Page 56 of Tangled Power
She laughed as she kissed him back. “To my knowledge, this doesn’t use your element.”
His lip curled into what he believed to be her favorite smirk as he straightened. “We should test that.”
Her eyes lit with interest.
“Actually, before I get too distracted, I did say I wanted to show you something.” He took her hand and tugged her as she jumped off the wall to meet him. They walked together to its outside perimeter. “We already know the ring is not here, but there is a hiding place on these grounds for the Suden artifact.”
Rose stopped walking, her motion pulling Luc to a halt since their hands were linked. “You’ve known where it was for eight years? Why have you never tried to collect it?”
“Other than the fact that we know it’s not there?” he replied as her face scrunched in thought.
“You didn’t know it was missing before, did you?” She was curious. He could hear it in her words. He liked that. He wanted to read every one of her tells. Her curiosity was warranted. She’d chased down the item that showed her claim to the Norden seat. Why would he leave something like that to the chance someone else could find it?
“It’s not something I needed.” He shrugged. “My claim was not only uncontested but some would say thrust upon me before my time, due to the sheer force of my magic’s presence on the continent.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Rose’s lip curved into a smirk of her own. Her smile faltered as she continued, “The Suden Point just tells their successor where the ring is? You don’t try to collect it together? Or better yet, why didn’t Michael have it?”
They bent down at a specific section of the brick wall. “The ring amplifies all Suden power—not just the element. As we heard from Samuel, it’s best amplification is for mind shadow. Michael had strong feelings about that ability. He didn’t want it. Wearing the ring grants it, regardless of whether it’s an ability the Suden Point already possesses.” Luc shrugged. “We didn’t go check it together. He simply told me where it was, and I was happy to assume it was still there—as did he. In my defense, I can’t say I anticipated Aterra being on the continent and coming to claim it himself.” His earth magic shook a brick free of its place, falling to the ground. Luc reached into the vacated hole, his hand returning empty.
“No surprise there,” Rose said.
“I’m a little surprised by how well Aiden can wield it,” Luc said, thinking back to their encounter with it at the Solstice Ball and Samuel’s claims about Aiden’s test.
“I assumed he could only use it when Aterra was inhabiting him.” Rose shrugged. “His eyes were definitely gray when he stabbed you at the ball.”
“Do you ever think about what memories he was trying to take from you?” Luc asked quietly.
“I did when Samuel first mentioned what happened to him, but I haven’t given it a lot of thought. Honestly, I’ve not given Aiden a lot of thought in this whole mess. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll see if I examine it too closely.”
“You don’t want him to be responsible.” It was a statement, not a question. Luc knew that Rose wanted some semblance of her childhood friendship to have been real. “At least by the ball, he’d given up on trying to kill you,” Luc said, trying to lighten her mood. He knew she would have to come to this conclusion on her own—likely whenever they found Aiden again.
Rose opened and closed her mouth. She finally settled on replying with, “You say that like taking my memories is better?”
“Of course not. I’ll end him for considering either.” Luc’s tone was calm, but he meant every word.
He and Rose didn’t talk much about what they would do to Aiden when they stopped Aterra. He wanted Rose to have time and space to decide what to do about him. No one could say for sure how much of what Aiden did was his choice and how much was Aterra controlling him. Ultimately, he made a wrong decision to align with the god, but if Rose was correct, he had done that when he was little more than a child. Luc wouldn’t blame Aiden for the unthinkable scope of one poor decision, but he would undoubtedly condemn Aterra.
Rose’s hand wrapped around his and squeezed. “Thanks for showing me this.”
“Anytime.” He stood from the crouched position by the wall. “Ready to watch me let off a little steam before the others arrive?” He took her hand as they went back to the inside of the low stone wall, wanting her calming presence.
“I have one more question,” she said.
“Ask it.”
“Are you ready to let me evaluate your power again? I need to finish your sword.”
Luc ran his hand down his face. To be fair, he’d known this was coming. She was out of other Compass Points to make weapons for. “Rose…”
“I’ve figured out how to work with larger powers. I was tired working on Juliette and Carter’s weapons, but I finished them. I think I’m ready for yours.”
“I’m just scared my magic will hurt you again. Let me think about it—it’s not like you’ll be able to start it today while we’re practicing with the others.”
She nodded. As he turned to head to the field, she tugged him to her. “You’re going to try to merge magic with me today? No matter how much power you think you let off?”
He wouldn’t let the opportunity to show such a solid united front pass them by. It would also be a good test for his magic. “I will.” His magic sagged in relief at his words. Hopefully, that meant it wanted to work with Rose, that it would behave and not overwhelm her again.
His power sprawled across the field in dense tendrils as it lifted everything it touched off the earth. His power was still a bit of a mystery. They’d barely found tidbits of information in the Vesten journals about a connection between the fae leaders and their patrons. What had Zrak said? The gods would know if their power weakened—if they spent too much time away from the lake. He suspected the other gods might not have known the extent to which that balance of power could be manipulated.
