“Mine,” Shadow countered, but didn’t fight me any other way.
“Ours,” I continued, amusement warring with my determination to destroy the darkness.
Len wrapped a hand around mine, and his light burned so brightly that it had the dark tendrils bunching together to avoid it.
Whatever you need, Storm.His voice was in all our minds since we’d formed nine parts of a whole.You’re never fighting alone.
The light soared, and so did my power, burning through the darkness. For a moment I thought we’d won, as the strands retreated, curling up into a ball, releasing their hold on the essence of Faerie. Only, I’d underestimated how oily this spell truly was, so insidious, designed to infiltrate with nothing more than a drop. You couldn’t miss a single spot or it would return and spread even faster.
No matter how many times we gathered it together, a spot always managed to avoid the light, and it would be back to square one.
Understanding what needed to happen now, I called on the others, tugging on their energy until they all rose into the air with no need for wings. The nine of us encircled the Faerie Origin. “We have to use all of our skill and strength,” I said, eyes burning from how bright the cords connecting us and Faerie were. “Shadow and Mera need their fire. Reece and Angel will cleanse with their sand. Galleli’s light will join with Len’s to chase the final drops. And Simone and Lucien’s new blood should help renew the power left behind, so it’s strong enough to repair the damage.”
I would be the conduit bringing it all together.
No one argued with their assignment, each understanding and recognizing their various strengths, and how they would come together to form a stronger and more resilient being. I hoped it would be enough.
Despite having gathered the darkness into a bundle a moment ago, it was already back, pulsing and infiltrating the golden energy. We got straight to work, Len and Galleli’s light blinding in its intensity, and I was easily able to unravel the strands. With double the energy and power, I could move through the darkness faster.
At each section we cleared, Shadow and Mera burned through strands of darkness, after which Angel and Reece sent their sands out, scouring the charred flesh, but before we could make it to Simone and Lucien’s new blood, the magic in Faerie pulsed.
Pulsed and then let out a shriek, almost like it was in pain.
“Stop!” I shouted, drawing all of the power back as I examined the area we’d been working in.
The power there was fading as it rejected our form of help, the strand starting to brown.
“It’s dying,” I cried, my throat thick with emotion as I observed the damage. “What did we do wrong? Was it too much power?”
But without all the power, the spell continued to evade me.
“We’re missing a step,” Len said hoarsely. “What are we missing?”
Missing.
We were missing…
The cords I’d sent into my friends came from inside of me, and as I searched through those strands I noticed that there were some unused. Some I hadn’t thought anything of, too focused on the eight I needed.
“There’s three cords of power within me that are not connected,” I whispered.Holy fuck. “We’re missing three pieces of our puzzle.” Three pieces vital to completing this task.
Len grasped my hands firmly, pulling me into his arms, his warmth wrapping around me along with our bond of power.
“Do you know who they belong to?” he asked me.
“No,” I replied immediately. “Clearly they’re members of this pack we haven’t met.”
Shadow soared a little closer. “You don’t have to have met them,” he said suddenly. “Time and distance will not shape this power grid. You just need to send the cords out. They will find their connection.”
“We can boost you,” Len added. “Connected like this, it’s easy to feel the energy and know where to send it.”
Pulling back to see his face, I marveled at the streaks of purple in his irises now, as if some of the reven gems which had dusted his skin also filled his eyes. Like our little girl.
Our little girl we had to save, no matter the cost.
“I just send the cords out into the universes?” I confirmed one last time.
“Yes,” Shadow and Len said.
