Chapter Sixteen #2
From his pocket, he pulled out a solid black stone the size of a coin. When he extended it to her and it caught the light, it flashed from black to a color she couldn’t describe or name. Iridescent in a way that hurt the eyes.
“Himaya,” she whispered reverently, only fleetingly familiar with the stone that held magic and gave Supay its greatest source of trade. It could be imbued with a gift and used indefinitely, if taken care of. Nobody she had ever known had one. They were as elusive as the Medallion in Qhilli.
“How exactly does it work?”
“Blood,” he said simply. “A small amount goes a long way. The effects vary, but I’ve found that holding the stone makes for a stronger result.”
Cold fingers touched her arm, softly coaxing her hand out from underneath her leg.
They trailed from elbow to wrist and then to the center of her palm, where he pressed the stone.
Solana winced. It was bitingly cold and sharp, but not physically.
It sent a surge of wrongness through her.
Like it didn’t belong there in the room, in her palm, but somewhere else.
Somewhere darker and farther. Like it had been stolen.
Solana watched as Reyes produced a small blade from the pocket of his pants and held it over the same finger he had used to take her oath to the king. It hovered there, waiting for her permission.
If she did have the ability to imbue this stone, what kind of power would she be giving to others who used it?
It was a question that could only be answered after it was done.
Like with fighting, Solana instinctively knew what to do once the blade pricked her finger and a bead of blood bubbled at the tip. She curled her fingers into a fist, the stone wrapped in the center of it, and closed her eyes.
“There you go,” Reyes breathed, his nearness grounding her. “Now I need you to remember what you felt before, that first time you intentionally used your gift, and hold it close.”
The force of those emotions was dangerous.
With Sami, it had been unbridled terror. Something primal and raw that had lit a blaze within her. With Reyes, it had been spite and determination. With those children in the cellar, it had been complete and utter desperation.
But beneath the fear and the clumsy grasp for control had been a thread of certainty. A kind of peace that required total surrender and trust in herself and her instincts.
An acceptance of who she was, and what she could do.
There was no space for doubt or hesitation or self-deprecation.
This thing inside of her, whether it was a gift or a curse, it demanded to be seen and leashed and used.
It was swirling in her blood, throughout every part of her body and soul, giving life to the very fabric of who she was.
Solana simply had to trust herself and let it through.
A deep breath and the space within her expanded.
It took all of her focus to gently coax her gift from the pit of her stomach, where it sat waiting like an untouched well of cool water.
The heat of Reyes slipped away, replaced by her own essence so that all she could feel was the desire to possess. To succeed.
It coursed through her like a wave of harmony, with relief and gratitude and eager anticipation. She directed the tide into the stone, not with a command, but with certainty, and then gasped when she felt the stone swallow its fill, like a bucket near to overflowing.
When she opened her eyes and her hand, the blood on her finger was gone, but the stone in her palm shone a glaring crimson.
“It’s not the dagger,” Reyes said quietly, his hand gently cradling hers. “It’s you.”
“So, just you and Reyes.” Cora was reclined on Solana’s unused bed, her head propped up on both hands and her feet swinging in the air behind her. “And he’s going to help you access your gift.”
“Yes.” Solana shoved a set of clothes into a cloth bag and avoided her friend’s prying eyes.
“And you can’t do it here. It has to be … somewhere else?”
With a sigh, Solana straightened and tossed the bag over her shoulder. “It was Reyes’s idea. I’m just trying to be compliant.”
Cora snorted a laugh, and Solana sent her a glare. “Sorry, it’s just that you’re a terrible liar and also, my gift is discernment.”
That might have been true, but Solana wasn’t going to tell Cora that they were going into the dense forest that bordered the eastern sea to hunt a demon.
There were rumors of muki that haunted the forests where they had been killed by the jarjarcha, the creature that fed on incestuous souls.
It was only a rumor, but she was finding that most rumors held some truth, and some souls didn’t deserve to be rescued.
It was the only way that Reyes could be convinced to kill one, and Solana was eager to see just how far her gift extended. If he used her dagger to kill, would he suffer the emotional torment as she did? Would he be able to command as she could?
It was the only opportunity they’d have to find their answers.
“I’ll tell you everything when I get back,” Solana said, which may or may not have been a lie.
Cora hummed as if she knew, and then rolled off the bed. “Well, I don’t think you’ll die out there, but I have a not great feeling about it. Good luck!” She kissed her cheek and then flounced out of the room, leaving Solana to dread what a not great feeling meant.
Solana didn’t feel great when Reyes suggested they ride together again.
“I’ve been riding. Roiden says I’m a natural.” Solana gestured toward the man, who nodded solemnly as if he were on trial.
Reyes stepped closer so that his chest was pressed against her shoulder. “It’s more discreet this way. Unless you would like to explain to King Killian where we’re going and what we’re doing.”