Maybe she didn’t have the amulet in her possession, but this training would still help her learn how to use it.
Of course, no amount of protest could convince Aaden to leave her side. He ignored every argument and every plea. When the others said River and Claye could refuse to train with Aaden there, he simply insisted they wouldn’t care.
In the end, they all gave up and just decided it would be safer for Talise and Aaden to go together. Talise could only imagine how it would go with Aaden and Claye forced to be around each other.
When they reached the clearing they had chosen for amulet training, Aaden held a tight grip on his sword as he surveyed the area. He checked behind every dead tree and bit of brush. After turning two large rocks on their sides, he finally declared the area empty and safe.
Talise nodded and began using air to scoop clods of dirt from the ground before piling them up into a mound. Since she had come to train, it seemed smart to practice.
Aaden seemed to think it best to do practice swings with his sword. Only a few minutes later, River and Claye appeared riding magnificent horses with long, glossy manes.
River was scowling even before they reached the clearing. Claye’s scowl didn’t appear until he caught sight of Aaden. His face twisted in displeasure, which sent fits through Talise’s stomach.
It had already begun.
Claye dismounted his horse and tied it to a tree while everything in his body language darkened. When he stomped across the clearing, his glare toward Aaden only grew.
Talise tried to take a deep breath before the fighting began, but Claye spoke before she had the chance to breathe.
Claye whipped the soft curls off his forehead. “You’re not supposed to be here.” Poison sizzled inside his words. Even the air itself felt wilted after Claye spoke.
Aaden stared back without a single wince or blink or anything. He held one arm at his side and gripped his sword hilt with the other. No amount of venom lined his words. Just a raw determination, a tone that no argument could touch. “I’m not leaving.”
The words sent Claye’s face into a tight knot. Heat speckled his cheeks as his jaw tightened. “That wasn’t part of the deal. We are supposed to be alone with Talise.”
He spoke with such strong diction that sputters shook out from his lips. He jerked his head toward River, expecting to gain an ally with his argument.
Instead, her glare looked no different than it always did. “Where are the journals?”
The fact that she didn’t even bother addressing Aaden’s presence meant the issue was already over with. No amount of complaining could change anything now because River clearly didn’t care about Aaden’s presence. And if River didn’t care, then Claye couldn’t possibly win.
Talise welcomed the chance to turn away from the others. She dug into the canvas pack that held the journals. Instead of pulling out all of them, she merely grabbed the very first of Kamdar’s journals. It held the most basic information, which seemed like a good place to start.
Even though she had willingly chosen to work with Kessoku, it didn’t seem prudent to share the biggest shaping secrets with her previous enemy just yet.
River snatched the leather-bound journal from Talise’s hands the moment she caught sight of it. But when she cracked open the book, it was time for Talise to start asking questions.
“Where’s the amulet?”
Her gut rocked as soon as she lifted her head to face the others. Claye was still glaring. His face had grown even more red. The veins in his neck and face pulsed with a palpable hatred. Despite her better judgement, Talise couldn’t help glancing to the side.
In contrast, Aaden wore an even-tempered mask of calm. He stood with no anger and no other emotion in his features. Despite the lack of emotions, it was still clear that he was immovable in his decision to stay.
A sigh escaped Talise’s lips. Maybe this whole plan would end up badly.
Before she could contemplate the idea further, River stopped flipping through the pages of the journal and jabbed one page with her pointer finger. “All we have to do is connect the amulet’s power with our own raw desires. That’s why the amulet hasn’t worked for us yet.” She let out a hateful chuckle before tossing the book to the ground. “Give me the amulet. I’m going to try something.”
Her words managed to draw Claye’s eyes away from his heated glares toward Aaden. His voice came out tentative. The way he leaned toward River showed that he was almost embarrassed to let Talise and Aaden hear his question. “But how do we connect the power with our desires? Just because we know what to do doesn’t mean we know how to do it.”
After lifting the book from the ground, Talise brushed the icy dirt away from its cover. “It’s not that simple. Kamdar let the amulet overtake him when he used it. He was more corrupt than anyone knew.”
All three of the others jerked their heads toward her with widened eyes. Only Aaden seemed to believe her. “Corrupt how?”
The pages of the journal crinkled as Talise flipped through them. “Kamdar was obsessed with power. He destroyed villages and forests just so he could control more people. The amulet has great power, but it took over his mind when he used it. He allowed it to happen because his moral compass was basically nonexistent.”
With a snarl, River ripped the book from Talise’s hand. “These are lies. Kamdar is revered. Everyone knows he sought to help the people of Kamdaria. He’s the one who gave us shaping. Why would he do that if he was corrupt?”
Aaden threw Talise the smallest glance before he gripped his sword and went back to staring straight forward with a blank expression.
Claye seemed to have completely forgotten the conversation. He went right back to glaring at Aaden. This time, each breath that escaped his nose came out in forced puffs.
And River was back to reading the journal again.
A sigh played through Talise’s lips. They didn’t care about Kamdar’s history. Even Talise hadn’t believed it when Eben, the guardian of the amulet, had first explained it. Maybe it would be better to start with an actual exercise.
Talise held both hands out in front of her with the palms up. “The point is, you have to channel the power of the amulet, but you can’t let it take over your mind.”
For the first time, Claye’s gaze left Aaden and landed on her. He stared at her hands and then glanced up into her eyes. A strange sensation went through her stomach at the sight of it. Life didn’t make any sense sometimes. How could she be so angry at Claye and hurt by him, but still feel fluttery when he looked at her like that?
He ran a hand through his soft curls while a smirk filled his face. “So, I have to use the amulet but not let it use me?”
She could barely swallow when he stared at her with that expression. The urge to step closer to him came over her, but another part of her felt just as strong of an urge to step closer to Aaden. Instead, she looked down at the ground with a half-hearted nod. “Something like that.”
With her eyes turned downward, she could still see when Claye reached into his pocket. River’s eyes immediately snapped over to him. Greed oozed out of her as she leaned forward.
Claye pinched a metal pendant between his fingers. He held it angled away from River, but everyone could still see it clearly. At the top, the carving of a waterfall glinted in the cold light of the winter sun. The tornado and fire symbols looked exactly like they did on any Master Shaper symbol. At the bottom of the pendant sat an image Kamdarians had never associated with the element of earth. A mountain.