Page 180 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

“We should try it,” Kierse said excitedly.

Niamh looked at the other two charges. “Just linking for a while.”

They linked over and over and over again, until Kierse was pretty sure she would be able to link with Ethan and Gen in her sleep. Still neither of them were able to initiate. Niamh insisted that they would get there in time, but for now Kierse made it happen.

By the time Niamh agreed to try power sharing, Kierse could feel her own power drain begin. Hours had passed, and her friends looked rough. As midnight approached, Kierse felt a burst of energy hit her. That liminal space giving her enough power to keep going.

She linked with her friends, letting their magic settle. She did as Lorcan had suggested—she sent a small grain of rice down the thread. Just enough magic that Ethan would feel it, but not enough to overwhelm him. She’d realized over this training that any little bit could do damage. It took a good deal of tweaking to make it safe.

“Holy shit,” Ethan murmured as the magic hit him. Tears sprang to his eyes. “Is this…is this what your magic feels like?”

“I don’t know—what does it feel like to you?” Kierse told him.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered. Their eyes met, and he swallowed. “Really beautiful.”

“Can I feel?” Gen asked.

Kierse sent a grain to her as well—just a touch of magic. Gen’s eyes lit up in wonder. It was like the two of them were refreshed after hours of hard work.

“Wow,” Gen breathed.

Lorcan and Niamh exchanged a look. One of deep, unabashed wonder and terrible inalienable grief. Kierse hadn’t considered how hard this might be on them.

“We should end there for tonight,” Niamh said on a small sniffle.

“I can take over if you need a break,” Lorcan said.

“No. I think they’ve done enough. They look beat.”

“We’ll have to wait another month for this opportunity. They’re not strong enough to do it any other time. We should keep going.”

“Lorcan,” Niamh warned.

“We can do it,” Kierse said.

Gen and Ethan, flush with her magic, nodded.

“Fine. Let me just take a restroom break.” Niamh disappeared to get herself back together.

Lorcan took over. He had them run the magic between them like they were throwing a ball across the circle. Back and forth and around and around. Sometimes it was more magic, and sometimes less. They worked until even Kierse was feeling the fatigue of it all.

Then he moved into transferring powers from the other person.

When Niamh returned and saw them fumbling through it, her eyes widened. “They’re not ready for that.”

“Under dire conditions, they need to be able to take power to use for themselves,” Lorcan said. “They need to know how to do it.”

“Next time,” Niamh insisted.

But Ethan was already reaching with his tiny tendril of energy toward Kierse, like a good little soldier. Kierse was so open that she hadn’t even planned for what that would feel like. An invasion of her powers. The snap came so quickly, with their link wide open, that she couldn’t stop him from taking and taking and taking.

“Ethan!” Gen cried.

“Ethan, stop,” Lorcan commanded.

But it was Niamh who physically tackled him to the floor, throwing him out of the circle and breaking the link.

Kierse wavered unsteadily on her feet. Her magic empty. Her absorption off. Her vision blurry.

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