She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but soon it cleared to show his face. He was pale, expression twisted with worry. Valorre’s head was lowered beside him, staring at her with his wide russet eyes.
Teryn spoke again. “You don’t need to harness it. You are enough as you are.”
She sagged at his words. Fatigue tugged her bones, and she was desperate to collapse. To sleep. But she couldn’t quit yet. Her duty had only just begun.
With a trembling sigh, she settled back into the feel of Teryn’s hands and the vibrant energy that was Valorre’s presence. That’s right. She could lean on them. Turn over some of the burden.
“Cora.” Teryn stroked her cheek with his thumb, his voice pitched with worry.
“I’m all right,” she managed to croak. “I wasn’t prepared for the temptation to harness it. I…I’m ready now. This time I’ll rely on the two of you.”
Teryn nodded. “Don’t do this alone. You don’t need to.”
He was right. She wasn’t alone. She could share this.
Teryn moved aside, giving her space to press her palms to the stone again. He moved his hands to her back, his touch both firm and comforting. Valorre kept his muzzle near her shoulder, bumping her with it, blowing hot breaths against her cheek again.
She wouldn’t forget them this time.
Gritting her teeth, she faced themoraagain, but she didn’t turn herself over to it.Reverse, she demanded, pushing back with her resolve. Fighting its flow. Urging it back underground.
Are you certain?it asked. It pulsed through her, infusing her mind with visions again.
Yes.Cora breathed the temptation away, let themoraswirl around her, through her, and into her companions, taking some of the weight off her chest.
You wouldn’t rather wield it? Harness it? Take it?
NO. She pushed back even harder, shared more of her burden with Teryn and Valorre.I am Queen of Lela, Queen of Magic. You yield when I tell you to yield. You move when I tell you to move. Now GO! RETURN.
Teryn held her tighter.
Valorre’s presence grew warmer.
Themoracycled through the three figures, then radiated down Cora’s hands.
Through her palms.
Back into the rock.
And finally, its flow reversed.
* * *
Mareleau had practicedthe warding gesture Ailan had taught her dozens of times by now, and she still wasn’t certain if it worked. Noah lay on her bed, wrapped in lavender silk swaddling embroidered with a gold dragon-scale pattern. She sat beside him and performed every move that her hands had already memorized. She pressed her thumbs to her ring fingers, angled her wrists, then linked her fingers together. Another turn of her wrists, and she pressed the tips of her remaining fingers together. She held the gesture for a few breaths, then laced all fingers before spreading them over Noah like she was covering him in an invisible blanket.
She stared down at her results. Like always she could see nothing out of the ordinary. How could she ever know it worked?
Remembering what Ailan had told her about practicing on herself first, she strode to the mirror and repeated the same gesture but for her own body. She tried to perceivesomething, some clue that it had worked, but neither her eyes nor her claircognizance told her a damn thing. Clenching her jaw, she whirled away from the mirror. She didn’t have time to practice or wonder. Ferrah had returned from the tear not long ago, which was the signal that the ambush had begun.
How long ago had that been? Ten minutes? Twenty? Was it evening on the other side of the Veil, or daytime like it was here? She tried to estimate the hour, but math had never been her strength. Besides, the discrepancy of time between the two realms was an estimate, not an exact science.
Still, it chilled her to think that even though it had only been minutes for her, hours of battle may have already passed. Hours that Larylis could be fighting. Struggling. Or…
No, she wouldn’t think of anything worse than that.
A knock sounded at her door, and Garot entered without waiting for her to answer. “Are you ready? We must make haste to the dragon caves as a precaution.”
Mareleau wasn’t overly fond of the idea of hiding in dark caves with a horde of feisty dragons, but Ailan had assured her it would be the safest place for her and Noah. That the dragons would protect them if the worst happened.
