“H-help,” he struggled to get the words through the magic being yanked from his core.
Lars slid around Quentin, keeping contact on his right side to counter the drain on Quentin’s power.The fae king’s fingers circled Quentin’s wrists.The burning eased from an uncomfortable roaring flame to a warm, comforting fire.
“Deep breath.”
Quentin sucked in a needed lungful of oxygen the exact second that Lars yanked his hands clear of the ground.He choked on the fresh air when the connection broke.
It took him several minutes to get his lungs working properly again.A panic attack dulled his senses into a faded blanket of gray.
“Shh, I’ve got you.I’ve got you.”His father wrapped his arms around Quentin, rocking him back and forth while making nonsense calming sounds.“Nothing to fear, just a little magical backlash.You shouldn’t channel ley lines directly, my dear child.”
It took ten shaky breaths in and out before he could speak.
He counted.It was several minutes more before he could articulate what had just happened.
He didn’t count those.
“I-I didn’t do it on purpose.Mother always said we should blood the garden to keep the land’s connection to our family.”
Lars rubbed Quentin’s back.“Which is fine for a regular human with a small hedge witch inclination.It’s not all right for a fully mature, powerful wizard right next to a ley line.”
“What did I do wrong?I thought I would be feeding energy to the garden.The ley lines felt like they were trying to eat me.”
“They were.”Lars brushed the sweaty hair back from Quentin’s face.“What they don’t teach you in that fancy school of yours is that ley lines used to be part of an exchange between magic users and nature.”
Quentin frowned.That didn’t match up to what he remembered from his studies.“I thought they were generated by pools of natural energy in the earth.”
“They were originally formed by nature, but humankind did what humans do.They got greedy.They started draining the ley lines to gain more magic for their rituals, for their personal use, for whatever they wanted.They thought they were getting free extra magic at no cost.Instead, they drained the world.”
“Then why are there still ley lines if they were drained?”
His father’s purple eyes darkened as he spoke the ominous phrase.“Because the world fought back.”
“What do you mean?”
“When ley lines became too low to sustain themselves, they started taking energy back from magical beings.That’s why there are so few magic users in this generation than ever before.Your mother would’ve been almost as powerful as you if she hadn’t been born in that house.”
“But I was born in that house.”This wasn’t making any sense.
“Yes, but I put a protective barrier to stop anything harmful from getting inside.This is the first time the ley lines had complete access to your magic, and they were greedy enough to take as much as possible.”
Quentin shivered.“They felt hungry.”
“Because they are.You are safe inside the house or even working in the garden, but never touch the earth with bleeding hands.As your mother said, the land recognizes Heart blood, but the ley lines also recognize your fae inheritance, and we’ve always been some of the most magical of beings.”
Lars’s piercing gaze swept over the garden as if he could read the land’s magic by examining the closest daffodil.Maybe he could.
That flower did look suspiciously shiny.
“I would suggest you offer blood without touching the ground, or pulse a bit of magic into the soil, but never both if you don’t want to be drained dry.”He squeezed Quentin’s fingers.“You were lucky.If you didn’t have fae blood, you wouldn’t have survived channeling a ley line.”
“Thanks for that,” Quentin said sincerely.“How did you know I was in trouble?”
Lars hesitated before answering as if he didn’t want to admit a great crime.“When you were born, I put a wellness spell on you.If you were ever in danger of dying, it would alert me.”
“Dying?Not other injuries?”There was a wide range between being injured and bleeding out.
Lars shook his head.“Since you lived in another realm, I only have rights if you were on the brink of death.You must be more careful, Quentin.Your fae inheritance is starting to shine brighter, and more than ley lines are going to start to notice.Many things would be happy to drain you of all your power.”
