Page 178 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

“Not for you.”

His smile widened as he brought her fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss there. “If that’s what you have to think to convince yourself.”

She bit her lip at his audacity and let him draw her inside. Gen, Ethan, and Niamh were standing in a tense circle, waiting for their return. Niamh rolled her eyes at their approach.

“About time,” she said. “We only have one full moon.”

“All good?” Gen asked.

Kierse nodded once, extracting her hand from Lorcan’s. “Yeah. What’s the plan?”

“Lorcan is going to stand over there,” Niamh said, pointing away from them. “I’m in charge.”

Lorcan crossed his arms and refused to move. “I was as much a part of this triskel as you were.”

“Yeah, but I’m in charge.”

“Maybe in Dublin. Not here.”

Kierse would have thought that this little showdown didn’t mean anything. But thiswasa powerplay, jockeying for position, and the whole thing maybe wasn’t as light as they were playing it.

“It’s fine. He can stay,” Kierse said to defuse the situation.

Niamh sighed tightly. “Fine. Lorcan stays.”

A circle had been drawn in chalk on the bank floor. Niamh directed the trio to stand in spaces around it to form an equilateral triangle. Their positions had been marked forprecision.

“The ritual helps to keep everything in balance,” Niamh explained when she directed Kierse onto her spot. “We want to make this as easy as possible. The full moon, the positions on the circle, the connection to the cosmos. It all makes the magic simpler and less draining.”

This part of Druidic work Kierse had never experienced herself. Magic was just something that she had. There were rules to follow for when she was drained, but using it didn’t require all this pomp.

“Ideally, as you get stronger, you won’t need any of this to use your triskel powers. They’re a muscle, and like any other muscle, it takes work to reach that point.”

“We did all right the first time,” Kierse said.

“With my borrowed magic on the winter solstice and under a full moon,” Lorcan reminded her.

Niamh shot him a look but continued, “Yes. You had the Oak King magic inside of you, which made it easier for Ethan and Gen to connect to you. The solstices are the most liminal times of the year. A point when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. Any of these thresholds make the magic more potent. They enhance what is already there.”

Ethan nodded encouragingly. “When to do a spell is almost more important than what spell you choose.”

“Normally,” Niamh said. “With you three I’m hoping it won’t matter as much, but we’re taking precautions.” Niamh moved to the position opposite Gen. “The point of a triskel is combined powers are stronger together. You will be able to do things together that none of you could do alone. Separately, the source of each of your abilities focuses on healing, nature affinity, and absorption, but when you’retogether all these will be amplified.” She looked at Kierse. “Your absorption is key to this link.”

“How so?”

“When you absorb more magic, you can use it to amplify the other’s powers.”

Kierse bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she completely understood, but maybe she would have to do it for it to make sense. After all, during their last linking, she’d been unconscious.

“Since Gen was the one who managed the link last time, we should start with her.”

Gen twiddled with her fingers before nodding. “All right. The same thing I did last time?”

“Yes. Start by projecting your energy toward Ethan and Kierse. Find the center of magic in them and try to touch it,” Niamh instructed. “It’s best to start with one person at a time probing forward so none of you gets overwhelmed. And know it’s okay if you don’t get it the first time. This is advanced magic.”

Kierse didn’t feel anything for several long minutes. She could see that Gen was concentrating on Niamh’s suggestions, but if she was managing it, Kierse couldn’t tell.

Finally, she huffed out a long breath. “I can’t do it,” Gen gasped.

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