“Ava, don’t—” Liam cried, but he didn’t get the words out before a massive blast of energy blew us back. It was like a slap in the face, and knocked me off my feet. Liam and Sophia fell down too, and I struggled to get back up as the pulsing waves subsided.
I felt Ava’s entire body slump as she said in defeat, “I can’t get to him. It’s like he’s blocking me off.”
“Because healing magic needsconsent, Ava, like we talked about earlier,” Sophia said sternly. “You can’t heal the heart of everyone on this planet, especially not people who don’twantto be healed.”
I scoffed, because she was absolutely right. The Warden had no desire to stop killing people and become a good person. He didn’t want to be healed. He was perfectly fine having a darkheart, going around committing evil deeds for as long as he could. Even if Ava could fix him, he wouldn’t want her to.
“Let’s try on a smaller scale,” Liam suggested. “Try healing the plants you nearly killed.”
“All right,” Ava agreed. “At least it’s something.”
Ava tried again. Wilted plants sprang upright again, swaying in the breeze like she’d never stolen their power in the first place, and the bent trees righted themselves.
I felt her healing magic brush up against me, but a part of me was scared how easily she’d done all that. Ava didn’t have Earth magic. She shouldn’t be able to revive the plants— yet she’d tapped into their spirits and done something I’d never witnessed before. It wasn’t just scary. It was unnatural beyond belief, and I was momentarily stunned at just how powerful my wife was.
I resisted her magic, and that proved to be a dark mistake. My skin began to sag on my cheeks. My limbs became heavy, and my joints ached.
Sophia gasped and rushed to me. “Charlie, what’s happening?!”
The more I resisted Ava’s magic, the more it felt like years were being shaved off my life. That only made me more terrified, and I pulled away more. I tried to tell Ava to stop, but I couldn’t find the words.
Eddie rushed forward. “Princess! As the Guard to the Emperor’s Heir, I demand you stop at once. You’re hurting him!”
Ava shifted, and she gasped when she saw what she was doing to me. She pulled back instantly, and I sagged raggedly against the ground. The pain ebbed out of my joints, and my skin smoothed back into place. My whole body shook.
Ava’s voice wavered. “I don’t understand. I didn’t draw enough magic to hurt anyone that time. That shouldn’t have happened.”
“I resisted you,” I admitted, still trying to catch my breath. “It’s not going to work— this healing thing. Like your mom said, you need consent. You could’ve kept going and destroyed me, but if you’re going to heal, you need everyone on board. It’s like you said; the spirit of the Earth wants to work in collaboration.”
“But why do I need consent to heal, but nottake?” she questioned. “That doesn’t seem right. I don’t need consent to pull from the Earth’s soul and take her energy, but I need it to actually do any good.”
“The Earth’s soul is connected to everyone, including you,” Sophia said. “You aren’t just pulling from the Earth’s spirit, youarethe Earth, and so are all of us. You don’t need consent to draw from yourself.”
“But if everyone just got on board, and let me help them, we could stop all the bad stuff in the world!” Ava protested.
“That’s not how it works, peanut,” Liam said. “You need to work together with people, not force them to make the right choices.”
“I understand that,” Ava insisted, but I wasn’t sure she did. Ava would continue to push the limits, and I feared what would happen if she went too far. She could kill herself if this spell got out of control.
“Perhaps that’s enough practice for today,” Sophia said hastily. “We should let Ava rest. She cast a lot of magic this afternoon.”
“You’ve learned a lot in one session, peanut,” Liam added. “You don’t want to overextend yourself.”
We all left the gardens. Sophia and Liam went on ahead, while Eddie and Eldin hung back a bit. I pushed Ava’s chair forward, and Oberi landed on the back of it.
Ava huffed. “I don’t know why we need to stop. I’m not tired at all. My parents don’t think I canhandleit.”
I’m certain they’re just trying to keep you safe, Oberi said.They don’t understand how powerful you really are. Magic like that would’ve killed both of them, and they’re talented supernaturals.
“We need to be careful,” I added. “This kind of magic isn’t something you can just play with.”
“I know that,” Ava snapped.
“No, Ava, I don’t think you do,” I pressed. I stopped her chair and rounded to the front of it to kneel beside her. I needed her toreallylisten to what I had to say, because she’d scared me today. “This power might feel like nothing to you because you can handle it, but it’s important to recognize your own strength. This is an incredible ability you have, and you can’t let it get out of control. You keep saying you understand, but you don’t know how far you could take this. None of us do. We have to be careful, so you don’t exceed your limits.”
Ava rested her hand on mine. “I know you’re scared, Charlie, but I’m not. I have this gift for a reason, and I willalwaysuse it to help people. If I’m meant to heal the Earth, then that’s what I’m going to do. When the time is right and I’m strong enough to pull this spell off, I’mgoingto cast it, and heal everyone at once. We all have the option to choose bad decisions, but I’m not going to do that. I’ll use this ability for good, and only good. I promise.”
Ava was firm in her conviction, which told me she believed every word she said. She was certain she was going to use this power to help the world.
