Day Nine dawned bright and clear, and I woke up feeling almost normal.
Almost.
My mana reserves were still recovering, but at least I wasn't exhausted anymore. And the curse training yesterday had been brutal but effective.
I can cast curses now.
I can cast ACTUAL CURSES.
I'm becoming LEGENDARY.
Today was supposed to be dedicated to teaching Elara—formally beginning her education in forbidden magic. We'd agreed to start with illusions, since they were less dangerous than necromancy or curses.
Less dangerous.
But still FORBIDDEN.
Still enough to get us both executed if anyone found out.
Perfect.
We met in the same hidden room, with Corvus supervising. He'd insisted on being present for any training involving the crown princess, and honestly, I was grateful for it.
If something goes wrong, at least there's an ancient necromancer to fix it.
That's a sentence I never thought I'd think.
But here we are.
Elara arrived right on time, dressed in a simple practice dress instead of her usual elaborate gowns. She looked eager, excited, hungry for knowledge.
She's ready.
She's SO ready.
"Today," I said, channeling my best teacher voice, "we're going to work on illusions. They're one of the safer forms of dark magic, but they're also incredibly useful."
My brilliant little pet is ready to learn.
"Safer?" Elara asked, tilting her head.
"They won't accidentally kill you if you mess up," I said. "Unlike necromancy or curses. The worst that happens with a failed illusion is it doesn't work, or it looks wrong."
Or you pass out from mana depletion.
But we're not going to mention that.
That's MY special failure.
Corvus moved to stand beside us, his presence somehow both menacing and reassuring. "Illusions are about perception," he said. "About convincing reality—and observers—that something exists when it doesn't. Or that something doesn't exist when it does."
Deception.
Manipulation.
My FAVORITE things.
"Show me," Elara said, and there was that hunger again.
She wants this.
She NEEDS this.
Good.
I focused, drawing on my mana carefully this time, and created an illusion—a butterfly, just like Mother had shown me. It appeared in the air between us, wings fluttering, looking absolutely real.
Elara reached out to touch it, and her hand passed through.
"It's perfect," she breathed. "It looks completely real."
"That's the point," I said. "A good illusion is indistinguishable from reality. It has to have weight, presence, believability."
I let the butterfly fade and gestured for her to try.
"Focus on the image," I said. "See it in your mind first. Every detail. Then push that image out into reality."
Elara closed her eyes, concentrating. I could feel her magic stirring—light magic, bright and pure, but with that faint undercurrent of darkness I'd noticed before.
She has potential.
Real, genuine potential.
This is going to be INTERESTING.
A shimmer appeared in the air—faint, barely visible, but there.
"Good," Corvus said. "Now give it form. Give it substance."
The shimmer solidified into... something. It was vaguely butterfly-shaped, but the proportions were wrong, and it kept flickering in and out of existence.
Not bad for a first attempt.
Actually pretty impressive.
She's learning FAST.
"It's not stable," Elara said, frustrated.
"It takes practice," I said. "I spent hours yesterday just trying to make a rose that didn't look like a blob. You're already doing better than I was."
That's not entirely true.
But it's good for her confidence.
And I need her confident.
Confident students are USEFUL students.
We practiced for the next hour, with Elara creating increasingly stable illusions. She was a fast learner—faster than I'd expected. By the end of the session, she could create a butterfly that looked almost real.
She's a natural.
She's picking this up WAY too quickly.
The crown princess is going to be a dark magic prodigy.
Oh, this is going to be FUN.
And also potentially TERRIFYING.
As we were finishing up, Elara turned to me with that determined look in her eyes—the one that meant she was about to ask for something I probably shouldn't give her.
"Isabel," she said. "Will you teach me curses?"
Oh.
Oh, she wants to learn CURSES.
She wants to learn the DANGEROUS stuff.
The stuff that can HURT people.
I glanced at Corvus, who was watching us with those empty eye sockets.
What do I say?
Do I teach the crown princess curse magic?
Do I make her THAT powerful?
Part of me wanted to say yes immediately. Elara was my ally, my friend, my student. Teaching her curses would make her stronger, more capable, more dangerous.
More useful.
More MINE.
But another part of me hesitated.
She's the CROWN PRINCESS.
If she becomes too powerful, too skilled in dark magic, she could become a threat.
Not to me, necessarily, but to the balance of power.
And I need to be STRATEGIC about this.
"Not yet," I said finally. "You're not ready."
I need to think LONG-TERM.
Elara's face fell, and I felt a pang of something that might have been guilt.
Stop it.
Don't feel guilty.
This is STRATEGIC.
"But I—" she started.
"You're learning fast," I interrupted. "Faster than I expected. But curses are different. They're more dangerous, more complex, and if you make a mistake, you'll curse yourself."
Like I did.
Twice.
In one session.
I'm not letting her go through that.
Not yet.
"I saw you practice yesterday," Elara said, and there was steel in her voice. "I saw how hard it was. But you kept trying until you got it right."
She's using my own determination against me.
Clever.
Too clever.
My brilliant little pet is learning manipulation.
I'm so PROUD.
And also slightly CONCERNED.
"Exactly," I said. "I kept trying, and I cursed myself twice before I got it right. You need more experience with basic dark magic before you're ready for curses."
And I need more time to decide if making you that powerful is a good idea.
Elara looked like she wanted to argue, but Corvus spoke first.
I need to figure out if I can TRUST you with that much power.
I need to make sure you won't use it against me.
"Lady Isabel is correct," he said, his ancient voice carrying weight. "Curse magic requires a foundation of control and understanding. You must master illusions and basic dark magic theory before attempting curses."
Thank you, Corvus.
Thank you for backing me up.
Thank you for being the voice of reason when I'm trying to be strategic.
Elara sighed but nodded. "Fine. But I want to learn eventually."
"You will," I promised. "Just... not yet."
Not until I'm sure I can trust you with that much power.
Not until I'm sure you won't use it against me.
Not until I'm sure you'll stay MINE.
As Elara left, Nyx slithered up to my shoulder.
"That was surprisingly restrained of you," he said. "Not teaching her the most dangerous magic immediately."
"I'm being strategic," I said.
"You're being cautious," Nyx corrected. "You're worried about making her too powerful."
He's not wrong.
He's NEVER wrong.
I hate that about him.
"She's learning too fast," I said quietly, watching the door where Elara had disappeared. "She's absorbing everything I teach her and asking for more. If I teach her curses now, she'll master them in a week."
"And that's a problem because...?"
"Because she's the CROWN PRINCESS," I said. "Because she has political power I don't have. Because if she becomes too skilled in dark magic, she could become a threat to the entire kingdom."
Or to me.
Let's be honest.
I'm worried she could become a threat to ME.
I'm worried I'm creating something I can't control.
Nyx's tongue flicked out thoughtfully. "You're thinking like a villain," he said, and there was approval in his voice. "Always considering the long-term consequences of your actions."
I'm thinking like a SURVIVOR.
I'm thinking like someone who doesn't want to create her own downfall.
I'm thinking like someone who's read enough stories to know that the student eventually surpasses the master.
And I'm not ready to be surpassed.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
"She's going to be powerful," I said. "Incredibly powerful. And I need to make sure that when she reaches that level, she's still loyal to me."
"And if she's not?" Nyx asked.
I smiled—that sharp, dangerous smile.
"Then I'll deal with it," I said. "One way or another."
Strategic.
Calculated.
PERFECT.