A Court of Ice and Fire

Chapter 19

My first thought when Rhys had said training was anything but what I received, and ten minutes in I already wanted to punch his cocky grin off his face. 

The twins woke me up early this morning-making sure to help me find what I would need before Rhys showed up in all his cocky glory. 'It'll be easy.' He said. 'Just try to feel it inside of you.' 

Two hours later and the best I can do is barely keep him out of my own damned head, let alone take a stab at his. 

He had us training outside-which was a mercy in itself, in a large training field that was thankfully empty so no one could see my temper tantrums when I failed to do what he asked. 

"This should be easy-I don't even have my shields up right now, just try to take a peek." As if to lead by example, I can feel his greedy little paws beginning to edge towards my mind, but I instantly bring in a wall of black between my mind and his, sealing off any access he might get. 

For the millionth time, I try to the same to him, but no matter how hard I try, whatever surge of magic I was able to conjure up yesterday has no disappeared. "Explain it again." I tell him, and he nods.

"Try to visualize the power inside of you, and then push it out." He demonstrates once more, and this time, I can feel his power leaking into the air around us as he pushes it towards me. 

Going out on a limb, I make a grab for the power I can feel, and feel it gravitate towards me. As soon as I grip onto it, that rush of power runs through me, exhilarating me to my very core as I leash it down. 

It's like second nature as I send that power towards Rhys, and he flinches back at the force of it. This time, I don't allow myself to get further than a step inside his mind before pulling away. I smile triumphantly as I drag my power back, raising my eyebrows.

"Easy." I parrot, earning me a mock glare from him as he readjusts his stance. 

"Do it again-this time, try to get past my shields." I nearly groan at the suggestion, but nod my head nonetheless as I keep that power roiling around in my veins, trying not to let it out of my grasp. 

I don't wait for him to tell me he's ready before plunging forward once again-and colliding with the solid wall he's put up in his mind. 

The wall is thick and impenetrable, so I begin to pull back, my instincts taking over as I urge the adamant wall to shift-to move. 

Tracing the wall, I find a single, miniscule weak spot that I almost don't notice, but I instantly dart towards it, ripping his walls to shreds in seconds before slipping in. 

Once again, I only stay in the threshold of his mind before backing out, and I can feel his walls snapping back up behind me as I leave. 

As soon as I leave his mind, I can feel the power drift back off, leaving me breathless and dazed. "You did it again." Rhys breathes, clearly distraught. "My shields-you broke through them like they weren't even there." 

His breath is coming out uneven too, and I shake my head, rubbing my temples. "Well maybe you're not as good as you think you are." I grumble, earning me a loud sigh and an eye roll.

I ignore him as I walk towards the edge of the field, grabbing the cannister of water I had placed before taking a long swig from it. "How did you do it?" He asks again, and I groan, throwing my hands into the air dramatically. 

"I don't know! I just-I just pulled on the magic in the air. And when I entered your mind I found a weak spot, and I slipped in. Now can we be done? I'm hot, sweaty, and could really use a bath right now."