While helping me to my feet, Hayes’s frown softened into what might have been relief. “You have the ability to heal, but need guidance. I misjudged you at first, thinking you might be a Soulfinder.” Hayes huffed out a laugh. “Next time, wait for me. Okay?”

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded.

Hayes guided me toward the door. “Get some rest. You’ll probably be weak for a few days.”

As I shuffled to the apprentice’s wing, I replayed the events in my mind, and by the time I collapsed into my bed, I managed to almost convince myself that Hayes’s explanation was correct. Almost.

Fatigue dogged me all through the next day. Bain’s morning lesson passed in a blur. Instead of reading, I napped the afternoon away, and fought to stay awake while riding Kiki that night. Cahil’s bellowing eventually pierced the fog in my mind.

“Yelena!”

I looked at him as if seeing him for the first time that evening. Coated with dirt and horse hair, his once-white cotton shirt clung to his muscular frame. Annoyance creased his forehead. His mouth moved in speech, but it took me a moment to discern his words.

“… distracted, exhausted, and you’re going to get hurt.”

“Hurt?” I asked.

“Yes, hurt. When you fall asleep in the saddle and slide off the horse.” Cahil controlled his frustration, but I could see by the way he pumped his clenched fists that he wanted to shake some sense into me.

Lavender Lady tired. Kiki agreed. Forgot apples.

“Yelena, go home.” Cahil took Kiki’s reins to hold her steady while I dismounted.

Home? Unbidden, the image of my small room in the Commander’s castle jumped into my mind, followed by the memory of Valek’s smiling face. I could use some of his energy right now.

“Are you all right?”

I gazed into Cahil’s light blue eyes. They were pale in comparison to Valek’s vibrant sapphire color. “Yes. I’m just a little tired.”

“A little?” Cahil laughed. “Go get some sleep; I’ll take care of Kiki. You’ll need your energy for tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow?”

“The New Beginnings feast. Remember?”

“I didn’t realize it was so soon.”

“Prepare yourself for an invasion of students and magicians. Come morning, our peace and quiet will be gone.”

Cahil led Kiki toward the stable. I promised her extra apples before our next lesson as I headed to my rooms.

Apprehension about the feast, though, gnawed through my fatigue even as I climbed into bed. Half-asleep, the shock of realizing that I didn’t own the proper attire for a feast nearly jolted me awake. What did one wear to a feast anyway? Would I have to don my formal apprentice robe? I wondered, then sighed. Too tired to worry about things like clothes, I rolled over. More important worries such as the need to take control of my magic pushed out all others.

A frenzy of activity filled the campus the next morning. I skirted groups of people carrying parcels as I walked to Bain’s tower.

Opening the door to his study, I started to ask Bain about the arriving students, but stopped when I saw he had two visitors.

From behind his desk, Bain gestured me in. “Yelena, these are my students. Dax Greenblade, a fellow apprentice, and Gelsi Moon, a novice.” With an open hand, he pointed to each in turn.

They nodded in greeting. Their serious expressions looked out of place on such young faces. I guessed that Dax was eighteen years old, while the girl must have been about fifteen.

“Have you chosen another student, Master Bloodgood?” Gelsi asked. She tugged absently on the white lace at the end of her sleeve. Violet and white swirls patterned both her blouse and long skirt.

“No, Yelena is working with another,” Bain said.

I had to suppress a grin as each relaxed. Dax flashed me a smile.

Gelsi, though, seemed intrigued with me. “Who is your mentor?” she asked.

“Irys… ah… Master Jewelrose.”

The two students seemed as surprised as I had been when Bain told me about Irys.

“What’s your clan?” Gelsi asked.

“Zaltana.”

“Another distant cousin of Leif’s?” Dax asked. “You’re a little old to start training. What strange power do you have?”

His tone implied curiosity and humor, but Bain said, “Dax, that’s inappropriate. She’s Leif’s sister.”

“Ahhhh…” Dax studied me with keen interest.

“Do we have a lesson this morning?” I asked Bain.

The magician perked up at my question. He instructed Dax to go unpack, but he asked Gelsi to remain. Her heart-shaped face paled for a moment before she steadied herself, smoothing her shoulder-length copper curls.

“I fear Irys will be back soon and reclaim you,” Bain said to me with a smile. “Gelsi’s focus for this semester is to learn how to communicate magically with other magicians. Irys has told me this is your strongest ability. Therefore, I would like your assistance with introducing this skill to my student.”

Gelsi’s eyes widened. Her long thick eyelashes touched her brows.

“I’ll do what I can,” I said.

Bain rummaged through one of his desk’s drawers and pulled a small burlap sack from it. He set the bag on the desk and opened it, taking out two brown lumps.

“We’ll use Theobroma for the first lesson,” he said.

The lumps triggered memories of my time in Ixia. Theobroma was the southern name for Criollo, a delicious sweet that had the unfortunate effect of opening a person’s mind to magical influences. General Brazell had used the nutty flavored dessert to bypass the Commander’s strong will so Brazell’s magician, Mogkan could gain control of the Commander’s mind.