Page 82 of The Starlight Savior

“You’re annoyed with me.”

Saige looked up, heart rate leaping. “What are you talking about?”

“I can feel it. You believe I don’t trust you.”

Saige barked out a laugh. “Is this your attempt at reading my mind?” She tried to draw her arm away, but Conor tightened his bicep, keeping her locked to him. “Because it’s not working.”

“I don’t read minds, but”—he licked his lips—“I can read something else.”

“Gods, how much ale did you drink?”

“The abilities, Saige. The ones Tobin discussed.”

In order to be connected to death, one must be linked to the divinity of life.

Conor had been able to raise the bones, but when Tobin pushed him to share his ability, he had resisted.

“Whatever you’re trying to tell me,” Saige huffed, “spit it out.” She was beginning to tire of the riddles and the vague answers most of Etrane gave her. Especially from Conor.

“I’m trying,” he said, “but you must realize, this isn’t something most wielders share. If we have a connection to spirit, it’s seen as a gift. But some may forge it into a weapon. We are engrained at a young age to keep it to ourselves and our families as leverage for the future.”

“But Tobin knew my father used compulsion. Doesn’t seem like he kept it a secret.”

“Loose lips,” Conor reminded.

Saige laughed. Maybe Tobin was the local gossiper. “So if I have an ability, you’re basically saying not to share it with the maester.”

“That is exactly what I’m saying.”

“Stop trying to distract me.”

Conor sighed. Their steps were beginning to slow, and she could sense the energy radiating off Conor’s skin. His throat bobbed, his eyes darting between Saige and the gardens around them.

“I…can sense how people are feeling. Especially when they are strong. And if there is a connection, I’ll occasionally get more information. A flash of a memory. A string of words floating into my mind.”

Saige’s brows furrowed. Out of all the things she had learned, such magic seemed unheard of. Like an invasion. “How does it work?” she asked slowly.

“Only when I touch someone.”

Saige’s arm tensed in his grasp, but Conor shook his head. “Not every time I touch someone. It must be more intentional.”

“So when we began walking, what did you feel from me?” Saige asked cautiously.

Conor licked his lips. “Like a spark in my chest. Frustration. Confusion. A word came to mind, like a brand singeing my eyelids.” Conor looked down at her. “Trust.”

“I…I’m not sure how I feel about all of this,” Saige spoke honestly. Cold air stung her nostrils as she sucked in.

“I know it can be a lot to absorb. And I swear I’ll never use it intentionally. You want trust, I’m trying to give that. Most don’t know of my ability. But when it’s appropriate, my father will draw upon it as he does with Sebastien and others in his grasp. Outside of my father, mother, Sebastien, and Tobin, you’re the first to know.”

“It’s not that,” Saige said, shaking her head. Strangely enough, she didn’t think he’d use it against her. The earnestness in his eyes held no malice or deception. “It’s just a lot. There are so many things to learn about magic and my mind…I cannot…How many others have abilities in spirit?” The gardens were spinning around her, words muddling in her mouth. All she didn’t know was beginning to constrict her.

“It’s not common…but it isn’t the most rare form of magic either.”

As they walked, Conor explained the ways magic branched out in different bloodlines. Out of the seven, she hadn’t heard much of starlight. “Starlight is the purest form of magic,” Conor explained, “coming from the stars, moon, and sun. It isn’t talked about because starlight-wielders have gone extinct.”

The weight of his words lingered in the air. “And spirit?”

“Some, not all, have affinities for multiple elements. Spirit is seen as different though. A connection to the soul has nothing to do with bloodlines, but the deities.”