And then a glint of sunshine appeared. A while back, I worked out a way to push down my magic until it was near impossible to drain. The sorceress then decided I was worthless and not worth feeding any longer. And when she moved on, she didn’t bother to take me with her. It was like she’d forgotten my existence entirely.
Time must have melded together while I felt like I was stuck in a liminal state, neither alive nor dead. Free but still trapped.
Until I met the real-life embodiment of that glint of sunshine.
“I might be able to help.”I trace the words onto her skin, feeling a zing deep in my bones. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to speak to anyone, and it seems utterly right that it should be her.
I haven’t felt safe in years, so long that I barely remember what it was like. But Reva has given me my first taste of it. She didn’t hesitate to help me. She stripped off those manacles, invited me inside and told me I’d be safe.
And the strangest thing is, I believed her.
Kit is hers, just as I am. And he was kind to me, even though he didn’t have to be, so I’ll do what I can to help her find him.
Even if it means she hates me when she realises the things I’ve not told her.
Tracing words onto her skin feels like something different that exists beyond regular communication. It feels like a ritual of worship to my goddess.
That must be why the magic binding my tongue allows it.
“You can?” Her eyes light up, and my insides do a jig. “How is that possible?”
I hesitate over the next words, aware there’s every chance I’ll make her afraid of me.
“I’m a witch,”I tell her. “I can’t do magic anymore, but I should be able to do this at least.”
She blinks at me, her brow furrowing as she takes in my words. And then without a moment’s hesitation, she interlinks our fingers together.
Magic is all about intention. The right words said at the right time in the right place are all well and good if you don’t have the right intentions behind them. I might no longer have the words, but maybe if our combined intention is strong enough, it’ll work.
“You’re connected to Kit. You’re also connected to me,”I say. “Maybe we can use our connection to try to trace him.”
“Do you really think we can do that?”
I have no idea. It’s been so long since I last used my magic for anything intentional, I don’t even know if it still works the same.
I grip her hand tight and search for the well inside me that used to be brimming with liquid gold and light. Dipping my hand into it should feel like drawing water from a well. Instead, it feels more like hacking at the mud at the bottom of a tired, old well and being rewarded with a spurt of dirty water.
Focusing on the slight pressure on my arm, I follow the thread that connects me to Reva. Right now, it’s weak. In my mind’s eye, it looks like a single golden spider’s thread that could snap with the slightest nudge.
Following another thread that’s linked to her chest, I find myself transported.
I can’t see where Kit is or what he’s doing, but there’s the sensation of wind hitting my face and the sunset right up ahead. It hits the ocean with flecks of pink and gold.
And then it fades.
I come back to myself, discovering I’m on my knees with both my magic and my energy depleted to nothing. But I can hear a faint voice above me.
“He’s still in the air. Following the shoreline and heading southwest.”
It worked.
Then Reva’s arms are around me, and my nose fills with the scent of seawater and damp wool.
I... can’t remember the last time anyone hugged me.
“Thank you. Thank you. I saw them,” she murmurs, hugging me tight to her chest, and I can feel her heart pounding. “I saw them. I felt them.” She pulls away slightly.
“Not for long enough.”Who knows if I can recover my magic enough to pinpoint their location properly.
