Page 68 of Power Shift
I brought both hands together, closer to my lips.
“Evie—” Ash warned.
Closing my eyes, I sent a frisson of power out, seeking to connect, to understand.
Every plant in the house responded, a verdant scent of life growing throughout the room. Vines stretched and flowers bloomed, healthy dirt and greenery a sharp tang in my nose.
The seed pulsed with a royal blue light, peaceful and calm. Vines crawled over the ceiling and the couch, seeking to connect with its power.
“What do you want from me?” I whispered.
An astonishing amount of natural magic flared through the room. Familiar power.
“Gird your loins,” I murmured.
The king of the fae appeared in the room, his presence larger than life. Cernunnos was massive, well over six feet. His hair was the soft color of doeskin, cascading past his shoulders and twisted with moss and several varieties of mushrooms. The fae king’s eyes glowed with ancient power, his irises swirling with gold and silver sparks. Even though I’d known he wasn’t of this world by his physical appearance, it was the antlers, twisted with moss and greenery, drops of dew on the tips, rising several feet above his head that marked his identity.
How he hadn’t torn a hole in my roof by his arrival was one of those unexplainable miracles.
Ash’s face paled. He went to his knees and bowed his head.
“Rise,” Cernunnos demanded. “My people do not supplicate or worship, dryad. You are a loyal steward of my lands, and I am proud to call you one of mine.”
Ash rose, his hands trembling. Moira and Tess had already stood. I still sat on the loveseat; the seed curled in my palms.
Cernunnos made his way over and sat down beside me. Ash and the others retook their seats.
The seed pulsed bright green before fading back into deep blue.
The king of the fae smiled. “You’ve chosen a loyal vessel.”
I blinked. “Are you speaking to me or the seed?”
He held his palm out. Wordless, I passed it over, the color switching from blue to emerald-green. “Does it change color based on who holds it?”
“The seed is sentient. It does what it wishes. But…in a way, I suppose it does. Your magic comes from different places. Mine has always belonged to the soil and skies.”
“What is it?” Moira asked, her eyes glued to Cernunnos’ antlers.
“This,” he announced, his voice rumbling like a summer thunderstorm, “is our beginning and our end.”
Cernunnos coaxed my plants to come closer, the fae king’s magic a brush of warmth over my shoulders. A soft hum of music floated through the air, and I smiled.
Tess gasped. “Is that?—”
“The natural world,” Cernunnos said. “Plants and trees communicate via sound and vibration. Evangeline’s plants are tended with care and well-loved.”
One of my older pothos brushed against Cernunnos’ cheek, making the king chuckle. “And very curious.” He reached a tan finger up and brushed the underside of its leaves.
Several vines stopped inches away from the seed, the greenery vibrating in anticipation.
“Do they know what this is?” I asked.
“Oh yes. The seed is from the heart of the universe. Everything from the natural world will recognize what this is.”
Cernunnos’ attention lingered on the door. “You’re about to have a visitor.”
Two sharp knocks sounded.
