Chapter 25: Before the Elders
They did not let Lyra walk in alone.
Kael stayed at her side as they entered the council chamber, his presence a solid weight she clung to without touching. The Elders sat in a half-circle, faces carved by age and law, eyes sharp with scrutiny.
Lyra felt very small.
"Lyra Ashfall," Elder Rask said. "You displayed power at the border. Explain."
Her throat tightened. She glanced at Kael once. He gave a single nod.
"I didn't mean to," she said honestly. "I was scared. And I didn't want anyone hurt."
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
"Intent does not erase consequence," another Elder said.
Kael stepped forward. "Nor does fear negate control. She didn't attack. She protected."
"That's what frightens us," Rask replied. "Nymph magic responds to emotion. Today it was fear. Tomorrow?"
Lyra's hands trembled. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Please… teach me how not to."
Silence.
Then, unexpectedly, Elder Sera leaned forward. "You felt the boundary stones respond, didn't you?"
Lyra nodded. "They felt… kind. Like they remembered."
Sera exchanged a look with the others. "The stones recognize keepers, not conquerors."
Rask exhaled slowly. "Training will continue. Under watch. Any loss of control—any—and this ends."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Agreed."
Lyra swallowed. "Thank you."
It was not acceptance.
But it was permission.
Chapter 26: Lessons in Holding Back
Training changed after that.
No more bowls of water.
Kael taught her distance—how to let the power sit without reaching for it, how to breathe through the pull when emotion surged. Mira guided her hands, grounding her when the warmth climbed too fast.
"Power is not urgency," Mira reminded her. "It's presence."
Lyra learned shielding first.
Not walls—but veils. Gentle layers that absorbed rather than repelled. When Kael tested them with controlled pressure, she held—sweat beading on her brow, focus fierce.
"Again," he said.
She did.
By dusk, she could maintain the veil without shaking.
Kael watched her with something close to pride—and something closer to fear.
"You're adapting quickly," he said.
Lyra smiled faintly. "I don't want to give them a reason to send me away."
He looked away at that.
Later, alone, Kael spoke with Mira in hushed tones.
"She's learning too fast," he said.
Mira nodded. "Because she's afraid."
"And because someone is watching," Kael added.