CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE ISI #2
“Sending them into danger tears me apart,” he said softly. “But the choice has to be theirs.”
I leaned into his touch. “None of this has been easy.”
He cupped my face, staring into my eyes. “I would burn cities to keep everyone from harm, but I can’t build a world worth living in if I deny others their right to fight beside us.”
“When did you get so wise?” I asked, managing a weak smile.
“Must be your influence.” He pressed his forehead to mine, breathing me in. “Don’t stray far. Time is short, and I’ll need you for the transformation. My magic works best when it flows through both of us now.”
He left to prepare the pendants, and I turned to find Addie watching me across the table, her eyes filled with a complex mixture of emotions.
“Help me pack?” she asked.
I nodded and assisted her to her chambers. We gathered clothing and supplies, the habits of a lifetime making us anticipate each other’s movements without words.
“I thought I’d lost him, and I still might,” she said, her voice barely audible as she folded a tunic and tucked it into her bag.
“When the Skathes pulled him down, I thought—” Her hands trembled.
“And then again in the tower. They took him away, and for a time, I couldn’t feel him.
” Closing her eyes, she shook her head. When she opened her eyes, I found endless pain there.
“But when Commander Thorne and I reached the wasteland, he settled back into my heart, and I knew he still lived. Our bond is there. Fragile, distant, but it proves he’s alive. ”
I abandoned the boots I was packing and crossed to her, taking her hands in mine. “They’ll find him.”
“I know it’s selfish,” she whispered, not meeting my gaze. “All those people waiting to die, and here I am, willing to risk our friends for one man.”
“It’s not selfish to love,” I said fiercely. “And Fenmark isn’t just any man. He’s family too.”
Her eyes finally lifted to mine, shining with unshed tears. “When did my big sister become so strong?”
I snorted. “Maybe I was always this way. You were just too busy climbing castle walls and sneaking into wine closets to notice.”
The ghost of a smile touched her lips. “Remember when I convinced you that you could fly if you jumped from the north tower roof?” She’d always been braver than me. I was the oldest, but it never seemed to matter.
“And Mother caught us before I flung myself off with those wings we made out of a blanket,” I said, laughter bubbling up despite everything. “Father was livid.”
“He wanted to punish us. Mother convinced him not to.”
The memory of our mother, standing fierce and protective between Addie and our father’s anger, settled between us in the way it only could because we were sisters. The same mother who’d created this sanctuary and who’d tried to protect us from a world she knew would hunt us for our abilities.
“We’ve both changed,” I said.
“Not where it matters.” Addie squeezed my hands. “You’re still the sister who would walk into fire for me. And I’m still the one who’d set the world aflame to keep you safe.”
When we finished packing, we took our bags downstairs, leaving them by the door.
Hearing sounds, we went to the larger parlor, where Trew had cleared the central area.
Black sand formed a perfect circle on the exposed wooden floor.
Candles burned at four points, their flames oddly still despite the open windows.
Three pendants lay on the floor within the circle.
The air smelled like lightning and metal.
Derren, Lexie, and Kerralyn stood at the circle’s edge, their companions perched on their shoulders or at their feet. Their faces betrayed no fear, just a steady resolve that made my chest ache with pride and grief.
Trew’s eyes closed, and he swept his hands through the air. The pendants glowed briefly before extinguishing.
“Ready?” Trew asked. “You’ll step inside the circle and put on the pendants. I’ll finish the spell after that.”
They hugged their companions before easing them away from the circle. Facing Trew, they entered the circle one by one. Trew held out his hand to me, and I joined him inside. His power buzzed beneath his skin, seeking mine, and while I couldn’t see it, I could feel the heat of it surrounding us.
“Open yourself to me and let your magic flow,” he said, lacing our fingers. “I’ll handle the rest.”
Power surged up through me in a rush that took my breath away. Gold and silver threads twisted together in front of us, forming something greater than either of us alone.
Trew continued to weave the magic, his free hand drawing complex patterns in the air. The black sand lifted, swirling around our friends in tight spirals. The pendants glowed again, remaining lit this time.
Their companions watched, silent.
Derren squared his shoulders, taking Lexie’s and Kerralyn’s hands, squeezing them.
The pendants lifted off their chests and the magic intensified, sand clinging to their skin, their clothing. It spread like liquid shadow, flowing up their bodies, molding to their forms.