Page 87 of Tangled Power
Unsure what Luc was doing, she caught his eye, and he winked at her. He seemed to have a plan, at least. She pushed one more burst of the Compass Points’ magic at Aterra, anchoring him where he stood to give Luc another moment.
His magical blade appeared in his right hand. He must have collected it while she marched Aterra across the floor. She loosened her hold on Aterra, ceding Luc’s magic back to him at his request. Would her magically forged weapon be enough to kill a god? She didn’t think so—but she wasn’t sure what else Luc would do.
“Forgive me, Rose. I know you’ll come for me.” Luc’s gaze met hers as the whisper reached her.
Horror flooded her, her stomach plummeting, as he found another path.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
He knew this was the right path when Rose had reached for more of his power. It had never been about connecting and directing their magic in concert. The price to hold a god was always going to be higher. It was about the Compass Points trusting each other enough to give unbridled access to their power. Access to the depths of one’s magic was a risk—one that could be easily abused—but one he had already taken with Rose. He’d suspected on the Suden beach, the evening after her initial fight with Aterra, that there was more to the way their magics intertwined—he just hadn’t been ready to face it with how he felt about his own power. After their experience in her workshop and the way their magic had come together with their bodies, he had no doubt that they were bound.
It wasn’t a conscious choice that fae made; it was a soul-deep connection—magics finding their perfect match. A binding couldn’t be controlled, but it also didn’t happen without the consent of all parties. Luc had opened himself up to Rose in every way he knew how, and he was astounded to realize she had done the same with him.
She chose him too.
Their connection was unprecedented. Fae could only be bound with those of the same court—but nothing about Rose and Luc’s connection had been normal. Nothing about Rose and Luc themselves followed traditional paths.
He'd tested their bond, talking to her through his magic during the battle. Bound fae’s power connected on a different level—sharing everything. Rose was everything he needed. He just hadn’t realized the totality of what that meant. He needed to trust his power—he needed to believe that it wasn’t a curse. It was his uncommon magic that hers had bound itself to. Her love had shown him a different side to the magic that sent most running. And his power had done all it could to ensure they could keep her.
His attention returned to the battle. His chest constricted as his gaze found Rose, the one who had managed to bring them all together. The only one they would all trust with their magic. The one he couldn’t live without. They wouldn’t have stood a chance without her. She had brought forth their ability to hold Aterra. But no one had a plan for what to do with him now that he was restrained. The Compass Points couldn’t stand in this cavern, holding him forever.
He knew what he had to do. He hoped Rose would forgive him.
She pulled on his magic, taking what she needed. More of his power strained to go to her. It was drawn to her the same way he was, like the beach waiting for the ocean’s tide. He knew, academically, that his magic was him. They were not distinct entities. It was just one of the ways he had been taught to control his power. If it was a separate entity—he could leash it. But the reality was that he was only leashing himself.
His power strained toward the one who didn’t require that of him or his magic.
The pull didn’t slow him down. He knew he had to keep moving. He fed Rose a steady stream of his element as he let his magic off its leash. They had more to do while Rose trapped Aterra.
A spiral of magic drifted toward Rose, steadying her as she marched. It braced her and met her steps with the earth. It supported her physically while Luc couldn’t.
He ran to where Aiden lay with Arie, in human form, already at work, Aurora had joined him. Luc had sucked in a breath as he saw the rock sliver’s placement. Shaking his head, he knew he couldn’t dwell on Aiden’s fate. There were bigger things at stake. Aiden had made his choice, and in Luc’s opinion, it had been a decent one. Luc had come to retrieve his sword. He would need it for this next part.
Bending to pick up the magically forged weapon, he gave Arie a brief nod. He assessed his blade—and felt a further amplification of his power glide through it. He hadn’t had enough time to marvel at what Rose had done. But he could feel his magic’s connection to the weapon—could feel how it amplified his natural tendencies and instincts.
He thought of the hole in Loch, a hole he’d made on raw emotion alone. This time, he had two amplifiers and a lot more to lose. With a final glance at Rose, he reassured himself that this would work.
It was then Arie glanced up from his work to nod at Luc. The earth shook under them as Aterra fought back against Rose and the magic of the Compass Points’ hold.
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Of course not, Arie,” he replied.
Arie shook his head. “Be careful.”
“She’ll get me back.” He paused, unsure Rose would realize what their connection meant. He needed someone to explain it to her. “We’re bound,” he added.
Arie gave him a soft smile of acknowledgment followed by a look that indicated he wouldn’t spend time trying to make Luc find another option. Arie was the one person who had as much faith in Rose as Luc did. He knew, probably better than Luc, what she was capable of. It was unclear how Arie guessed his plan, but Luc was oddly reassured that the Vesten god didn’t try to stop him.
His plan hinged on the fact that Rose could do anything she put her mind to. And Luc accepted that she would put her full attention to retrieving him—if only to scream at him for what he was about to do. He’d take it gladly if it meant they were together and this was over. While hating the danger this plan put her in, they didn’t have a lot of options.
The Compass Points held a god, but they had nowhere to put him.
Luc did.
Rose would have doubts—of course she would. That’s why she didn’t get a say in this part. For all that she knew how strong and capable she was, Rose still saw limits to her capabilities. Luc did not. He wished there was another way. He really did. But they were in this cavern, where, five hundred years ago, Zrak had put a contingency plan in place—one that was ultimately needed. Luc was only doing the same. Aterra needed more than just momentary containment, and Zrak had already proved the best location to hold a god to preserve the balance.
It was time to take Aterra to it.
