25. Chapter Twenty-Five #2
“Why won’t you even carry me?” I asked the Spirit.
“I believe that soon you will no longer need to be carried,” he replied.
“What do you mean?” I turned to face him after Malina and I dismounted our horse.
“The shift. It is possible, and likely, that you may gain my wings.” He lowered his head so that his eyes were level with mine as I approached.
“I’ll be able to fly?” My mouth fell open.
“As I said, it is possible. It will not be known until the shifting manifests.”
“When will that happen?”
“I do not know. Or perhaps you will only gain my hair.”
I scoffed out loud.
Malina startled me when she spoke directly behind me. “Why are you just staring at him?”
“They talk through their minds, and they do it often. It’s weird. Get used to it,” Nikan yelled from over his shoulder where he was erecting our terra tent.
Malina just blinked slowly then let out an exaggerated sigh. “That is weird.”
I rolled my eyes as she walked away.
“Can you help me with my magic now?” I asked when I turned back to Odarum.
He didn’t answer. He extended his head and touched me with his muzzle. Before I could protest, we disappeared from the campsite and appeared in a field next to a pond.
Nik is going to be pissed.
My head spun and I stumbled, grabbing the side of my head with my hand before falling on my ass and I nearly vomited. The swirling inside of me was once again burning.
“You have to warn me before you do that,” I said out loud. I couldn’t concentrate enough to speak through my mind.
“Noted,” Odarum said nonchalantly.
“Why did you bring me here? Where are we?”
“Not far. I brought you here so that you could test your new magic without harming anyone.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I bristled with excitement and apprehension. Some of the magic gifted to the Worthy was dangerous, especially to those that hadn’t mastered it.
“The magic the Gods gifted to you is not like that of your birth magic. The wielding of elements is something that comes naturally to your kind, and is a part of you. This magic will feel foreign to you, but it is now also a part of you. You should be able to grasp it and harness its power. It will not harm you, and it will answer when you call upon it.”
“How do I do that?” I stood, my vision now back in focus.
“Like the bond of Spirits, and that of your mate as well, it is inside of you. Search for it.” He backed away a few steps.
“Okay,” I whispered.
I closed my eyes and looked for that tether of Odarum’s bond to me.
It was there. Like a bright light and no longer concealed by murky darkness.
I moved past it where I found another. The chaotic shadows of before now coalesced into an opaque, dark cord that was taut.
It had a soft glow and I felt drawn to it, the urge to reach for it stronger than the others.
The mating bond.
A pang of hurt filled my chest as I resisted it. I didn’t want to think about that right now. I moved on.
Different from the tethers of Odarum and my mate, like threads extending to them, there were spherical shapes.
Almost like orbs. They were scattered within me, all different.
One, farther out, was murky and embedded in the darkness with tendrils of whispers whirling out of it, as if softly speaking to me.
The one closer was translucent and colorless, like that of glass or a transparent stone.
I reached for it and tried to hold on to it, to cradle it in the palms of my mind and soul. I couldn’t grasp it. It was evasive and felt like I was trying to grasp for air in my bare hands. I concentrated harder, sweat beading above my brow, and spoke to it.
Obey.
Odarum had said that if I called to it, then it would answer. I latched onto it, wrapping around it, and it felt more like a thick fluid rather than air. I took a deep breath, refusing to let go, and opened my eyes.
Nothing seemed different. I was in the same spot. Odarum hadn’t moved, but his ears were perked forward and alert. Everything was the same.
“It’s not working.” I dropped my shoulders and sighed.
Odarum rumbled a laugh. “It is.”
My brows furrowed. I threw my hands up with a scoff and slowly spun in place, looking all around me.
The grass was the same, the water was still calm, the ground hadn’t changed.
Nothing was different or out of place. I even looked to the sky above to see if I was causing a storm or something. I touched my body and felt nothing odd.
“I don’ t understand. Nothing is happening.” I crossed my arms and gave him a pointed look.
“Look in the water and see the magic you harness.” He nodded his head forward, gesturing to the water behind me.
Intrigued, I rushed over to the edge of the pond and looked for any changes in the water. Color, consistency, movement, monsters, anything. I reached forward and the cool water rippled under my touch.
“I don’t see anything.” I said, shaking my head. His steps were muffled in the grass as he came up next to me, and I glanced up at him.
“Exactly.”
I turned back to the water, my braid falling over my shoulder, and saw his reflection in the still pond, the black of his hair was stark against the colorful hues of the sunset painting the sky.
Next to him, where I should have seen my own reflection, I saw nothing.
My eyes widened in realization and I jumped back.
“Can you see me?” I asked.
“No. But I can hear you.” He turned his head in the direction of my voice.
Interesting.
I placed my hand on his shoulder just above his wing. His skin twitched. To me, my skin shimmered slightly.
“And you can feel me. You can’t see me but I can see myself. My skin looks almost shiny.” A rueful smile crossed my lips.
I removed my hand from him. I closed my eyes and reached for that bright tether to Odarum inside of me. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold on to both at the same time.
“If I stayed silent and only spoke through my mind, you wouldn’t know where I am.” I said, silently stepping around to his other side .
“In theory. But I am able to hear well. I can hear your breathing and your steps in the grass.” He snapped his head to his other side and I held my breath, his nose right in front of me.
I poked him right between his nostrils and he squealed, pinning his ears back.
“Stop that.”
I chuckled. I could feel myself getting weak and exhausted.
“So how do I make this,” I gestured to myself, forgetting that he couldn’t see. “Go away? Or come back, I guess.”
“Let go of that connection,” he stated matter-of-factly.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was almost as hard to let go of that orb as it was to grab. When I finally did unravel myself around it, I opened my eyes and exhaled.
My body felt heavy, like I barely had enough strength to keep myself standing.
“Well done. Using magic such as this will drain you quickly. It is like a muscle that is untrained. It will tire with use. You are using your body to harness that magic and channel its energy. You must train yourself to build stamina with magic.” I felt lightheaded and dazed as he continued. “But for now, you require rest—”
I didn’t hear the remainder of what he said as I fell to the ground.