Page 66 of Tangled Power
Then, she and Aterra disappeared beneath the surface, leaving no trace.
Arie ran after them, only to ricochet off an invisible barrier, the magic throwing him flat on his back on the crater’s ridge, preventing him from following.
Rose was flungfrom the memory. She stumbled back from the forge into Luc’s waiting arms.
“Rose?” her name was a question as he caught her.
“I’m fine,” she said, her fingers moving to her temple, then to her face. She felt tear tracks on her cheeks like she’d been crying. Her gaze shifted to Arie, who still sat perched on the edge of the forge. As a bird, his face was so hard to read. She was too distracted by what she’d learned to examine his appearance. He did have a human form, though.
“Arie?” she asked.
“Yes. That’s how I knew what had happened to Luc at the Solstice Ball. The same ring, the same action, took Aurora from me. Even though it appeared to be of her own free will.”Arie spoke into both of their minds, although Luc still worked to piece together what he was hearing. He hadn’t watched the scene by the lake like Rose had.
“But then…” She was trying to sort through what the scene meant—what memory had Aterra created for Aurora? What memories had he changed to make her think going into the lake with him was a good idea?
“We can only guess.”Arie ruffled his feathers.“He must have created a memory that made her believe she needed to go in and seal it off from anyone else using Aterra’s blood.”
“I can’t say I’ve tested those attributes of mind shadow, but I do think that would be possible with what I understand of the power,” Luc said.
“Well, we confirmed something helpful from this horrible memory,” Rose said, straightening herself. “We’re definitely headed back to Lake of the Gods.” Her gaze fell heavy on Luc, suddenly glad the others were at the campfire preparing the meal. “And if Aterra’s blood sealed the lake…”
His brow furrowed as he replied. “Maybe it can open it as well.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“We should at least use this time to strategize,” Carter said as they rode toward the crossroads. They would head north to Lake of the Gods. Arie perched on his shoulder. She hoped he had asked Carter about the power-sharing they wanted to try. They needed to confirm their suspicion before arriving at Lake of the Gods.
“What exactly are we strategizing about?” Luc asked.
“What magic combination should we try next?”
Juliette’s gaze roamed between the Compass Points, finally landing on Rose.
“What do you think, Juliette?” Rose asked, drawing her into the conversation.
“We proved the Compass Points can share power across elements.” Her gaze danced between Rose and Luc. “Maybe even more so than we originally thought.”
“What does that mean?” Luc’s voice was defensive. Rose wondered if Luc and Juliette’s distrust of one another would ever wane.
“Rose could reach into your power source.” Juliette narrowed her eyes at him. “It means exactly what we all should fear. We’re not only sharing the magic we choose to wield, we’resharing the essence of our power. Are we allowing anyone with whom we merge elements to tap into that?” She looked to Rose.
It was a good question. “I think…” Rose considered her response. “I think we can decide who leads. Who has the opportunity to control the merged magic and the ability to dive into each of our powers.” Rose scratched the side of her head. “I can’t know for sure since it has only been two powers merging each time. But I certainly had to search for the connection to each of you—and how I ultimately gained access was slightly different for each.”
Juliette looked thoughtful.
“Our connection was very formal, Juliette. I opened a locked door, and I imagine I could only do that because your power let me.” She paused, wondering what this information would mean to the others. “Luc ceded power to me. His tunnel of magic was more of an open reservoir for my own lake of power. I had only to say I was in need, and it shared,” she concluded, glancing at him.
He nodded as Juliette asked, “He did?” She must have immediately realized how her question sounded as she tried to hide her disbelief.
Luc had not missed it. “Juliette, I’m not trying to steal the other Compass Points’ power. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have plenty of my own. Of course I let Rose lead. I insist, if we’re to get anywhere in this attempt, that she is the one who leads us all.”
Juliette appraised him as if she didn’t know what to make of the statement, proving no matter how much progress they made as a unit, Juliette thought of Luc with distrust first, always.
Rose couldn’t quite figure out the picture of Luc that Juliette held. She understood Juliette’s protective instinct of the Osten and their magic. She was the sole connection to maintaining an even level of power with the other fae courts due to Zrak’ssacrifice. It must be a heavy weight. But did she really expect Luc was plotting to steal her power? Did she think the same of Carter?
All Rose had ever known of Luc was the depths of his magic. And after she saw that, she noticed his hesitancy with it. She didn’t expect Juliette to see his reluctance, but she thought everyone at Compass Lake knew the enormity of his power. Why would he need more?
“Those with power rarely take more because they need it,” Juliette said. “They take it because they want it. They take it because no one can stop them.”
