Page 45 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain
My irritation mounts watching him not moving. I just want him to go away. The familiarity we have, it’s broken for whatever reason, and Locane consistently brings me just the opposite of peace. This is much too intimate of a moment for me to want him present.
“Yes. Absolutely vital, Ellya. Exactly why I should stay. Help you. Guide you.” Locane walks a semicircle around me until he is standing directly in front of me. He crouches down on one knee, putting dark eyes nearly level with mine. “You clearly need it.”
“Not from you, I don’t,” I chime, trying to choke down the anger threatening to bubble over. “Go away now, or I swear on the fucking Mother and all the gods, I’m not doing this. I’d much rather go take a nap anyway.”
He snarls in my face, and I back away, propping myself with my palms on the grass behind me. I laugh despite the hint of fear he’s brought forth.
Locane tries to school his face into a more neutral expression. “In case I haven’t made it perfectly clear, this is very important, Ellya. This is not a game. And time is of the essence.”
“With all the talk about boards being set, or whatever it was, it sure sounds like a game. A twisted one. Tell me, what happens if someone else finds these gems? What happens ifyoufind these gems, Locane?”
“Whenwefind these gems,“ he emphasizes, “We will reinvigorate things back to their former thriving glory. You don’t want to know what could happen if someone else gets to them first.” He looks at me with conviction but backs up a few inches, his demeanor becoming less offensive.
“Will taking the magic of these gems not have a major effect on the magic of the world?”
“No. The gems have been in place for thousands of years. Their magic has effectively been in the circle of life for many generations and is fully established,” he answers.
“And what else could the essence of all of these gods combined accomplish?” I stare him down, daring him with my eyes to avoid the question, to try to deflect. But to my surprise he doesn’t.
“Anything you want.”
“That’s a little too vague. Specifically, what do you think we could do with that kind of power? God power.”
Saying the words out loud gives me a tight, constricting weight of foreboding in my chest. God power. Power never seen in any mortal. To give life? Create? Destroy? Bring vitality, prosperity, fire, death, destruction?
Although those of us with particularly strong magic can live very long lives, many centuries even, we are still mortal in the end. We live out a natural life span, and most can easily be killed.
Would the power of multiple gods be enough to create an immortal?
I have considered the responsibility of having god power ever since the first night at this house when Locane told me about the gems. Then, I could honestly say that I didn’t want it. The weight and responsibility of something that could be used for the greatest goods or the most terrible evils. As I’ve rediscovered my gifts and felt the power that comes with them, I’ve begun to wonder what all that newfound power would be like.
He offers me a confusing expression of mixed awe and disgust. “God power. You put that together on your own?”
I scoff. “I don’t know how you’d think I wouldn’t. You told me yourself, just didn’t use those exact words. And word of advice, Locane, continuously hinting that a woman is stupid is not a goodway to encourage her to do what you want.” I stare daggers at him while his full lips purse into a thin line.
“Fine. I will go wait inside while you pretend that you are confident enough in yourself to accomplish anything on your own. I’ll check on you in an hour, and if you’ve had no luck, I will be with you for the next session to try to help you.”
Locane leans back on the balls of his feet before pushing to a stand. He looks down at me and spits out, “Good luck.” His words drip with sarcasm and doubt.
I push back my anger and instead let it fuel my resolve to master this on my own.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It’s been at least a half hour since Locane left me out here and nothing has happened.
If only he had just gone when I’d asked him to instead of antagonizing me and trying to make me believe I require his guidance and support.
I am determined to do this without him.
My ass is sore from sitting in the same spot without moving, but I ignore it. My mind attempts to concentrate on the drag of thick air in my lungs for the hundredth time through a shaky exhale.
Fucking Mother. This is useless.
Beads of sweat have long since built on the back of my neck behind my thick curtain of chestnut brown hair and have started running down between my shoulder blades. Removing my hands from my knees, I twist the locks into a high bun on top of my head and secure it by tucking the end into the knot.
Instead of placing my hands back on my knees, I thread my fingers through the grass and run them back and forth a few times. This does wonders for calming my nerves. I chide myself for not doing this to begin with, forgetting completely what Locane had said about me channeling easier when I’m grounded to the earth.
As I lay my palms against the dirt, I’m finally able to slow my breath and my head becomes clearer. My mind focuses on thegentle sway of leaves in the soft summer breeze. A faint bird call sings in a whistling tune. Locane moves around inside, his soft clamoring filtering through the open doors of the house.
