I stifled a yawn before focusing again. I let visions and memories of Ryland be my focus, still, the barrier didn’t shift. The blanket that Edmund had placed over my magic was as strong as ever.
“You’re not trying hard enough,” Ovailia scolded from across the courtyard. She sat stoically in one of the many wrought-iron benches, a pile of small pancakes sitting next to her. I looked at them longingly before turning away from her. My hunger was not helping me focus.
I bit my tongue to keep from responding to her and flexed my fingers again. I closed my eyes and thought deeply about the first time I had met Ryland in his kitchen. The memory made me smile, and the barrier shifted just enough to let all the pent-up energy out of me in a rush. My focus had been solely on producing the energy, so when my body finally complied, it didn’t have any direction or purpose. The magic shot out in a rush, flying out of both my hands and knocking me to the ground.
“You finally shift the barrier and you can’t even control your power. Pathetic,” Ovailia’s voice sneered wickedly across the courtyard; my smile of accomplishment vanished.
“Hey, I’m trying, okay?” I snapped as I jumped to my feet, rubbing my hip.
“You are not trying hard enough.”
“I’m exhausted, Ovailia. You haven’t allowed me to get enough food or sleep for the past few days! I can’t even think straight!”
She stood with her eyes narrowed at me angrily.
I shrank back a bit before planting my feet defiantly. I didn’t want her to think she was getting the better of me.
“And how do you think it will be in two days when you enter the LaRue estate to save the ‘love of your life’?” she sneered. “Are you going to have your wits about you? Are you going to be able to think straight?”
Ice snaked down my spine at the reminder of how little time was left.
“Yes!” I yelled. “I know what I am doing! I have been in that house more times than you could ever manage.”
Ovailia stared at me, and for a wild moment, I was sure that I had won, that she understood that I knew what I was doing. Then, she began to laugh. The tinkling sound could very well have been beautiful, but it was so full of mocking malice that it only made me angry.
“I know what I am doing,” I repeated defiantly.
“No,” she continued. “You have no idea what you are doing. You are going to be terrified; you are going to be a hindrance to us all. I’m just trying to make it so that you don’t accidentally kill anyone.”
I squared my jaw and lifted my head. I was beginning to wonder if hate was a strong enough word for how I felt about her right now.
“I am not going to kill anyone.” I was confident.
“Oh yeah? What about your beloved Ryland. What if, when he holds you, the barrier shifts just enough that your magic surges? What if you can’t control it? What if you kill him?”
The mention of Ryland’s name, combined with my anger and frustration, was a tidal wave. The barrier shifted aggressively off me. My pent-up magic began to surge under my skin, rippling over my body like the prickling fur of a wild animal. That’s how it felt within me—wild. I clenched my hands in an effort to keep it inside. No matter how much I hated Ovailia right now, I knew she was right.
She sensed what I was going through, and her smile widened broadly.
“You can’t even control it right now, can you? I don’t know what Ilyan sees in you. There is no way you are the Siln?.”
“What?” I whispered. She had used my nickname like a title.
Ovailia smiled at my lack of knowledge. “Ilyan hasn’t even told you. He must not trust you with such valuable information, just like he doesn’t trust you to save Ryland.” Her voice was snide, condescending; it only increased my power more.
I aimed my hands at her just as the magical energy reached a breaking point. A stream of light and flame burst out of me, hitting Ovailia in the dead center of her chest. She flew through the air before landing and skidding against the long grasses of the courtyard, leaving a long trail behind her.
Part of me was worried for her, while another only cared if I was going to get in trouble or not. My magic continued to stretch out of me as I brought the wind up and lifted myself into the air, only to land next to her a moment later.
I was about to ask if she was all right when she slammed her hand across my face. The slap, combined with the angry magical pulse she had filled it with, sent me spinning through the air to land hard against a small bush.
“You stupid, little girl!” Ovailia spat as she flew at me. “You know absolutely nothing. You think you can just waltz in and steal your boyfriend and everything is going to be fine! You’ll be lucky if you even leave alive.” She raised her hand again, a large crack sounding through the clearing as the earth next to my head exploded.
“I can do this!” I detangled myself from the bush, desperate to move in case she aimed for my head next time.