Chapter 3 - Mystiokinesis: The ability to manipulate magic

Janes’ POV

My whole body aches, my eyes are heavy and refusing to open, I wrapped the blanket over my shoulder, I remembered the rain and moaned, I really should have been more careful and called off the fight there and then, I opened one eye and saw the fire in the room, I turned so my back was facing it my sore muscles seemed to reach for the heat. Warm air hit my face, it felt like a morning breeze. “Ah!” I screamed, I opened my eyes and saw a face inches from mine, it was Con and he sat up so fast he hit his head on the low wall.

“Ow.” He said, rubbing his head then looking at me. “Jane?!” He threw his arms back, got tangled in the blankets then fell out of the bed, I laughed. Clearly, we didn’t put ourselves here.

“Smooth moves Conrad,” I said leaning over, he frowned as his face came down from the bright red complexion he had taken on.

“Don’t call me that.” I shrugged.

“Where are we?”

“The healing house.” I looked at the small room and again at the fire, I got up and reached to bring the flames to my hand, relaxing me, giving me more energy, before moving over to Con.

“Good thing, ‘cause I’ve never seen anyone hit their head that hard on a wall.” He rolled his eyes and sat up.

“It’s not entirely my fault, you screamed, plus I’m not used to waking up next to someone.” He reddened. “Well not that I haven’t, I mean I haven’t, but not really-”

“So no girlfriend?” He glared at me, I turned away smiling.

“I heard yelling, is everything okay?” Said a young healer running into the room.

“No, not really, why are we in the same bed?” I asked, she looked confused.

“Well, we’re low on beds, and everyone told me you were lovers so-”

“What?!” We both yelled and she blushed.

“Take that, as you’re not together-”

“Oh, good you are both awake,” Tristan said coming in, and the young healer shrugged and walked out.

“How long has it been?” Con asked, I wondered the same.

“Almost a full day,” Tristan said, I shook my head, water really damages me. “I guess we drained you guys.” He smiled with pride.

“I guess,” I said, let him believe whatever he wanted. I turned to Con, he had his eyes on me, we made eye contact and he turned away. I didn’t know what his problem was, He didn’t look like much of a fighter.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating?” Tristan asked, grabbing both our shoulders, I glossed over the false claim again, and focused on Tristan’s hand on Con.

“Wait, do you two know each other?” I asked Tristan, smiled.

“Of course, he’s my-”

“Ah, Tristan I can assure you we're not dating.” Con interrupted, before turning to me. “How do you know him?”

“He’s my cousin, who are you?” Con paled considerably.

“He’s my step-brother, my mother’s son,” Tristan said, my eyes widened, I stepped back, looking at Con as he looked at the floor. I knew incest was common but I never imagined doing it, being in a relationship of any kind with anyone was impossible for me anyways, loving me is a death sentence. “Didn’t you know? Wait here I’m going to go get Neve.” Tristan walked out.

“So we’re cousins too,” I said, Con shook his head, I went over to him and grabbed his arms. “How could I have not known about you?!” He closed his eyes.

“Diomedes prefers no one knows about me.” He looked at me, with his orange eyes clouded over in sadness.

“Why?!” He was a human being.

“I’m a bastard, Jane.” He said it with such pain, I inhaled and stepped back, I hadn’t even considered that my father was a bastard. I never saw it as something bad, it wasn’t even his fault.

“Con, I want you to meet Neve, she is our cousin from East Watch.” Con reached out and shook her hand. “I informed her that you are not dating.” Tristan made a sad face. “Neve, Con is my step-brother.”

Cons’ POV

I didn’t feel so great, so much information was being thrown at me, Jane is my cousin, everyone thinks we’re a pairing, and I just met my other cousin, and from what I can tell she doesn’t say much. I couldn’t focus on anything, Jane’s face when I said I am a bastard hurt me, she looked almost angry, maybe because people thought she was with a bastard.

“I’m going to talk to my father about Con spending some time with us,” Tristan said, and with that, he was gone. I knew Diomedes would be furious but he couldn’t say no to Tristan.

“Was your father from the Vale?” My mother is.” Neve asked, her voice was shallow almost like she was out of breath, she gestured to her platinum blonde hair.

“He may have been, not sure.” Neve bit her lip.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jane said. Neve went through the door, I exhaled, Jane came up next to me, and a heatwave came with her, she touched my shoulder and smiled. “Just relax handsome, you're going to give yourself lines.” She reached up and brushed her fingers on the side of my face. I raised an eyebrow at her. She moved to pick up her sword, she opened it slightly, then nodded. “Coming?” I followed her outside, Neve stood there waiting, her gloved hands held together, as someone was talking to her.

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“Neve, is there a problem?” Jane asked, the man turned around to reveal he was Elliot; the fuckboy of Ironside, I frowned and rolled my eyes.

Janes’ POV

“Why would there ever be a problem with me around?” Elliot asked and I scoffed.

“From what I saw yesterday, you need Valery to solve your problems.” Neve hid her smile behind her hand, and Con laughed. Elliot’s smile disappeared.

“Feisty, I like that.” He bowed. “I’m Elliot Vow, the most skilled and handsome person on Ironside,” I smirked.

“Man maybe but I think Valery and I have you beat on the skill and looks.” I pushed past him.

“Con, you never told me your girlfriend was so intense,” Elliot said.

“We’re not a couple,” Con said, crossing his arms, I waved my arms for him to stop talking. He squinted at me confused.

“I figured the whispers were not true, I already knew a common man couldn’t handle you.” My jaw clenched, as I tried to put on my sword.

“Yeah, you couldn’t.” He raised a hand to his face, then grabbed my sword. In my shock I didn’t knock his head off, my father said to try and keep the killing to a minimum.

“You barely know me, if you did you would see I’m anything but common.” He opened my sword, oil spilled onto his hands. “Spearium, very nice, obviously you don’t know much about it, you're supposed to keep it dry.” I touched the blade and it ignited and burned his hand, he screamed like a little girl.

“Before you talk out of that dumbass mouth of yours, you may want to think first.” I picked up my sword and buckled it around my waist. Elliot looked angry now, I looked at Neve. She looked scared but the smile lines around her mouth made me smile. She was enjoying me laying waste to this kid.

“I hear you’re the one from Dark Well, I’m sure I could undo the damage your bastard father has done to your name-” My anger flared, I grabbed his good hand, twisted his arm behind his back, pushing his face to the dirt.

“You have not seen me in a duel, so let me give you a recap, I will burn your throat out then gut you from the waist down.” He squealed slightly before I released him. He stood up. “Now get out of my sight.” Elliot took off running after that. Neve came over to me practically jumping up and down.

“Jane that was-” She composed herself, and let go of my hand.

“Can you do that again sometime?” Con asked and I nodded.

“Anytime.”

Cons' POV

Elliot is such a pain in my ass, I couldn’t stop smiling when Jane threw him to the ground, Neve couldn’t either. Hearing that comment about her father made me realize she's the one with the bastard father; Jon Stevens, my mother’s favorite brother, and the one she’s always telling me about.

“Con!” I saw Tristan running up to us. “I talked to father, you are going to be seeing a lot more of us, you’re part of the family.” I sighed.

“That’s nice Tristan, but I don’t-”

“Come on, are we not interesting enough for you?” Jane teased, that definitely wasn’t the case. Neve chuckled.

“Would even us out a bit, I doubt Tristan wants to be surrounded by girls all day,” Neve said. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

“Fine,” I said.

“There you go, now you're starting to come around, sweet cheeks,” Jane said. Tristan laughed.

“Don’t call me that,” I said.

“We should show them the forgery,” Tristan said, I nodded.

“Good idea.” Tristan offered Neve his arm which she took. Leaving Jane and me to follow. “So is your father Jon Stevens?” Jane just nodded slowly. “My mother says he’s her favorite brother.” Jane smiled, then laughed.

“I can’t believe she would say that.”

“She didn’t have to, she talks about him all the time.” Jane pressed her lips together.

“My father said that as his little sister Nora was always accepting of him.” I smiled, it was good to know that she never held being a bastard against anyone.

“Jane,” Tristan said, turning around. “Neve and I had questions about Dark Well.” Jane smiled.

“Cool temperatures, but not much snow-”

“Not that stuff, anything special?” Jane tapped her chin.

“My castle is made entirely of black rock?” She said, shrugging.

After hours of talking, mostly Tristan talking while the three of us sat there, I didn’t mind too much. I had nothing better to do, I said goodbye to them and just wanted to go home and sit by the fire and read.

I finally reached my small hut outside the city, seeing as Diomedes wants me as far away from him as possible. “You!” A thundering voice said before I was thrown into my door. “How dare you first sail Jane to shore and make her feel uncomfortable?!” Diomedes yelled in my face.

“I didn’t make her uncomfortable, I was helping-”

“That’s not what she told me.” He said, cutting me off. I was shocked, I can’t believe I made Jane uncomfortable. “Then you manipulate her into being with you, just to spite me-”

“We’re not-”

“Shut up, and let me finish, and the duel yesterday was ridiculous without Jane as your slave, Valery would have ripped you in half.” I became angry. “And last but not least you made Tristan ask me to let you stay around him and his cousins!” I fumed, I turned and slammed my door in his face, I locked it as he banged on it.

“I don’t give enough of a shit about you, to do anything!” I yelled, which didn’t help.

“Fine, then just run away like you always do, but you’re a bastard, always remember that!” Diomedes yelled, before stomping away. I ran to my fireplace and screamed flames.

“What a piece of work.” I turned to see the white hair of Edur.

“What the hell are you doing here, Frostbite?” I asked, he leaned against the wall.

“Enjoying the show, Sunshine.” I glared at him. He raised his hands. “I just need a place to lay low for the night.” I sighed.

“One night.” His face lit up.

“Thank Chiffon, Diomedes almost had me today too.” I shook my head.

“What’d you steal?”

“Only bread I swear, Elementals need to eat too.” He said, raising his hand to his chest. “And not to throw flames but must you always keep this place so warm, I could melt in here.” He chuckled, I rolled my eyes. Edur was the only person in the world that knew about my fire. I accidentally caught a tree on fire when he tried to steal my sword, that was almost four years ago. He covered the tree in ice showing me he had ice powers and later revealing he also could control the wind. “So who’s this Jane?” He asked.

“Cousin, she arrived two days ago and apparently I make her “uncomfortable”, yet Diomedes still thinks I have her under my “magical manipulation”.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Edur said, leaning on my shoulder. “I’ve seen girls looking at you, you turn heads.” I shook my head, Edur was always kind to me, he’s always been an orphan here on Ironside, and sometimes the only thing keeping me sane yet driving me insane all the same, almost like another younger brother. “What is she really like?”

“Royal,” I said, Edur made a gagging sound.

“Well her and her royal ass will be out of here soon right?” I nodded. “Those girls and their dresses and “oh pardon me”.” I laughed, Accepted Jane wasn’t that type of royal, she almost seemed to like the freedom from a royal setting.