Chapter 12

She could feel Tinny's worried eyes on her face as they entered Temlar's shop. Cyan couldn't speak as her heart slammed against her rib cage. Her hands shook as she tapped on a bell at the counter to alert the owners that someone needed service.

"Cyan-" She began.

Cyan cut her off. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"I have never seen anything like that before. Your face looked so…" She trailed off.

Cyan tapped the bell again. "Please, not right now."

Tinny nervously picked at her shirt, dancing from foot to foot. Cyan had never seen her uncomfortable before, she was generally so calm and ready for anything.

Cyan was also uncomfortable with the exchange, the sudden urge to hurt Everett, to rip him apart. The dark thing inside her was growing stronger everyday and would eventually spiral out of her control.

Did she tell someone? Should she tell Melenora or Julius? What if she told them and they called the Witch Queen to lock her away like her mother before she could hurt someone?

She swallowed and hit the bell for a third time.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming." Temlar shouted from the store room. "Damn."

Cyan smiled, willing her anxiety to dissipate. "You should fire the girl who works the front counter. She hasn't been to work in weeks."

There was a pause then Temlar came running out looking shocked. "Cyan? Sheila come quick!'' He shouted and grabbed her up in his thick arms.

Cyan was lost for words. Temlar was generally dower and salty but seeing his shock and excitement at her presents wiped away all her anger at him in a second. She fiercely hugged him back and forgave him. She had been silly to resent him and Sheila for not telling her about her mother, it seemed so childish now.

Shelia came running through the door that connected the shop to their house. "Cyan." She shouted and grabbed her and Temlar in her arms. "Fregolion said you were fine but I wouldn't believe it till now."

Tinny coughed and waved awkwardly. "Hello."

Temlar dropped Cyan and Sheila released them. "Oh hello." Sheila smiled and wiped away a stray tear. "Sorry, I'm Sheila and this is Temlar."

"And I'm Kenny!" Squealed a little boy as he raced and grabbed Cyan's leg. "I missed you Sheen."

"I missed you too." She stepped back from her makeshift family and tousled the little boy's hair.

The gnawing pit in her stomach disappeared the moment they hugged her, the shadows pushed out and chased from her heart. At some point in her life she had come to love them and care for them fiercely. They had always been there for her and without them she would have died many times.

If they had never existed she wouldn't be the person she was today.

"I missed you guys."

Standing in Sheila's tiny kitchen, she and Cyan made tea and placed snacks they had brought from the capital on a serving tray. Sheila chatted about how people were recovering from the attack. Apparently even people out in Clear Water were dealing with anxiety regarding the 'demon boy with anti magic'. She warned Cyan to be careful while in the capital and to take someone with her when she left the palace or Crimson Lion compound.

"After attacks like that one, people are on edge and they're looking to blame anyone with magic they consider dangerous. I've heard several people around here bring you up. Keep your head on a swivel."

Cyan pursed her lips as the kettle of boiling water began to sing. "Are they afraid of my magic or do they know who my mother was?"

Sheila paused and glanced over to Temlar who was making polite conversation with Tinny in the breakfast nook. Kenny bounced excitedly next to her, showing her all the pieces of quartz he'd been collecting which Tinny praised him for.

Sheila took a slow breath and set down the cookies she'd been arranging. "So they told you?"

"Should they have kept it a secret from me?"

"I guess it was bound to come out once you showed up in the capital." Sheila turned and touched her cheek. "We should have told you. Kirt should have told you. But after he died you didn't seem interested in learning about your power and I just hoped if you didn't then nothing would happen to you."

Tinny glanced over at the pair, eyes filled with worry before gasping at a rock Kenny placed in her hands.

Sheila raised a brow at the look. "Something happened?"

Cyan glared down at the tea cups she slowly filled and explained her latest encounter with Everrett and the overwhelming feeling to hurt him. "It's not the first time it's happened. In fact it only happens around him."

"I should have intervened with him a long time ago." The older woman whispered.

Cyan shrugged, placing the tea kettle back on the wood stove. "I was a teenager, if you had tried to act like my mother I probably would have stayed with him out of spite." She grabbed Sheila's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "I had to get myself out of the relationship. I had to make the choice not to be a victim."

Sheila shook her head. "No, I should have done something. I don't really know what happened because you were so closed off after your dad died. But I knew it wasn't something good."

Cyan shrugged and picked up the tray of tea. "I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you. I appreciate you and all you've done for me. I just want to live in denial a little longer with everything else that's going on."

Sheila's lips thinned but let it go for now.

"So that was heartwarming and fun." Tinny remarked while they walked up the dirt road to Cyan's house.

Cyan smiled, watching the sun dip behind the treeline. Luckily when they left the shop Everrett was nowhere to be seen which would have ruined the afternoon. She had been worried he might tell his daddy what she'd done to him, how she threatened him. He probably wouldn't admit to anyone that she'd disabled him quickly, bravado and all that. At least he knew that quiet, odd little girls could kill him and hopefully curb his treatment of women. She doubt it though.

Tinny danced along the dirt road, pockets jingling with Kenny's offerings. "Where's your house?"

Cyan pointed to an old stone house peeking out from behind a hill. The roof was slanted and in need of repair, one of the windows cracked and weeds choked what used to be a vegetable garden. "That's my house."

"Oh." Tinny slowed as she took in the small depressing cottage. "It's cute."

"Dont lie. Its a shit hole now but its my shit hole." Cyan remarked and pulled her up to the front door. Kicking up a loose stone, Cyan pulled out a large brass key and unlocked the door.

The door swung open and a cloud of musty dust rushed out. They coughed and Cyan blushed. "Sorry. Let's just get this over with quickly."

Ignoring the dusty kitchenette, Cyan moved to one of several overloaded book shelves. She unrolled several canvas bags from her leather pack and started loading the books up.

Tinny walked around slowly, lip in her teeth and a look of pity on her face. "When did your father die? When you were fifteen. You lived her alone for that long?"

Cyan continued to fill the bags. "Sheila tried to convince me to move in with her once. I just couldn't bring myself to abandon this place."

The brunette looked into the closet sized bedroom. "And now?"

Cyan paused and looked over at the bedroom. She slept in the room while her father slept in the small living room. He was worried that if she didn't have her own space then she'd feel repressed or something.

No matter what he had been a caring and doting father. Without him Cyan had lost her place in the world. "This place was abandoned long ago, even if I was still living in it."

"Well this has been real fun and kind of sad- but fun. You threatened to kill a guy, Kenny is the most adorable thing on the planet and this house is depressing." Tinny lightly touched her back. "But for real, thanks for letting me in. I get the feeling you don't do that much."

Cyan smiled at her. "It's been happening more lately. Just don't screw me over and make me regret it huh?"

"Deal. You got everything you needed?"

Cyan looked around the house once more than nodded. Someday she would come back and fix it up, maybe after she was a kick ass magic knight. For now it would have to wait. "Yeah lets get out of here."

"So how are we getting home?" Tinny asked. Cyan flashed her a dark toothy grin in response. "No, no anything but that! I don't want to do that shadow thing again."

"You're such a baby, just hold your breath and close your eyes if it makes you feel better."

"You're just going to leave them there?" Tinny eyed the towering stack of books shoved against the wall.

Cyan looked up, pulling more and more books from her bags. "He doesn't have a bookcase in here and I couldn't leave them all behind. Do you know how long it took me to gather these?"

"I don't know if you know this but the Master is kind of a neat freak."

She looked around the massive bedroom that was tastefully decorated but basically empty. "Yeah, I kinda figured that out. I'll have it fixed before he gets back."

The maid threw herself into the plush couch across from the bed. "What are you going to do when he gets back?"

"What do you mean?" Cyan shoved more piles of books on a small table to sort later.

Tinny clicked her tongue. "Are you going to stay here? In the palace and his room?"

Cyan paused and knelt down to pick up a stay volume. "I really hadn't thought about it. I guess I'll stay here until the entrance exam and then leave to live with whatever squad will hopefully take me."

Fuegoleon's sharp eyes rose in her mind, the look he gave her when she offered to move home while he was gone. Her skin tingled at the memory, at the way he all but staked his claim on her. She banished the memory and blew out a breath hoping her friend couldn't see the blush running along her neck.

"That's actually more of a plan from you than I anticipated." She stretched on the couch and yawned. "What are you going to do about tomorrow?"

"I'm trying to concentrate here." She grumbled.

"Tomorrow Mereoleona is expecting you to beat the shit out of her and so far all you've done is just avoid her. You need to go on the offense with her, how are you going to do that?"

Cyan didn't answer right away. Instead she stared blankly at the book in her hands. "Do you have any words of wisdom, oh mighty spy pretending to be a maid?"

Tinny smiled. "You are pretty clever aren't you. Not quite a spy but close enough." She paused and pondered how she would handle the situation. "Take me through the spells you have. If memory serves, your grimoire comes in two sections and most of the spells are defensive spells."

The shorter women sat on the ground and leaned against the wall. "Shadow dive, which is like spatial magic. Shadow cloak but that really only works in heavily shadowed areas and then the Nightmare Incubus."

"Shadows and Nightmares. Hmm.'' She closed her eyes and thought for several minutes. Cyan watched her, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. It made her feel giddy that her friend, her friend, was helping her plan her next move.

Tinny's eyes snapped open. "Okay, you can move through shadow but can you pull someone through one?"

"I dove with you didn't I?"

"Yeah, from first hand experience it was terrifying. What I mean is can you use shadows under people to drop them through that pocket dimension or whatever?"

Cyan opened her mouth and faltered. "I've never tried."

"And that shadow cloak have you ever used it to blind someone?" Cyan shook her head. "And the Nightmare incubus, can you project nightmares instead of dreamscaping like Dorothy does?"

Cyan was flabbergasted. How had she never thought of that?

Well because until recently she hadn't wanted anything to do with her magic at all.

Her hand fell to the grimoire in her thigh holster, the pages shone with soft red light at the touch.

"And lastly-" Tinny was excited now, her eyes dancing with all the possibilities. "You literally tried to choke a guy with actual shadow! You can control them, move them, make them solid! Do you know the possibilities with that?" She walked to her friend and pulled her off the ground. "No wonder why Julius, the Master and this extremist group are scared of you!"

"Er- what?"

Tinny snapped her mouth shut. "I just meant the group doesn't like people with dangerous magic. Your potential is endless."

That was the worst lie ever. Maybe Tinny wasn't a spy, a spy would have covered up the slip much better. "How do I practice all this without Mereoleona around? If I'm going to do this she would need to be taken completely by surprise."

"Duh, you're going to practice on me."

"Go over the plan one more time." Tinny whispered from the darkened entry way of the training courtyard. Many of the Crimson Lion King mages stood on the battlements, eager to watch what would be another spectacular ass kicking.

"Go hard, go fast. Take her by surprise and beat her to a bloody pulp." Cyan was worked up, jumping from foot to foot. They had been up most of the night thinking of interesting ways to attack with her spells. She was too hyped up to notice her exhaustion but after this training session was over she would probably pass out.

"That's not quite the plan but I'm loving the energy." The maid admonished. "Just remember when you make your move your going to have to commit. You have to want to hurt her. Anything half-assed will only get you knocked down."

"Thats right!" She jabbed at the air, watching Mereoleona as she warmed up in the center of the ground. "She's stronger than me, faster than me and way more experienced than me. I have to want to kill her if I'm ever going to land a blow."

The maid moved out of the doorway a little and sighed. "How much of that coffee did you have this morning? Did you eat?"

Another set of jabs. "Nope. I don't want to puke. Just coffee and the mind set to fight god!"

Tinny patted her back. "This is going to go horribly wrong. Just cover your face."

Cyan waved her away and entered the training yard. Her heart was racing with caffeine and hysterical energy, fingers twitching with the urge to cut something. She was going to do it. She was going to go all out with the mountain women.

After her long conversation with Tinny she had come to the realization that she was holding back. Her magic had tons of possibility and the thought of hurting someone with it crippled her. Tinny had not so suddenly reminded her that even if she completely unleashed herself on Mereoleona that the chances of actually hurting her were slim to none.

This is what Mereoleona had wanted from her since the beginning. She wanted Cyan to unleash her magic to its fullest then learn to control it and build on it.

That's what Cyan was planning on doing; try to kill Fuegoleon's sister and hopefully earn her respect.