Teleportation required control, something I barely had. The first time I tried, I aimed for the other side of my chamber and ended up crashing into my wardrobe instead. The impact sent a tray of perfume bottles tumbling to the floor. The sharp clink of glass hitting the stone made me freeze. I held my breath, listening for footsteps outside my door. Nothing. Relief washed over me, and I quickly cleaned up the mess, all while cursing my lack of precision.
The second attempt was worse. I vanished, yes but the sensation was like being ripped apart and forced through a pinhole. I reappeared by the window, knees buckling under me, gasping for breath. My heart pounded in my chest. It's like being pulled through a needle's eye, I thought, shivering.
Each try left me weaker. Every morning my limbs dragged, my head felt unbearably heavy, and my body ached in places I didn't even know could ache.
"Are you sick?" Sara asked one morning, her eyes narrowing as she placed a tray of breakfast on the table.
I forced a smile. "I just didn't sleep well."
Her frown deepened. "Maybe you should rest more."
Rest. If only I could. Instead, I played my role perfectly; sometimes sharing meals with Elis, chatting casually, letting him pull me close when he wanted my warmth. But each time his golden eyes lingered too long on my face, I felt his suspicion growing. One evening, he cupped my face, searching my expression like he could peel away my secrets. "You're hiding something."
My stomach twisted. "I don't know what you mean."
His thumb brushed my cheek. "You look exhausted, but you won't say why. If someone is troubling you…"
I pressed my hand over his. "No one is troubling me, Elis. I promise."
He studied me for a long moment, then sighed. "If you won't tell me, at least take care of yourself."
That night, I stood in the center of my chamber, the moonlight spilling across the floor, and whispered the spell again. Move. Shift. Appear. I poured every drop of focus into one point. The air shimmered. My heart leapt. In the blink of an eye, I was gone, only to reappear near the door, stumbling into the wall as dizziness crashed over me. I gripped the stone to steady myself, my breathing ragged. I did it.
But my body was a hollow shell, drained completely. I barely made it to bed before collapsing onto the pillows, my vision blurring. Yes, I was getting stronger. But if I wasn't careful, someone would notice. Teleportation wasn't my only challenge. Lately, my hearing has been… changing.
It had always been subtle; a faint echo of voices when no one was near. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but the sounds grew sharper. Sometimes I caught snippets of conversations from the courtyard while I sat in my chamber. Once, I heard two guards arguing outside the west gate, their words drifting to me as though they were standing right behind me. It was useful, too useful to ignore. But the ability was still wild, slipping in and out without my control.
The real challenge was learning to channel it, to sharpen the focus like adjusting the flame of a candle. When I forced myself to listen, everything came at once; a chaotic flood of voices, footsteps, laughter and whispers, until it all tangled into painful noise. My temples throbbed, my ears rang, and I'd have to block it all out before my head split in two.
Still, I practiced. I'd close my eyes, pick one thread from the noise, and follow it. A maid, humming in the kitchen. Two soldiers murmuring about their shift change. The low, steady rhythm of Elis's breathing when he was deep in thought.
And then there were the smells. My senses were becoming unnervingly precise. I could tell if someone had passed through a hallway minutes earlier by the lingering trace of their scent. I knew the difference between candle wax made with lavender oil and the kind laced with clove. I could tell which guard had been drinking by the faint burn of alcohol that clung to his breath.
Sometimes it was overwhelming, so many smells layered over one another that I felt dizzy. But I kept working at it, separating them, cataloging them. Leather from steel. Bread from honey. Elis's warm, spiced scent from the crisp linen of his clothes.
So I pushed myself harder. Teleportation. Hearing. Scent. Every night I trained until my body begged for rest, because if danger came again, I wouldn't be caught off guard. And this time, I wouldn't just survive. I'd be ready.