Soul Bound

Chapter 17

A dummy in my sights--one hiding in the trees a hundred feet away, not the ones she wanted me to hit--I drew my bow. A gust of wind ripped past me; I paused, inhaling softly, waiting out the breeze. Once it was gone, I loosed the arrow, watching it soar through the air, striking the dead center of the dummy.

Annalyse peered at the dummy she wanted me to hit, frowning, then looked to the one I was aiming for. She gaped.

"You weren't kidding when you said you had a good shot. All right, if you want to do it your way, there's a dummy at the very end of this grove, past all the trees, impossible to see without our magic. Use your senses to find it then shoot it."

I scowled. "The dummies aren't alive, I can't see them." My Dragon Vision only worked on things that gave off heat--which usually meant they had to be alive.

She wagged her finger at me with a cocky grin. "Oh. Its like we came out here for a lesson or something. You wanted more magic--have a seat." She sat cross-legged on the grass, gesturing beside her for me to join her. I copied her positioning, hands on my knees, ready to learn.

"Okay," she said with her sharp gray eyes holding mine. "So this might be a little different for you, since Arkon and Aster's magic differ, but they should be close enough for you to fill in the gaps. Firstly, close your eyes and control your breathing."

I did as instructed, feeling the mountain's cool air fill my lungs.

"Good. Now put your hands on the ground, palms flat. This'll make it easier until you're familiar with the sense. As you breathe, try to reach out with your mind, thinking of your surroundings. Try to picture the layout of the grove and everything in it. Still good? Excellent. For me, when I see the grove in my mind, every object has a little flame hovering in place. The trees are tall and slender, while the rocks are short, barely a flame, really. I can feel the heat of them in my hands, telling me how close it is: the hotter the flame, the closer the object is. What do you see?"

"Nothing," I grumbled, trying to focus. The imagining part was easy. I could easily picture all the dummies scattered randomly around the grove, the trees standing tall over us, protecting us from onlookers in the sky. Reaching out with my magic was difficult. My mind kept jumping into Arkon's, who was doing his own training with Aster. They were high--really high--in the sky. I sensed he wanted to be even higher, but Aster wouldn't let him, reminding him that we humans could only go so high before we started suffocating--it was something he'd never considered, and I was suddenly grateful we never had a need to go that high.

I sighed, opening my eyes, bringing myself back to Annalyse. She smiled weakly at me. "It takes a while, Eva. You'll get there eventually."

Grumbling, I crossed my arms. "It's not fair. I can pick up on your combat lessons with no issue, but this? Magic? I can't do it without Arkon's help. I only know how to extend my sight because he poked me, giving me the magic I needed."

What if I didn't have enough magic in me to do this by myself? I'd seen the immense control Annalyse and Grayson had over their abilities--it was stunning how in tune they were with themselves. And here I was, unable to feel an ounce of magic near me. It was like I was powerless without Arkon.

Who was I kidding? Of course I was powerless without Arkon. If it wasn't for him I'd be nothing, just a small village girl. He was the only reason I was alive today. Nothing I did could ever amount to the power of a dragon.

I didn't realise I was crying until Annalyse hugged me. However, I wasn't upset; I was angry, frustrated. I'd been waiting for ages to learn how to use my magic, but now that I was finally given the chance to practice it, I couldn't do it.