Page 138 of Death of a Mortal

I acted on pure instinct when I scooped him up into my arms and cradled him as the teacher hobbled over, wheezing.

“The glythyr,” she panted. “I had no idea.”

“Where do I take him?”

“Bring him inside. He’ll be okay. Magic often explodes like that when it manifests. He just needs to rest.”

I nodded and carried the boy through the door into the one-room schoolhouse.

“Set him in that chair there, and I’ll send for the healer, just to be sure. I need to go check on the rest of the children, excuse me.”

She shuffled to the door leading to the playground but stopped before leaving. “Thank you. I would never have known my glythyr was failing. This could have been a disaster if you hadn’t been here. Whatever this…abilityyou have is, it seems like a blessing from the gods. It could save a lot of lives.”

She smiled and left, not waiting for my reply.

I collapsed into a chair next to the boy, the adrenaline leaving me shaky. Her words washed over me, settling my racing heart—this was the first time I’d felt like my magic was anything other than dark and destructive.

“Good work, kid. See, your magic isn’t so moody and gloomy.”

I huffed a laugh. “No, Noxie, I guess it’s not.”

Nothing much had changed with us since our bond snapped into place, as far as our relationship went. I could feel his presence more, and our emotions felt tied tighter. But we still bantered and teased just the same.

* * *

I left theschoolhouse when the healer arrived. After a quick check, the healer confirmed the boy would be just fine after some rest.

When I returned to my barracks, my mind and body were exhausted from my first day at the base. I laid down and my head landed on the books I’d gotten from Sevrin, which felt only slightly better than being smacked in the back of the head with a brick. I grimaced, pulling the books out from under me with a sigh.

I guessed I should start reading—I was in no rush to go back to the Arcanum house with Sevrin, but I definitely wanted to learn to control my shadows first and foremost.

So I sat up on my bed and openedNox Incineram, feeling uneasy. It seemed like the book emitted faint shadows, darkening the room around me slightly. I flipped through the brittle, yellowed pages, pausing occasionally to look at pictures depicting gruesome shadow beings or fae in clear, extreme pain.

Gods, this was bad. It felt like having shadow magic was a curse.

So I took a deep breath, steadied my nerves, and flipped back to page one.

“This book was written to document the dark and mysterious magic that originates from shadows. It should not be leveraged by anyone who does not possess the Umbrathren shadow magic. We will explore the source and origins of the magic, the methods for controlling it, and the consequences of misuse. My studies are limited on the subject, as shadowmagic is so rare and so few survive its awakening. Even fewer have been able to control their shadows, bringing me to only a handful of cases to study. If the reader holding this book at present possesses this power, may the gods be with you.”

If I was uneasy before, I was completely freaking out now. It sounded like most people with this power didn’t live long.

On the plus side, I had survived its awakening…

But was that only because someone had been there to clamp a magic-blocking cuff around my wrist both times? Had the power even been allowed to awaken fully? Could I have died without the cuffs?

Sweat beaded on my forehead, the beast beginning to stir, increasing my rising panic.

“No. Stay down. You’re not needed when I’m reading a book,” I said to it, having no idea ifitwas even communicable. Sevrin had said to befriend this thing, but what the hell did that mean? Give it a fluffy name and sing it to sleep at night?

The thought made me smile, beginning to settle my racing heart and thoughts.

I would be okay. I had to be.

Caedryn. Varyn. Round and Dumb. Cassius. Aemilia. Purple-eyed blacksmith. Naci.

They were why, if nothing else, I had to survive and learn to control myself. To exact my revenge before I’d see Nella again in the Vale.

But a small part of me thought this place, what they fought for in the rebellion, was worth fighting for too.