Page 50 of A Conduit of Light
Theystood in silence for a moment, their eyes saying more to each other than any words could.Hebrushed her cheek softly and admitted, “Idon’t want to leave.Idon’t want to spend the day wondering if this was real.Secondguessing…everything.”
Shereached up to his neck and pulled herself close, kissing him sweetly. “Thendon’t.”Andwith a brilliant smile, she turned around and left, leaving his room before she was past the point of being able to.
Shestood, back against the door in a large corridor, sconces lit along the walls with one clear direction out of it.
Shetook a moment to breathe—just breathe.Theday before replayed in a flash of scenes in her mind and she exhaled from her lips in one long expanse of air, a reminder of what she had decided and fallen into.Shesteadied her racing heart and nodded.
Shewouldn’t go back.She’dnever return to guarding her heart so closely.Thisfeeling, this bliss, was worth every ounce of heartache she might feel in the future and she would never give it up.
Notfor anything.
TheQueenwas wrong.Sheunderstood that better now.Lifewas about letting yourself go.Givingyourself to someone, even with the risks that came with it.
Heloved her.Hewanted her.
Andshe knew she could never deny the same, so why even bother trying?Shewouldn’t do it.Sheloved herself too much to deny that which made her spirit fly free.
Pullingherself away from his door, she began her walk toViridis, her face beaming, and her heart steady—sure of its keeper.
Chapter22
Ash
Walkingthrough the halls ofViridis,Ashswore its blooms had never been so sweet, never so lovely as in that morning light.Onthe third floor, she found her friends.
“Ash…you’re…you’reliterallyglowing.”Clairanniaput her book down and stood from the settee she had been nestled into,Figuerahlaid back on another one, book in her face, foot flouncing in irritation.
Ashlooked down at her hands.Ahaze of her green magic was radiating from her fingers.Sheraised them to her face in confusion, having never experienced her magic leaving her body uncalled before.
Closingher eyes, she tried to calm herself.Sheimagined absorbing the light to settle back into her skin, and veins, and fluttering heart.Whenshe looked down again, the glow was gone.
Figuerahhuffed and slammed her book closed.Shestood and walked towardAshas it disappeared in a haughtythwap.
“Areyou okay?”were her first words, but beforeAshcould answer, she was onto the rest. “Apparently, you’re okay if you’re actuallyglowing.Whatwere youthinking?”Shebegan listing things off on her fingers. “First, you tell us you have some wild epiphany about theBlight—that you can feel a heart beating through it, and then you make this insane connection to theBlightress.Yourun off toBaronHeimlen’sstudy,promisingto see us at dinner and let us know what happens.”Sheemphasized another finger, on to her second complaint. “Thenyou don’t show.So, there we were, worried about what had happened to keep you away from eating dinner becauseIknowyou love dinner,Ash.I’veseen you eat.”
Sheraised a third finger, finally taking another breath. “Andthen, you don’t show up at breakfast, either.Andwe checked your room,Ash.Weknew you hadn’t slept there.Weknew we had to tell someone, so we catchPompeiiat breakfast, and he tells us that you’re withBaronRevichand we had nothing to worry about!Asif that was some common occurrence in your life!Sneakingoff withBarons, never a word said to your friends to let them know you were safe and that all of it was in your control!”
Thereprimand flowed fromFiguerahlike a rampant wind, the strength of it unstoppable, her big, brown eyes alight with anger and worry and everything she had felt the night before.Herhair was hanging loosely around her shoulders, some of the braids unpinned asAshhad hardly ever seen.
“Iam sorry.Toboth of you.Isee now thatIwas so caught up in the moment thatI—”Ashcut herself off, stepping forward.Shewrapped her arms around her friend, squeezing tightly. “Ididn’t think about how you’d feel.Iwas being a terrible friend.Ipromise not to do it again.”
Figuerahsighed and wrapped her own arms aroundAsh, giving in to the embrace asClairanniarushed over to join the hug as well.
“You’dbetter have a damn good story to tell us,Ash,”Figuerahmurmured into her hair. “Consideringyour magic is leaving your body without you consciously aware of it,I’mguessing it will be.”
Clairanniagiggled, hopping up and down on her toes.
Ashsnorted, pulling back. “It’s…something.You’dbetter sit down.”
Shetold them what had happened—the meeting inBaronHeimlen’sstudy, the trek out to theBlight,Revich’sinability to feel a heartbeat.Whenit came to the part of the story whereAshhad destroyed the giant maple tree, she left out the detail where she had burned it to ashes.
“That’samazing,Ash.Ibet there are fewer than a handful of even trained conduits who can produce enough magic to cause a tree to fully bloom.”Clairanniawas chewing on her nails in awe of the story so far.
“Iwouldn’t doubt that,”Figuerahagreed. “IknowHyrithiais a bit sheltered in some of their knowledge of conduits, butAsh…Ihope you know—that kind of magic is basically unheard of everywhere on the isle.”
Ashbit her lip, thinking.Shedid know.Andit was true, conduits were rarer inHyrithia, but they did exist and worked peacefully in their place, welcomed even.Thetruth that those born in the walls ofHyrithiawere not ever allowed the chance of anOfferingdid not stop the people there fromseeingthe magic ofFelgren.Itjust made it less common.
“Idon’t know whyIhave this ability.Idon’t know whyIcan use the magic inFelgrenmore than other channelers and conduits.Idon’t have an answer for that, butIdo know that maybe theBaronswere right.IfI’mthis strong,Imight really be the one person who has a chance to fight theBlightand destroy it.”
