Chapter 12

“Don’t use your strength, your body,” Lorelai barked. “Use your mind.”

Rissa could see it so clearly, what she wanted to accomplish. She closed her eyes, feeling the hum of the earth’s power vibrate underneath her skin.

It was difficult fighting instinct. The magic wanted to be released in big explosive bursts of power. Holding it in, shaping it into something else, was beyond the ability of most sorcerers.

“Now.” Lorelai’s voice echoed across the space.

Rissa let the power trickle from her, controlled, slow. It struck the ground, spreading out like a cloak. She opened her eyes as the last of it left her and found white flowers spanning the clearing. Vines that hadn’t been there before hung from branches.

A grin split Rissa’s face.

Lorelai stared at her in wonder. “How did you do this?”

Rissa shrugged. “I just imagined it and here it is. Are flowers hard to create?”

“Pick one of the flowers.”

Rissa stepped forward and bent to pull one from the earth, reeling back when her fingers closed around a blade of grass instead. She reached for a different flower, once again only coming away with a handful of grass.

“The first rule of magic,” Lorelai began. “Is you can’t create something from nothing.” She waved a hand and the flowers disappeared. “You’re adept. I’ve never worked with someone who had the tenelach. It’s as if the earth itself is aiding in your magic use.”

She pursed her lips. “Second rule of magic. You cannot change something into something else.”

“Then what did I do?” Rissa asked. “How were the flowers here?”

“They weren’t. One of the most necessary tools of magic is the ability to trick the eye. You made us both see flowers where there was only grass. Once you know the first two rules, your magic is only limited to the amount your body allows you to hold at once, and your imagination.” She nodded. “Try something else.”

Rissa didn’t know how long they’d been working. It was still dark when they rose, and they hadn’t killed each other yet. She saw that as a victory.

By the time the sun broke through the treetops, sweat dripped down her face, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so good. So strong. So… ready.

She twisted on her heel, pulling on her magic as if it were a rope tied to the nearby tree. The tree leaned and she grit her teeth to keep her hold. Lorelai watched, arms crossed over her chest.

“Gah!” A cloud of dust erupted as the tree fell to the earth with a loud boom. Rissa finally let go of her magic, letting it snap away from her and send her flying back onto her butt.

A slow clap sounded nearby, and she turned to where Davi, Ramsey, and Rion stood watching them. Ramsey continued to clap.

Davi stared in awe. “You…” He pointed to the tree.

She wiped her face and jumped to her feet. Each muscle ached and she enjoyed every bit of pain.

“I was going to ask how Rissa was doing,” Ramsey started, “but I think we can all see for ourselves.”

“She’s okay,” Lorelai said, her voice emotionless.

Rissa spun to face her. “Okay? I was awesome!”

“And so modest.” Davi chuckled and it was the best sound she’d ever heard.

The after-effects of the magic still pumping through her, she jogged toward him. “You okay after last night?”

His smile dropped and he sighed. “Yeah. Still just have some things to sort out. I think I need to talk to Trystan.”

Ramsey clapped him on the back. “Then it’s a good thing we’re ready to leave. With Rissa as our guide, we can make it to Cullenspire in a few days’ time.”

“About that.” Rissa faced her grandfather. “I don’t know if I can find it.”

He only smiled and turned to walk back to the camp.

Lorelai stepped up beside her. “Remember, Rissa, only your imagination limits you.” She followed Ramsey with Rion close behind.

Rissa took Davi’s hand.

“She still isn’t speaking to me,” he said. “I risked everything to save her.”

“I think that’s the problem, Dav. She doesn’t think she was worth it.”

He pulled her against him. “She told me that sometimes you have to know when to let go, but how was I supposed to do that? How did you let go of me?”

She sighed. “If I’d had any idea you were still in there, I’d have fought evil Davi to get you back. But this isn’t just about us. It never has been. A lot of people will die if we make the wrong decisions. I’m not sure rescuing Lorelai was the right choice.” She breathed him in. “But it’s done now. We paid the price. Soon, we’ll be with Trystan and Alixa again.”

She raised her face to look at him. “How am I supposed to tell Alixa about Edric?”

Davi smoothed her hair back. “Edric knew the risks of coming with us.”

“If I said that to Alixa, I’d probably get punched in the face. Edric and his sister meant a great deal to her. I was there when Ella died. And now I’m the one who has to destroy her once again.”

He kissed her forehead and released her. “Alixa is stronger than any of us. She’ll be okay.” He tugged her hand. “But we have to get to Cullenspire. Any idea how you’ll find the path?”

She focused on the clearing and the flowers that had been there. “A few.”

* * *

They left the unit of Dreach-Sciene soldiers with well-wishes and earth-speeds. Once their horses took them out of the pass and into the rolling hills on the front side of the mountains, they stopped and looked to Rissa for instruction.

She slid from her horse and walked a fair distance to be alone with the earth. Its hum rang in her ears. She kneeled and placed both palms on the ground, echoing the hum in the back of her throat.

“Show me how to get to Cullenspire,” she whispered. Magic flooded her body, but no clear path laid out before her. “Please don’t let me down.”

Still nothing.

Your limit is your imagination.

The earth wasn’t showing her the way to Cullenspire. What was she missing?

A connection.

The answer sang softly in her mind. She had no connection to Cullenspire. What was she supposed to do now?

Her hair hung forward, shielding her face from the sun.

Trystan. The answer seemed so obvious now, as if the earth had spoken his name.

“Show me the way to my brother. Lead me to Trystan.”

The tug began in her heart and worked its way out through every cell in her body. She jerked forward, almost falling. “Thank you.”

Her chest ached as she walked back to the others as if screaming “wrong way!”

Ramsey eyed her, a question in his gaze. She only nodded in response. She’d get them there.

The last time she’d made the journey, the world had been covered in a blanket of snow. Since the magic returned, warmth threaded through every part of Dreach-Sciene. Summer. She’d heard of it in stories, but never experienced the stable weather.

Throughout the day, Rissa rode at the front of the group with Davi never far from her side. She let the pull on her magic dictate their path.

But something wasn’t sitting right with her. “Ramsey,” she called. “Get up here.”

He rode up next to her. “Everything okay?”

“No.” She contemplated her words, not wanting to cause offense but needing answers. “You could have led us to Cullenspire.”

When he didn’t respond, she grunted. “Thought so.”

“Rissa, if I had volunteered to get us there, you wouldn’t have learned to find a way yourself.”

She opened her mouth to refute that, but then snapped it shut.

“What use are the Tri-Gard?” Davi asked. “You seem no more powerful now than a normal man. Your magic is finite just as ours is. Why do you exist if you cannot change the fate of this war?”

Rissa met Davi’s stare in silent communication. She’d wondered the same thing.

Ramsey scratched his chin and peered into the distance. “We no longer have our crystals. That much is true. Without them, we are normal beings. But you’re wrong about the last thing. We can change the fate of war. We did that very thing twenty years ago when we drained the magic.” He paused. “Our power comes from working in harmony with one another. The triad. But we don’t exist to change fates. We exist to protect the earth. Just being alive keeps the balance of the magic. There must always be three, each channeling a different side to the earth.”

“So, you’re saying we’re on our own,” Rissa said. “You and Lonara don’t have the kind of power we need.”

“Child, power comes from many places. Lonara and I will fight with you, but we cannot win for you. That is up to more than just us.”

His words deflated her, and she fell into silence. They stopped to rest the horses and eat, but then decided to push on into the night. Rissa could feel them getting closer and didn’t want to delay any longer.

She didn’t know how she recognized the landscape, but she knew exactly what they’d find nearby. “There’s a village just over the ridge.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a cry rose up into the night.

“Is that smoke?” Davi pointed to the hazy columns spiraling up into the sky.

Rissa kicked her heels against the sides of her horse, not caring if the rest of them followed. She crested the hill and stopped, staring in horror at the sight below.

Blue flames threaded through the village, catching on the thatched roofs as if they were nothing more than kindling.

Villagers raced through the streets, some dragging children with them.

“Magic,” Ramsey said.

There was no doubt magic could create the flames, but who was powerful enough to send them over an entire village.

Lorelai gasped when she joined them, her head shaking rapidly. “It’s happening.”

Davi set his jaw. “He followed us.” His words were so sure. “This is punishment for coming into Dreach-Dhoun.”

“Calis,” Ramsey bit out.

“You don’t understand.” Lorelai’s words were almost lost to the night. “I saw this come to pass.”