Page 16 of Earth-Bound

“We don’t think so.”

I considered. If theridirehad seen her, they would follow. And, if they found a large dragon territory, they would send for reinforcements, gather a whole coven ofridireand attack. It would be a bloody battle, no matter who was the ultimate victor.

“What is it you wanted from me?”

“We wanted to know if you could find theridire. Maybe sense him? See if he’s still in the area. It’s just that Laura won’t come back while he’s here because her elder forbad it.”

“Very sensible,” I agreed. “Let me see. I don’t think I can sense much but I’ll try.”

I reached out my senses, driving them down into the soil. I splayed my fingers out across the earth and felt the life there, felt it surging below me with a little broken, dull patch where no magic existed, right underneath Broadmire. Other than that, the whole world around me seemed full and alive.

I sank down further. It was difficult, to get a proper sense of the place, to identify what was plant and what was animal, then to sort the creatures from one another.

With an effort, I pushed further down into the soil, deeper than I’d been in a long time, since I’d been freed. Down here, I felt stronger but it was harder to remember what I wanted. I was too much the earth, too concerned with growing things and the little worms and beetles and moles burrowing through me, concerned with the sunshine and the rain, not what the people walking around on top of me wanted.

I struggled to remember my purpose. I was looking for someone. Aridire. Their power was distinctive, so I’d know them when I felt them.

They were not on top of me. Not on my hill or in my field.

I felt a little jolt at the edges of my consciousness. Something strange and deep and powerful. It felt strangely natural, and yet it unsettled me. Whoever it was, they were important.

Whatever I’d been there for, I forgot. All my focus went into seeking that strange power. No, they weren’tpowerful, they were…special.

I pushed through the earth, seeking them out. The further I got from my tree, the weaker I became. I had just enough of my faculties to feel the frustration of that, to be annoyed that I was weak and wanted more. I pushed forward still, but the pull of their power grew weaker and was harder to identify.

What was it about them that was so important, anyway?

I groped my way through the earth, drawn to that strange feeling, and rose up, up, to touch them.

As soon as I did, I felt the sensation rush through me in a blaze of rightness and joy and love. One word filled my head and I could think of nothing else. Mate. I’d found my mate.

They were too far from my tree for me to rise out of the earth and see them. They were too far for me to reach out and draw them to me. But I knew they were there. The way they stood upon the earth was familiar and I revelled in the sensation of their weight, of the way my whole being hummed with satisfaction at their presence.

A sudden coldness rushed through me and I shuddered and found myself drawn back to my tree. I had lost the power to stay.

With a rush, I surged back out of the earth and into existence on top of the hill, under the shade of my apple tree.

Broadmire was standing, looking worried, and he’d moved around. I could feel the places where he’d trodden and broken the magic with each step, just for a moment. Even now, the magic was growing again, filling up those spaces. He’d walked right over the top of me. He’d touched the trunk of my tree, as well. That’s what had broken the last thread of my power.

“You ok?” he grunted.

I found I couldn’t speak. I simply nodded.

“Are you sure?” asked Randall. “Because you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“No, no, I have simply used up too much of my energy.”

They waited a moment and Randall clearly wasn’t going to ask but Broadmire did. “And? Did you see theridire?”

“Broadmire, you can’t ask that now. He’s had a shock.”

“He’ll be fine. Besides, he went looking for us. Seems stupid for him not to tell us what he saw.”

“I didn’t see theridire. But my range is extremely limited. A mile at most, I’m afraid. I’ll be able to see further afield soon.”

“We’ll come back tomorrow then.”

“Broadmire!”

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