A Court of Wings and Fate

8. Growing Trepidation

    Mikael formed a ball of light between his curved palms. Thesan circled him as he worked. His father had said nothing about his argument with Estelle two days prior, but Mikael knew a lecture was coming. There was no way Ameer hadn't told Thesan about what he'd seen.

    The light grew brighter as Mikael focused his magic. He aimed at the wooden dummy before him. As he exhaled, the light formed into a spear and tore through the dummy's chest. His magic faded and he waited for Thesan's instruction.

    "Well done," Thesan said. "Your magic was honed into a clean blade and not a fragmented one like usual." He snapped his fingers and several dummies appeared. "Spear them all at once."

    Mikael shook out his wings and readied himself. He stared at the dummy right in front of him, then let his senses spread to locate the others. He formed the ball of light once more, but made it larger.

    When he exhaled this time, several beams of light shot out. Wood splintered and the dummies were left with scorched holes through their foreheads. Mikael dropped his arms. Thesan grinned and gave him an approving nod.

    Thesan went around a podium and flipped through a few pages in a book. Mikael crossed his arms, waiting. The minutes dragged out and at last, he could bear it no longer. "Are you upset with me?" He asked. "About the other day?"

    Thesan looked up. "Not anymore."

    "But you were?"

    Thesan gave him a sideways grin. "Why do you think I skipped dinner? I was giving myself time to think things over."

    "And?"

    "And what?"

    "I thought I'd been receiving a lecture or a punishment of some kind."

    "Oh, you are. Ameer will help explain your punishment. As for your lecture..." Thesan stepped in front of him. "What you did was stupid and immature, and it will not happen again. I don't care if you have fun with your friends, but that much fun the night before visitors are arriving from another Court? You should know better than that."

    Mikael began to speak, but Thesan carried on. "And don't blame your friends. Not even a little bit. You're the future High Lord. You can't give in to peer pressure."

    I wasn't going to blame them, Mikael thought to himself.

    "As for your argument with Estelle...and your recent fights with Ronan, it's clear that we need to spend more time teaching you how to defuse a situation, rather than escalate it." Thesan rested his hand on Mikael's shoulder. "I know you want to defend Ameer and I, but you don't have to. Like I've said before, our battles are not yours to fight. Don't let our choices hold you back."

    "They already do!" Mikael exclaimed. He shrugged away from his father with an exasperated sigh. "Those who don't like me just use you and Father as more of a reason not to like me. I can't do anything without being reminded that I'm a bastard and you and Father are an unconventional couple."

    He combed his fingers through his hair, looking away from Thesan. "Everything you do reflects on me, and everything I do reflects on you. I can't make choices of my own without considering what effects it will have on you. And I know you don't mean to make things harder for me, but you do. You do."

    Mikael shook his head, still not daring to meet his father's gaze. "And that's part of the reason why I have to defend you. I have to defend myself too." He squeezed his eyes shut briefly. "Most of our people respect you, but that respect doesn't extend to me. I have to prove myself every day, but I feel like my efforts go unseen."