Following training the next morning, Mikael and Estelle flew to the Palace. Ameer accompanied them, flying alongside Mikael. "Are you sure about this?" He asked. "Illyrian magic isn't safe."

"No magic truly is, Father," Mikael replied. "Don't worry. We'll take precautions. It will be fine." Personally, he found himself excited for the lessons to come. He was curious about the extent of Estelle's power, and it gave him the opportunity to study unbridled Illyrian magic.

Ameer sighed, shaking his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you'll ever stop being so curious."

"Probably not," Mikael laughed.

Ameer smiled, glancing at him. "I remember when you were little, before you could even fly, you were curious about what clouds tasted like. You slipped away from your nurse and managed to go outside on one of the verandas. Thesan found you just as you fell off, but he luckily, he caught you."

"We tried to convince you that clouds had no taste, but you didn't believe us. You were determined to find out for yourself. You kept sneaking off and driving us mad with worry, so I finally took you down and let you try to taste a cloud. You were very disappointed."

Mikael shook his head with a laugh. "I don't remember that."

"You were really little. Four, I believe."

Mikael laughed again, then glanced over his shoulder. Estelle was hiding a grin, as though she too had heard the story. The shadows had probably told her. They reached the Palace at last. Estelle landed beside Mikael and they followed Ameer inside.

Thesan was waiting for them in a hallway. Estelle lowered her gaze as he greeted Ameer with a kiss. "Would you mind checking on the guard rotations?" Thesan asked quietly. "I think several of them have been skipping shifts, thinking I wouldn't notice."

Ameer nodded. "I'll handle it." Mikael followed Estelle's example as his father lowered his lips to Thesan's ear, whispering something. Thesan laughed, smacking Ameer's arm. The Peregryn sauntered away, a pleased grin lighting up his face.

"All right, Mikael. You mentioned there was something you needed my help with?" Thesan asked, approaching them.

Mikael nodded, holding out his wrist. Thesan examined the tattoo, tilting his head curiously. Estelle revealed her matching one. "We made a deal and need your help with part of it," Mikael explained. "I want to help Estelle learn to control her magic as well as she can without siphons."

Thesan regarded Estelle for a moment. "All right. When did you want to get started?"

"As soon as possible?" Estelle replied.

Thesan nodded. "We'll go to the clearing you first started training in, Mikael. It's still warded, so it should be safe enough. I'll need to get an idea for the spectrum of your power, Estelle, and the control you already have before we start any actual training."

They both nodded and Thesan took them each by the arm. Wind roared in Mikael's ears as they winnowed out of the Palace. They arrived in a familiar valley, deep within the mountains. There were scattered groves of trees and several small shrubs growing throughout it. A stream flowed into a pond nearby.

Estelle bit her lip, looking somewhat nervous. "You won't mind if this place gets...completely destroyed, will you?"

Thesan smoothed his hair back with a skeptical sigh. "It's been destroyed before and managed to regrow."

"Can you shield yourselves?"

"We'll be fine," Mikael said reassuringly. "Show us what you've got, Batsy." He retreated to his father's side. Their hands glowed as they cast shields over themselves.

Estelle backed away, her amber eyes glimmering with nervousness. Mikael gave her a prompting nod. She held his gaze, then closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Gold fizzled around her fingertips. Mikael readied himself, in case he had to strengthen his shields.

Estelle opened her eyes, revealing pools of molten amber. Golden magic spilled from her palms, radiating from her skin. Wind tore through the clearing, stirring up leaves and dust. Mikael braced himself as the wind grew stronger. Power spiked through the air. Thesan stared at Estelle with wide eyes.

Mikael's heart raced, but not from fear. Her magic was beautiful...and devastating. Golden light sliced through tree limbs. Water rose from the stream and pond, suspended in the air. The ground rumbled beneath their feet. Tree trunks cracked. The shadows danced around Estelle excitedly.

She lowered her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. Minutes passed and her magic began to fade. Water splashed back into the stream and pond. The ground ceased trembling. Broken tree limbs crashed to the ground. Estelle's hands shook against her sides as she opened her eyes.

Mikael lowered his shields, staring at her with a mixture of awe and surprise. "Shit, Batsy."

"That's an understatement," Thesan scoffed. "We obviously have our work cut out for us. We'll start small. You're going to learn to concentrate your power into a manageable size. Mikael, demonstrate."

Mikael approached Estelle, popping his knuckles. He curved his palms towards each other and fed his magic into a ball of golden light. It reflected off her freckled face, bathing her bronze skin in a coppery hue.

"How do I do that?" Estelle asked.

"Draw up your power, but channel it. Focus it into whatever form you want it to take," Thesan explained.

Mikael let his magic fade and shielded himself. He backed away from Estelle as she furrowed her brows. She copied his movements, curving her palms towards each other. Her fingers trembled as a crackling ball of energy formed between them.

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Estelle asked, her voice carrying a note of concern.

"Yes," Thesan replied. "Your focus is wavering. When you have more concentration and control, it will be a smooth sphere like Mikael's."

Estelle wrinkled her nose, focusing on her magic. Mikael smiled, watching her. She yelped as a stray bolt of magic tore from between her fingers. It struck Mikael's shield and he went flying backwards. Mikael hit the ground with a grunt.

Estelle's magic faded as she clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"

"I'm pretty sure you meant to do that, Batsy," Mikael rasped. He sat up, rubbing his chest. "I guess my shielding has improved, Father."

"So I see." Thesan stared between the two of them with wide eyes. "And thank goodness for that."

Estelle offered Mikael a hand and pulled him to his feet. He shook his wings out, ruffling, then smoothing his feathers. "Are you all right?" Estelle asked.

"I'm fine. Try it again," Mikael urged. He reshielded himself as Estelle summoned her magic once more.

◦═══✦═══◦

The evenings were growing particularly chilly. Estelle had cracked the bathroom window open while she soaked in the tub. The gentle breeze carried a hint of ice in it. Summer was coming to a close and autumn was on its way.

She found herself curious about what autumn in the Dawn Court would look like. As one of the Solar Courts, it experienced all four seasons, just like the Night Court. Was autumn more beautiful here than at home? Did the cold weather make the stars more vibrant? She didn't know, but she was bound to find out.

Estelle leaned her head back against the lip of the tub. Her new training routine was taking its toll on her, leaving her tired and sore at the end of each day. She and Mikael were training together more often, constantly pulling new tricks on one another. In the afternoon, they went to the mountain clearing with Thesan and worked on Estelle's magic.

She grinned to herself with a laugh. More often than not, she ended up hitting Mikael with stray bursts of magic. He hadn't been injured yet, but Thesan's concern was evident every time it happened. As for the two of them...they just laughed and carried on.

Estelle tried not to let her concern show when it took Mikael longer than usual to get up after he'd been struck by her magic. Yet, every time, her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but apologize.

Estelle sighed and grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around herself before closing the window and drawing the curtains again. She let the tub drain while she dried herself off and tugged a soft pair of pajamas on. Estelle left the bathroom and found Celeste and Sienna sitting near the fireplace in the front room.

"I made you some hot chocolate," Celeste said, pointing to a mug on the table. Estelle claimed it and joined them.

She dropped onto a chair, crossing her legs, before hesitantly sipping her drink. It was deliciously warm and flavorful. The chocolate was sweet and carried hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and peppermint.

"This is good!" Estelle exclaimed.

"It's my older sister's recipe," Celeste replied.

"I didn't know you had a sister."

Celeste nodded. "She died years ago. She took a few of the younger Peregryns into the mountains for a winter training exercise. There was an unexpected blizzard and she managed to get all but one of the novices to safety. She and the last novice were found in a cave. My sister had frozen to death because she used her wings to keep the novice warm instead of herself. The novice was all right, thankfully."

Estelle reached down and squeezed Celeste's shoulder. "I'm sorry. You must have been so proud of her though."

Celeste nodded with a sad smile. "We were. Thesan and Commander Ameer gave her a funeral befitting a war hero."

Estelle drew her hand back after a moment. "Do you have any siblings?" She asked Sienna.

Sienna shook her head. "No, my parents barely took enough time away from their service to have me. As soon as I was old enough to fly, I began training and they went back to their duties. We're not a very close family."

"Oh, I see."

Celeste shuddered, setting her mug aside. "This is dreary talk. Let's play a game."

"What game?" Sienna asked, rolling her eyes as if she already knew.

"Truth or dare," Celeste replied with a devilish grin.

"I'll play," Estelle replied.

"Fine," Sienna sighed. "Celeste, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Who is the first male you ever slept with?"

Celeste lifted her chin, giving them a sly look. "Mikael." Estelle's stomach twisted and the shadows were instantly on edge.

"Really?" Sienna asked, raising her eyebrows.

Celeste nodded. "After a Winter Solstice party. It was years ago. We'd been flirting with each other for months and just decided to do it. It was an on and off thing after that, but eventually it ended and we chose to just stay friends."

Estelle released a slow breath, trying to push aside that odd bitter feeling that nipped at her. "Wow. I had no idea," Sienna laughed. "I'll never look at the two of you the same again."

"All right. My turn." Celeste's gaze flickered in between Estelle and Sienna. "Estelle, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Celeste tapped her chin. "Sienna, help me out." Sienna scooted closer to her and they began to whisper intently. Their gazes became mischievous as they looked from one another to Estelle. At last, Celeste straightened. "I dare you to kiss Mikael."

Estelle stiffened. "Now?"

"No, when we're in Windhaven. You'll have better opportunities to do it there." She gave a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

Estelle bit her lip, shaking her head. "I can't do that. Why would I do that? You should never kiss someone on a dare. It's rude."

"You chose dare and that's your dare," Celeste replied with a shrug.

"Are you worried he won't like it?" Sienna teased.

The tips of Estelle's ears warmed. She couldn't hide her blush. "I thought you two were my friends."

"We are. That's why we're making you do this," Celeste laughed.

"You're terrible friends. I can't do that. There's nothing like that between us. I don't want to give him the wrong idea."

"Come on, Estelle. You've gotta play the game!"

Estelle crossed her arms, her blush deepening. "I'll think about it, but I make no promises."

"If you don't do it, we get to publicly embarrass you," Sienna pointed out.

"Then so be it. I suppose you'll find out what my decision is soon enough."

"I suppose so. Now, take your turn!"

◦═══✦═══◦

For the full scene of Thesan's story, please see the short story titled "A Leap of faith" in my additional book "Beyond the Books".