A town appears on the horizon. I watch it get bigger as we draw closer, and an idea flits through my head.
“I want to try using my magic while we have this union bond active,”I say into Draven’s mind.“To feel what the difference is. Can I do that or will it distract you too much while flying?”
“I don’t think I will notice it at all,”he thinks back.“And as long as you don’t project those fantasies into my mind again, I don’t think anything can distract me.”
“You mean these?”I send very vivid images into his mind again.
He wobbles slightly in the air, making Galen turn his head towards us. Draven quickly levels out again, once more flying straight as an arrow.
“Oh, you wicked little thing,”hemurmurs into my mind.
I grin while the rushing winds tug at my hair, making it flutter behind me. But I refrain from projecting any more dirty thoughts into Draven’s mind and instead focus on my new mission as we draw closer to the town.
Summoning my magic, I throw it towards the town in search of bone white sparks of fear. Since three black dragons are flying towards the city, I’m assuming that a lot of people in it are currently afraid that their home is about to be attacked.
My guess was right, and I find a mass of bone white flames burning inside the city. The sheer number of them is staggering. Not as many as when I manipulated everyone’s anger in Frostfell, but still so many people that it’s going to require enormous amounts of magic to lower them all.
With a push, I start doing just that.
Shock hits me when I manage to decrease their fear while using less than half of the energy I normally would need to use.
Quickly releasing the grip on my magic again, I look down at the city right as we reach it. This union bond is going to make a huge difference in the war. I squint down at the people who flash past far below. I wonder what it’s like when I create emotions in this state.
Visualizing a warm yellow flame of joy, I shove it down towards the closest person we pass.
Insane pleasure hits me like a shockwave. It’s so intense that my vision blacks out for a second and I almost fall off Draven’s back. Dragging in a shuddering breath, I bask in that incredible sensation.
Then panic pulses through me. Oh Goddess, I forgot to stop the emotions from flowing through our mate bond, which means that Draven can feel this too. With immense effort, I cut off the connection.
Cold, harsh reality crashes over me again. The difference is so stark that it leaves me completely disoriented for a few seconds,but I make sure to keep my emotions solely on my side of our mate bond this time.
Again, again, again, my mind whispers.
Terror grips me, as I worry that Draven could hear that too. But it’s silent from his side of the union bond, so I must have only thought that to myself.
I swallow. Then guilt starts twisting inside me as I turn my head and look back towards the human below whose personality I permanently changed. I wonder if it was even worse for that person now that my magic is stronger. I really wish that I could remove the emotions afterwards, the way that Jocasta and other fae with emotion magic can. That would?—
My thoughts come to an abrupt halt as I notice something in the air. A slight shimmer. It’s so thin and so faint that it’s almost invisible. If I hadn’t been looking straight at it like this, I would’ve missed it.
Confused, I reach towards it.
But my hand passes right through it when I try to touch it. Still twisted around so that I’m looking backwards, I cock my head as I continue studying that thin thread. If I didn’t know better, I would say that it almost looks like a tiny trail of magic.Mymagic, specifically. But I’ve already disconnected my magic, so it can’t be. Still…
I narrow my eyes. The thread runs straight back towards the human who I just used my magic on.
Lifting my gaze, I glance around me.
Shock and a terrifying amount of hope hit me when I see other faint trails streaming out in several directions around me. Like thin shimmering threads.
My heart starts pounding in my chest. It can’t be…
Can it?
I try closing the union bond between me and Draven.
Those thin trails around me fade at first. But now that I knowwhat to look for, I can see them again if I concentrate. Even though the union bond is closed.
Swallowing, I can barely breathe as I open the union bond again.
