The Ashen Raven's Treason

Chapter 33

In the same training room as the first day, I stand in the middle, Zikkora taking to the staircase floating along the outer rim. As every other day, he paces relentlessly, needing to do something with his feet and his body. He can't remain still, especially not when giving orders.

Today, it is just the two of us. The Void Queen has other matters to tend to, and though I wish to ask, I resisted the urge to blurt that question. I have to keep believing that her private business is just that, not for my eyes or ears. Similar to her sister's tendencies, she keeps herself locked away in the belly of the beast, biding her time. It's strange for me to think I once walked into that room and felt comfortable enough to sit on her sofa. The Void Queen's deepest, darkest secrets are there, and with all the time she spends hidden behind that ordinary door, I wonder if I missed something obvious.

Zikkora retrieved me much earlier than he has over the past four days. I practiced enough of lightning and ice that he doesn't want to see another lick of it, and the premature arrival is a sign that he wishes to focus on something different. After a brief endeavor of 'warming' my magic, both of us are ready to go. 'Warming' the magic, as Zikkora says, activates the heightened senses Luminaries can take advantage of.

He takes powerful strides down the stairs and stops within feet of me, planting himself firmly on the black marble floor. White flickers resemble stars, grey wisps the clouds. I can hardly look at it without recognizing Castiel's face, the nights we spent sitting on the rooftop, our knees tucked into our chests to ward away the cold. He pointed out constellations, but they were never there.

I blink myself back into focus. Zikkora's relentless training schedule has left me with no time to think of my family, nor everything else I left behind, but an invisible tether tugs towards home, towards my family and friends. I haven't had time to wonder if the royal children plan to rescue me, or if their mother has put her foot down.

Does Chaska cry? Does my brother lay awake at night, wondering where I could have gone? Pitiful isn't an understatement. I shouldn't long for their attention as much as I do, but appreciation is nothing short of hard to come by. They're devastated, I know they are.

Zikkora's throat clears. "Are you ready, Marie?" he asks.

Without his leader in his presence, his tone is not nearly as angered. I didn't think him to have a soft side until the day after our first training bout when she had too many responsibilities weighing down her shoulders to show. He even smiled. Though unnatural, something about it felt like he should avoid expected toughness.

I nod, a firm jerk of my chin. "I'm ready."

"Today we'll train you to protect against weapons without using weapons of your own."

My jaw tightens involuntarily. "You won't fling knives at me, will you?" I ask cautiously.

This time, he resists the urge to laugh at my plausible weakness. I hope he hasn't spent many of his days throwing weapons at heads, but he is employed in the Void Queen's forces. Without her here, he doesn't carry that similar swagger. Zikkora tucks it away for when she returns, then he applies the mask of calculated, frozen rage into his movements.

"No, I will not fling knives at you. I want to train your energy manifestation." He starts to pace once more, circling around me as he speaks. "In Luminaires, the energy manifestation is the physical form of your power. You can use it as a shield or a blockade, or a weapon itself. Energy manifestations help Luminaries reach beyond their limits, so your true body can extend without actually moving."

Nothing in Gustus's Luminary manuscripts and scrolls prepared me for this. I read faintly on energy manifestation, but the script was almost always faded, and the truth muddled. Considered a Luminary's extensive power, I always thought of it as...lackluster. Without reason and weaker than the rest of what I could do. Without the proper resources and history, I don't quite know the truth.