“What? Why?”
“In your experience, Spark, how has it panned out when others know you have access to long-lost ancient powers?”
Okay, he had a point. “So, the benefits you’d gain from it are outweighed by the risk of being hunted.”
He nodded. “Exactly. The amount that Endymion and I are able to access is negligible when compared to you. And with the Kaeluns of the world now in existence, neither of us pulls from that side of things.”
“But because everyone already knows I’m the spark, I may as well use it.”
“That, and we both know what happens when you don’t use it,” he said, giving me a smug smirk.
“Yeah. Yeah,” I said, waving a hand. “I thought we had some important meeting to get to.”
Giving me a wry smile, he said, “Done with my company already, Spark?”
“You’re best in micro doses, Artton.”
He chuckled in earnest as he held out a hand to valen us away.
We reappeared in Caius’ study within a few heartbeats, and with a quick glance I noted that we were the last to join.
“Caius, why choose this point of entry?” Tarrin asked pointing to a jumbled mess of what looked like magical threads floating at about hip height for them.
Artton left me, joining their conversation as I blinked, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. “Yeah,” Kaelun said. “My sister had the same problem. Took us years to figure out why she was terrified of Uncle C.”
Caius dropped the conversation, a deep rumbling laugh bubbling in his chest as he turned his attention to his nephew. “How was I supposed to know she could interpret magic so early?”
Brows furrowed, I looked between the two of them like they were speaking an ancient dialect.
“Here,” Kaelun said, leading me closer to the knotted mess of floating magical threads Tarrin and the High Lord had just been discussing. “You’re seeing Uncle C’s magical map projection like elemental strands, aren’t you?”
I nodded, still utterly confused.
“That happens sometimes. Mostly when we’re kids. You should only have to do this once so that you can see the projection of a map created through Uncle C’s magic, not the strands that create it in the first place. It doesn’t hurt, but it will give you a tiny shock. Like when you were a kid and rubbed your feet on the carpet, then poke someone,” he said, mischief and memory glinting in his eyes, and damn if the kid’s innocence didn’t pull a smile from me more times than I could count. “You’re going to reach in with afinger like this”—he hooked his pointer as an example—"and pluck one of the strands like you do when you mentally conjure an element."
Brow cocked, I gave Kaelun a hard look. “You want me to reach into Caius’ magic map andpluckone of the strands.”
“Exactly,” he said, so excited to show me that he was completely missing my apprehension.
I swung my focus to Artton, who gave me adon’t look at me to save you from himlook. Rolling my eyes, I turned back. “Fuck it,” I said under my breath, then took a step closer to the network of strings that seemed woven together. The height of what they claimed to be a map was closer to my chest than waist, forcing me to roll onto my tiptoes. Leaning over, I reach forward, focusing on a particularly bright strand. As instructed, I extended my pointer and hooked it against the thread, plucking it like an instrument. In an instant, the threads turned to tiny specks of blue light and fell to the ground, then disappeared.
I squinted, as if missing something.
Kaelun leaned over my shoulder. “Huh. Well, that’s never happened before.”
His tone was so matter-of-fact I almost smacked him in the arm as I said, “What did you make me do?”
Standing back to his full height, he turned to the others, who looked equally amused and concerned. Except for Tarrin, who couldn’t hide the smirk on his face as he said, “I really hope you have a paper copy of that map.”
Artton chuckled, eyes on me. “Oh, Spark. Honestly, never a dull moment with you.”
“I don’t understand,” I finally said, stepping away from the nothingness in front of me.
Caius offered me a soft smile. “Thatwasthe most recent omni-dimensional map of the courts that I’ve threaded together over the past twenty years.”
“And I…” I said, looking behind me, then back to the High Lord.
“Just dismantled it by sending the magic’s essence back to the Mother,” he answered, with a calm that was clearly practiced.
