Through the connection, I experienced Tseki's landing as if I were there myself. The jarring impact as his claws found purchase on granite was so tactile. The immediate assault of corrupted magic against his senses made me shudder.
“The first anchor goes where you feel the strongest resistance,”I added, letting my voice join theirs through Tarja's link. “That's where Lyra's corruption has the deepest roots.”
“Got it. Moving to—”Tseki's mental voice cut off abruptly.
“What was that?”Tarja demanded, her mental voice sharp with concern.
“Lyra’s guard. Shit.”Even through the telepathic connection, Tseki's draconic growl was intimidating.“Murtagh's engaging them, but there are more than we expected. I need to place these anchors fast.”
“Slow down.”Tarja's mental authority cracked like a whip. “If you rush this, you'll place them wrong. If that happens, we'll have accomplished nothing except getting you killed. Murtagh can handle a few of Lyra’s goons. Focus on the task.”
“But—”
“I know he’s your mate, Tseki.”Her mental voice carried the same tone she used when I tried to give her discount cat food. “He needs you to do it right more than we do. Breathe. Center yourself. Feel for the convergence point.”
I could sense Tseki's reluctance. His instinct to help his partner was warring with the knowledge that Tarja was right. Through the connection, I felt him force himself to stillness. He let his magical senses expand outward.
“There,”he said after what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds. “I can feel it. Like a wound in the earth itself.”
“Perfect. First anchor, right at the center of that wrongness,”Tarja instructed. “Let the babies' magic guide the placement. They'll know exactly where it needs to go.”
The triplets responded immediately, their combined power flowing through our connection to Tseki. I felt their magic merge with Tarja and then his. All three wrapped around the first anchor as he pressed it into the corrupted ground.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Even from miles away, I could feel the anchor's purifying energy beginning to work. It was like an infected tooth finally getting treated with the right antibiotic.
“One down,”Tseki reported, his mental voice carrying satisfaction despite the ongoing sounds of combat nearby. “The corruption is already starting to recede around the first placement.”
“Second anchor goes fifty yards northwest,”Tarja directed with the confidence of someone who could see the magical landscape as clearly as the physical one. “Where the ley lines cross beneath that cluster of ancient pines.”
Through the connection, I felt as he moved to the indicated spot. “Here?”he asked, hovering above the spot.
“Perfect. Same process—let the babies guide the placement.”
The second anchor went in more easily, the purifying energy from the first one having already begun to weaken the corruption's hold on the area. The magical landscape was starting to shift. Like a fever finally breaking.
“Now, the third anchor,”Tarja continued. “It goes directly south of your current position. You'll know the spot because it will feel like standing next to an open grave.”
“Charming,”Tseki muttered. The corruption there was exactly as Tarja described.
The third anchor slammed into place with an almost audible sense of completion. He moved on and placed the final anchor without issue. Through the connection, I felt the moment when all of the anchors activated simultaneously. Their combined power formed a square of purifying energy that began spreading outward in waves.
“It's working,”Tseki reported, wonder creeping into his mental voice. “The corruption is dissolving. I can actually see the ley lines clearing.”
“How's Murtagh?”I asked, suddenly remembering the ongoing fight.
“Fine.”The relief in his voice was palpable.“The constructs dissolved the moment the anchors activated. They were powered by the very corruption we just cleansed.”Relief flooded through me so strongly that the babies began doing what felt suspiciously like victory laps against my ribs.
“Well done, both of you,”Tarja purred, her mental satisfaction radiating through the connection. “Now get back here before something else decides to take an interest in what you've accomplished.”
“On our way,”Tseki replied.
“Was that easier than it should have been?” I asked Tarja, not trusting how smoothly that went.
“It’s too early to tell. I think we caught her by surprise. She likely thought you would continue working on personal protection,” Tarja replied.
Footsteps pounding up the stairs interrupted our conversation. Both of us turned our attention right as Nina burst through our bedroom door without bothering to knock. "Mom! Tseki did it—" She stopped mid-sentence, taking in our expectant faces. "Oh. You already know."
"Tarja helped guide him," I explained, then winced as the babies decided to celebrate by practicing their future soccer careers against my ribs.
