More.
As one, we all spoke the lines from the spell.
“Two who are one, one who is two. One each of blood and air.”
With that, I realized why my magic hadn’t immediately melded with this world.
The power of this planet was not the planet.
It was people.
All the billions of people who lived on it, who were overwhelmingly good, kind, caring, sent just a touch of power to us through the earth itself, and we channeled it, taming it.
Commanding it.
Asking the power of the very people to help end this war that could be otherwise eternal.
Live and let live.
“Victory to the blood,” Aiko whispered.
“Victory to the earth,” Rilen and Roran chanted
“Victory to the guardians of power,” Doran said.
“Victory to protectors of life,” I finished.
The magic flashed, pulsed, swirled, and slammed full tilt into all of us, pushing the air out of our lungs. It circled—behind, above, in front, below us. Then finally, through us, entwining our souls, our lives, in ways I wasn’t sure we’d ever fully realized.
With a final rush, the magic drained back into the earth.
I dropped to the ground, my legs gelatin, and my arms like rubber. A blinding headache bloomed instantly, and I saw spots just as I fell over.
My eyes opened a crack and I could see Rilen and Roran had also gone all the way to the floor.
I couldfeelthem thinking. Dorian’s thoughts were crowding in, and Aiko had an aura ofow ow ow owhovering near him.
Imagining their presence on the other side of a door, I was able to pull each of those doors most of the way closed.
The pain faded.
Slowly, I sat up. Dorian was still sitting, but he looked like he would throw up from the pain, and I didn’t think Aiko was faring better.
“Shut each other out,” I whispered. “Shut down what you hear in your head.”
“Oh, shit. That’s better,” Rilen said after a moment had passed. “Oh, that’s so much better. Kimber, you have a hell of a loud presence.”
“Like you didn’t know that.” Dorian coughed, and I could see him swallow painfully.
“Did it work?” Aiko asked, pushing himself off the ground.
“I don’t know.” I looked around, but the question wouldn’t be answered in the room we were in.
“The spell ingredients.” Roran pointed to the center of the pentacle.
The bay leaves, woodruff, and frankincense were all gone. The bone was still there, but it glittered gold in the dim light of the candles. The pieces of chalk were transformed as well, to five crystals of different colors.
The one I had touched was red. Rilen and Roran had blue, Aiko’s was green, and Dorian’s was perfectly clear.
