Raven

Chapter 12

A week passes quickly with one of Bronwen's spies dying each night. Alethea believes that the killer is an enemy of Bronwen's as none of her elves have been attacked. Still, she orders the killer be caught and us to lock ourselves in our rooms at night, just in case. Alexander goes out hunting for this killer every night without any luck, the only proof there even is one are the bodies found each morning.

I am leaving breakfast and walking back to my room when Alexander calls to me. I look over my shoulder and see him approaching me. I stop and wait for him to catch up.

'We need to do some training. You haven't done any since that first lesson,' he says.

I sigh. I had really hoped he'd forgotten. I was nowhere near being able to summon magic at will. Or summon any magic at all. 'Okay, fine,' I say and follow him out into the forest.

Alexander stops suddenly and turns on me, fire dancing across his palms.

I jump back a tiny bit, surprised. 'Alexander! Don't do that!' I scold him.

He frowns, the flames on his hands extinguishing. 'Don't call me that.'

'What? Alexander?' I ask, frowning in confusion. 'But it's your name.'

'There are ways of shortening names, princess,' he tells me.

Right. 'I might if you quit calling me princess. I know what I am and most of the time that title is used in disdain. So please, don't,' I say.

Alexander thinks about this for a moment. 'Okay, Raven.'

'Good. Now can we get on with this, Alex?' I ask. He nods and I wait. I remember the first training session where he had made my fly blindly from a tree to the ground countless times and hope I won't have to do that again.

Alexander seems to know what I'm think for he shakes his head. 'No, I won't do that again. We're going to do something much more fun,' he pauses to add a dramatic effect. 'We're going to sit and wait for you to summon your magic.'

I roll my eyes in a very unladylike manner. 'Seriously Alex, what are we doing?' I ask.

'I just told you,' he says simply, sitting down on the ground, legs crossed.

This is going to be the worst lesson ever. I reluctantly sit across from him and close my eyes. I try, I really do, to reach inside of me and find that magic. But do I believe I actually have magic? No. Do I think I'll ever believe anyone who says I do? No. Are these training sessions pointless? Yes.

'Raven. You have to try,' Alexander says, reminding me that he's still here.

Sometimes I wonder if he can read minds, he always seems to know what's on my mind. I sigh and try again. Then again and again and again. My stomach growls and I open my eyes. 'You do realise that this is hopeless, right?' I ask, looking up at him. He ignores me, staring down at the ground. I uncross my legs and kick him.

He looks up, frowning. 'What was that for?'

I roll my eyes. Like he doesn't know. Alexander can just be so annoying at times. He knows I spoke to him and I know that he knows so pretending otherwise is just useless. I flop down on the ground, back on the grass.

'Rolling your eyes is very unladylike, Raven. And no, training is not hopeless, that is unless you don't even try.'

'I do try though and you know I do, Alex. I just can't do anything like you can, I can't use magic,' I say. 'Training is hopeless so I refuse to do it anymore!' I rise to my feet and storm away. Suddenly Alexander materialises in front of me, causing me to stop. 'Really?' I ask, a little angered.