Page 34 of Tangled Power
Rose had a smile on her face as she walked out of Luc’s room the following morning. She ran into Carter in the hallway. He gave her a questioning look as Luc pulled the door closed behind them.
“Don’t hurt yourself thinking about it, Carter,” she said and took satisfaction in a slight blush tinging his cheeks. “I told you I didn’t want the extra room. Please respect my decision next time.”
Carter coughed and nodded as he headed down the stairs.
Juliette was already down there and had breakfast for them. The inn was nice, but they needed to keep moving. Rose was going to miss having a bed, though. Camping was not her favorite, no matter how frequently she did it.
After a quick breakfast, they headed out to the stables. She couldn’t ignore the hole in the center of the square as they passed. It called to her again. Luc’s magic was still faint, but its pull was more insistent now that she understood the pain it caused him. Something came over her, stopping her in her tracks. “I think we should try to close the hole,” she said.
As soon as the words were out, she knew it needed to happen. It felt right. Her motives were far from pure. Many had tried toclose the hole and couldn’t. Her magic hummed as she thought of the Compass Points having to use their powers together to do what others couldn’t. This town needed closure, literal and figurative. The hole still disrupted their market. The villagers still eyed Luc with disdain.
Fixing it wouldn’t heal everyone, but it would blot out the constant reminder. It could also be the scenario the Compass Points needed to test their united magic.
Luc turned, raising an eyebrow at her.
She smiled sheepishly at him. It would have been preferable if she’d spoken to him about this ahead of time. But she hadn’t known they’d needed to until now. No taking back her suggestion. The others were just as mystified by her comment. They looked to Luc, like maybe he hadn’t fully explained the hole to her.
“I know he’s tried. I know Michael has tried. I know all combinations of powerful Suden have tried,” she said. “But have the Compass Points ever tried together?”
Luc’s lip tugged into a smirk. He knew what she was doing. He wouldn’t stop her. “They have not.”
“We’ve had no reason to,” Juliette said. “Why would that work?”
“Our united power is meant to balance the gods,” Carter said. “Some believe Luc’s power would rival a god on the continent today… It’s certainly possible.”
Juliette realized she was outvoted. Her hands went to her hips, but she moved toward the hole with the others.
“Do you have a plan?” Luc whispered in Rose’s ear as they moved. “Or are we winging it?”
“The latter,” she whispered, but knew he wouldn’t judge her for it. More loudly, she said, “Luc, you should try to pull the hole closed, as I assume you’ve done before.” He nodded in acknowledgment. “Juliette and I will push wind into the groundaround the edges to support you.” She looked to Carter, unsure what to do with his fire or shifter.
“I’ll focus on the bottom. I think I’ll be able to tell if it’s closing.”
Rose noted the certainty in his voice that therewasa bottom.
“You don’t think it’s an abyss?” Rose couldn’t hold back the question.
He shook his head, but didn’t really answer her as he said, “My fire, lighting the darkness, should help loosen the hole’s hold over this place.”
Luc raised an eyebrow again and met Rose’s gaze. She would need to unpack that later, but for now, they had a plan.
She nodded at each of them. “Ready?”
It was still early, but some of the villagers of Loch were already moving through the square. They would be unable to hide this attempt. Insecurity flooded Rose briefly. What if they failed? She shook it off. They needed to try working together before confronting Aterra. Practicing at their campsites would only get them so far. This was a real problem on the continent that needed fixing. They had to try.
The ground shook beneath them as Luc sent his power toward the hole of its own creation. As was becoming a pattern, a tendril of his magic hung back, wrapping around her. She reached for her wind, silently apologizing to her water magic again for its inactivity. But she needed to focus on working with Juliette, and she only knew how to do that through their shared magic at the moment. Juliette’s magic circled hers, and they shot together toward the hole. Their power spun as they worked to tighten the circumference.
The heat from Carter’s magic flared against her skin even as he directed it into the depths of darkness. He stood closer than the rest of them, his magic pushing into the vast blackness of the tunnel, lighting some of the descent.
Their power may not be a single unit, but working on a common problem felt right. She searched the edges of the hole for signs of movement. Was it getting any smaller? She swore the circle shook and shrunk.
It was a small victory, but they needed more.
They had to push harder. Rose dug into her magic stores. Her power was a lake at her center. Circling the familiar water, she reached for more magic. As she did, a strong wind lifted and guided her around the lake’s shore. Tugging again on her power, it flexed, wanting to help but having already given everything she had. She neededmoreto complete this task. Responding to her unspoken demand, the wind deposited her at a door.
What was this? She was deep in her magic, and it was fading fast. She was pouring more than she cared to admit into this endeavor—wanting so badly to succeed. Not just for the victory it would be for the Compass Points to work in collaboration. She wanted Luc to have evidence of such a painful memory wiped away. Rose was about to dive back into her wind and see what was behind the door when shouting startled her.
“What are you doing?” a female yelled. “Stop!” She ran toward the Compass Points. Her voice must have been familiar to Luc because he pulled back his power. The female halted as Luc made eye contact with her. The rage in her eyes was evident, but so was the fear. It must have just crossed her mind that she was interrupting the Suden Point and what that might mean.
