The Aspect of Essence (The Aelfyn Archives, #1)

by Samantha Amstutz

Seriously? Jassyn snatched a wine bottle in danger of slipping out of the male’s grip and placed it on a shelf, shoving back what he assumed was a vulpintera’s articulated skeleton to make room. This is worse. Much worse. Jassyn made a mental note to ask Nelya if this current behavior was becoming a trend. For the sake of his mentor, he hoped it wasn’t. Jassyn knew a turbulent history existed between Thalaesyn and King Galaeryn. The discord resulted in the magister’s dismissal from the king’s service around the time the wraith killed Queen Maraelyn and Prince Aesar. The king exiled Thalaesyn from the capital to continue his research on Centarya once the construction was complete. Perhaps the shift of the academy toward a military operation was the cause. Jassyn could think of no other recent changes. Opening his perception, like a blossom unfolding in the sun, Essence surged through Jassyn’s senses. His awareness buzzed with the static charge of his magic. Like a vine coiling around a branch, he hesitantly extended a tendril of unformed power to assess his mentor. Thalaesyn was unsurprisingly drunk, as Jassyn had already deduced from the dredges in the wine bottle and the sour scent of alcohol stirred by snores.