39. Casting Nets | Wilder
The stones in Jordania’s hand clacked together, but this time her eyes remained open.
Frustration shone there, heightened by the stiff set of her jaw and the way her lip lifted in a snarl.
Maelys fidgeted, scooping up sand and letting it sift between her fingers.
The wind swept past them, clinking Otto’s beads in his hair. He steepled his fingers in front of him, his eyes unfocused but not quite swirling with sight.
Wilder gripped Lyra’s necklace that hung from his chest. He had so badly wanted this to work, but with each failed attempt, he felt their chances of success slipping away.
“There’s got to be something missing,” Jordania said. “She’s there. I can feel her, but I can’t tether to her.”
“Like a ship without an anchor,” Otto replied.
“Exactly.”
Her shoulders dropped, and she shook her head.
I’m not giving up on you.
Wilder willed his thoughts to reach her wherever she was.
Maelys sat forward, her lips pursed together. “What if you added an item of Lyra’s to the ritual? Would that help?”
Jordania cocked her head to the side. “Like a physical anchor?”
“Sure,” Maelys shrugged.
“It would give the magic something to latch onto,” Otto replied. “And would decrease the potential for something to go awry.”
Wilder looked at the sapphire shell he cupped in his palm before taking the necklace off and holding it out to Jordania.
“This was hers. She never took it off.”
Jordania reached to take it but paused, her gaze narrowing on the shell.
“This is the necklace I brought you.” Her fingertips grazed the shell, and she gasped. “It’s a conduit!” She snatched the necklace out of his hand and squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”
The words spilled from Jordania’s lips, ancient and mystical.
Old and young. Hers and many.
Hair on the back of his neck rose, and a shiver crawled down his spine, leaving gooseflesh in its wake.
Wind spun around them in a perfect circle. It raked through their hair and tugged at their clothes as if trying to pry them off the beach.
“It’s working,” Maelys whispered.
A spool of light threaded through Jordania’s fingers as she shook the stones and Lyra’s shell pendant.
The brine in the air thickened as the waves behind them swelled. It clung to his skin and dampened his hair as if he had been submerged beneath the surface.
Jordania’s voice was all-consuming and mighty.
It was everything.
It was the earth and the moon, the land and the sea.
Night and day. Above and below.
Wilder was enthralled, as he had been the first time Lyra’s magic slipped her grip.
With a mighty throw, Jordania flung the stones onto the ground, and they landed in a perfect ring with Lyra’s shell in the center.
Beams of light shot from the sapphire shell to each rock, connecting them.
The light grew, and Wilder shielded his eyes from the burning.
Heat surged, and he felt the magic within him clawing to the surface to put out flames that weren’t there.
Light burst from behind his eyelids and then went out.
Jordania slumped to her side, a sigh escaping her lips.
“It’s done.”