That’s not true. In the Testing Arena, Ileni had already drawn power from more than one, without even needing to. She looked away to hide her expression, not sure what it would be. The Renegai Elders had always claimed they were the masters at magic, more skilled than the imperial sorcerers despite having less power. It was nice to know something she had been taught was true.
It also meant she had a better chance of striking at the Academy. If she could draw on a hundred deaths at once, and each imperial sorcerer could only manage the power of one lodestone at a time, it evened the odds. A bit.
Cyn’s eyes narrowed, and Ileni realized that she had been silent for too long. She searched her mind for something to deflect Cyn’s attention, then had an inspiration. “And Lis? She must not be as skilled as you.”
It worked. Cyn’s face changed entirely, and when she spoke, her tone was scornful and superior. “Lis goes through a lodestone every two years or so. The lower-level sorcerers do, too. They’re not as skilled, so their spells cost them more power.”
“Then you must need a constant supply of new lodestones. Where do you get them?”
“That’s a question you should ask Lis.” Cyn tilted her head to the side, sleek hair falling over one blue eye. “The question that interests me is, what are you?”
A weapon. Ileni crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you mean?”
“The Academy trains sorcerers to uphold and expand the Empire. We don’t have many applicants from rebellious fringe groups.”
Under other circumstances, Ileni might have found this directness charming. At the moment, she did not. But she summoned up her best approximation of a friendly smile and said, “I’m unique.”
“If you say so.” Cyn leaned forward. “What made you see the error of your people’s ways?”
Ileni’s breath hissed through her teeth. She was about to say something extremely injudicious when she saw the glint in Cyn’s eyes.
“I haven’t,” she said with her own shrug. It wasn’t quite as insouciant as Cyn’s, but it was passable. “I don’t care about the Empire. I just want to be powerful. I came here to continue my training in magic.”
She suspected Cyn would have no trouble believing that.
Cyn paced across the room, and even though she only took three steps, Ileni felt like she was being circled. “So your people don’t use lodestones, and your power faded after you were already trained? How often does that happen?”
“Never. Childhood power doesn’t always last to adulthood, but we have tests that can determine whose power is permanent.” The old fury rose in Ileni. Absalm had faked her test, given her a place in the world, and then ripped it away, on purpose. “Usually, only those with lasting power are trained. In my case, someone made a mistake.”
Even now, it was hard to say.
“Ah. Too bad.” The sympathy in Cyn’s voice was equally hard to hear.
“And no, my people don’t have lodestones.” Because lodestones are evil. “So this is the only place where I can still use magic.”
Cyn crossed the room and plopped down next to Ileni on the bed. “It will be all right. Wait until you see how much magic you can wield now that you’re drawing from lodestones.” She leaned back on her elbows. “I’ll show you.”
“Will you.”
“Of course. If you truly are as skilled as Karyn thinks, you’re quite valuable now. Besides, it will be nice to have someone around who’s almost as good as I am.”
“Almost?”
Cyn laughed and leaped to her feet, somehow managing not to trip on the hem of her gown. “Come on. No one else will be at the training plateau. We can get in some practice before the others manage to drag themselves out of bed.”
Ileni stood and had to pause as a wave of dizziness made the room whirl around her. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before. But fasting was a regular part of Renegai discipline, and she was sure she could make it until breakfast.
The question was: should she?
Yes. This was an opportunity to find out if Cyn knew anything about how the lodestones were created. An opportunity to prove to the sorcerers that she was who she was pretending to be.
And an opportunity to use the magic thrumming through her.
“All right,” she said, and heard the eagerness in her voice. It would have been a good act, if she had been acting. “Let’s go.”
Ileni had finally beaten Cyn for the first time, using a spell that sliced through Cyn’s wards and skin simultaneously, when Evin and Lis swooped from the cloudless blue sky and landed on the plateau. Ileni brushed her sweat-soaked hair away from her face, pretending she didn’t care that they had an audience.
Or that they had, apparently, missed breakfast.
“I yield,” Cyn said, sounding genuinely pleased. “You are full of surprises, Renegai girl. How do you weave that much power at once?”