Word Count: 1724

~Aven

It's dark when our feet touch the ground again.

The icy burn of the winter wind vanishes, replaced with a different kind of chill. The air is so fresh my head spins for a moment, scented with fresh pine. We are in a forest. It's dark, and not just because it's night time. Silky rays of pale moonlight struggle through the canopy, the few that get through casting dappled light across the forest floor.

This must be Territory Four.

"I don't want to talk about it," I exclaim, pushing away from Stace immediately. Even if we have managed to escape, the hollow feeling in my stomach has chased me all the way here. I could have killed those people. It would have been my fault...

"No one was injured, Aven," Stace assures me, the deep blue shadows caressing the contours of his face. "I nullified your powers immediately."

So it wasn't me who put a stop to it. It felt like it was, but maybe Stace is so good at controlling his powers that I didn't even notice...How could I ever reach a state similar to him? He's endlessly powerful.

"So I can catch people on fire...Lovely," I throw my hands up, defeated.

Eryk is watching me with those cool, dark eyes. Quietly he sheds his winter jacket, draping it over a branch next to him, before sauntering off through the trees. Stace motions for me to follow him, so I do, trying to keep a few strides in front of him.

"You had no control, it's not your fault," Stace assures me, a franticness seeping into his tone. It's calmed only by the eerie sounds of the forest we pass through. "Most with powers go to school for years to learn how to control it."

I don't even glance over my shoulder. "Did you?"

"I was trained by my father," he mumbles in response. His family is a subject that has yet to come up between us. Being that he is a couple decades older than me, his family has likely long passed, including his father, who on his deathbed, assigned Stace with the task to take care of me.

"I'm never using my powers again." I mean it too.

Stace catches up, walking in step with me. "What if I could help you learn to control them?"

I turn to look at him. Does he really not see anything wrong with what he is saying? If people spend years going through training, then there is no way I'm going to be able to catch in time. At least not before my temper rises and I accidently catch myself or others on fire, and have no way of knowing how to put it out. And then there's the issue of...Well, Stace teaching me.

"That would be a bad idea..." I note, drawing my eyes in front of me, to where Eryk is walking ahead, batting fresh growth out of the way. He seems to know where he is going, which means Stace brought us here for an intended reason.

"Why?"

"Being in your proximity is distracting enough. Nothing would be accomplished," I mutter, feeling my cheeks flush, making me grateful for the dim lighting.

Even through all my panic, I've still had space in my mind for that night, on the train. I'm not sure what came over myself. I allowed myself to get whisked away by him, and yet I can't bring myself to regret it. In fact, the thought of feeling all of that again...It's a delightful, and yet mortifying thought.

Stace looks over at me, clearly not having any thoughts of regret either. "If you want to talk about that-"

"No," I snap quickly. That will only make it worse, and the thought of him recounting it makes me want to be ill. "But if you can find someone who can help me control my powers so that never happens again, I'll work with them."

"I know someone in this Territory, actually...That's where we are heading."

He works quick, it seems. I'm eager to control this, and yet also terrified. As long as it is away from Stace for the meantime, then it should be manageable. That includes avoiding any suggestive conversations, and glances at each other. If that's at all possible...

"What's with that face?" I ask. He looks deep in thought, staring down at the path in front of him. Is he having doubts about bringing me to this mysterious person?

"She's very powerful, and her powers aren't known to the wider world," Stace explains, brows furrowed as his eyes trace my expression, wary of my reaction. "If you meet her, she must promise that her existence will not be spoken about to anyone else. Do you understand?"

Fascinating.

"I understand."

We walk in silence for a while longer. Finally, I shed off my winter coat, the walking heating my skin up enough to face the chill of the Territory Four night air. This place is nice, different. I imagine this is what my home would have looked like, had it not been snowing there so often. Without snow, everything smells sweet, and clean.

"Are you okay?" Stace asks softly, clearly out of earshot of Eryk. Not that he would care much for our conversation anyway.

"I feel like everything is imploding," I admit.

I want back into that quiet, calm world that I had with mother and Lei. Back then, things were simple, even if I hated it. Now, I hate myself for wishing I had more in life to explore. Now that I have it, I want to retreat. But I don't have any other choice now. I have a mate who is the ruler of a great Territory, and now that I have stepped into this Realm, the powers within me have let loose, in the most horrifying way.

Stace pauses, grabbing a hold of my arm.

"Aven..." he murmurs, drawing me closer. I flinch, but I'm unable to pull away as he places the tips of his fingers beneath my chin, pressing it up so my eyes meet his. "Look at me."

"This is because you Stace," I murmur, unbothered that Eryk has paused up ahead, waiting for us.

His eyes soften. "I know..."

The way he looks at me is so gentle. I've seen those obsidian coloured eyes when he looks at others, and there is something harsh, cold there. Most of all, it's defensive, unwilling to reveal anything about himself to anyone. And yet I know if I asked, he would unravel that icy exterior. I wonder if I could do the same for him.

Eryk clears his throat. "We're here."

Glancing his way, he pushes apart a fan of leaves to reveal a small clearing. In the centre, a tiny wooden cabin, the entire exterior buried beneath foliage and mud. It almost looks purposefully slathered there, like the occupant of this place wanted to keep it a secret. It's seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I'm unsure of anyone who would unintentionally stumble upon it, although I get the feeling that is exactly what they want.

Standing at the doorway, Stace knocks, only to receive no answer. There is no evidence of any one living here. No decorations, the damage sustained to the outside not maintained. Even the windows are foggy, keeping out prying eyes.

"Lucile." Still no answer. "It's Stace."

Nothing, and then the sound of pattering feet, before a crack in the door appears, dust floating down from the top of the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" a voice questions. It's aged, and thick with an unfamiliar accent. There's a drawl to it, the ends of the sentence drawn out long and unclipped.

"I brought you Aven," Stace says, dipping his head toward me.

The door is open in an instant, revealing the woman behind it. She is tall, slender in an unhealthy, malnourished way. Her grey dress hangs over her body, a cotton shawl draped over her shoulders. She wasn't sleeping, and it doesn't look like she gets much, by the deep purple shading beneath her foggy green eyes.

"Come in..." she mumbles.

We all pack into the space, Stace and Eryk dipping their heads to fit beneath the low ceiling. "This is Lucile. She is very powerful."

The woman looks over me thoughtfully, unbothered by how obvious it is that she is scrutinising me. Her hair, a dark brown, is pulled back behind her, tied up. There is no grey, although her face suggests she is advanced in age.

"What does she know?" Lucille asks.

"Nothing," Stace explains, running a hand down my arm. Lucille watches his movement. By the sounds of it, she already knows I'm Stace's made. "She used her powers."

"Ah. You've come to me to try to control them," she notes. I'm close to not being able to understand her through her accent, so I just nod calmly. By the looks of it, if anyone is going to be capable of helping me control these unwanted powers, it's going to be this woman.

"Yes. I caught a group of people on fire," I respond. Their screams of horror still echo through me, but I refuse to wince. Not in front of this woman.

"And how is the mate bond progressing?"

I almost choke. Stace looks alarmed for only a moment, before he clears his throat. I'm horrified, as I stand looking back at this curious woman, who doesn't so much as blink at our reactions. What details does she expect to wring from us by asking how it is progressing? I don't even want to think about it, let alone share it.

The back of my neck is sweating as I rub it uncomfortably. "That's not important right now."

"Except it is," she encourages. "The mate bond is more powerful than all of your powers combined, so in order to start controlling your powers, you need to satisfy the mate bond."

"Satisfy?" I splutter.

"Both take time," Stace cuts in, mercifully drawing Lucille's attention away from me.

Lucille rolls her eyes. "Your mates. What are you waiting for?"

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