Sasha was worried. She had not seen Denise, and she had not seen her sister. That made her heartache for Isaak. There was no way Ivy would not have come home to look out for her. Something had happened.

“Elias?”

“Yeah?”

“I am worried for Isaak's sake. Do you think your parents somehow could have taken their revenge on him?”

“That doesn’t make much of sense do it?”

“No, but.”

“No buts”, Elias said. “I didn’t go to Isaak’s place just for this reason. I will not give them any reason to go after him.”

“But they have already done once?”

“I made my mother promise the dragon queen she would leave Isaak out of this”, Elias said. “I am pretty sure she keeps that promise.”

Sasha wasn’t so sure. Elias thought very highly of his mother, she didn’t agree.

“I promised to help Isaak out, and I am full of magic that I need to get control off. I think we might be able to kill two birds with one stone. When will you be ok to leave?”

“I will not leave Sasha. You will practice here, and then we will go to the tower. I will take no risks.”

“You seem pretty fit”, Sasha didn’t want to listen. Isaak needed her. Ivy needed her. ”I think it is time to leave.”

“It's not me I am worried about”, Elias said and took her hand. “Come, let us go down to the lake. It is practice time my little pupil.”

He tried to charm her, but it was Isaak they were talking about. He needed his bodyguard.

“You can't make me. I am going to help Isaak, and you can do whatever you want.”

Elias laughed. He burst out in a laugh, tears starting to form in his eyes.

“Well, there is my rebel”, he said when he had stopped.

Sasha started to walk out on him. When she got outside, she had to stop and look back. Wherever she put her feet, there was a solid wall in all directions but towards the lake.

“The wind elements are especially handy. Don’t you think?”

“You stop it”, Sasha sighed. She went back to Elias. “Don’t overuse magic, you are still weak.”

“But I am stronger than you, for now”, Elias said. “Let's change that shall we?”

“Ok. We practice”, Sasha nodded. She had to trust Denise and Ivy, for now. “How come, with your strength, I got hold of the orb at all?”

“You took me by surprise”, Elias said. “Had I not briefly passed out in that fall you would never have succeeded. It was my mistake, thinking you were no witch.”

“You are much stronger than you let on”, Sasha said.

Elias shrugged.

“Well, my father trained me to be a soldier and my mother filled me up with magic. I am a healer, the rest of it. I seldom use magic since healing is the only thing that feels comfortable.”

Elias took her hand, starting to lead her towards the lake.

“So you know exactly how I feel about it”, Sasha said. She held a stroke of accusation in her voice. If he knew, how could he have done what he did to her?

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“You will come to terms with it. What doesn’t break you makes you stronger”, Elias said. “You will heal. And you will become the strongest witch we have ever seen.”

Sasha was not so sure. Elias was a healer, he could wrap his soul around this. She, she could not.

“What about what I want?”

She stopped and just looked at Elias. She didn’t want the magic, and she didn’t want to go to the lake. Where was Denise when she needed a ride? Probably, and hopefully protecting her sister and Isaak.

“You are a taker and you got magic for free that people kill for. Humor me”, Elias said.

Sasha stiffened. Her jaw dropped and she had to look twice at Elias, not sure she had heard what she had.

“I am leaving”, she said between gritted teeth.

“Stop it! Isaak will be fine. Don’t use that excuse, Sasha. Let’s go to the lake and train.”

“You don’t know Isaak.”

Elias increased the wind, forcing Sasha to move towards the lake.

“I do princess. But you don’t know me.”

“What about you and Isaak?”

She hated that he forced her towards the lake, but he was right. She hadn’t wanted to get to know him. It would only mess things up. How had it been to grow up in the castle? Had he been the one thrown to the wolves? What was it Ella had said?

“What about?” Elias said.

“Isn’t it odd, the prince being a friend with the master criminal?”

“A friendship I prefer not being widely spread”, Elias hushed her, “If you have to know, he happened to save my life.”

“He did?”

“Yes, he did, miss curious. Now, it is time for practice.”

They were down at the lake.

“Sure you are not just trying to get rid of more questions?”

“Of course I am”, Elias said. He tilted his head. “You want to know, don’t you?”

“No”, Sasha said stubbornly, looking down at the ground.

“Let us make a deal. For each win you can make, you can ask a question.”

“And if you win?”

“If I win?” Elias got closer, releasing some small flames from his palms, playing with them in the still air. “If I win you will have to promise to answer honestly.”

He throws the flames at her. They came to her as a burning rope,

lingering around her wrist. She put fire to fire, letting her flames consume all the oxygen.

“You do control the fire perfectly”, Elias noted.

Sasha had put her flames aside, as easily as a thought.

“I guess that is one point to me and zero to you.”

“So it could seem.”

“What is inside the tower that you want so badly?” Sasha asked.

“Let us finish this first shall we”, Elias said and chanted. From his palms, a ghost figure of moisture moved towards her. “Then we can count the points.”

“That’s cheating!” Sasha exclaimed.

“Is it?” Elias asked.

The ghost thing was covering her in small droplets of water. Sasha couldn’t see anything in front of her, and the droplets were so many it didn’t help to let the fire dry her clothes. It came always more.

“What am I supposed to do with this thing?” Sasha grunted.

“Surrender”, Elias said and lashed out, she was stricken with force and her legs bend. Sasha thumped down at the earth.

“Timber”, Elias said. “Ready?”

“No, I’m not ready”, Sasha rolled over, trying to get away from the dust that was starting to rain down on her. She closed her eyes and headed away from the lake.

When she got closer to the trail back towards the cottage she turned around. Elias stood there, the air clean and no trace of neither the water ghost nor the dust could be seen. He shook his head. Sasha was done, she didn’t need this. She would head home to Ella.

There was a sudden stop, the air behaved as a massive invincible wall.

“Guess you seem to be losing”, Elias said, coming closer. “The water moistens the earth, the ground brings it back to the never-ending circle, giving the mud the possibilities for more trees to grow. Now, we try again.”

And they did. Time after time. Sasha did learn nothing. They couldn’t get it right, and she was sick of this.

“I am exhausted. I need lunch, and a better teacher”, Sasha didn’t even bother to try to let out the flames that were burning at her feet. She didn’t care. If he hurt her he would have to heal her. “You don’t happen to know a really good teacher do you?”

“You are not trying”, Elias said.

“No”, Sasha said. “And you just lost one question.”

“I have sixteen more to go”, Elias said. “Why are you not trying?”

“I can't get the magic under control, and if I let it loose... I will not be able to call it back. It's just. It's just not working Elias.”

Elias fell silent, his brows drawn together trying to find a way to help her.

“You have fifteen questions left”, Sasha said. “I guess I would not get the time to ask?”

“Screw the questions”, Elias said. He snapped with his fingers. The quietness in the wood was palpable.

“I don’t hear the sound of the wind anymore?” Sasha said.

“No. I am sorry for this. It is time for rest. I will have to dwell over this for a while.”

Sasha hoped he would take his time, and in the meantime, she would escape. No one knew the forest like her. It was time to go and find Isaak and Ivy. Or Greg. She did need a good teacher.