as I turned and stomped a few feet away before whirling back.
This time, I mimicked what I'd seen him do earlier. I lifted my arm as he stepped to the side and watched. I inhaled and focused on the hay bale, concentrating all of my energy into the tips of my fingers. The heat began to build under my skin, all of it sliding forward as I worked to push it towards my hand.
"Come on," I hissed under my breath. "Do something." I shook my hand as if that would make the magic come.
A spark formed and then fizzled out. I stared at my hand in half horror and half humiliation before my gaze jumped to Sorrell. He didn't even blink as he said, "Again."
"But—"
"Again," he ordered.
I turned back and started all over again. The energy built. The heat built. I pushed it forward. It rushed beneath my skin, all of it sliding through until it reached the tips of my fingers. I closed my eyes and let out a breath.
Just let it go, I thought. Just release it. Let it out.
Almost as soon as those words had entered my mind and flitted back out, I felt something rush out of me. All of the heat and energy, and as my mind connected the dots, my eyes shot back open in time to see a puny little glowing orb slam into the bale of hay. Except instead of setting the thing on fire as we both expected, it merely sank into the hay and glowed for a moment as rays of golden light emitted from it. The thin ropes that bound the bale together snapped and the hay collapsed in a heap. I frowned down at the mess my magic had made.
"Interesting..." Sorrell said, sounding both confused and curious.
"Interesting?" I squawked, looking to him in horror before pointing to the hay. "Did you see that? It didn't do anything!"
"That's not exactly true," Sorrel said with a shake of his head.
"Well, snapping a few measly little ropes doesn't mean that my magic works," I huffed.
"Your magic works just fine, but I believe there's something we need to ask Groffet about it."
I scrubbed my hands down my face, hating the tears burning in the backs of my eyes. Sparks and light and no fire. That was it. I was the worst freaking Fae in the history of Fae.
"Cressida?" I barely heard Sorrell's voice as he approached. I was too caught up in my own self loathing.
Why was I even here? I wondered. What was the point of my existence if I wasn't even good at anything? The nuns had been right. I was clumsy. Stupid. Too stubborn for my own good. I was absolutely unimpressive. A problem everywhere I went. I sniffed hard.
"Cressida!" Sorrell's shout finally caught my attention, but I just couldn't deal with his scolding right now. It was too much.
I spun to face him. "What!" I shouted back.
"Look," he snapped, pointing down at me.
I followed his gesture with my gaze and gasped at what I saw. My skin was glowing. It was as if every pore of my body was filled with a dull light. I was illuminated. Golden sparks danced along my skin. Across the courtyard, the protective magic vines that covered the stone wall began to slither against one another, vibrating as if they felt a strange presence.
"W-what...?" My gaze found Sorrell's again. "What does this mean?" I asked.
He shook his head as he stepped closer and then carefully, very carefully, he reached up and grasped my wrist. Together, the two of us watched as my skin very slowly, returned to its previous state. The glow faded until it was gone completely.
"Sorrell?" I prompted.
He shook his head, staring at me once more with that peculiar look. "I don't know, Cressida," he admitted. "I don't know."
My heart sank. If Sorrell didn't know, then this was definitely not a good thing.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cress
Sweat slicked down my back. It soaked through my clothes and made the fabric stick to me. My skin felt overly warm, as if I was very close to a fire. I opened my eyes and looked down to see that it wasn't just warm, it was glowing. I was glowing. I gasped as the light emanating from beneath my skin grew brighter and hotter. I wasn't near a fire. I was the fire. Blazing hot light was pouring out of me. My sweat sizzled on my skin. I scrambled back, trying to get away, but there was