Page 96 of These Fractured Bonds

“That sounds harder,” she said, disappointed in her failure.

He shook his head. “Only in theory. It’s easier because you don’t produce an external shield. It requires less magic to fuel, and it's maintained by your natural reserve. For this, you’ll simply want to imagine a barrier.”

Once again, easier said than done. Her mind buzzed with activity, turning one stone of thought to another and disregarding her desire for silence.

Augrys’s voice fluttered into her mind:Quiet your mind. Release the tension in your shoulders. His soft tones washed over her, calming her raging thoughts until they were but a soft current. Her breath deepened, and her magic calmed, movinglike waves lapping on a shore. Her senses turned inward; her ears, full as though she was submerged under water, stopped hearing Leo’s instructions, homing in on Augrys’s voice.

Good,now imagine building a wall.

Walls of varying kinds flitted through her mind—brick, barbed wire, steel, mud. None of them fit, dissolving into nothingness as soon as they sprang up.

It can be anything. It could even be a wall of bathtubsstacked on top of each other.

She thought she heard a note of amusement in his voice, and she smiled.

Is that a joke about my love for baths?How can you talk to me anyway? I thought you were away at the Water Court.

She waited for an answer, unsure if she was having an actual conversation with Augrys or if he was an illusion made by her subconscious. His words came slowly, hesitantly, as though it was a great confession.

I wanted to check in on you.

Her eyes shot open.

Leo’s face came into view. “Everything okay?”

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, um, I’m having trouble picking a wall.”

He tapped his foot again, seemingly in thought. “I’m assuming you went through the usual suspects—bricks and such.”

She nodded.

“Walls aren’t always meant to keep things out. They can also keep things in.”

Her fake armor came to mind, the one she imagined coated her skin, keeping her from shattering for all to see. It was snug, but most of all, it was strong. She closed her eyes.

Yareli wanted a coat of armor around her mind, keeping it safe from intruders. A great sheet of iron—for iron was a Fae's weakness—sprung up in her mind, round like a sphere, and itheld. Augrys’s voice no longer came through, both a feat and a disappointment. She wondered if it had been real or a figment of her imagination. Then, the wall disintegrated.

And in its place was a dome of whipping winds.

“That’s amazing,” Leo said. “You’ve done it. Although I’ve never seen a wall of wind before.”

“You can see it?” she asked, startled to see Leo next to her in her mind.

“Of course. When you attempt to enter someone’s mind, you see their defenses. Yours is particularly vicious.” He placed a hand on her wall, jerking back. Blood ran down in tiny rivulets from a multitude of cuts on his palm. “See, vicious.”

“Good.” No one would enter without her permission. “What about my life force?”

“A basic shield is similar in concept. Simply, go to your life force and raise a wall like this.”

Yareli did so, raising a large dome of whipping winds that dulled its glow, but it was protected. And that was all that mattered.

“And you’re done! You’re ready for the challenge tomorrow.” Leo boomed, his joy evident.

Erick was awake, watching her with what looked like curiosity. “Wind, you say.”

“Yeah, you should have seen it,” Leo said. “A great—”

But Yareli had stopped listening. Her gaze rested on the world beyond her windows. Leo had congratulated her for doing basic shielding, but she hadn’t managed to cast a flame. He was horribly wrong; she was not prepared for the challenge at all. It was, however, more than she had before. Her stomach growled.