He did, and then as his father had promised, he practiced raising his shields until he could do it with merely a thought.
He was drained, again, but not as badly as before, as his father hadn’t tried to breach them. “What’s next?”
“For you, more food and rest. Tomorrow we’ll work on defensive spells.”
“Why, if I can shield?”
“So that you can take out whoever’s attacking you, or at least send them away with their tail between their legs.”
Lyle nodded. That made sense to him, although he wasn’t certain he really could fight back. That wasn’t who he was. Or who I used to be, I suppose. For better or worse, I’m not the same person anymore.
“Do I have to stay down here?”
Warner laughed. “No. I believe that would be considered illegal confinement under international law. As long as you’re
