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Master
Byron's rules are just silly… what is the harm in a little
relief?"
    I watched as the healer's face waivered from
resolve to doubt.
    "Wow." My brother breathed loudly. "I just
realized your eyes are green. I knew you were beautiful but I – I-"
He pretended to stutter, flustered by her attention.
    Kyra's cheeks turned pink. "Stop that." But I
noticed she said it a lot more gently.
    "Please, Kyra?" My brother gave his most
innocent smile.
    She sighed. "Fine, Alex, but just this
once."
    "You are as kind as you are stunning." Alex
caught her hand and kissed it lightly, winking.
    The Restoration mage watched him, pleased.
"You should join the healers for a drink one night," she said
abruptly. "We go to the Crow's Nest every Sunday - perhaps I will
see you there next time?"
    My twin grinned. "I wouldn't miss it."
    As soon as the young woman had vanished Ella
snatched the vial from Alex and turned to me, eyes flashing. "Let's
get out of here, Ryiah." It didn't take much to ascertain why her
mood had suddenly changed.
    "Ella wait, it wasn't what you - I was
helping!"
    "I don't want to hear it, Alex."
    "Ella, I meant what I said back there-"
    "The only person you love is yourself!" Ella
cut my brother off coldly. "You just can't help yourself. It's not
your fault – when this girl kisses you or that girl misinterprets
your gestures you are blameless. Well, I'm not going to wait
for it to happen again. We are done ." She grabbed my good
arm and dragged me out of the building, not waiting to see if the
rest of our group followed.
    I didn't protest. As soon as we were outside
the infirmary I apologized profusely.
    Ella shook her head.
    "Don't hold yourself responsible, Ry. You
aren't accountable for your twin's actions. You warned me that
first day at the Academy. I… I just have this bad habit of falling
for the wrong ones."
    Thinking about Darren earlier – and my
reaction to his hand on my wrist, I said sadly, "I think we have
that in common."
     
    ****
     
    After a short dinner we were once again on
the practice field for our final lesson of the day. We were
separated into two groups: those who could cast using pain, and
those that couldn't. Ian, Darren, Eve, Lynn and I stayed behind
with a small collection of older apprentices. Ella, Ray, Priscilla,
Loren and the rest of the class retired to the far side of the
grounds to continue the target casting from earlier.
    Now more than ever, I was grateful for the
arnica. I was finding it much easier to control my castings when
the pain in my arm was not fighting my magic.
    "No, no! Slowly , Ian!" Master Byron's
command echoed across the cold night air. "If you keep that up you
are not going to be able to control it."
    " Again ." Darren's voice was thick with
sarcasm. The two of them had been trading barbs for the past hour –
mostly because Ian kept losing control of his castings. We were
supposed to levitate our partners – only Ian hadn't quite mastered
the correct pressure to use. Darren had been dropped and tossed
backward more times than any of the others, and he appeared to be
growing less and less patient.
    I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Ian
was miserable at pain castings – and Darren was amazing, second
only to two of the fifth-years that were with us.
    "Mentees, you are up."
    Lynn slowly withdrew the blade from her hand,
letting me drift gently to the floor. To my left I heard a loud
thump and Darren's subsequent curse.
    "Master Bryon, I need to change partners for
this exercise. This is ridiculous."
    All heads turned to Ian and Darren: the
former looked sheepish and the latter, furious.
    "Fine. Darren, Ryiah, change mentors."
    As I passed the non-heir by I glared at him
for making me take Ian. The last thing I needed was to be dropped
repeatedly on a bad arm. "I have a fracture."
    "Good thing you have the arnica."
    Some "friend." I sat down cross-legged
in front of Ian, returning to the start position as I reached for
Darren's knife. At least it was my