“So, do I need to call you ‘My Lord’ now?”
He flung the towel over the side to join the clothes already there, and I instantly looked down at my feet, turning my back to him in embarrassment and frustration.
“That depends on a few things.”
“Like what?” I asked as he came out from behind the partition, still pulling his shirt over his head.
“Well, for starters, when we are together like this.” I blushed, which only caused him to smile. “Just the two of us, I mean. Or with Wynifred and Talon, then, no. But around anyone else, then, yes.”
I nodded my head in understanding, knowing I would mess it up.
“Why not Wyn and Talon?”
“Wynifred was not raised with us, so she forgets from time to time. Most of the time, I let it slide as she and Talon have undergone the Z?lství, but there are times when she probably needs to remember her place a bit more.”
“And Talon?”
“Talon and I grew up together; it would just be weird if he started calling me ‘My Lord’ and bowing all the time.”
“Were you not always king?”
“No, Siln?.” His answer was definite, and strangely final.
I shut my mouth, sure he didn’t want me to ask any more questions about his royal status.
“What does that mean?” I asked, hoping my change in subject was easy to follow.
“What?”
“Siln??” The word sounded odd on my tongue.
He looked at me quietly, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“It means, ‘little one’.”
I only nodded at him. What an odd nickname.
“Now, what do you say to a little bit of training for that newly awakened kouzlo of yours?”
“Training?”
“Yes, that buzz in your fingertips? I think it’s dying to get out.”
I looked at my fingers; it seemed silly that I hadn’t realized exactly what it was before.
“It’s…” I stopped mid-sentence, the proper words not finding the right place.
“It’s your magic, Joclyn. Perfectly centered and dying for you to learn to control it.”
I looked up at him, stunned; the buzzing grew a bit at Ilyan’s sly half-smile.
“I think it’s waited long enough, don’t you?” He left the closet quickly; I padded after him in bare feet, so that I could keep up. He nodded to the guard and kept moving. I finally caught up to him as he opened a large door that led outside.
“Now,” he announced, “the real fun begins. What do you say to growing a tree?”
“Growing a tree?” I said, alarmed. “How is that going to help me save Ryland?” The buzzing grew as panic joined my frustration.
“It will help because then you will be able to use your magic,” he chuckled, which only made me more upset.
“Growing a tree is not going to help me! How will I use that? Grow a tree and then go hide in it? That doesn’t help anyone.” I could hear the harsh edge of panic creep steadily into my voice.
“It helps us more if you know even a little bit of what you are doing than nothing at all.” Ilyan’s voice was still calm, and somehow, that helped to decrease my panic.
“So when will I learn magic that can help me save Ryland?” The buzzing grew more with the fuel from my stress. I felt like I was going to explode. I breathed deeply, trying to gain control.
“We have eight days, Joclyn. I can’t possibly teach you everything in eight days. So we will be learning the basics.” His calm voice was a whisper compared to mine.
“The basics? How am I supposed to do anything with the basics?”
“We will begin,” he continued, ignoring my outburst, “with plant growth so that you can gain control of your power. I will then teach you how to control wind, and if you are very lucky, we may touch on energy fields.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, Siln?. I will teach you enough so you can go in, defend yourself if you must, and so you can run away when necessary.”
“Run away?” My heart plunged into my toes, my voice dropping in tone as my heart rate increased in timber. “I thought we were going to save him.”
“We are.” He left it at that and strolled away from me.
“Then why do I need to know how to run away?”
“Because you will not be strong enough to fight any of them. You are going with the sole purpose of getting Ryland out, and that task requires you to run away. You must know how to run away from Edmund, from Timothy, and maybe even from Ryland.”