Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter Eleven: Is It Such A Bad Thing?

- 3 Days -

When the feather finally came to life in her palms, exactly as she imagined it, the world reignited in a new way for Nnandi. Everything she wanted shifted and promises she'd made as a child were renewed... almost. Any involving her ascension to power within the coven went to dust. But those that spurred her to learn more, do more, feel more, those were alive and well.

It took her three days to master the feather with Elrick, on top of the light reading her permitted around his shop. There were some tomes he steered her away from, for safety reasons, and others he avoided for personal reasons. Most were in the old languages that were well and beyond her ability to understand, though her curiosity pricked at the temptation of cracking open those old and weathered leather bounds. Just a peek at all those mysterious incantations.

Questions crossed her mind, a myriad of them at a time, regarding the origins of those books. Or maybe how it came to be that a Clandestine like Elrick got his hands on it. But it also crossed her mind that it was better not to ask those kinds of questions. Given the nature of some of his darker reading material, Nnandi assumed the worst. Murder, maybe. Theft, possibly. He seemed the kind of individual capable of great personal control, but not so much a sense of honor.

"Perfect."

She jumped, her entire body stiffening at the sudden appearance of his voice and that unbearable heat that seemed to follow him around. It grew stronger every day, and she swore it stoked the fire in her along with it.

Clasping her shaking hands around the metal trinket, Nnandi swallowed hard and fought her composure, forcing it back in place.

"It finally looks how I want it."

"I knew you'd get there eventually. Sometimes it takes longer to craft the vision. There's a lot of sweat and trouble and pain that goes into it. But once you get the foundations of it laid, the rest will build with ease." He circled her like a mentor, but it felt more like a hawk. Mismatched eyes gleaming down at her, a smile hidden behind his stoney expression. "You've regained all your previous skills quickly, as well. I must say, you are turning into a star pupil and my favorite student."

"I'm your only student," Nnandi replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, well, Sarai's reluctance to join in is unfortunate. She's awfully single-minded for one so young."

"Dedicated and loyal would be a more accurate way of describing her," Nnandi muttered, the guilt drudging its way up her spine to the back of her throat. She choked to talk around it. "She wants justice and change and is willing to fight for them. And I'm- "

"We aren't rehashing this argument again, Nnandi," Elrick sighed, "It's old and I'm getting tired of it."

Large hands rested on her shoulders, spreading that damnable heat through her body. She couldn't look away from his face as he spoke, hypnotized by his aura in the pathetic way Sarai called her out on before. Even as she sat and absorbed his warmth and his words, she couldn't help feeling ridiculous.

"You both chose life. And while she's choosing her own path, you've already settled on one that makes you happy, yes?"

"I don't know about happy..."

"The least miserable, then." He rolled his shining eyes, a smirk defying his pursed lips. "You're a natural and have always been from what I can tell. It's probably what put a target on your back. Too much power and natural aptitude would expose the Elders for what they really are. Or maybe what they aren't."

"What do you mean?"

His mouth opened, but his answer died before it could escape. Sarai's entrance into the room had that effect these days. Nnandi was too attentive, like an older sister who'd hurt her younger sibling and did everything in their power to persuade them out of snitching to the nearest adult.