Chapter Forty-One #3
I reached for my power, no longer thinking of it as belonging to Charles or the garden, and something clicked into place.
A feeling of completeness, of rightness, settled into my heart.
It was like a long-buried piece of me had been unearthed at last. My power was a vast well inside me, a pulsing life force.
The darkness was still a beast within me, but I kept it on a tight leash and was no longer afraid of it.
If I needed to use it for a good reason, such as when I harmlessly pinned Hargraves to the wall, I would use it.
But it no longer had the power to control me.
The magic of Neamh, the light that was Charles and his garden, filled me instead.
Beside the darkness over my heart, I felt Charles’s steady presence.
It was like an invisible tether connected me to the man standing beside me.
He was full of pride as he felt me master my power at last. I sensed Shae’s excitement and Freya’s calm there, as well as, more faintly, Shamus’s ancient wisdom and Jace’s brotherly love.
And then there was Owen. His presence was a vast ocean of love, shining brighter than all the rest.
I thought so, said Charles’s voice in my head. I can see the threads, but you can feel them. Interesting. Interesting, indeed.
“What does it mean?”
We shall see.
Amplified by Shae and Freya, the power swelled so much that I felt close to bursting with it.
For now, use it to fight that!
A Shadowbane flew straight at me, its form fluttering unnaturally. I screamed a second before Owen cursed and a flash of silver arced into the air, cutting the wraith down. It dissolved instantly.
There was a moment of silence before Jace shouted, “What the hell?!” His eyes were wide with horror. “Are they back?!”
The four of us frantically checked the sky. Only Shamus and Freya seemed unconcerned.
Charles chuckled. “Not at all. That was me. Well, one of my illusions. Perfect for training. Now, to debrief! Owen, excellent reflexes, my boy. Ms. Kira, no screaming when you fight. Very distracting for your teammates.” He wagged a finger at me.
I gave him a flat-eyed stare, which he ignored.
“Ms. Shae, you dropped your hold on your power again. We need to work on your resilience to surprises. Again!”
We barely had time to acknowledge his words before three more wraiths flew at us.
Jace swiped at one, but his sword had no effect.
The wraith continued to fly straight at Shae, who had closed her eyes and was gripping Freya’s hands so hard it looks like the older woman was losing circulation.
But Shae looked determined to hold on to her power this time.
Owen thrust his sword at the wraith a second before it reached Shae, and it dissolved.
The other wraith flew at Shamus, who had a normal sword like Jace. Owen wouldn’t be able to help him in time.
You have more power now than ever. What are you going to do?
I imagined making the wraith corporeal. Its arm and half its chest became flesh just as Shamus thrust his sword into it, and blood spattered on the ground.
A bit crude, but you have the right idea. Again!
I was able to turn half of the third wraith into flesh and blood; this time, Jace struck it down.
We were all breathing hard, from exertion and adrenalin, after that round.
“I can’t turn all the wraiths into flesh on my own,” I gasped, hands on my knees. “There will be too many. And I need to fight Craos.”
“You still have time to train.” Leaning on his sword like it was a walking stick, Charles looked like he was having the time of his life. “But you’re right. Which is why we need more Druids. That said, you can’t train them if you don’t know the basics yourself.”
“Can you fight the Shadowbane? Make them corporeal?” I asked, my breathing finally slowing.
“No. After all my time as the Yew, my powers are confined to Earth and the Veil. I will have no effect on entities from another world. But if some Druids can learn to amplify my power, and you teach others what you have learned today using your Druid magic, we may stand a chance. Again!”
Jace groaned, and I straightened, already reaching for my power as four wraiths descended upon us.
This time I turned an entire wraith into flesh and managed to turn two others halfway.
I pulled roots from the ground to hold the three down until Jace and Shamus could dispatch them.
Owen struck down the fourth wraith with his blade.
“Now you’re working as a team! With more fighters, we might actually win this war. Again!”
We trained for hours, and even Shae eventually turned one wraith corporeal, boosting our confidence that other Druids could learn as well.
As the sky turned pink and purple, we dragged our aching, exhausted bodies home.
But our spirits were bright, our hearts filled with hope.
We traded jests and discussed how to hone our manoeuvres.
Charles cleared the carnage, and the meadow once again became a peaceful haven.
As I looked back at the Yew, standing tall and majestic against the twilight sky, I saw Charles watching us, a proud, wistful smile on his weathered face.