dispel the frustration that grew deeper with every failed attempt.

Lowering down, I said, “Where do we start?”

He furrowed his brow slightly, and his features hardened. It was a look I’d seen plague him frequently these days. “I’m not even sure if it’s possible,” he said. “If I can use you that way.”

“That’s what we’re here to find out.”

I traced my fingers along his corded forearms before resting my hands in his. He gave me a soft smile, then seemed to relax.

“I thought, since we’ve had a lot of practice with energy spheres, that we could start there,” he said .

“Sure. What do you need from me?”

“Well, it’s going to be trial and error.”

I nodded, unfazed—that was my life in a nutshell.

“Let’s start with you creating a sphere using the spark. I’d like to see if I can somehow use its energy, as opposed to my typical source.”

I nodded again, and we each took a step back.

“Ready?” he asked.

In response, I conjured a dense white sphere and floated it between us.

I studied Thaddeus carefully, curious what he’d do differently this time. The air around him became faintly murky, indicating he’d silently used a spell. I waited for the heat wave–like aura that radiated from him to appear; only, it didn’t. My sphere wouldn’t yield. But even that wasn’t right; it was more like it had no idea anything had to be asked of it.

Thaddeus’ spell needed to be fed, completed, and a rush of his usual power flooded him in response.

Registering what was going to happen before I could react left me watching helplessly as our spheres collided, exploding.

Thaddeus’ feet lifted from the ground, and I was in motion before he’d landed. A distant part of me registered that I hadn’t been thrown, as if my magic had protected me.

Kneeling down, I quickly traced my hands over him, checking for injuries. Stars, the sphere hadn’t even contained a fraction of the power.

“I’m okay,” Thaddeus groaned.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, accepting my help up.

Blinking away his daze, he looked to where we’d been standing as if scrutinizing what went wrong.

“The spell needed to complete,” I said.

“Yes. I’d thought it a possibility, but hadn’t expected it that fast.”

“My sphere, it acted like your command didn’t exist.”

He turned his attention to me. “Agreed. ”

“When I use spells with my powers, it manifests differently, almost imperceptibly, but it’s still different. I think I need to use spellcraft to conjure the sphere for you to have access, instead of my raw power.”

He raised a brow, considering. “You think I don’t speak the spark’s language.”

“No. I think she’s deaf to your commands.”

His frown lines deepened for a moment, then softened. “I think you might be right. Okay, let’s try it.”

We each took a small step back.

I looked at Thaddeus, and hesitated, afraid of hurting him. He nodded in encouragement, and I opened my palms, focusing.

“ Sphaorah ,” I whispered. Instantly, a brilliant light filled the room.

Thaddeus wrapped his hands above my orb, seeking its energy. Visible ripples converged toward him, and as they reached the aura where he conjures from, it snapped. The backlash sent him stumbling, but he managed to keep his footing.

“That was markedly better,” he observed.

“Maybe the sphere is the wrong way to go,” I said.

He raised a brow, questioning.

“Think about it. The sphere is the manifestation of my command. You need the raw energy before it’s wielded by a spell. Asking the sphere to do something different is like asking it to morph into something different, which it can’t do.”

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. “That’s an excellent observation.”

“I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Take off your shirt,” I said.

He gave me a lover’s smile.

“Take. Off. Your. Shirt,” I ordered, ignoring that smile, lest I get distracted.

He did as asked, that look still staring down at me .

I tore my eyes away from his rippled stomach, stepping behind him. The sight of his broad shoulders and defined back made me want to take him up on his silent offer. He glanced over his shoulder at me, the subtle motion accentuating those beautifully sculpted muscles. I bit down on the urge to trace my lips along his spine and drag my hands over his body. Shaking my head, I dispelled the temptation and refocused on the task at hand.

Placing my palms flat against his back, where power entered him, I closed my eyes.

I allowed myself to float into the calming space where I’d sought the Mother countless times before, and gave in to it, to him.

Calling upon the spark, I allowed her tingling essence to leak past me until a steady stream of power filled the space where he pulled from.

“Now,” I said.

The shifting muscles under my hands let me know Thaddeus was readying himself, and as if he’d whispered in my ear, I heard the words sphaorah nemoisai . A sudden surge of energy passed through me into him, and the world around us seemed to hold her breath. Our surroundings became distant, and for a heartbeat, everything was suspended in a silent, bright equilibrium.

Then, the balance shattered.

Back arching, my eyes flew open in shock as I was being cleaved in two. I tried to move, tried to pull away, peel my hands off, anything, but I was no longer in control of my body, myself.

Thaddeus gasped as a sphere of light formed before him.

Maiattor. Maiattor .

His silent demand filled me, and the sphere before Thaddeus grew as power was ripped from me into him—each drop yielded like tiny shards of glass being pulled through my veins.

I cried for the spark to let go, to release me. Tried to coax her. Nothing, as if she were now deaf to me. My body was no longer mine. My power was no longer mine.

Thaddeus finally threw the overpowered sphere, and a vicious cracking sound rang out as it hit the pillars, their magic unable to contain the force.

My hands dropped from his back. I was free; only, now, I was frozen in place. As if a puppet suddenly bereft of its strings, I was a mere witness to the unfolding scene, my body immobile in that suspended moment just before the relentless pull of gravity asserted himself.

“We did it!” Thaddeus exclaimed, turning around and crushed my mouth with his.

Pulling back, he continued, words tumbling out in haste, “Gods, Nyleeria, how do you do it?” He grabbed my arms hard as he looked wildly at me for answers. “Holding that much power inside of you… It’s exhilarating, pleasurable.”

“Nyleeria?” Thaddeus said, finally realizing I hadn’t responded.

My knees gave out, and I fell, Thaddeus catching me before my head hit the ground. I turned my head and emptied my stomach’s contents onto the mat.

I tried to stand, but my trembling arms couldn’t bear my weight. Thaddeus turned me over, cradling me, caressing my face. His lips moved, but there was no sound—the world had gone silent. Panic stared down at me as I remained listless in his arms.

Wiping the cold sweat off my brow, Thaddeus scooped me up and carried me toward the exit of the training facility. Bobbing up and down, I sightlessly stared up at the cloudless sky.

Thaddeus’ mouth moved, as if yelling for help as he continued to the palace.

Moments later, Tarrin arrived. Gently, Thaddeus placed me on the ground, propping my head up with a strong hand.

They knelt, mirrored expressions of poorly contained fear and helplessness staring back at me.

Thaddeus tilted me up further with gentle hands and offered me water. I tried to take a sip, but most of the water pooled out of my mouth, dripped down my neck, and soaked into my shirt.

They exchanged words, and Tarrin seemed upset. Settling, they slipped off my shoes and socks, and the cool sensation of grass tickled the soles of my feet. I could have wept in relief.

Slowly, the trance lifted, like the autumnal sun taking its time to burn off the morning mist.

I regained the faculty of my extremities first, with the rest of my body eventually following suit. The instant I could hold myself up, all my senses came back, along with my wits.

“I can’t do that again,” I whispered. Still trembling, that part deep inside of me still roiling as if it had been violated—as if I had been violated.

“But it worked,” Thaddeus countered, his surprised disbelief evident. “You weren’t prepared. We’ll be ready next time, and I won’t take so much.” His words were fast, bordering on desperate.

“Thaddeus, maybe we should—” Tarrin began.

“This doesn’t concern you, Tarrin.”

A shiver ran through me—I’d never heard him speak that sharply to someone, let alone Tarrin.

I didn’t want to be the cause of them fighting. Couldn’t be. Maybe Thaddeus was right, and it was too much, too fast. I just needed some rest. And to prepare better for the next time. It would be okay. I would be okay. It was fine. I was fine.

“I’m okay,” I said as I stood up, forcing myself to act like the words were true. Even as my head spun so hard, I thought I’d vomit again. “I’m okay,” I repeated, and stepped toward the palace.