Read Online The Royal Wizard by Alianne Donnelly - Free Book Online Page B

your name. Several times. You did not move at all, so I came closer to find you were barely breathing. Naturally, I became worried. But you looked so peaceful I was loath to wake you. Instead I decided to wait for you to awaken on your own.”
    Nia blushed. It was a wizard’s sleep she’d slept, something a body forced on the mind when one’s strength was depleted. For a wizard to drain herself of magic completely meant death. To restore herself, Nia needed rest and time. She would not have awakened, even if he’d tried to rouse her. “And how long have you waited?” she asked, dreading his answer.
    Saeran shrugged. “Not long. Half a day, perhaps.”
    Nia choked. “Half a day?”
    The prince’s good humor faded. His eyes grew serious and his lips compressed into a tight line. “I want you to teach me,” he said. “Every spell an incantation you know, I need to learn. What happened with the huntsmen can never happen again. They could have poisoned the streams and killed us all.”
    She stared at him agog. “You want me to teach you magic?”
    Saeran nodded.
    “I…I’m not sure I can.” Rather, she wasn’t sure it was wise to try. True, no one knew what they were capable of until they attempted it. Magic could be found in the oddest places and many went through their entire lives changing the world in subtle ways without being aware of it. But there were also those hungry for power which would forever be denied to them. What if Saeran didn’t have any magic in him, no matter how much he wanted it? What if he blamed her?
    “You can try,” he said.
    He was in earnest! Nia shifted in her seat, wincing at the ache in her back. Could she defy a royal order if he gave it? “You mentioned you’ve brought me something,” she said, stalling for time. “It wouldn’t by any chance happen to be food, would it?”
    Saeran grinned. “Wait here. I will call for a tray.”
    Nia sighed when he left the study, looking around for guidance. “Nico,” she whispered, “what have you gotten me into?” She fancied she could almost hear him laugh at her in gentle mockery.
    The prince returned, placing a stack of parchment on the table. “We begin now.”
    “Wait, I have not said yes.”
    “I told the runner to bring two trays. I am starving. We can eat here, can we not?” he asked, reaching for the pitcher again to pour himself some water.
    “Yes, but I—”
    “Yes is spoken. You may begin your instruction.” He sat down facing her like an eager school boy, waiting for her to speak.
    Nia glared at him. “Very well. We begin.”
    “Excellent!” Saeran nodded. “What do I do first?”
    “You close your mouth and listen.”
    “What—”
    “Shh!”
    He quieted.
    “Listen until you hear everything. Every movement of the air as you breathe, every beat of your heart, the hum of the candle flame, the chatter of mice…everything.”
    Saeran shifted to find a more comfortable position and strained his ears to listen. “I hear nothing.”
    “You are not listening hard enough. Concentrate. It helps if you close your eyes.” She closed her own to demonstrate. “Put everything from your mind but the sounds, and listen not only with your ears, but with your heart.”
    Saeran breathed in deeply and held his breath, counting heartbeats. He could hear them getting louder, but only because they were thrumming in his head now. Expelling the air from his lungs in an explosive sigh, Saeran shook himself and tried again. He drummed his fingers on the table—that he could hear. He tapped his foot. Also a sound his keen ears were able to pick up. Besides that, he heard nothing. “This is boring. When can I work a spell?”
    “When you learn to hear what is around you,” she said without opening her yes. “A thing will tell you how it wants to be changed. It will know your intent and help you achieve it. A pitcher will know when you want it to float next to the table instead of sitting on it. It will do as you command.