“The good news,” I told Dominic, “is that she hasn’t completed a Grand Severance ritual. The damage is severe but not permanent.”
“If we don’t counter this tonight, during the festival when emotional energy peaks, the dampening could lock into place.”
Lady Featherby’s spine tightened. “I’ll help fix it. Tell me what to do.”
“We’ll need to dismantle the crystal network,” I said, already calculating the best approach. “But we have to do it carefully. If we just smash them or remove them haphazardly, the stored dampening energy could release all at once and cause even more damage.”
“Like opening a dam instead of draining it gradually,” Lady Featherby said. “Do you suggest we bleed off the corrupted energy before we remove the crystals?”
“Yes, that’s it.” I glanced at Dominic. “Can your fae magic counteract the dampening effect? That could overwhelm what’s stored in the crystals.”
“Possibly. But I’d need significant power, more than I can generate alone.” He looked at me, understanding flickering in his eyes. “I bet we could do it together.”
My plant magic stirred, recognizing what he was suggesting. Our combined energy had been reviving plants throughout the court for days. If we could amplify that effect and channel it through the crystal network in reverse, it might work.
“Lady Featherby, you said your healing magic has been muted down here,” I said. “What if we used that as an anchor? You’re naturally aligned with growth and restoration. If you focus your magic on the life force of the plants above while Dominic and I feed emotional energy through the crystal network, we might be able to reverse the dampening effect.”
“A three-part harmony,” Lady Featherby said, her eyes brightening. “Each of us contributing different kinds of magic to create a balanced counter-force. I love it.”
Four parts,Savory corrected.The raven enhances. The raven completes.
I smiled and shared what she’d said.
“Then we have our team.” Dominic moved to the center of the chamber, where the crystal pattern converged. “Lady Featherby, position yourself near the workbench. Focus on your connection to the healing properties of plants and growth. Sasha, you’re with me. I suspect we’ll need direct contact to maximize our resonance.”
I joined him in the center, taking his hands. The moment our palms touched, warmth flooded throughme. Our magic recognized each other, reaching out to intertwine like roots seeking water.
Lady Featherby closed her eyes, her hands hovering over the dried herbs on her workbench. Soft green light began to glow around her fingers. “I’m ready.”
Savory swooped down to perch on my shoulder, her talons gripping gently.
“On my count,” Dominic said. “Three. Two. One.”
I let my plant magic rise. This wasn’t the careful, controlled trickle I’d been using, but the full force of what I’d inherited. This power could coax life from barren ground and could feel every root and stem and leaf for miles around.
The sensation overwhelmed me. It was too much information and too many plants calling for attention, every wilting flower and struggling vine crying out for help. I started to pull back.
Dominic’s magic wrapped around mine. His emotional resonance provided structure for my wild growth energy.
Trust the roots,Savory said.Trust the depth.
I stopped fighting and let my magic flow freely again. Through our joined hands, I felt Dominic’s power surge to meet mine. His fae gift for emotional connection amplified my awareness of the plants above, helping me sense not only their physical state but their emotional resonance.
They were frightened. The emotion-responsive flowers especially, feeling the dampening press down on them like a smothering blanket. They wanted to bloom, to respond to the joy of the festival, but something kept them muted.
Lady Featherby’s healing energy spread through the chamber, touching each crystal in the dampening network. Where her magic made contact, the corrupted energy shifted. It loosened its grip.
“It’s working,” I said, keeping my eyes closed. “Keep going.”
Dominic’s magic pulsed through our connection, waves of emotional energy that I shaped and directed. Together we created something neither of us could’ve managed alone. His power gave mine purpose. Mine gave his form.
Savory’s contribution felt like wind beneath wings, lifting our combined magic higher and farther than we could’ve reached naturally.
The first crystal cracked like ice breaking in spring. The dampening energy stored inside dissipated, absorbed by the counter-force we’d created.
“One down,” Lady Featherby said, her voice tight with effort. “Seven more.”
The second crystal shattered, then the third. Each one released a wave of tainted energy that our combined magic absorbed and transformed into something I could use to help heal the plants. Sweat beaded on my forehead from the effort, but I didn’t dare break our concentration.
