The second day of training was somehow worse than the first.
Duchess Arabella had him working on five-element simultaneous control before breakfast, and William's head felt like it was splitting apart by the time she finally called a halt.
"Better," she said while he lay on the ground trying to remember how breathing worked. "You held all five for almost thirty seconds. At the gathering tonight, if anyone challenges you to demonstrate your abilities, you can show them something that will make them reconsider their assumptions about House Cross's youngest son."
"Joy," William muttered.
Seraphine appeared with water, having watched the entire brutal session from her usual bench. "That looked really hard. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." William sat up and drank the water gratefully.
"You don't look fine. You look like you're about to pass out."
"That's just my face now."
