Page 29 of Room for Three
But Azelon only looked at Corin.
The fae's eyes had gone wide, pupils dilated until only a thin ring of amber remained visible. The projection continued to build, layers of emotion crashing outward like a storm surge.
"Corin," Azelon called. "Control it!"
The fae didn't seem to hear him. Books flew from shelves, spinning violently around them.
Light fixtures exploded.
The very walls of the store began to warp, bending outward as if trying to escape the emotional maelstrom.
"What's happening?" Jamie shouted over the cacophony.
"He can't contain it," Azelon replied, pushing toward Corin against the force of the projection.
This was exactly what he'd been afraid of happening.
But he could still stop it. He could still ground Corin.
Reaching the fae, he gripped his shoulders. "Focus on me," he commanded, echoing Jamie's earlier words. "Find your center."
Corin's eyes seemed to stare through him. "I can't stop it," he whispered, voice breaking. "It's too much."
Fear—genuine fear—lanced through Azelon.
What if he couldn't pull Corin back from the edge as he'd promised?
What if…?
No, he would not let anything happen to Corin.
No matter the cost.
"Jamie!" Azelon called. "I need your help!"
The human fought his way toward them through the storm of flying objects and emotional energy. His face was set with determination, though blood trickled from a cut on his forehead where something had struck him.
"What do I do?" Jamie asked, reaching them.
"Take his other side," Azelon directed. "He needs both of us."
Jamie didn't hesitate, moving to grip Corin's free arm. "We've got you," he told the fae. "Come back to us."
For a moment, it seemed to be working. The chaotic energy wavered, the storm of objects slowing their frantic orbits. Corin's eyes focused briefly, recognition dawning.
"That's it," Azelon encouraged. "Find your center."
But then the tunneling wyrm, disoriented and panicked by the emotional assault, surged upward directly beneath them.
The floor exploded in a shower of wood and stone, separating the three of them as they were thrown in different directions.
Azelon landed hard, his vision blurring from the impact.
When it cleared, he saw Corin sprawled several feet away, the emotional projection now completely beyond control. The air itself seemed to be tearing around him, reality buckling under the strain.
And Jamie—Jamie was pulling himself up, blood now flowing freely from a gash in his side where debris had struck him. Despite his injury, the human was staggering toward Corin, one hand outstretched.
"No!" Azelon shouted, recognizing the danger. "Stay back!"
