252
Lucy
I sat in the courtyard, eating from a lunchbox I'd bought from the school cafeteria, feeling good about myself. Stacy told me something about karma, and it felt like a good time to get some good karma by letting Tom have some alone time with Duke. Thinking back to that grateful grin Tom had flashed as they left, I felt even better.
Maybe it wasn't completely fair to Duke, but it was for his own good.
At least I was more subtle than Sarah.
I laughed to myself.
"And what are you giggling about?" Duke asked, standing just behind me. I looked up as he glowered down at me.
"Had fun?"
"You ditched me," Duke said, finding me much later. He glowered at me. "You never came."
I smiled. "I just wanted to give you time with your admirer."
He flushed. "That's not... Stop playing around."
I scoffed and linked arms with him. "It was so obvious, Duke. I know you noticed."
He was stiff as I looked up at him. I chuckled, giving him a knowing look.
"Oh, come on. It's not rocket science. Tom practically has a neon sign over his head that says 'interested.' What class do you two have together anyway?"
Duke scoffed, but the flush didn't leave his face. "You're imagining things. He's just friendly, and we have potions together."
I nudged him again. "Friendly? Please. I've seen the way he looks at you. That's not just friendly. That's flirting. Sarah would agree."
Duke scoffed, shaking his head. "You're reading too much into it, Lucy. And I wouldn't trust anything Sarah said."
I smirked back at him. "Am I, now? Well, mark my words, Duke. I may not know a lot, but I've learned."
"Oh?"
"Tom is definitely into you."
Duke wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Yeah, sure. I'm glad at least that you're feeling better. Did you get a chance to talk to David?"
I huffed. "No, I didn't. I called Blue to tell her that you have an admirer."
He scowled at me. "You're taking a lot of liberties."
"I told everyone else, too, including Luke, so you should be prepared for that."
"And what do you expect to get out of this?"
I squeezed him. "I want you to be happy... And to not be so bogged down."
His eyes went wide, and his wry smile dropped. Our gazes met, and I waggled my eyebrows.
"Stacy told me once that I should give myself the space to be happy... You should, too. Go with the flow, let Tom make his moves, and who knows? You might end up with a date to the Crescent Moon Festival that's not a bird or Maggie."
Duke laughed. His eyes seemed glossy as he pulled me close.
"You've got it all figured out, haven't you?"
"Of course," I said with mock seriousness. "I'm the relationship guru in training, after all. Just watch, I'll be..."
"As ridiculous as Sarah in no time?"
"Maybe not that ridiculous," I winced. "I promise to only put you in a bikini if Tom really wants to see you in it."
He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Just wait. I'm going to find the most embarrassing gift I can."
I grinned at him as he sighed. "Still, I'm glad... I'm glad you feel lighter."
I squeezed him back. "Me too."
The afternoon sun painted the sky in hues of orange and pink as Duke, and I gathered near the entrance of the human college.
The escort car pulled up, and we hopped in, the engine humming to life as we set off toward the academy. The comfortable familiarity of the car made me sigh.
"I gave it some thought," Duke said suddenly.
"Hm?"
"Tom."
I grinned. "Yeah?"
He flushed. "Don't get excited. I just gave it some thought, and maybe you're right."
I huffed. "I'm definitely right."
As we navigated through the winding roads, we moved on from Tom and romance and talked about how his training with Maggie was going and the Festival. Before either of us realized it, we were at the academy and heading inside.
Lucian's magical training sessions were always exciting and would probably leave me drained, but as we entered the back room, I felt more excited than usual.
"So glad to see the two young lovers could make it," Lucian said. I flushed, and Duke scowled.
"I swear families aren't good for much more than snuggles and gossip."
Lucian chuckled and ruffled his hair. "It's all love."
He looked at me. "I'm glad to see that David took my words to heart about your safety..."
I smiled at him. "I'm fine. I promise."
"Of course, now let's get started." Lucian's eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief. "I've been told I have to get you two fighting ready for the Festival in case you and David start a war."
My eyes widened with shock. Start a war? Lucian laughed.
"Don't look so grave. It's practically a tradition, especially with Oren around... Today, we're going to focus on refining your control over elemental manipulation. Duke, you'll work on water manipulation, and Lucy, we'll continue enhancing your proficiency with light-based magic. Given the family connection to moonlight, it's for the best."
Duke and I exchanged glances. He grinned. "Don't pass out."
"I'll try."
Lucian began with a demonstration, conjuring a beautiful cascade of water and shaping it into intricate forms.
"Now, Duke, your turn. Feel the water element around you. Connect with its essence," Lucian instructed.
Duke closed his eyes, concentrating. Slowly, a sphere of water materialized in front of him. It wasn't completely full or solid the way Lucian's was, but it was more than I could have conjured for sure. With focused determination, he manipulated it into various shapes, from delicate spirals to complex structures.
"Good, Duke. Now, let's add some finesse," Lucian guided him through more advanced techniques.
I watched on, feeling that sense of being so far behind again.
"Keep going," Lucian said. "I want at least fifteen minutes straight."
"Slave driver."
Lucian set a timer down and then pulled me aside to a table with a single glowing jewel.
"Imagine the light like strings. Use your own magic to grasp and pull it."
I bit my lip, trying to imagine that. It felt a little silly until I could see the light starting to bend. I could almost feel it resisting me. I poured more magic into my hands until the light bent and followed my hands.
"Good. We'll start with patterns."
He plucked a thin stream of light and drew a simple star in the air, then a heart, a square, and a circle.
"Your turn."
I thought it would be easy until I tried and couldn't make the light do anything but follow my hand.
"Imagine the air like a tack board. That's going to help you pin the light into place. Use your own magic like pins."
I tried the square first. Soon, I had a wobbly, fading square.
"Good. Keep trying until you can get it to stick for at least a minute. I'm going to check on Duke."
Sweat beaded on my forehead as Lucian left me. I heard him coaching Duke as I continued to try to make the square stick.
The alarm went off and all I had managed to do was make one solid line. My legs were weak, and I was absolutely exhausted. I melted into a seat, panting. Duke was laid out across the couch.
"You're both making excellent progress," Lucian praised.
"You're insane."
"I agree."
He laughed. "You don't think much of it now, but you'll see."
I looked over at Duke.
"Any word about how Blood Moon will retaliate against Blue Moon for the attack?"
Duke hummed. "Not yet. David's been recovering, but I'm sure Trent has at least half a war plan together. Blue's... surprisingly bloodthirsty."
I laughed. "I can see that... I just hope it won't keep getting worse."
Duke hummed. "The way I hear it, Blue Moon and Blood Moon have had bad blood for a long time. This was a long time coming, but I trust David's judgment. He won't put us in unnecessary danger."
He smirked. "Especially not you."
I sighed, my shoulders sagging under the weight of uncertainty. I believed that David would do what was best, that he would look after me, but I wasn't sure what that would look like.
War felt like it was coming, but I wasn't sure when or how.
When would Selene show back up and make things harder?
"It's coming."
"Remember what the king of the ocean said."
"I thought he was a prince."
"Whatever. You've got warriors on your side, so get ready to suit up."
I wondered if that would be enough. Selene had been working on all this for years, centuries...
Wait.
"Something on your mind?" Lucian asked.
"Oren was in my dream with Selene," I said. "He... Well, it's not important what he did, just that he was there. How was that possible?"
"Selene could have brought him in," Lucian said. "Opening a dreamscape, you control is a skill within her skillset, probably."
"No," I said. "I mean... how is a dead person dreamwalking?"
Lucian smiled. "Who said she was dead?"
"All the books say she is."
He lifted a shoulder. "Was there a body?"
The thought chilled me.
"Death takes many forms, and I can think of a few reasons why she would pretend to be dead."
I set my jaw. "Tell me."
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