Read Online Bound by J. Elizabeth Hill - Free Book Online Page B

second year students. He had wanted her to consider a career as a professor herself, but she had not enjoyed the experience, especially the constant questions about where her partner was. She had considered it again during the last year, when no other opportunities presented themselves, but knew it would never be something she truly enjoyed.
    Clearing her mind, Fay let her thoughts touch Tavis', and she felt the clear ringing tone that told her he did indeed possess magic. Keeping her mind with his as Ganson had taught her for observing, she said, "You mentioned that you've done magic before, so you know about holding your intent clearly in your mind as you build the spell, right?" She turned her head and saw him nod. She shifted herself so that she could see both his face and the fire pit. "All right. I'm going to teach you how to light a fire. Hold that intent in your mind now. Focus on the ideas of heat, light and comfort, with the image of the sticks in the fire pit firmly at the center of it. Don't let your magic be part of it yet, just do the thought part of it first."
    Tavis turned his attention to the fire pit and his brows drew together, his frown deepening as he concentrated. She felt the separate thoughts form and encircle a clear image of the box of twigs she had built in the fire pit. Each thought was incredibly vivid to her, warmth spreading across his face, comforting safety that kept back the creatures of the night, and the wavering light of fire. She was surprised that he had gotten this part so clearly and firmly in his mind on his first try. The children she had tried to teach had found it the most difficult part of spellwork. Perhaps it was a matter of attention span, age and maturity, she thought.
    "Good. Now, let your magic thread lightly through the entire working as you change the image of the twigs to one of flames in your mind. You'll only need a small amount of magic, as the twigs were completely dry. Go as slowly as you need to," she added, though she could feel that the concentration required to hold the thoughts around the image was a bit of a strain for him. Moving too quickly in this step could have the forest around them burning.
    In his mind, she could see flames form on the image of the twigs, and at the same time, she felt him infuse his magic into the thoughts. The strength of it stunned her. Though he only used the small amount she had instructed, she could feel the pulse of it. She traced it back to the source and found an immense well of magic that was shocking. He wasn't her equal, but his raw ability was phenomenal, exceeding that of anyone else she had ever met. How had the Council's roving examiners missed him, how had they failed to send him to an academy, any academy, with strength like this? She was so preoccupied by these thoughts that she missed the flame in the center of her twig box that quickly grew to encompass the whole structure. It was Tavis' extreme satisfaction flooding through her mind that told her he had succeeded.
    He turned to her, a dazzling smile spread across his face and his eyes dancing with joy. "Thank you. You're a good teacher." He hesitated then, and his smile faltered a bit. "There was actually something specific I hoped you could teach me."
    She hadn't intended to do anything more, but she found herself nodding, and heard herself say calmly, "We'll talk about it after the fire is built up enough, but I may be able to."
    Tavis nodded and started feeding more twigs into the fire, then the larger branches she had found. Her mind was racing and she knew that she had to find a way to get him into the academy in Rianza, since he was already headed to that city. If she had to take him before the Council Magicia to ask for their intervention, she would do it. But Ganson's command to seek out Eliar echoed in her mind, and she knew it would be dangerous to delay that. She felt torn in a way she had never experienced before.
    "Tavis, where were you planning to stay