Page 6 of Tangled Power
“Will they let him be Suden Point if I can’t assure them of his paternal lineage? I fear for him as word of his power spreads. The village already talks about his magic being an aberration. I can’t imagine he’d fare any better at Compass Lake.”
Rose could hear how tired she sounded as Jack leaned in to continue talking. The words ran together, and the world blurred around her as she was thrown from the scene.
Gasping for air,she found herself back in the starting tunnel. Well, that was new. Her mind spun as she found her feet. Luc’s power made this exploration wholly unique. Her heart rate slowed, and her breathing leveled out. What had watching the scene cost her? She was tired. She may be out of practice, working with such immense power, but it had been magically draining to even observe that slice of Luc’s life. The memory she’d fallen out of was once again a picture on the wall. Her fingers stretched to reach for it again, but she paused. She needed to be smart about this, especially if each viewing would exhaust her power further.
Questions bubbled to her lips, and she had no one to ask them of. The scene left her wanting more. How many schoolyard incidents like this had been part of Luc’s childhood? When had he learned the absolute control for which he was now known? He became Suden Point anyway, no matter his mother’s wishes—what had changed? The wall was lined with more images. Her magic itched to explore them all. Did each one represent a moment in Luc’s life?
She could feel the tug of common sense telling her to call it for today. She was pushing herself further than she had in a long time. The Suden Point’s power was a lot to grasp. These were allgood points. But she and her magicwantedmore. This was like the opening chapter of her favorite book—she needed to devour every page.
“One more,” she whispered to herself. The same way she’d whispered, “one more chapter,” a thousand times before, while reading when she should be sleeping. Now certainly wasn’t the time to exercise restraint, she thought, as her hand moved to another image on her left.
Michael, the Suden Point before Luc, was in the frame with him, his hand outstretched in introduction. Her finger grazed the corners of the memory as she plucked it from the wall. The edges blurred—then she sank into blackness and felt nothing.
CHAPTER THREE
Removing the damp, cool towel covering her face, Rose opened her eyes. She was in a large, open space, the soft yellow of the sun’s emerging light peeking through a second-floor window. The soft cushion beneath her indicated she was on the long chair in Suden house’s grand entry room. Luc’s brother, Aaron, walked into the room with a replacement cloth. He sat in the empty wooden chair next to where she lay and handed it to her. Folding his muscular arms across his broad chest, he seemed too big for the seat. Or maybe it was that she’d recently seen him as such a small child. The pieces knit together in her mind.
She had been evaluating Luc’s magic. And then—what? Had she passed out?
“Where is Luc?” Rose asked, her voice groggier than expected. How long had she been lying there?
“Fetching a healer,” Aaron said. His tone was even, but the firm line of his mouth told her he wasn’t saying everything he wanted to.
She remembered sinking into Luc’s skin, a tunnel leading to the heart of his power. There were images—memories. It came back in flashes. Watching one, reaching for another, thendarkness. Had she really exhausted herself so fully? When had that last happened? As a child, training with Mom? She shook her head. Cutting herself a break, she chided that this was the first time she had evaluated a Compass Point’s magic at the source. Maybe her weapons-master magic wasn’t strong enough. “Do you know what happened?” she asked.
Aaron’s patient look reminded her of the one his father wore in the memory. He shook his head in response to her question. “Not quite, though I gather from Luc’s rant that he feels responsible for breaking you.” His words were a statement, but his gaze held only questions.
“I was evaluating his magic,” she said. “I want to make him a weapon for the journey we’ll have to take.”
Aaron nodded, unsurprised by the news.
She searched his features, hoping to find a semblance of understanding. “I was trying to give him protection, the only way I know how.”
The lines of his face softened. While he wasn’t yet overly fond of Rose, protecting his brother was something he knew well.
“So, what? It didn’t work? You passed out?” He leaned forward in his chair.
“It was working.” Rose hesitated. She should talk to Luc about this first, but if anyone else knew about Luc’s past, it would be Aaron. “I saw a scene from your childhood—something about Luc shaking the schoolyard?”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Aaron said, his tone wry and lip twitching, trying desperately not to curl into a smile.
“He said he was asked to leave school after this one… And you said he was defending you?” Rose added, recalling the details.
Aaron nodded. He tilted his head to each side, an odd mix of stretching and indecision. Finally, he came to someconclusion as his gaze locked with hers. “Luc didn’t have an easy childhood.”
“I gathered.”
“He wasn’t bad. He was, in fact, wonderful. The best older brother I could ask for.” Aaron paused, searching for words. “You know, many fae have issues controlling their element when they’re young.”
Rose nodded. It was common.
“The impacts of those lapses aren’t usually broadly felt, though.” Aaron’s gaze begged Rose to put the pieces together, wanting her to finish a sentence for him so he wouldn’t have to spill his brother’s secrets.
Rose put him out of his misery. “I understand. Not many eight-year-olds can break apart the schoolyard.” She tried to sit up, to better invest in this conversation. “Luc could, though. His slips had higher stakes due to the nature of his power.”
Aaron nodded. “Made worse because Mother couldn’t help him with it.” Aaron glanced at the door nervously, as if expecting Luc to walk through it.
“He told me he doesn’t know his father, Aaron. You’re not betraying him.”
