A Trial of Sorcerers: Book One by Kova, Elise (universal ebook reader .txt) 📕

done with you. Your powers…you’re too dangerous.” Cullen started down the hall.

“Cullen, wait!”

But he was too far gone. There was no way he’d turn around now, no matter how hard she willed it. Eira stared at his back, her chest knotting painfully. She wanted to tell herself that it didn’t matter. That Cullen didn’t matter. But perhaps he hadn’t been alone in finding someone to trust…

Eira had never cared about Cullen before. But, somehow, now the idea of losing him—of yet another person abandoning her—was more than she could bear.

21

Alyss sat in the chair of the tiny desk that was wedged against the armoire in Eira’s room. Her feet were propped on the desktop, crossed, as she balanced on the back two legs of her chair. It was a wonder she didn’t fall over, given how transfixed she was on the latest printing of her favorite romance author. The book was perched on her knees as she furiously squished and molded clay, too distracted to make any concrete shapes.

Eira listlessly flipped through the pages of the Lightspinning book Mister Levit had given her. She’d read all the pages, multiple times, but she was now looking for a way to counter Deneya. She still had yet to break the stupid shield.

At least, that’s what she told herself she was doing.

Her focus oscillated between the writing and the dark world outside. It looked like a blizzard was approaching the mountainside. But Eira’s thoughts stretched beyond the horizon.

They landed first on Cullen. She’d yet to see him again since court three days ago. His eyes, however, lingered with her. They had even chased her into her dreams.

The only thing that could free her thoughts from them was Ferro. She had been seeing him almost nightly now. But he had warned her that with the trial fast approaching, he wouldn’t have as much time to spend with her.

Eira felt torn between the two with emotions she’d never felt before. Both were men she shouldn’t even be thinking of—shouldn’t even have known. Yet fate had designed to place them both in her life at the same time.

“I can’t focus on my book or my clay; you’re being too noisy,” Alyss muttered.

“What?” Eira was jolted back to her gray Tower room. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Your thoughts are loud.”

“Thoughts aren’t loud.”

“Yours are, when someone knows you as well as I do.” Alyss carefully slid her leather bookmark into her page and set the novel on the desk. She spun the chair to face Eira but her focus was now on making the blob of clay actually resemble something. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“What’s on your mind, since you already said you won’t tell me why you summoned me until Marcus arrives.”

“It’s nothing,” Eira murmured.

“Oh, Mother, why do you even try and lie to me?” Alyss rolled her eyes. “It’s not that room, is it?”

“No, it’s not.” Guilt swam through Eira’s tides. She hated lying to Alyss. But something about her meetings with Deneya seemed even more secret than her meetings with Ferro. “I… I have been seeing someone.”

“Obviously.” Alyss threw her hands in the air. “I’ve been waiting for you to tell me the details.”

“What do you mean ‘obviously’?”

“You haven’t been hanging out with me as much. You’re up late. You seem distracted. You have all the hallmarks of a heroine pining for her secret lover by day.”

“I am not a heroine and I do not have a secret lover.”

“Then who have you been ‘seeing’?” Alyss folded her arms over her chest.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“Ambassador Ferro.” The confession came out as a rush of air.

Alyss blinked, several times, and then a slow, eager grin crept across her cheeks. This bit of news had Alyss setting down her clay. “No,” she gasped. “Tell me everything.”

Eira did. She told Alyss of the first mysterious letter. The study that had quickly become “theirs.” She told her of the burning western liquor Ferro had shared with her on their last meeting and of the comfort he’d given her following the revelation.

“You have an elfin lover.” Alyss gaped with shock. Then she quickly clapped, bouncing in her chair. “You have an elfin lover!”

“Not so loud! And I do not.”

“You’re meeting at night. There’s clandestine letters mysteriously left. He’s incredibly handsome. You’re obviously hopelessly smitten with him.” Alyss counted on her fingers. “Own up, you have an elfin lover.”

“We haven’t even kissed! I think lovers would do that.”

“But you have had romantic fireside chats. The kissing should come easy. Get to working on it!”

Eira groaned and face-planted into her bed. “I couldn’t. I don’t even know how old he is. He’s elfin. He could be eighty for all I know.”

“He seems young to me.”

“They’re a race that looks young until they’re, like, a hundred. And then they only look slightly less young.”

Alyss considered this a moment. “All right, fair. You’re right. It’s a lot sexier in books than when it’s actually your friend being courted by an ageless creature. So figure out his age and then kiss him if it’s not creepy.”

“You’re not helping!”

Eira was saved by a knock on her door. She bounced up, opening it to reveal Marcus.

“Sorry I’m late.” He stepped inside. The room was cramped with three people, so Eira quickly returned to the bed. “What’s with all the secrecy?”

“I have something I want to share with you both.” Eira flipped to the back of her book where she’d been hiding Ferro’s papers.

“Are you going to tell him?” Alyss gasped.

“Tell me what?” Marcus looked between them.

“Stop.” Eira glared at her friend. “This is serious.”

“I know!” Alyss looked to Marcus. “She has been seeing someone.”

“Alyss!”

“Cullen told me,” Marcus said, the words guarded.

Eira’s blood ran cold. What had Cullen said? Was he still thinking of her like she was of him?

“Wait a minute. You didn’t say anything about Cullen.” Alyss had an expression of horror and delight. “Two? Tell me more!”

“Can we please focus?” Eira groaned. Before her brother or Alyss could