The Heir of Moon-Fire

Chapter 53

Elentiya's POV

I had been attempting to summon my magic for the past four hours, and still had nothing to show for it. Amren sighed deeply while rolling her eyes. "You're doing it all wrong."

I glared at her. "Well, you haven't exactly given me any instructions besides to try and use my magic," I snapped.

This definitely wasn't my idea of a fun day. What with it starting with Ladon practically dragging me out of bed. Then missing breakfast and lunch. And now trying to use an extremely difficult type of magic that consumed every ounce of energy I had left while the sun beat down on me.

"I'm only here as a volunteer," she replied coolly. "So, unless you want to try to master moon-fire by yourself, you'll drop the attitude."

I folded my arms across my chest as I scowled at her but otherwise remained silent.

"Good. Now, moon-fire is so dangerous because powerful emotions will amplify it." I rolled my eyes again, Ladon had already told me all of this. "You're trying to access it through getting angry. But, you need to look at the source of all of your emotions. Your soul. Because that's what it's attached to."

I frowned. "Where exactly might I find my soul?" I asked slowly.

She smirked. "That's your job to find out. Same time tomorrow." I didn't get a chance to protest before she walked off.

Scowling, I turned around, stalking back into the castle.

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The next day of training hadn't gone much better, looking back. Even if I'd been thrilled that I had actually managed to summon my magic.

Now, three months of training later, I stood in front of Aunt Feyre, ready for the match that would mark the end of my training. Ladon smiled at me from where he sat in the outdoor arena in Prythian. The very same arena where my mother had gained equality for all females in the Night Court.

I glanced up at the stands again, spotting Mal and Emily fighting once again. I sighed. They'd been fine for two and a half months before they'd begun their pointless bickering again. It had steadily gotten worse as the weeks dragged on.

My gaze turned back to Aunt Feyre, fully decked in iron armour. She smiled at me. "Don't go easy on me," I told her. "Make me earn it."

She rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't dream of it, Tiya."

I nodded in affirmation. Neither of us had anything but our magic to use. Mom had covered us in protection runes so that nothing too deadly would hit us. All I had to do was knock her out. Easier said than done all things considered.

Suddenly, Mor stood in front of us. "You both know the rules. So, I guess, begin?" She said, winnowing away.

We launched at each other, magic at the ready as flashes of light and dark enveloped the arena. I spun out of the way of an attack to my right. I parried with a flash of white moon-fire on the left. She dodged, sending a wave of water at me. It evaporated upon contact with my shield.

She attempted to suck the oxygen out of the air to smother my fire. Luckily, moon-fire didn't require oxygen to survive. The smile dropped from her face as I went on the offensive. Blasts of moon-fire shooting at her from every direction. A shot finally made it past her shield, burning a hole in her armour.

Encouraged, I aimed another blast at her. Instead of falling to the ground, though, she winnowed right as it was about to hit her. Warily I glanced around waiting for her to appear. A blow to my chest made me stumble backwards. Thinking quickly, I twirled out of the way of her next blow. Something tapped against my mind. Acting on instinct, I shoved the magic away. Thankful that my Aunt had drilled into my head at a young age to always protect my mind above all else.

She winnowed again, this time, I moved before she could reappear. She stumbled forward beside me, giving me the opening I needed to shove her to the ground. She barely managed to catch herself, her face now an inch above the ground. She sprung to her feet, but I was waiting. She couldn't stop the blow I dealt to her head, pinching the nerve on her neck before she could recover.

I took a step back as shock washed through me.

I had never been able to beat my Aunt in a fight before. Her magic was just too powerful and her skill too toned for me to even stand a chance.

It only took a couple of minutes for everybody to enter the arena. Uncle Rhys had merely winnowed down here and woken up his mate. She was still recovering as Mal rocketed into me, nearly bowling me over. My lips twitched upwards. "I won."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Hey," I said, pulling back a little from the hug. "I promised I would be alright and I am, aren't I?"

He nodded, taking a step back. "I'm glad." We awkwardly stood there until he blurted out, "Anyway, Emily and I have to go. We've got a dinner reservation soon."

I nodded. "See you tomorrow then. You more, to begin planning."

"I look forward to it," he replied. He paused. "And don't forget to tell me how it goes," he stated with a wink.

"I won't," I called after him as he followed Emily into a portal back to Terrasen.

Turning around, I found myself face to face with Aunt Feyre. I smiled at her. "Good match," I told her with an outstretched hand.

She grabbed my hand, pulling me into a tight embrace. "You did amazing, 'Tiya."

"Thanks." I let go, immediately finding Ladon standing beside me.

I smiled as he cupped my cheeks, kissing me deeply. "I love you so much, Hera."

"Really? You're not afraid of my powers?"

He shook his head. "Never. You could bring the whole world to its knees, and I'd still look at you with awe."

I had no reply. So instead, I kissed him again. Because here. Here everything was right. Here I could forget all of my problems. Here, wrapped in his arms, I was safe.

A/N

TWO WEEKS IN A ROW!!!! LET'S GO!!! So apparently my schedule really does help me... sooo... I'm gonna try and keep it up. Hopefully, I can make this three weeks in a row. But no promises.

Luna (August 9), 217

Elentiya & Cal (May 1), 201

Lyria (September 9), 187

Malatyr (March 20), 170

Emily (July 15), 170

Sam (February 27), 74

Connall (December 2), 72

Ladon (September 13), 20