After a while, Veda turned her head to look back at Daya, a few stray tears still shimmering on her cheeks.
“I just miss him,” Veda said softly.“I wanted him to have a piece of us.To remember us by.”
The ball of growing grief in Daya’s chest urged her to change the subject before she lost control of her own emotions, but the sadness emanating from Veda was just too much for her to ignore.
“I guarantee you he’ll be remembering us, Veda.But if you’re going to give it to him, we should infuse it with magic.”
“Infuse it?”
Daya nodded and motioned for her to hand over the rock.
Getting up, Veda came over and put the rock gently in her open hand.
Closing her palm around it, Daya pulsed a bit of magic into the stone.It connected, absorbing the power.Living things like plants and trees were good for sourcing and sharing power.But rocks could hold power.Especially minerals from deep within the earth, like the sacred one in her palm.She handed it back to Veda without explanation.
Frowning, Veda examined the stone.Her brown eyes turned curious.“How’d you do that?It feels like you now.”
“That’s because I put a little magic in it.You can too.It’s of the earth, so it’s a good match for our magic.”
“Will Connor be able to feel it?”
“I don’t know,” Daya said honestly.“He’s not an earth mage like we are, so he won’t feel it in the same way.But I do think he’ll feel us strongly when he holds it.You feel him when you hold yours, and there’s only love there, no magic.”
Veda touched the rock that hung around her neck.“Teach me?”
“Go grab a few more rocks.We’ll practice first before you try it on Connor’s.”
“Okay.”Smiling, Veda dashed from the room to retrieve another rock from her collection.
Daya swallowed as she stared into the flames and wondered about Veda’s question.Would Connor feel her too when he held the stone?Be reminded of his time with her by the vibrant sparkles coloring the rock?
Neka pushed her head into her hand.She obliged by petting the owlcat, taking comfort in the familiar affection.
“You can infuse it too, if you want,” she offered quietly.
A happy rumble sounded from deep in Neka’s chest, reminding Daya that the owlcat had been a bit melancholy of late.
Daya shook her head, knowing already that she would likely be asking the Lightning Team to take the package back to Calderre whether she was convinced they were completely trustworthy or not.The risk of getting the stone back to Connor was worth it.She wanted him to have a piece of them as much as Veda did.
Rosewood Keep, Realm of Calderre
Deepsnowmadecrossingthe border into Calderre quite the ordeal.In all the times Connor had returned home, often through this same route, he had never been happier to endure the blistering cold or see the endless blanket of sparkling white that covered the land.
His heart sang in gratitude for the safety it represented for the children.Yet a chasm existed in his soul.The wordhomedidn’t quite ring true anymore.A huge part of him remained leagues away at the mountain—two distinct pieces of him.The ache he’d felt since leaving persisted even with the overwhelming relief running through their group at making it into Calderre.
Opal’s excited chatter to Rogue drew a smile from him despite the chaos of mixed feelings warring inside him.He wrapped an arm around the delighted little girl where she was bundled in front of him in the saddle.
“You’re in charge of Rogue if I have to jump down, alright?”he told her.
“Kay.”Opal tipped her head back to look at him, a bit of nervousness rising.“We’re stopping?”
“Yes.Do you see the man walking toward us who looks like he forgot to brush his hair this morning?”He pointed to the dark-haired man and woman walking out of the forest a ways away as she giggled.“That’s Sam.We’re staying at his house tonight.”
“Does he have magic too?”
“Yes, he does.And the lady with him is Alayna.She’s very special because she was very little, like you, when she came here.”
“Really?So, I’m not strange?Because Celina said—”
