Page 49 of Bound Paths
“Sure.” Rose handed it over, unsure what Carter could do with it but willing to let him try. He sniffed it. Some may have laughed at the gesture, but Rose’s nose was so attuned to magic scents that she knew what he was doing. It made her pause to wonder if his shifter nature strengthened his magical scent detection.
“It doesn’t smell like you,” Carter said. “But when you used it, we could sense your power throughout the room.” His cheeksflushed. “Clearly, in places you were not present. This is strong magic.”
“That’s the idea exactly,” Aurora said. “And it’s not so much the strength of power as honing the magic used into the perfect weapon. Wherever the blade goes, the ripples and drops will mask the origin.” Aurora looked a little smug. Rose decided she deserved it.
“There is a reason the best weapons-makers on the continent are Norden,” Aurora said, her gaze seeking Rose. “My people have my innate understanding of the balance between blade and magic.”
Rose lifted her chin. The words felt like Aurora was again claiming Rose as her own. Her family had always instilled that she was Norden—no matter her extra magic. The deep, hidden part of Rose that let what the elders had said bother her preened. She was where she was supposed to be. Her unique mix of magic had helped them get this far.
“Can the dagger’s magic cover more than just the Norden Point?” Carter asked. He was the obvious requirement to shepherd Rose on this journey beyond the veil. If only the dagger’s wielder was covered, they wouldn’t be better off than they’d been during their first attempt.
“Why don’t you two test it out?” Aurora said with a gleam in her eye.
“I’m game if you are,” Rose said.
“What do you need from me?” Carter asked.
Rose tilted her head to the side, thinking. She wasn’t quite sure. Aurora’s gaze was still heavy on her. The goddess seemed to sense Rose’s hesitancy in asking for help. Rose smiled gently at Aurora but shook her head. She appreciated the offer, but if everything went according to plan, Aurora wouldn’t be with them beyond the veil. They would be on their own to figure thisout. They might as well see what they could do together without the goddess’s assistance.
“Give me a second,” Rose said, closing her eyes. She needed to feel the magic of the blade a bit more. Even from the brief test, it was clear how the magic shielded her origin point. The question was whether it would shield two points and for how long. Her weapons-master magic pushed against the blade. She rarely had cause to evaluate the magic of a blade already forged. It was similar to how she tried to understand the heart of a wielder before forging a weapon for them. Before fully wielding the dagger, she needed to understand the core of its power.
The blade was solid and well-made. Not that she doubted her patron goddess. Her magic slipped along the knife’s edge, coalescing at the tip. Though a dagger, she could tell this weapon was created for defense. As Aurora had alluded, she had asked her first Norden Point to trail Aterra on the continent. The magic was to keep him safe as he carried out his patron’s request. Her situation was slightly different but the same at the heart.
The gods still needed the Compass Points to clean up their mess. Rose just wouldn’t be doing it alone. She needed the blade to offer the same protection to the Vesten Point. Heat flared from the blade at her evaluation. As if it knew she questioned its ability. This was good. The blade’s heat almost felt like the Vesten fire. She opened her eyes and glanced at Aurora, who smiled wickedly.
Maybe it did feel like Vesten fire.
“I think we should give this a try,” Rose said. If some of Arie’s fire was already within the blade, Rose was sure it would strive to protect the Vesten Point as easily as the Norden. She turned to face Carter. “I’m not sure what to expect, but that’s why we’re testing it here.” Rose shrugged. “I’ll activate it, and then the others will tell us if they can see us.”
“Seems simple enough,” Carter said.
Rose poked her finger with the tip of the dagger. The moment her blood coated the blade, she felt the magic activate. Ripples cascaded, and water drops fell. The magic covered her and her movements—she could feel its shield. It didn’t feel like it covered the Vesten Point beside her though.
Turning to face Carter, she saw the magic didn’t spread over him the same way. He was still visible, though she wasn’t sure he would disappear to her eyes. It was more likely those covered by the blade’s magic would be able to see each other. Something about this was off. The waves and ripples didn’t disguise the location where Carter stood. They didn’t seem to notice him at all. She knew she’d failed when Carter’s gaze roamed the room.
“Carter, can you see me?” Rose asked. His gaze snapped back to where she stood. He could hear her, but he couldn’t see her.
“We can see Carter,” Arie drawled. He had returned to his human form and sprawled across the couch again.
Rose let the dagger’s magic fall and ran her fingers through her hair. “It didn’t naturally spread to him.” Her gaze roamed to Aurora as she spoke. She didn’t ask a question—yet.
She stared again at the dagger. A drop of her blood still covered the blade’s tip… Of course. “Carter, I think it needs your blood, too, if we expect it to cover you.”
Carter tilted his head in a very Arie-like gesture. “What do you mean?”
“If I’m not mistaken, it’s another form of blood magic.” Rose’s gaze met Juliette’s. “It seems all the gods dabbled with it, no matter what the humans on the continent thought.” Juliette tipped her chin in acknowledgment. Rose knew she’d been self-conscious about the ritual she performed to strengthen the Osten court. But the more they learned of the gods, the more she saw the line that separated their innate elemental magic and the blood magic considered less than was blurred at best.
“When I offer my blood, I’m asking for protection from the blade,” she said once again, turning to Carter. “If you also want the dagger’s protection, you must offer your blood to receive it.”
“That makes sense,” Carter said, slowly taking the dagger as Rose offered it. He poked his index finger, similar to what Rose had done. She repeated the gesture with him—immediately feeling the difference in the magic.
The ripples formed an oval shape around them. Carter was within the protective shield of the magic this time. She wanted to test it a bit more. Tugging his arm, she moved them toward the fireplace. Juliette’s eyes narrowed as she tried to find them in the room. Arie sat up, appearing to do the same. When he couldn’t see them, he shifted. Rose knew she’d made a mistake. She’d dragged Carter to the exact spot on the fireplace Arie had previously perched in his bird form. The bird’s wings brushed Carter’s head before they could relocate. Arie flapped again, this time in delight as he realized what he had done.
“I found you!”he said for everyone in the room to hear. “I win!”
Rose released the blade’s magic. “This isn’t a winning game, Arie,” she said. “Either we all win with Carter and I sneaking into Cassandra’s realm unnoticed, or we both get captured by the Lady of the Veil.”
Rose’s thoughts strayed to Luc.“Will I be able to find you?”Her thoughts then shifted to her compass that spun in circles.
