«But, Gaelen, the weave is impossible. I don’t even know where to begin.»
«It is a Spirit weave, Marissya, and it is defending itself against you. You are weary because it told you to be weary. Your power is spent because it told you to spend your power. It is impossiblebecause it tells you to believe that. It’s an illusion, little sister, as most Spirit is.»
«Gaelen—»
«You worry your mate, and though I’ve never liked him much, I cannot help feeling pity for him.»He gave a laugh that had been rare even when Marissya was a child. The sound of it filled her with renewed strength.«So do this thing, ajiana, and return to him.»
Marissya felt her brother’s determination bolster her, an endless supply of power and sheer will from which she could draw forever. He was a tower of strength. He always had been. He was her hero, the brother she had idolized all her young life.
«Aiyah. I will do this.»She directed her attention to the Spirit weave, focusing her concentration, gathering the strength of those connected to her and weaving their wills to her own. She attacked the weave, not with subtlety but with bold determination, cutting through steely threads of Spirit as if they were tailor’s silk. The weave tried to defend itself, swamping her with fatigue and self-doubt, but she persevered until the last thread was severed and the barrier fell away in dissolving bands of power.
«We did it!»she crowed, laughing at the dimming, now-powerless threads.
«Youdid it, little sister.»
«Gaelen... oh, Gaelen, I’ve missed you. I—»Her voice broke off as her attention wandered away from the dissolving threads of Spirit and she caught sight of yet another weave.
«What is it?»Though no hint of worry colored Gaelen’s mental voice, the mere question was enough.
«Marissya!»Dax did not try to hide his concern.
«There’s another weave.»She breathed an awed sigh.«You should see it. It’s brilliant. Beautiful.»Huge bands of power were woven in a tight sphere, the thick, multi-ply ropes of the weave shining white, blue, red, green, and lavender.«Five-fold. Blessed tairen’s fire, it’s a five-fold weave and masterfully done.»
«Did Ellysetta weave it?»Rain asked.
«I don’t know. I’ll touch it to see if I can sense the maker.»
Marissya approached cautiously, surprised that she couldn’t sense power emanating from the weave. A five-fold weave with threads that thick should have throbbed with power. But this one would have been invisible if Marissya had not sent her consciousness into Ellysetta’s body. It was—like so many things about the woodcarver’s daughter—a mystery.
Marissya reached out with her senses, brushing gently against the outermost curve of the shining sphere... and gave a shrill cry as something attacked. She had a brief impression of blazing eyes and deadly fury before she found herself flying out of Ellysetta’s body, returning to her own with a painful jolt that sent her sprawling backwards into the grass.
She groaned and heard the sound echoed by several others. Hands reached out, helping her to sit up. “I’m fine,” she muttered, waving her quintet away. It wasn’t exactly true. Her head felt as if someone had taken a hammer to it.
Dax and Bel were struggling to sit up, each rubbing his head. Beside them, surrounded by glowing magic and naked poison blades, Gaelen was doing the same.
“Are you all right?” Marissya’s question to them all was instinctive, even though she knew before they nodded that they had suffered no serious harm. Her gaze rested longest on Gaelen, drinking in the sight of him. She would have thought that after a thousand years as adahl’reisen, his appearance would have changed. But he was Fey, immortal, held forever in the beautiful perfection of his prime, as familiar to her as he ever had been.
Love filled her and flooded her eyes with shimmering tears. “Gods’ blessing on Ellysetta Baristani,” she whispered to herself, giving the spread-fingered fanning wave of the Lord of Light. She turned to Rain. “The weave wasn’t hers, Rain. The Spirit weaves were—all of them, even the most powerful ones—but the five-fold weave belonged to someone else. Someone put it there deliberately.”
“What?” Rain stared at her in surprise. “But why?”
“If I were to guess, I’d say someone wanted to be sure she would never use her magic. Maybe they even wanted to prevent anyone from realizing shehadmagic.”
“Why would anyone do that to her?”
“I don’t know, Rain. But I can tell you this: If the strength of that five-fold weave is a measure of what it was made to contain, her magic isn’t just strong, as we’ve suspected. It’s a vaster power than I’ve ever known.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ellysetta groaned and peeled open her eyes. The now-familiar headache was worse than ever, pounding sharply at her temples. A loud, confusing barrage of thoughts and concerns flooded into her. She had a blurred image of faces hovering over her; then hands reached out to touch her. The cacophony in her mind grew deafening. She gave a small cry and flinched back, coming up against a solid wall of blessed quiet. She huddled closer, seeking shelter, and Rain wrapped his arms around her. Warm peace, edged with fierce protectiveness, blanketed her, muffling the noise of the others.
«What is it, shei’tani?»
«I can hear them all. In my mind, all at once, I can hear them.»
“Shield yourselves,” Rain commanded. “Your thoughts disturb the Feyreisa.”
Immediately the voices quieted, though sensations of surprise and curiosity rose sharply.
