Chapter 34
Jessiah
I’d never grown completely comfortable with the thought of possessing magic. Maybe it was because of my father, who’d abused his own talents to gain control of the people. Or maybe it was because I’d seen the damage magic could do.
My magic was powerful, that was undeniable. Angels’ magic usually was. It made us stronger than fae and more powerful than vampyres.
Now that I’d bonded with Rummy, she would have access to this strength. Tonight, when we gave her even more power, she would become an unbeatable force.
The only force that could take down someone like Cornelius. Someone who planned on raising the dead.
The underground room we’d gathered in was almost entirely empty aside from a small table near the middle and lanterns on the walls that gave us enough light to see.
It was Rummy’s idea to perform the power-sharing ritual down here.
To protect the rest of the kingdom in case things end poorly, she said.
I clenched my fists and forced myself to inhale slowly. Everything would be fine.
“You look like you’re about to vomit,” Wolf said, bumping my shoulder from behind.
I huffed. “We don’t even know if this ritual will work.”
“It’ll work,” he said. “We aren’t going into this blind, brother. There are dozens of texts outlining exactly how this works. This practice has been used for centuries, we just never knew about it because Father buried it all. Trust me. This will work.”
He sounded sure, but the pit in my stomach only grew.
“It’s risky.”
“You’re only saying that because you and Rummy have finally decided to stop hating each other. The Jessiah who left with her for Pericius would have thrown her into the fire the first chance he got.”
“That’s not true,” I argued. “And Cornelius is manipulative and conniving. It won’t be as easy to trick him as you all think.”
“Maybe not. But you’ve met Rummy. If anyone can out-manipulate him, it’s her. Have some faith, brother.” He gave me a solid pat on the back. “She’s stronger than you give her credit for.”
Rummy’s strength wasn’t what I worried about. The bond made me irrational. If I’d been protective of her before, it was ten times worse now.
But this was Rummy’s decision. If gaining this power would put an end to Cornelius, I would stand behind her.
Huntyr entered the room with two mages—gifted fae that lived with us in Scarlata for the last few months. They studied rituals like the one we were about to perform, and Wolf assured me they knew exactly what they were doing.
I rubbed the sweat off my palms as they approached. Xavier met my gaze from where he stood beside Rummy and he gave me a small nod.
Everything was going to be okay.
Rummy lifted her chin as she took in the strangers in the room. Fierce. Powerful. She wore her tattered black boots and a simple black top that exposed her toned arms. Her cheekbones jutted out further than usual. Our travels had clearly taken a physical toll on her body.
Though she appeared thinner, I’d never seen her look so determined. Her voice held firm as she declared, “I’m ready.”
Huntyr slipped her hand into Wolf’s. Xavier’s jaw tightened. I could have sworn the lanterns in the room flickered.
Then, the ritual began.
The two mages initiated a chant. Their voices were low at first—a vibration deep in my bones—but with every repetition of the foreign words, the volume increased.
Rummy stood still as a rock.
My heart raced, trying to free itself of the confines of my rib cage, but I didn’t dare move. I stood like a statue, afraid to disrupt the ritual.
“We accept this vessel for all that is good, for all that is powerful, for all that is true.”
The mages summoned Rummy forward, and she obeyed with a straight face.
The mages’ chorus continued for a few minutes, until, all at once, it stopped. Then, they asked, “Who will pour their spirit into this vessel? Who is willing to share a piece of their soul with this chosen one, so that she may carry the greatest gifts these lands have to offer?”
This was it.
This was the moment we would remember forever. Anyone who volunteered now would give Rummy a fraction of their power, and one by one, she would be forced into a weapon to defeat Cornelius.
Huntyr stepped forward first. “I will.”
Rummy’s eyes lit up, as if she was surprised. The subtle shock of it radiated through our bond.
I bit the inside of my cheek. It almost felt like Rummy wasn’t expecting her best friend to volunteer. That was like her, though. Always thinking she didn’t deserve the love she received.
“Take her hands,” one mage ordered.
Huntyr obeyed, and the foreign words of the ritual continued on.
“We accept this vessel for all that is good, for all that is powerful, for all that is true.”
More chanting. More tightness in my chest.
“From one vessel to another, we give you the power of light.” On cue, light flashed between the two of them.
Huntyr and Rummy gasped in unison and stiffened.
I glanced at Wolf, confirming that he watched just as closely as I did. His fists clenched at his sides, his expression stony, like he was ready to step in if anything were to go awry.
But just as quickly as it started, the flash faded, and the two relaxed.
“As we will it, it shall be. The goddess blesses this request. Who else is willing?”
Wolf volunteered next.
The king followed his queen.
He pushed himself and his golden angel wings off the wall, and when Huntyr slid her hands from Rummy’s, he replaced them with his own.
He towered over Rummy, and even though she craned her neck to meet his gaze, she appeared even braver than he did.
It was impossible not to notice her firmly set jaw. Her focused brows.
We accept this vessel for all that is good, for all that is powerful, for all that is true.
“From one vessel to another, we give you the power of healing.” Light flashed again, lasting longer this time, but I kept my eyes glued to Rummy.
Once it faded, Wolf inhaled deeply and returned to the far side of the room with Huntyr.
Rummy’s right hand hovered over her chest, and for the first time all evening, her fingertips shook.
“Who else is willing?”
Just as I thought I’d found the nerve to step forward, Huntyr opened the door on the far side of the room, revealing a line of fae and vampyres, all waiting to give their magic to Rummy.
“Holy hells,” Rummy muttered. “They all want to share their power with me?”
“They believe in you,” Huntyr answered. “Just like we do. But they’ll only share if you’re willing to accept it.”
Rummy, cheeks tinged pink, nodded. Of course she would accept. She’d taken on this massive feat, and she wouldn’t stop here. A fresh wave of tenacity flickered though the tether that linked us.
Still, I stood frozen.
One by one, these strangers offered their gifts to Rummy.
The power of strength.
Truth.
Fire.
Endurance.
One by one, Rummy took them on.
Until dozens of powers had been poured into her.
She stood taller than ever. The ritual did not drain her energy; it did the opposite. She thrived with a new sense of life, and it was written all over her face every time that light of magic flashed.
I stood in the back of the room as the last vampyre exited. I nudged against that internal bond, testing Rummy to make sure she was okay, to let her know I was there.
Eventually, though, it was my turn. I was the last of the gifted that hadn’t given my power to Rummy.
A power I pretended not to have for most of my life. A power that I often wished didn’t exist at all.
While the mages continued to chant around Rummy, I stepped forward and slipped my hands into hers. Her surprise echoed through our internal link and I felt the next words from her before I heard them.
“What are you doing?” she breathed.
“What everyone else has done. I’m giving you magic.” I could feel Huntyr, Wolf, and Xavier stiffen behind me, but I ignored them. I kept my focus on Rummy and on my racing heart.
This was the only thing that mattered. Preparing Rummy for this fight was more important than any power I tried to hide, than any secret I stowed away.
So, the mages continued. My hands shook as they spoke, but Rummy squeezed them tight. “We accept this vessel for all that is good, for all that is powerful, for all that is true.”
A warm sensation filled my body from my toes to the top of my head. My eyes fluttered closed as the power radiated through me, and like an outstretched hand, it cascaded toward Rummy.
“From one vessel to another,” the mages continued, “we give you the power of heart force.”
The next few moments felt like hours as I tried to gauge everyone’s reactions. Rummy’s mostly. Her eyes widened, and I could feel through the bond that my power had reached her.
“As we will it, it shall be. The goddess blesses this request.” The mages stopped their chanting and stepped away.
Next, Rummy let go of my hands. She hates it, I thought. She feels my power and she wants nothing to do with it. Heart force is nothing but a damn joke.
Rummy turned around, running her hands through her hair and taking long, slow breaths.
I felt Wolf staring at me, eyes like daggers. He was the only one aside from my father who ever knew about my gift. I’d locked it away a long time ago—that was the safest option in The Golden City back then.
Heart force power.
When I wasn’t stowing my power away, I could sense emotions. I could sense the essence of a person just by reaching out to the invisible tether.
A useless gift, my father called it. Too soft to be any help in his kingdom.
“Rum?” Huntyr asked, taking a tentative step forward. “It’s over now. It’s done. How are you feeling?”
A few seconds went by, and I thought Rummy didn’t hear Huntyr at all. But then, she lifted her chin and turned to face me.
And she opened the wall to our bond entirely.
Everything she’d been feeling flooded through. All the stress, the strength, the magic. I sucked in a sharp breath and her legs wobbled. It took me two seconds to slip an arm around her waist.
“Jessiah,” she muttered. “I can feel it all.”