Page 23 of Winter Queen
"Are you draining its energy?" I ask him in surprise.
"Look again," he replies simply.
Why can't he just tell me the answer? But then I remember, I used to do the same to the students back at university. People always remember knowledge they had to work out for themselves a lot better than content they were given to simply read.
This time, I focus on the connection Thor has built with the lightning bolt. There's the energy flowing towards him that I've already seen... and then... yes, there's energy flowing back from Thor into the lightning!
"You're keeping it in a stasis?" I ask. "You're not letting it deplete its energy?"
“Exactly. I can only keep it in that state for so long, so you may want to step back.”
I jump away just in time for the lightning bolt to expand slightly and then ram into the ground, disappearing for good.
“A little more warning, next time?” I shout at Thor, running a hand over my eyebrows. They feel singed. I’ve already lost half of my hair, I’m in no rush to lose my eyebrows as well. Especially not now that they’re perfectly curved. Somehow, I know that I’ll never have to thread them again – those Goddess genes do come in handy.
Thor shrugs. “You got away in time. Do another one, bigger, this time.”
I nod and watch as he retreats to the edge of a courtyard. I’m going to show him. He’s the God of Thunder? Well, I’m the Demigoddess of Lightning. Kind of. Not really. But who cares.
I weave thick strands of magic through the air in front of Thor. I’m not even bothering to do it near me first and then pushing it towards him. He wants me to practice, so here I am, trying out new methods.
“I can see what you’re doing!” he shouts and I cringe. Of course he does.
How can I surprise him if he can see my magic? Mmhm, there must be a way.
With a smile, I start gathering some magic behind him while still increasing the magic in front of him. Hopefully, he’ll focus on that and miss what I’m doing behind him.
“You’re wasting your time!” he calls. “Not seeing with your eyes, remember? I can feel what you’re doing!”
Damn it. I should have thought of that myself.
But… he never said I’d have to do this on my own, right?
I send a mental nudge to Frost. I know he’s nearby, I can feel him. Hopefully, I’m not distracting him from something important.
Our mental link is still mainly a way of nudging and pulling. The guys told me once that I would be able to talk to them, but that’s not really how it works. I can send images through it, but they don’t always reach their recipient. It’s a bit of an unclear science. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Luckily, the nudging always works.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a door opening and Frost steps into the courtyard.
“Thor!” I shout, hoping to distract him. “What happens if my lightning was to touch water?”
“It would become quite explosive. Bigger. More effective. Why?”
Hopefully, Frost got the message.
“Just asking,” I reply, suppressing a smirk. “Ready?”
Thor shrugs, as if he’s bored already. I’m going to show him.
Frost is staying in the shadows, hiding behind a column lining the courtyard. He gives me a short nod to show that he understood. Let’s do this.
“Ready, steady…. Go!” I shout, and let the lightning lose all around Thor. At the same time, Frost summons a water dome, imprisoning the God. When the lightning hits the watery cage, all hell breaks loose.
The water begins to steam and sizzle, and large cracks of lightning tear through the air. Sparks are flying, illuminating the steam which is becoming thicker, hiding Thor from view.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Godspawn,” a voice suddenly says behind me. Thor is standing there, hands in his pockets, looking as relaxed as ever. His eyes however are glinting with delight. “But it’s a very effective one. Well done. Anyone who couldn’t teleport would be trapped – or dead.”
That’s when reality hits. This can kill people. Not just as a result of collapsing buildings like I did yesterday. No, this lightning can stop hearts, burn through flesh, erase enemies from existence.
