Page 74 of Tangled Power
“A veil beast,” Juliette said, shock evident in her hushed tone. “But they’re extinct.”
Its tail swished back and forth as it stalked around the Compass Points. The movement of the beast’s tail seemed to count the moments before the predator struck.
“Arie,” Rose called, still held in place by Juliette’s grasp. The feline looked familiar. It was similar to the animal she saw when she made the internal connection to Carter’s magic.
“Carter?” Luc called. The Vesten Point’s pillar of fire was still burning hot.
Arie, in the new animal form, snarled, showing more teeth than Rose preferred, exposing elongated canines perfect for tearing into flesh.
“Carter!” Luc tried again. Carter’s magic didn’t falter at the call. If anything, he seemed to be pouring more magic into it.
“He is funneling too much of his magic into Lord Arctos,” Juliette said. “We need to get him to cut it off.”
The ground beneath Carter shook as Luc took action. Carter tipped from his knees, catching himself with his hands in thedirt. This distraction broke him free of the exchange. The giant feline beast gave pause, his tail halting mid flick.
“Arie?” Rose asked cautiously.
“Yes, yes, I’m here,” he said as he sat back on his hind legs and seemed to shake off the magic, like a cat shaking off drops of water. Rose felt the power Arie shook off as it made a beeline for Carter. The Vesten Point seemed to stretch and flex as he reabsorbed it. Arie shrank down to the small black cat he started as and began casually licking his paw. The action was so at odds with the beast previously before her, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Everyone okay?” Luc asked.
A chorus of nods answered him, though no one seemed ready to put the experiment into words yet.
“Is a veil beast the same as a veil cat—the animal responsible for ferrying spirits beyond the veil? I thought those were myths,” Rose asked.
“You should know by now that most myths are rooted in some kind of reality.” Carter gestured to the necklace chain that held her compass. “But yes, they’re the same. While definitely feline, most found veil cat too tame a name. So, most know the animal as a veil beast.”
“Juliette, did you say they were extinct?”
Juliette nodded. “I believe the Lady of the Veil killed them all in an attempt to more tightly control her plane.”
“So why did Arie turn into one?”
Arie in cat form glanced at Carter, his yellow-green eyes piercing. Rose could have sworn he smirked before going back to licking his paws.
“I guess it was the boost of power,” Carter said cagily. His gaze darted to the ground. Rose was sure he wasn’t telling the whole truth, but she wouldn’t push it. They had proven what they needed. The sharing of power could be done between any of the Compass Point-patron pairings.
They knew Aterra’s plan.
The group went their separate ways momentarily as they tried to collect their thoughts. Rose followed Luc as he meandered to the lake’s edge.
“Luc,” she called.
He stopped and turned. His hands were behind his back, almost as if he’d been hoping to sneak away but got caught.
She put her hands on her hips but didn’t say a word.
He sighed. “Now that we know that worked, I just thought, maybe, I could get to the lake’s edge and test the next part without”—he gestured around—“everyone watching.”
She couldn’t fault him for that. “I’m not sure I’ll let you sneak away until we finish this sword. I’ll feel better knowing you have it.”
“I’ll feel better having it with me.” His power circled her as he spoke. She was sure his magic would be pleased to have a part of hers with him. It seemed to caress her skin in unspoken agreement.
“Let’s see if the others are settled. I’ll tell them we need a little time to finish your weapon, and then we can find Aterra and end this.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“This session should finish it—any final worries about what I’ll see?” Rose asked as they entered her workshop. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed it until they were there.
