By the time the bead was empty, Sol was damp with sweat.
Sol handed the single bead to Meena and drew another off the string. It had taken far more energy and time than he cared to admit to remove the evil magic from the tiny object.
Without his bidding, his eyes swept in the uncountable number of beads strung throughout the room. This would take days.
He had no time to waste. Lifting the second bead, he began the process again, hoping it would be faster as he grew accustomed to it.
He was able to replace the magic in this particular bead at a better pace, but he was breathing heavily by the time he was done. He could also feel his magic store depleting quickly.
He held out the second bead to Meena.
She took it from his hand. “Sol?” Her voice was hesitant. “Will all of them take this long?”
Sol shrugged, wishing he had a positive answer. He picked up the string to slide another bead off it. “It takes a bit of time to get started since each bead is separate. So I don’t think I can do it any faster. I’ll get through as many as I can, though. Perhaps you should go relieve Neven?”
“What if we ask Ezra for help?” Meena suggested. She squeezed his shoulder with her hand.
Sol looked up quickly.
“She drained the silencing gem of chaos magic, and she said she did it quickly.”
Sol shook his head. “She is a Quotidian. We can’t hand her a string of chaos magic.” He held up the string of beads in his hand.
Meena nodded, but her hand on his shoulder remained firm. “She freed you.”
Sol shook his head, his entire body felt tense and exhausted.
“She helped me take out the soldiers.”
“She caused me pain,” Sol whispered. He was not speaking about the few moments earlier that day, but rather on behalf of every Majis prisoner who had been forced to endure another person’s chaos.
“You don’t have to do this,” Meena responded. “But she did cause herself pain to spare it from the guard.” Her hand massaged his shoulder.
“I want to hold her responsible,” Sol said, untangling his thoughts from his feelings. “For all of it.”
“That is not her burden to bear,” Meena said. “And neither is it yours.”
Sol exhaled.
“Would you trust me if I could wield chaos magic?” Meena asked.
Sol looked back up, realizing with surprise that he did trust her. Completely.
“I think she’s our only chance,” Meena continued. “Alone, you can get through maybe thirty or forty beads before they find us. With her, you could potentially empty half this room.”
Sol nodded. She was right, but he didn’t trust himself to say it.
“The worst will happen either way,” Meena continued. “This is far more magic than either of us was prepared for. I don’t want to force you into this decision, but if you choose to, she can help us remove this power from Gareth forever.”
“Yes.” He clenched the string of beads in his fist, releasing the tension in his muscles, or at least the tension in his one hand. The rest of his body still felt an invisible pressure. “It is a big risk, but it’s worth it.”
With a quick step forward, he dropped a soft kiss on Meena’s forehead. If this was the end, he wished he had the moment to take her in his arms and kiss her for real. But their task came first.
“This wouldn’t be an adventure if it wasn’t exciting,” he whispered, feeling a little reckless despite the logic in their decision.
Chapter 36
As Sol brought Ezra back into the cavern, Meena hoped she had not pushed him too hard. He did not have to befriend Ezra, but together they could accomplish far more.
