to adjust.
I could do this. Big girl panties, right?
Tamara waited in the middle of the field behind the house.
The sky had opened to a downpour that had turned into a soft rain. But the damage had already been done. Between the house and Tamara was a field awash in mud, wet grass, and who knows what else.
Was this some kind of test? I took the two steps down from the house and hesitated before hitting the ground. This was supposed to be the easy part, yet during my time in Russia, it hadn’t rained. My sad jacket would be soaked after some time out here.
Instead of taking a step back toward the house, I marched right out into that damn field. I even stomped in a puddle to gather my confidence.
I ignored the wetness seeping into my shoes. I ignored the mud covering my shoes. And I even avoided a panic attack by constantly reminding myself why I was here. My purpose.
Damn. My purpose really needed to work better when I was cranky in the mornings. Just the thought of scraping gunk off my shoes just about made me go back.
Tamara gave me the evil eye, so I decided to stand there with a straight back.
“You’re not very fast,” she said.
“You’re not very good at keeping time. You said in the morning.”
“It is morning.”
“I mean like dawnish morning.”
Tamara didn’t show amusement. “The last time I saw you, you didn’t defend yourself with magic. Was there a reason for that?”
“I only know so much.”
Tamara chuckled. “You mean you know nothing?”
I shrugged. “Kind of.”
Tamara sighed. “You’re not much use to me like this.”
“Give me one week. I might surprise you.”
Tamara’s eyebrow rose. A trail of rainwater formed on her hair and streaked down her cheek. Her clothes were soaked, but she didn’t care. She merely blinked when the water got into her eyes. She sighed deeply. Her cheeks caved in as if she were chewing on it. She smacked her lips and glanced at me from head to toe.
Time stretched out, and I hoped she would say something. My jacket was soaked by this point, but somehow, through sheer willpower, I remained where I stood. My Aggie would be proud.
“Lesson one,” she finally said, “know your power.” She held up her hand and presented the palm. “The amazing thing about power is that it’s in everything around us. Power swims in this whole hand. It’s all over me. Do you understand this?”
Nick had taught me a lot about this. Once he’d showed me how he saw me through his eyes. That power pulsed bright white under my skin like a fire. As to how I could use this inner strength was the important question.
“Yes.”
“The fundamental exchange is the driving power behind the spellcasters. They have the ability to draw power from a source and manipulate it to do what they want.”
Fundamental exchange. This was a new term. I nodded.
“Think of them as master clay molders. In the range of things, we are a source of power. Our power to shift comes from within. Without our power we cannot change from one to another.”
That I knew, too.
“For us, drawing from our power isn’t the same as shape-shifters. As a conduit, the path to using the power isn’t the same. They have to work less than we do. They’re better at it too, since they are playing in the pool you could say.”
“But...” I tried to find a way to ask without bringing Nick into it. “A spellcaster once told me he draws from himself sometimes.”
She chuckled. “They can, but compared to us, their inner strength is a pebble next to a mountain. Most of them could never change their flesh like us without an imbued weapon.”
I shifted and my feet squished in the mud. “You said most of them.”
“The world is a massive place, Natalya. You should never assume the shadows don’t hold new dangers.” She glanced to the woods in the distance. Her eyebrows lowered as her nostrils flared.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
She took a deep breath, and then shook her head. Nothing
I could do this. Big girl panties, right?
Tamara waited in the middle of the field behind the house.
The sky had opened to a downpour that had turned into a soft rain. But the damage had already been done. Between the house and Tamara was a field awash in mud, wet grass, and who knows what else.
Was this some kind of test? I took the two steps down from the house and hesitated before hitting the ground. This was supposed to be the easy part, yet during my time in Russia, it hadn’t rained. My sad jacket would be soaked after some time out here.
Instead of taking a step back toward the house, I marched right out into that damn field. I even stomped in a puddle to gather my confidence.
I ignored the wetness seeping into my shoes. I ignored the mud covering my shoes. And I even avoided a panic attack by constantly reminding myself why I was here. My purpose.
Damn. My purpose really needed to work better when I was cranky in the mornings. Just the thought of scraping gunk off my shoes just about made me go back.
Tamara gave me the evil eye, so I decided to stand there with a straight back.
“You’re not very fast,” she said.
“You’re not very good at keeping time. You said in the morning.”
“It is morning.”
“I mean like dawnish morning.”
Tamara didn’t show amusement. “The last time I saw you, you didn’t defend yourself with magic. Was there a reason for that?”
“I only know so much.”
Tamara chuckled. “You mean you know nothing?”
I shrugged. “Kind of.”
Tamara sighed. “You’re not much use to me like this.”
“Give me one week. I might surprise you.”
Tamara’s eyebrow rose. A trail of rainwater formed on her hair and streaked down her cheek. Her clothes were soaked, but she didn’t care. She merely blinked when the water got into her eyes. She sighed deeply. Her cheeks caved in as if she were chewing on it. She smacked her lips and glanced at me from head to toe.
Time stretched out, and I hoped she would say something. My jacket was soaked by this point, but somehow, through sheer willpower, I remained where I stood. My Aggie would be proud.
“Lesson one,” she finally said, “know your power.” She held up her hand and presented the palm. “The amazing thing about power is that it’s in everything around us. Power swims in this whole hand. It’s all over me. Do you understand this?”
Nick had taught me a lot about this. Once he’d showed me how he saw me through his eyes. That power pulsed bright white under my skin like a fire. As to how I could use this inner strength was the important question.
“Yes.”
“The fundamental exchange is the driving power behind the spellcasters. They have the ability to draw power from a source and manipulate it to do what they want.”
Fundamental exchange. This was a new term. I nodded.
“Think of them as master clay molders. In the range of things, we are a source of power. Our power to shift comes from within. Without our power we cannot change from one to another.”
That I knew, too.
“For us, drawing from our power isn’t the same as shape-shifters. As a conduit, the path to using the power isn’t the same. They have to work less than we do. They’re better at it too, since they are playing in the pool you could say.”
“But...” I tried to find a way to ask without bringing Nick into it. “A spellcaster once told me he draws from himself sometimes.”
She chuckled. “They can, but compared to us, their inner strength is a pebble next to a mountain. Most of them could never change their flesh like us without an imbued weapon.”
I shifted and my feet squished in the mud. “You said most of them.”
“The world is a massive place, Natalya. You should never assume the shadows don’t hold new dangers.” She glanced to the woods in the distance. Her eyebrows lowered as her nostrils flared.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
She took a deep breath, and then shook her head. Nothing
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