Page 33 of Shadow Master
“Oh, good.” Helseth clapped her hands together. “That means it’s working. Patricia, would you like to do the honors?”
Madam Latrou inclined her head. “Why, thank you, Judy.”
“Can we please get on with it?” Orion drawled.
Latrou bristled. “You don’t need to be here for this, Mr. Winterlock. This is weaver work.”
Orion opened his mouth to retaliate then snapped it closed. “My apologies. The last few days have been trying. I’d like to watch.”
His words were contrite, but his tone was terse.
Latrou smiled, obviously choosing to take his words at face value despite his contrary tone. “In that case, you may stay.”
The weaver master placed one hand on my shoulder and one on Kash’s. She closed her eyes and began to chant. It was too low for me to catch, but her amulet lit up bright purple. Her fingers tightened on my shoulder, and then a shock ripped through me, and I was no longer standing in the ballroom. I was in the darkness beyond the weave. It coiled and pulsed, calling to me, but there was another call that was stronger.
A call to my soul.
Kash.
“Indigo?” Kash floated to my right.
He wasn’t ethereal this time, but so solid I was sure I could touch him. He drifted toward me, and then his hand gripped mine.
I looked down at our entwined fingers. “I can feel you.”
He pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me. Our threads drifted close and then touched, sending another shockwave through me.
“Wow,” Kash said. “This is … something.”
His face was highlighted by the glow of the weave, his features soft, beautiful.
I kissed his neck, his jaw, and then the corner of his mouth, but he turned his head, and his lips connected with mine. Desire flooded me at the contact, and then we were kissing, open-mouthed and hungry.
“I assume it worked?” Orion’s tone was dry.
Shit, we were back. Or had we even left?
I broke the kiss but couldn’t tear my eyes from Kash’s face.
“It worked,” Latrou said. “All you need to do to communicate with each other is enter the weave’s orbit and call out to the other person. They will hear you.”
“And this fomorian guide …” Orion said. “How can you be sure he won’t steer you wrong once you cross the mists?”
He had a point. I looked to Latrou. “Is there a truth rune? Something that would force the creature not to lie.”
“We have runes, but whether they would work on a fomorian …”
“We have to try.”
She grabbed a notebook and sketched out the rune. “You’ll need to cut it into the creature and seal it with ash.”
We had plenty of that around. “I can do that.”
“Here.” Helseth passed me a sprig of green herbs. “Crush it and smear it over the mark to activate the rune.”
I pocketed the items. “Thanks.”
“Well.” Orion pushed off the podium and sauntered to the exit. “You best be off. Try not to die.”
