I stepped away, my insides tensing when he smiled again. He pushed the mug back into my hands, the warm Black Water still swirling heavily inside.
“The Drak drink the Black Water from birth. It is part of our very nature, part of who we are. You have had two mugs. It is the start of your new life. You will find, in a matter of days that you will no longer desire human food. You will not need to sleep as much. You will only need the Black Water to sustain you.”
I looked into the mug uneasily. I already wanted to take another drink and that alone was worrisome.
“Now, let’s conduct a little experiment. I will shoot a target into the air for you. I want you to drink of the Black Water and then fire your magic at the target. Aim to kill.” I nodded once. That sounded easy enough, if only my stomach would stop flipping from nerves.
I lifted the mug to my lips and drank greedily, loving the way the liquid filled me up. Dramin smiled as I downed the liquid. I lowered the mug as he fired a dark heavy shape from his hands and across the large space. It was heavy and more cumbersome then the magic I had learned to control, it almost looked...weak. I lifted my hand, surprised by the response my magic had to that simple thought. Without even having to focus the way I always had, a ripple of brilliant violet flew from the palm of my hand, faster than I had ever seen, to intercept with Dramin’s dark target. The two collided heavily in the air, a purple shower filling the room as my magic destroyed the target.
I didn’t move. I didn’t dare. I stared at the now dark intersection, the impact replaying in my mind. Ilyan had been training me in combat for months and I had never been able to obtain that kind of power, even after I was able to shield myself from the drain caused by the necklace. Ilyan had always said how strong my magic was, but it had never responded. Not like that.
“Wonderful!” Dramin shouted as he clapped his hands enthusiastically. “Did you know that the Drak carry no defensive magic? So the fact that you can do that, and so well, is amazing.”
I stared at him.
“Would you care to try it again?” Dramin waved his hand over my mug, the liquid instantly refilling.
I looked at the Black Water for a moment before nodding my head and emptying the mug with one gulp. Dramin laughed as he sent another target for me. This time I released the mug into the air, only to have it float before me, as I sent a strong impulse from both hands. The energy wave moved away from me, disintegrating the target and leaving a long divot in the rock. I reached out and grabbed the mug from where it still hovered in the air, my hands wrapping around the smooth ceramic as if I was afraid I would drop it.
“Amazing,” Dramin whispered beside me.
“How is that possible?” I asked, looking at my hand. “I have never been able to... I mean, I…”
“It appears the Black Water has opened up your true potential, Siln?.”
I turned to him, my hair flying as I moved. I stared at him wide eyed, hoping he would answer my unasked question since I was not sure how to phrase it. He met my eyes, his eyes shining as they searched through me – for what I did not know.
“No, not yet.”
“Then when?” I demanded, suddenly worried I would not get the answers I desperately needed.
“When you have accepted who you truly are.” His answer was simple, but yet seemed so impossible. Especially considering that I didn’t even know what I truly was. I looked at my free hand, my eyes trailing back to the large dent that rent the smooth surface of the stone.
“I am a Drak,” I said. I could still feel the Black Water buzzing through my veins. The feeling was definitely addicting.
“Yes.”
“But I am also one of The Chosen.” My fingers grazed over the seldom touched skin of my mark, as if I needed concrete proof.
“Yes.”
“But the two cannot exist together. Different magic cannot exist in one being without a bonding.”
My statement was simple, confident. He had already told me the answer, had already given me that much of my fate.
“It seems,” Dramin said, “that now they can, Siln?. In you, all things are possible.”
Nineteen
The forest. I cringed when I saw it, my heart falling to my feet in terror. I fought the urge to curl into a ball in expectation of what awaited me. These weren’t just nightmares anymore, they were real. With nightmares you could at least count on waking, but with these dreams I was not so sure anymore. I couldn’t even defend myself in them without the risk of hurting someone else.