He blew out the candle, stared at his finger again, and then lit the candle again. This time his finger dimmed a bit. So … the magic could be used up? Again he blew out the candle and again lit it. Now his finger seemed normal, just a finger. And he was awake enough to blow out the candle a last time before he fell asleep.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lyonya, between Chaya and the Tsaian border

As Dorrin and Beclan rode west along the forest track, Beclan’s mood shifted; Dorrin could see it in his posture as well as his expression. Those days in Chaya had been fun. Pretty girls had flattered him; he had been able to talk to his father and brother. But now he was going back to Tsaia, where he had been stripped of his own name and rank and lived under a cloud of suspicion.

She understood that better than he could realize. And the best thing for him would be work. While still riding through Lyonya’s forest, he might as well start working on his magery.

“Beclan, do you feel the trees?”

He turned to her. “My lord? You mean … the way the elves do?”

“Yes,” Dorrin said. “Apparently, those of us with magery can feel the taig. Queen Arian taught me—it would be helpful, she said, in healing the damage done to the trees in Verrakai lands. And I hope you can learn it. Best to start here, where the taig is strong.”

“What would I use it for?”

Wrong question, but if it stuck in his mind, she must answer it. “My ancestors did much damage to Verrakai lands—you will see when we’ve come to our borders. Working with the taig, we can heal such injury. The Lyonyan forest has been maintained in its beauty by those who served the taig—I’m sure you heard about that.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“The queen—Arian—says I can learn to do that. So as soon as we’re over the border into Verrakai lands, we’re going to try it. Meanwhile, I’m working on my skills at sensing the taig, and I want you to start as well.”

“Is it like making flowers bloom in winter?”

Dorrin reminded herself that he was very, very young. “Elves can do that but rarely do. I heard that the Lady did it at Aliam Halveric’s steading. But that’s unnatural. What we need to learn is how to restore and sustain the natural growth and health of living things. What do you feel closest to, Beclan? Any particular tree or plant from your childhood?”

“No … but I had a dog once. I knew what Hunter was feeling, what he was going to do next. He died two winters ago.”