Chương 30: Oh no, could it be another discovery!?

Long after Minx has headed back to her own quarters, my brain works overtime. I can't wrap my head around that memory, or the fact that Aarron must have known this entire time. Pieces click into place in ways I find terrifying. Have I seriously just been a pawn this entire time? Knowing it now, how should I react? Think damn it, Taria. Think. The sensations of the elements all around me blend into a hum that's somehow comforting and cloying all at the same time. But it also lends me confidence.

Because Aarron might know, but he doesn't know how far I've come, or that I have resources. My parents knew of my potential to be a conduit since I was a child. Aarron has been aware of what I can do since I was a child. When were they going to tell me? In a way, it's disappointing. Here, I thought I'd lucked out and discovered that magic was real all of a sudden. Yet, there are those who've always known. Despite the history books practically reducing it to myth, discounting it, there are those who know.

But the Blood Sect operates differently. From the bits I've gathered they have to sacrifice of themselves—to offer blood in order to force elemental power. To corrupt the elements themselves in pursuit of that power. I wish there was a way to find out in more detail. Maybe if I scry—would I hear something. That's a solid idea. I jump up, scattering the food I'd completely forgotten was on my lap all over my bed and onto the floor. My stomach rumbles in dismay.

That's when I realize I've been sitting here mulling this over for hours. It has to be well after midnight. Doing something now won't help anything. I need sleep, so I can truly sit down when I'm at my best and figure out what to do. I gather the food all up together, surprised to see I got through more than half of it. My stomach feels satisfied enough, and my energy levels are fully recuperated.

With a decent night's sleep, and constant Recovery Acclimation, I should be ready to face a day of figuring all this stuff out. It's not like this shitstorm is going away.

To say I'm refreshed when I wake would be an exaggeration. But I am awake, alert, and starving again. Good thing I've got some jerky, fruit, and baked goods left from the night before. The conversation with Minx ended up lasting a lot longer than anticipated. It's earlier than I would have liked and I have a lot of work to do. While Minx's possession let me know the Blood Sect is, in fact, intertwined with the Orders and Courts, thus making this a huge deal, there are other things I need to sort out first.

Something about knowing that I've been able to do this since I was a child, that I've always been headed toward this discovery—it's freeing. My mother deliberately directed me toward my affinity with alchemy in order to hone my conduit ability. I wish I knew what their plans had been for me. They obviously had goals for my abilities that didn't ally with others. How many people around me know what I am, what I can do? Who can I trust now? Taking a deep breath, I push those thoughts to the side.

Ever since the fire, I've trusted only myself. Even after years here, I'm disinclined to trust others. Relying on myself feels like my only option. There are Lennick and Xan to an extent. But my trust in Aarron has reached the level of suspect. I need to be careful around him. Trust my instincts first. Like I always have. The hum around me suddenly sounds more like a purr. Time to make the stone answer me. Manipulating stone is more tiresome than earth. It's stronger, and its insides are denser.

With Minx coming to talk to me the previous evening, I didn't have the time to dive in so to speak. It's not possible to just make the rock dissipate. You need to shift the mass. Whereas the earth is forgiving and largely pliant, rock is solid. So shifting to make a hole, means what was there must go somewhere else. I didn't realize this when I was hiding in the catacombs. Back then, I simply willed the rock to do as I told it. Which was probably why it crumbled so easily on command.

Hindsight isn't always good, but it allows me to recollect things and learn from them. Stone conducts sound when I need it to, helping me listen where I otherwise might not be able to. It's full of echoes and fragments, but if I concentrate, it works. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I want to figure out if I can extract memory from it too. I flex my fingers, placing my palm down on the floor next to me.

Slowly, I raise rock from the floor up to my shoulder, clearing it from where it was and creating a hole next to it. Like I said, stone needs to come from somewhere to end up at its destination. Doing this is tedious, but the more I practice the more control I'll retain if I have to do this fast. While pulling stone out, I have to make sure I'm doing so evenly, otherwise it'll become too brittle. To be honest, I'm lucky they didn't lean against that wall back then—I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have held up.

Pushing rock back down requires less concentration, because I'm filling the gap. Still, exercising control is beneficial for all aspects of it. All it's going to do is make me stronger. Several more repetitions of this and I dig into the last of my food stash. Time to take a shower and then get ready for the day. It's the first part of figuring out how I'm going to approach everything now I know the harsh reality. The showers are empty when I get there and the hot water hits my skin with sharp clarity.

It appears the Blood Sect have infiltrated every single institution we have. We'll have to deal with that as soon as possible. But my current situation takes a narrow precedence. Aarron knows. I'm certain of this. He's too good a Prefect not to. Odds are, Lennick at least suspected, if he wasn't already instructed to be on the lookout for my abilities. Which begs the thought that Lennick might not be the friend I've thought him to be.

Glancing back over the way we've always interacted though, my gut tells me this isn't the case. He might be Aarron's right hand here, but his actions have seemed his own. Xalin is… the only one I've quasi grown up with. Minx has kept it secret this whole time and not told anyone. I'm still unsure why she didn't approach me during our academy days. Though, I guess I needed to come into my powers first. It'd be so much easier if this ability let me read minds. Auras. What?

Sometimes when the power lets me hear something a hint or whatever, it's incredibly insightful. Other times like now, it's so cryptic I wish it was corporeal so I could stab it. Auras give away so much… It has a point. There's a lot I can glean from moods and subtle shifts in intent. It's better than most people have. The happy hum blends in with the hot water and I finish my shower, toweling my hair dry as I walk down the hall in my robe. Xalin stands in front of my door and I stop in surprise.

Their eyes are downcast and looking at their aura, I'm suddenly aware of their mood.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, despite knowing how they're feeling. They raise their eyes to meet mine, and there's an anger in there, lingering in the gleam. Xan opens their mouth, but closes it again and their shoulders stiffen.

"Give me a minute to get dressed and come inside." I dash into my room and make sure I'm dry before pulling on a dark grey set of leathers. Supple, and soft, these are a bit too big for me too. I can't wait for Velina to be done with my order. Pulling open the door, I motion Xan inside.

"What?" They're visibly shaken, moreso than I've ever seen them before.

"Sit." I wave them toward one of the cushions on my floor, but they sit on the foot of the bed instead, sinking down until they're leaning against it on the floor. I rummage through my shelf to find some of the jerky from the marketplace and shove it at Xan. They're paler than usual, and frankly, starting to scare me a bit.

"Thanks." Even their voice is huskier than usual.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping them test the Novices today?" Maybe answering a question will help. Xan shakes their head.

"Not yet. Starts after lunch." They chew deliberately. Slowly. I want to shake them by the shoulders and make them talk. But sometimes things like this need time.

"I know why Aarron has been gone for the last few days."

"What do you mean?" I ask, not remembering the Prefect's absence, but also not having noticed his presence at all.

"He had a meeting out in Norriel." Xan finally meets my eyes. No. Oh no. This is bad. And yet…

"Did he see?" I ask, my voice oddly calm and collected. Since last night's discovery I've realized a few things. Aarron already knows anyway. All I have to do is not let him know that I know that he knows. Which sounds a lot more complicated than it is.

"I think he did." Xan cocks their head to the side.

"You don't seem perturbed. Or even surprised." The decision stands before me. Do I continue to trust Xan? I mean they haven't given me any real reason not to, just my general cynicism and suspicion. They were there when I almost died, and did more than I ever expected to keep me alive.

"I'm not. He already knows anyway. He knew before we did."

"What do you mean?" Now Xan scrambles up from the ground, the pain and anger gone from their stance as they focus in on what I have to say. Trusting Xan is a solid decision.

"He's known about me since I was a child. I only just recalled it though." Reaching out, I ask the rock around us to alert me of any presence, of anyone getting too close, trying to hear us. Trust is one thing, ignorance is another. And I proceed to fill Xan in on the previous night. Xan reacts differently than I did, although I have to admit to being in the thick of the things at the time. They're contemplative, attentive, curious, and surprised. But I guess they also don't have the memories to trigger than I do.

"So, she's a vessel?" I can practically see the thoughts racing through Xan's head, the puzzle pieces linking themselves together.

"She seems aware of her visions but on a vague level. Our conversation happened, but I get the feeling that trance like state takes the edge off."

"Another secret then." Xan winks at me.

"I'm getting good at this."

"A secret he knows, at least in my case. Saying his name is probably not the best idea. I have other suspicions about him, but I have to figure those out first. He's known for years. They all have. My parents, others…" I take a breath, feeling that slight panic overtake me again.

"What's important right now is to continue as we have. Unless he summons us wanting confirmation, then we go on pretending we have no idea he knows. It's the only weapon I have until I figure out more about this." I glance directly into Xan's eyes.

"We can't let him know I'm this aware of my past." Xan nods slowly.

"I get it. Keep getting stronger, until we get to such a stage where you can't hide it. Where you shouldn't hide it, perhaps." That's a thought. A good one at that. I have to get stronger as fast as possible. Water listens to me. That's another element I can use. I've only been using it in conjunction with earth though.

"Ria." I look at Xan, realizing that all these thoughts are running through my head. All the things Minx said. Everything I remember. It's jumbling together and creating discord. Xan is right. I can't do it like this. Their aura is calm, confident. Some of the latter is their own, but the rest stems from their faith in me. And I know that from the aura around them.

"There. That's better, right?" Xan grins.

"I'm going to be busy for a few days, but I'll have nights and mornings free. You have classes to teach when I'm helping test—so let's make the most of the rest of the time."

"You make a good point." There's no time like the present to up my game.

"Now I just need to figure out exactly what elements I have access to, and how best to get stronger."

"That's the Ria I know." Xan's grin is positively predatory by now.

"You'll set them up and knock them down. They won't even see what's coming." They're right—but a part of me is curious about just what Xan means, because that gleam in their eye makes me think they're talking about something I'm not.