Around a half hour later we gathered around Ava in the palace gardens, waiting to see what would happen. Ava sat on the ground as Sophia instructed her to do, her palm spread over the earth. Oberi perched in a nearby tree to observe.
“See if you can feel the Earth’s spirit,” Sophia gently prodded. “It should be like feeling any other soul, in any other kind of entity. View our planet as a person, and deep within, there will be a guiding light?—”
Ava abruptly screamed, cutting her mother off. “I think I feel it!”
We held our breath in hesitation, and Ava started gushing. “Oh. She’sbeautiful.The Earth has a wonderful, divine feminine spirit. We’re kind of alike in that way. She’s nurturing and kind, and she reacts by instinct. She wants to feel joy and share thatwith others. She’s extroverted and open, but vulnerable, too. She loves to justbe, rather thando. She’s creative and gentle and sensitive, but there’s a side of her too that’s emotional. Her tears fill our rivers, and her volcanic eruptions and earthquakes demand our attention. She doesn’t want to be alone— she wants to co-create with us and collaborate.”
Spirit magic swelled through the bond. I could feel Ava drawing the magic from the Earth, pulling it into herself.
“The Earth is connected to everyone and everything,” Ava said quickly. “Her spirit is tied to the spirit of the ocean, and the soul of the mountains. Every rock, animal and plant resonates and responds to her energy. She’s so powerful. Her soul seems to go on forever.”
The ground shook a little, and I held my breath. Whatever was going on, this was powerful magic.
“Slow down, Ava,” her mother pressed. “You don’t want to overwhelm yourself.”
Ava blew a breath. “I’m barely getting started.”
She continued to pull magic from the Earth, and it seemed to surround us with warmth at all angles. It wasn’t hot like her Fire, but more like a comforting blanket.
But even blankets could strangle you. I felt a shift the more Ava worked. Nutrients in the soil converted into Spirit energy at her command. The plants around us began to wilt, and the grass started to die. A bird squawked in a tree above us before falling from its branch and making asplattingnoise on the brick path as it died. I felt the trees bend as they started to wither, and a few boulders in the rock garden split in two.
“What’s she doing?” Liam panicked. “She shouldn’t be able to draw this much power.”
“I’m not sure,” Sophia wavered. “Ava, hold off.”
Ava kept pulling. Oberi leapt from her perch and began making circles overhead, flapping her wings frantically and screeching loudly.Ava, you’re drawing too much!
She didn’t hear our Familiar. Ava continued to draw from the Earth’s soul, a sort of madness permeating our bond as she siphoned the spirit of the Earth’s energy. Thunder began to crack overhead, and the area developed a coldness I couldn’t shake as an incoming storm started to grow.
She was scaring the shit out of me. This had to end, before there were permanent consequences.
“Ava,stop!” I shouted.
Ava followed my command immediately. The magic subsided, and the warmth returned as the storm dissipated. Everything went back to normal, but the plants and animals she killed remained motionless, and the rocks lay shattered only a few feet away.
“I’m sorry. I— I didn’t mean to,” Ava stammered. “I didn’t realize how much I was taking. It felt so easy.”
“You’re more powerful than I anticipated, which makes me think this isn’t an Anichi power,” Sophia mused. “I believe this is a demigod power connected to your abilities— something that onlyyoucan do.”
“I don’t understand,” Ava said. “If you and Daddy can draw from the sun and the moon, why can’tallAnichi do this?”
“They should be able to, but not to this extent,” Sophia said. “Other Anichi can pull from Earth’s spirit for energy, but it seems you have no limit. If that’s the case… you could manipulate the Earth’s soul beyond what any supernatural could ever dream of before.”
“You could use the Earth’s energy to healitself,” Liam said in wonder.
“What does that mean?” Ava asked. “This spirit energy is everywhere, so if what you’re saying is true, I could use it toheal the entire planet— not just rocks and trees, but the souls of people at large, the collective energy of the universe… everything we are.”
“It appears so,” Sophia said.
“If I can do that, then I can heal the Warden’s heart. I can heal the bastard, so he stops being a giant dickhead and starts striving for peace! Nobody else needs to die!” Ava insisted. “We could bring an end to this war! I need to at leasttry.”
Ava didn’t wait for permission. The magic around us grew in intensity again.
Nerves shuddered through my body, because I didn’t think she understood just how powerful she was. It was dangerous to pursue a theory like this without properly testing it first. She could end up destroying everything, like she had my organs— only there wouldn’t be anything left to put together again.
I felt myself pull back, resisting her magic. “Ava, you need to stop before someone gets hurt. We don’t know what kind of consequences this could have.”
“Either I heal the Warden, or he destroys us all,” Ava insisted. “Thishasto work.”
