Adriana
Things calmed down considerably as night approached. Kellen was helping Alec tidy up the last remnants of the mess that the siblings had made earlier, both of them chatting quietly. Alec still feels guilty about having lost control, and as soon as I had come back into Kata's house, he'd made sure to apologise to me. It makes him uncomfortable that I had to see him like that. I told him not to worry about it. Having been so close to him in the past, I know (or at least I hope) that eventually this won't bother me as much, just need to get used to this world. I'm glad, for his sake, that he's noticeably less tense now with Kellen around. They both just seem so much more at ease talking with each other.
As for Alec's sister, Kata took her off for a stern word shortly after we finished training. I'm not sure what exactly has been said, but Becca has not come back in since they finished talking, choosing to sit outside by the strawberries and doing nothing but staring into her lap. She's been sat there for a couple of hours at least, showing no signs of movement. Nobody seems too keen to go and talk to her, myself included. Maybe if she hadn't acted like a bitch to me lately I'd be a bit more willing to go and see if she was alright; she was once a friend after all. But I can't help but feel like the person I knew never existed in the first place. I've come to the conclusion that I can't say the same about her brother. He still seems like the man I knew before, just with fangs and a bit of creepy shit. Even he seems disdainful about his sister right now.
Eros has yet to make an appearance with my little sister, opting instead to remain outside, as far away from Becca as possible, still painting little people and animals on pebbles. I genuinely think he might be enjoying it, and she seems quite taken with him. She still doesn't look as confident as she normally would be, but at least for now she's comfortable.
With everyone off doing their own thing, the house is almost eerily quiet. Most of us are still waiting for Eros to say something about what our next move will be, the gravity of the situation weighing thick in the air, albeit I don't see anything happening about it tonight, even if he has come up with something. It's getting really quite late to start on any sort of travel and he looks knackered. I doubt he'd be of much use to anyone if he doesn't rest, regardless of what he says.
Mahlia agrees with me, though she is worried about waiting for too long in one location without knowing how much opposition we're up against, especially one that Roma knows. Sat in front of me, the witch watches Eros out the window, talking about him in the way any mother would. I know she's not his biological mother, but from what she's told me in the past half hour she might as well be. It's the same for Kata too. They were raised together in Eros's parent's castle, far into the Unseelie kingdom, which Eros's parents rule.
Through speaking with her I have also come to learn that we are currently residing in the outskirts of the Seelie realm, this location being far enough away from Eros's parents that they don't give him too much trouble. Kellen's hut was outside of either of the kingdoms, in an area that remains largely unoccupied. He is apparently an anomaly in the werewolf world, not living amongst a pack. Mahlia said that they call wolves like him rogues, but doesn't dwell on the subject for too long, more concerned about the welfare of the Prince.
"He hates it in these parts, you know. As much as he constantly complains about being with his parents, the Seelie kingdom is not his home. Takes more of a toll on him than I think he realises," the witch frowns, watching his tired frame.
"What do you mean?"
"He is first in line to take over from his father, born to be in the Unseelie lands. I can't pretend to understand the kind of effect it has on him completely, but there's more to his status than just a title. He is tied to those lands, to his people. Being here, especially when the two kingdoms have always been at odds... Not many would willingly do that."
I can't imagine he can spend very long away if that's the case. "I assume it's not the same for Kata?"
She sighs. "At first it was, not anywhere near as strongly as it is for the Prince but the tug was there. She always resented it there. I won't go into why; it's not my story to tell. Now it seems she's been away for long enough that it doesn't affect her anymore. Either that or she has just learned to manage it."
My brows furrow. "So is it the same to some extent for all the fey, and just stronger for him?"
"Afraid so," she nods. "It's always been in their nature to stick together. Unfortunately some use this tendency to their advantage," she looks sadly at Eros before turning away from the window, taking a sip of her glass of water.
"Are his parents like that? Taking advantage?"
"Always have been. Like their parents before them and going back generation on generation. But don't let them fool you. The Seelie aren't much better. They're more skilled at hiding it."
Nodding, I look down at my fingers for a moment. There's so much to this world that I don't know about. As a kid, I would have thought that the fairy realm was a mystical place full of happiness. I would go as far as saying that on the surface, that assumption is pretty accurate. Beneath that though is so much corruption that I feel I've barely scratched the surface of. So much compulsion and lack of free will, whole kingdoms opposing each other. And I'm still not sure where any of us, Eros in particular, fit in this equation.
Mahlia clasps her hands together, causing me to look up. "I think that's enough of that. I can't tell you much more about things without getting too far into things that I'm not sure I should really be explaining."
"That's alright. I know there's a lot he'll have to tell me himself, if he does actually want me knowing at all," I roll my eyes, remembering that for a good chunk of the time I've known the Prince, he kept virtually everything away from me. I wonder if he'd still be trying to do that if I'd never seen Kellen transform or we'd never been attacked.
"Perhaps I should show you some magic?" I consider this for a moment. I'm not sure what kind of magic she's referring to, but whatever it is, I suppose it's sure to help. Maybe one day I'll be able to channel it to make those bolts of lightning she has made before. I can't comprehend how on earth I'd ever get to that point, though.
I nod, following her to the dining table. She places down her glass, flexing her hands.
"The first thing you need to learn is how to feel energy. Once you can feel it, you've crossed the biggest hurdle," she takes off a ring, placing it on the table in front of me. "Everything has energy. It doesn't have to be alive or moving. Energy is in everything. I want you to try to feel the energy of this ring."
Picking it up, I examine the details of the silver band. It has what looks like runes carved into it, and it's aged and slightly wonky and scratched all over from wear. It is anything but ugly though, something about it almost calling to me. "How do I feel it?"
"Hold it in your non-dominant hand. This one is your more receptive hand. Close your eyes and focus. I won't tell you what to expect because everyone feels it slightly differently. Concentrate on keeping your breath steady and the feel of it in your hand. You'll know when you feel it."
I do exactly what she told me. Taking the ring into my left hand, I close my eyes, trying to focus on breathing steadily and feeling the weight of the metal on my palm. I stay like this for a few minutes before cracking an eye open.
Mahlia smiles warmly. "These things can take a lot of time. Don't be disheartened, child."
Sighing, I close my eyes again, trying to focus but still not getting very far. I don't even know what I'm looking for and feel like rolling my eyes inwardly. For all I know I might never be able to do any of this shit. I haven't lived in this world for my entire life like the others. What if my human brain is just too, I don't know. Human?
My eyes open again at the sound of slight chuckling from Mahlia. "I can see the frustration on your face, sweet. You will get it eventually. Don't take it too seriously."
"What if I can never do it though? You've all been living around this stuff for a lot longer than I have. Is it even possible for someone like me whose never even seen magic before a few days ago to do this?"
"You will get it eventually. You forget I am human myself. I wasn't too different from you when I was taken in by my coven."
"Really?"
She nods, smiling softly despite the sadness in her eyes. "Where I am from, my people were never treated well. Especially the young women. I ran, and the coven's High Priestess found me. She took me in and taught me most of what I know. I had never been exposed to anything supernatural until that point."
So maybe it is possible, then. She must be an incredibly strong woman, not just in terms of her ability. I don't want to make her go into more detail about her past. I can already tell it must have been painful.
"Are you still a part of the coven now?" I ask, wondering about the others who had travelled with Mahlia when she first found us.
She grins widely. "I am a Priestess, now. The High Priestess is still the same and remains my mentor."
"You must be a quick learner," I comment. She looks fairly young, and to have become a Priestess in quite a short time... wow.
She laughs animatedly at this however, shaking her head. "On the contrary dear, it has taken me just over 90 years to get to that point."
My eyes widen. "But you're human, right?"
"Energy does wonderful things when you know how to manipulate it."
*****
After a while, Mahlia left me alone to practice with the ring, not that I've gotten anywhere. I decide to take a break, taking a drink with me into the living room where Alec and Kellen are now sitting, having finished tidying. Kellen smiles, patting the cushion next to him.
"Kata says you did some training?" he asks, grinning innocently.
"Yeah. Got my arse handed to me on a plate," Alec chuckles slightly, but Kellen tilts his head in confusion.
"She just means Kata beat her," Alec explains.
"Oooooh. Yeah, Kata is very good. She beats me too."
"I take it she can beat most people, huh," I remember the interaction with Eros earlier. I don't doubt that she is extremely skilled in combat if she can beat him. I've only seen him fight once and I know I wouldn't stand a chance against him.
"She's too quick for most people. Alec can stand up to it better but even then she can still beat him most times," Alec nods in agreement.
Sighing, I twiddle the ring between my fingers. "I barely managed to land a hit. I made one and she turned it against me. That was the best I did."
"Even landing one is something, Ria. She's great at training people to think like a fighter. And most people aren't as well trained as her anyway. Her father was a general," Alec's eyes shift to the ring in my hands. "Mahlia teaching you already?"
"Is this what she uses for everyone?"
"Pretty much. Been ages since she showed me and I don't really remember it. Honestly I sometimes wish I'd paid more attention," he scratches his neck sheepishly, making Kellen giggle.
"I can't figure out how to do it. I'm doing everything exactly like she said and it's just not working," I huff, the frustration making a reappearance.
"You just have to keep at it. For me, I got it when I wasn't even trying. Maybe you're trying too hard?"
"How can I be trying to hard when all I'm doing is concentrating?"
"Maybe you're too busy trying to find something instead of just letting yourself feel it. It's not really like suddenly feeling something that wasn't there before. It's kind of just paying attention to something you're already sensing but don't realise it," nodding, I think I understand. He's right, I am searching for something, when maybe all I need to do is think less.