Page 89 of The Starlight Savior

Conor stood in Tobin’s place, hands behind his back. Her cheeks heated at the sight of his dark purple and black uniform, more elaborate than she had ever seen. The wolf emblem was embroidered with swirls around it, trailing up the edges of his collar.

“Did you weasel your way into my trainings too?”

One night of sleep didn’t ease the growing ache in her chest at the thought of King Vospella’s meeting. Part of her felt out of place holding this anger close to her heart, but it felt impossible not to direct it towards Conor after their promises of honesty and trust.

“The court and I discussed your training,” Conor said slowly, “after the meeting. It has been expedited past simply testing basins, and they agreed I’d be the best to lead you through this. Tobin is too traditional.”

“How selfless of you.”

“Saige—” Conor began, but she held up a hand.

“I’d like to just move past this,” Saige spoke honestly.

He nodded meekly, stepping aside to reveal a handful of pots on the ground. All of them consisted of decaying plants, crumbling and rotting into the soil. “Before we begin, I’d like to see you muster life.”

Saige narrowed her eyes. “What does this have to do with the mist? Or Sydera?”

“If you’re going to be part of reversing this curse, then you’ll need to be able to heal land.” He pointed to the plants at his feet. “They’ll be in much worse shape than this.”

“Oh,” she breathed, cheeks heating. There was so much talk of what she was expected to do that she hadn’t actually imagined what it would look like.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. You did well with the elements.”

“Is that so?” she muttered, eyes trailing over the pots.

“Come on,” Conor urged, “try and heal one of them.”

He took a step back, giving her the space to kneel on the marble floor. Her fingertips trailed the dead leaves and oozing stems. A buzzing energy formed in her chest as her fingertips glowed white. She kept her eyes open as she thought of a command.

Grow. Obey.

She urged her magic to listen to her pleas, to infuse with the dead plants and bring light back to them.

At first nothing happened.

Sucking in a shaky breath, she felt her hands tremble. Healing plants seemed like such a simple thing. But could she accomplish it?

Her mother was so gentle with her garden, as if every leaf and flower held so much life and purpose.

Fingers trailing the decayed plants, she watched her palms brighten. Tendrils of light flowed from her hands, wrapping around the stems. Squeezing and constricting. Strands of light formed in the soil. Her eyes widened as she watched the decaying plant burst, flowing with greenery and energy. Buds and leaves exploded. Bright purple flowers greeted her, her magic humming alongside them.

“Good job,” Conor murmured from behind her. “Try the others.”

She made her way through each pot, watching as the plants burst with life, more vibrant than she had ever seen. When she got to the final one, her finger tremored. A throbbing pain blossomed in her chest, but she kept moving forward, exhaling at her power before her.

“Now what?” Saige turned towards Conor. His smile was wide as he surveyed her work.

“We’re going to move locations.” He nodded towards the door, urging her to follow him.

She said nothing as they walked through the courtyard and back in the castle. Conor led her towards the western wing, down a hallway, and descending a set of stairs. Their boots echoed in the silence as they walked deeper and deeper into the castle. Fewer sconces were lit on the wall here, making their descent dank. She reached her hands out to touch the wall, fingers slipping over slick moss.

“Where are we going?” Her voice echoed around her, bouncing off the stone.

Conor didn’t turn to look at her, keeping his stride down the steps. “Somewhere more secluded.”

Saige stopped, crossing her arms over her chest. “Tell me where we’re going or I’m turning around.”

Conor’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh,” he breathed, “I’m sorry. Sometimes it’s easier to just show you instead of explaining. But”—he looked behind him—“walking or horseback takes too long usually. We’re going to travel through a portal where we can practice the essentials.”