Chapter Nineteen

Lyra's POV

Alexandria believed pain was a teacher, a sick, twisted but slightly nevertheless educating method.

“Again, the spell won't work itself you know”

I wiped the sweat off my brows and got into position again. I moved down and slammed my palm against the map forest floor as my knees went down with it.

Mud splattered across my trouser, the purple sparks on my fingers weakened in light like dying embers as my lungs burned as if I had been running for hours.

I inhaled sharply and hard, then again. Then I heard those dreadful words I had been hearing for the past few hours now.

“Again” Alexandria repeated, calm as ever.

Maria stood a few steps back, arms across her chest tightly with slightly furrowed brows.

“Alexandria” she said calmly with a hint of tension in her voice, “She's reaching her limit”

Alexandria continued looking at me. “She reached her limit ten minutes ago Maria. This is where the training begins”

I bit down in my lower lip to prevent myself from snapping back. My hands shook as I pushed myself upright.

Every muscle in my body screamed back in pain but I managed to uniformly hold myself up.

Caspian watched from the shade of a tree, black coat hanging open with an unreadable expression. He had said a word since we started and that made me felt worse. I couldn't tell if he thought this was worse or... Not enough.

“Feet shoulder-wide apart” Alexandria commanded, “You have to ground yourself or the magic will be backlashing each time”

I did as I was told, closing my eyes briefly. The forest vibrated underneath my feet softly. I tapped into the earth and the feeling of ancient magic in the ground and began to work on that.

“Good, good” Alexandria murmured, “Now, call it without blood”

My eyes snapped open, “But you said—”

“I said blood magic is dangerous without control” She cut me off sharply, “Not that you'd be dependent on it”

I clenched my fist.

Fine.

I lifted my hands and let the magic rise slowly. I felt dizzy the magic resisting at first but slowly started accepting.

Purple light spilled between my fingers, softer than before.

The ground beneath my feet started trembling...

The roots of the trees began responding and trees dancing in the sharp wind.

“Splat!“

Bright red liquid spluttered out of my mouth as my vision swarmed with darkness for seconds as my knees buckled under me.

I would have hit the ground if Caspian hadn't moved first.

He was there so suddenly that I felt the cold seeping out of him.

He didn't grab me but braced my back with his forearm steadily.

I cleaned the trace of blood on my lip.

“I got you” he said quietly,

“I'm fine” I muttered, feeling mortified.

“I know” he said quietly, “But that doesn't mean you won't fall”

That shut me up.

Alexandria studied me carefully, “Mm... You burn too fast” she said after scrutinizing, “Your magic answers you instantly, that'd rare, and lethal”

Maria handed me a cup of steaming drink that smelled sharply of herbs and bitterness. “Drink”

I didn't argue.

The liquid scorched my tongue on the way down my throat, warmth spreading through my chest and my body stopped trembling.

“Magic always takes something” Alexandria continued, crouching in front of me. Her dark eyes were scorching and sharp.

“The more powerful it's going to be, the more the consequences it will take. You don't escape the law, rather you manage it, magic isn't always advisable”

I looked at her carefully, “You talk like you've paid the price”.

Her fingers stilled in the dirt, and for a moment I thought she would not answer like usual.

“I have” she said simply.

I saw something like loss, regret, flickered deep in her eyes...

“Enough for today” She stood up abruptly.

Relief washed through me as I almost fell back...

~

Night fell, thick and dark..

We stayed near Alexandria's home. I laid down wrapped underneath the blankets near the fire, my muscles aching and a slight headache that wouldn't let me sleep.

Maria sat beside me, carefully cleaning a shallow cut on my arm from earlier.

“You did well” she said softly and I snorted.

“I nearly passed out, I even threw up blood”

“But you didn't pass out” she replied, “And that's what matters”

Caspian stood a short distance away, his gaze fixed on the tree line. I followed his line of sight.

“Are you expecting something?“

“Yes” He said without any hesitation and that sent a chill down my spin.

That night I couldn't sleep comfortably, everytime I managed to doze off I felt myself being on edge, almost like being watched. When I finally woke up, my heart was racing.

The forest changed the next day, not visibly at first but the birds went quiet too often and the air felt heavier.

We were deeper in the woods than before when it hit. I was mid spell practicing channeling magic through movements like Alexandria had shown me when a pressure slammed into me that wasn't magic.

“Did you feel that?“

Caspian, Richard and Jasper's head snapped up immediately. “Down!“

I dropped without arguing this time.

The earth rippled beneath us as leaves scattered, Jasper already started growling.

“That's not a strigoi” Maria rippled.

“I know” Caspian said with a flat voice.

“Lyra” Alexandria said sharply, stepping in front of me as her staff was planted on the ground. “Don't reach for it, it's a trap”

“I won't” I whispered.

Laughter echoed faintly through the trees and quickly got distant the moment it reverberated, the pressure vanishing along with it.

Silence....

I turned around to look at everyone, “That was him right?“

No one said anything, Caspian's jaw tightened, “He knows we're here”

Maria swore under her breath, “Then we can't waste any more time, speed up practice, anything”

Alexandria turned to me, eyes gleaming, “Tomorrow we start blood channeling”

My stomach dropped immediately, “B... Blood channeling?“

She smiled anticipatory, “You wanted answers didn't you?“

I did actually.

Fear coiled tightly in my chest and my throat felt tight for no reason.

I cleared my throat and determined myself to do this, and push myself for what I wanted, and if Richard was watching? Then I would give him something worth fearing.

Tomorrow we would start blood channeling.