knowing something was coming as he looked up from his book.
“We need to talk, you and I,” she said, pointing a finger between them. “Would you walk with me? Or would you prefer I sit?”
“Come sit,” he said softly, patting a spot on the grass beside him. Luykas looked up and smiled, then went back to his book, ignoring them. She fell to the ground and stretched her legs out. “What do you need?”
“I need you to teach me a couple of blood magic rituals for future reasons.”
“Of course. Come by my home at lunchtime, bring food, and we’ll work it out,” he said simply.
“That’s it?” She frowned. “No argument?”
“I will never pass up the opportunity to teach someone. Plus, it’s you. I never liked leaving your blood magic education to Luykas, but neither of you would have me. I finally get to see if your chaotic nature is really teachable. You’ll be the most challenging student I’ve ever had. A good thing to try right before I retire.”
“I’m a wonderful student!” she said with an insulted gasp. After a moment, they both laughed. Mave was a stubborn student who didn’t much care for tradition. She cared for what was useful. She was like that with everything in her life except one—the flute. She adored playing the flute whenever she had a quiet moment.
“You’ll be coming by just as the younglings leave to go home,” he smirked. “Maybe you can give them a little bit of fun to get some of that chaotic energy out of you before we have lessons.”
“Sure,” she agreed, shrugging. She didn’t just play the flute for quiet time. She liked watching the young children dance around, living beautiful, joyful lives she had never experienced. “How many children are in the village right now?”
“Oh, only a handful, five or six. They’ll be leaving when I do. They’re going up to Leria’s community.”
“Good, it’ll be safer for them up there,” she said softly. “So, you’ll teach me?”
“Yes. I won’t be able to teach you much before we’re out of time, but if you just want to learn a few of the rituals, I can do that for you. Lesson one can be right now. Intent is the most important part of blood magic. You can take all the power you want from your blood, but if you don’t have the proper intent to focus on the outcome you wish to achieve, it can become a waste.”
“I’ll remember that.”
For a moment, he just stared at her.
“Yes?” she tilted her head, wondering what was wrong.
“Do you want to talk about Matesh and Zayden? I know they’re two weeks late getting back.”
“Have you learned anything that might help with that?”
“No,” he said sadly.
“Then I don’t want to talk about it,” she said firmly. “They’re strong warriors, and they will come home to me. Late is okay, as long as they come back.”
He nodded respectfully, then wiggled his book. “I need to get back to it. We are rereading all of our intel since winter to see if we missed any hints or clues.”
“I’ll leave you to it.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead affectionately, then stood. She had options. She could bother Senri and Kian, her loving parents, or harass Emerian, Trevan, and Dave. Learen wandered off while she wasn’t paying attention.
She decided to save Kian from his wife. She walked over and grabbed the fan from him, doing his job. His arm dropped, and he groaned.
“Thank you.”
Senri looked up from what she was sewing and gasped.
“Mave! My wonderful daughter. What are you doing?”
“Helping Kian before his arm falls off. He’s been over here keeping you cool for a very long time.”
“Oh. He could have stopped at any time,” Senri said, frowning.
Kian just laughed as though it was the most ridiculous suggestion he had ever heard.
“What are you making?” Mave asked, sitting down. She rested the fan in her lap. It was the color of a winter night, that blue and grey, all blended together.
“A blanket,” her mother answered.
“For?”
“You. You couldn’t guess? It matches your eyes pretty well.” She pulled it up, showing off the fabric. “How does Mat describe them again? Frosted steel. I think they’re more like a storm, dark blue-grey clouds rolling in.”
“It’s the light,” Kian said with a snort. “Her eyes change, depending on her temper.”
Mave pointed at Kian, trying to indicate he was right. She’d heard a lot about her eyes described so many ways.
“I thought the blanket looked more like a winter night,”