A Hand Weaving Chaos (Book 2 of The Fallen Gods Trilogy)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"Now Jill, summon the magic," Becca whispered, all traces of laughter gone. "I think the first thing to do is break the ge'tan. That will be the simplest task."

"Will we still have enough power for the portal?" Jill asked anxiously.

Becca gave her an odd look, seeming to frown with both her mouth as well as her eyes. She spoke with the slow, calming tones one might use with a small child. "Jill, has anyone explained to you why you can access the magic while the rest of us can't? Didn't Aden tell you why?"

Jill felt her throat go dry. Had Aden lied to her? "No. What should he have said?"

"It's just as well. Aden is extremely powerful but not very good at explaining theoretical magic. He always preferred politics to theorizing. I can sense two loci of power in you. I felt them when you worked that spell in Valinac. One gives you the same ability to channel magic from the land the way any magic wielder can. The other is...internal, for lack of a better word. Theoretically, you are your very own power source. I don't know why or how but whatever that other source inside you is, it's combining with the other and making for some very unique and unprecedented abilities."

"Jill's Arianie's Chosen. She danced for Arianie in the first true Awakening in two years," Astera said, as if that somehow explained everything.

"Ah," Becca answered, as if somehow, it did.

"Now, Etienne will work as a guide, mapping the ge'tan for us. He'll show us what we need to look for so that we can undermine the Shey'na'shen aspect of the spell," Becca explained. "I will be the primary caster and Astera will be secondary. It's her task to 'refine' the magic, so to speak. Think of her as a weaver, taking raw magic and manipulating it into the desired consistency, which she then passes on to me to use. Since I don't know how Shey'na'cala process or refine magic, Etienne will have to weave his own power to unravel the Shey'na'cala aspect. Hopefully, the Shey'na'turi aspect will simply collapse without the support of the others. And you Jill, you access the magic. In a sense, the three of us turn our unconscious wills over to you, allowing you to 'mine' the magic on our behalf."

Etienne gave a low whistle and looked impressed.

Becca grinned and half-bowed in her chair. "Why thank you, my lord Shey'na'cala. That is high praise indeed." She turned back to Jill. "Don't concern yourself with breaking the spells. That's our task. Just keep the magic flowing."

"I'll do my best."

"That's all we ask," Astera said, smiling gently. "After we break the ge'tan, we'll attempt the portal. When the time comes, I want you to find Brexten. And believe me, you will locate him wherever he is. I can promise you that."

Yes, but do I even want to find him?

Jill swallowed the bitterness and settled into the cushions. Becca gave her a nod and a wink, and Astera's smile grew, her eyes dancing. The woman can barely contain herself, Jill noted. They thrive on magic like it's a drug. A very addictive one.

"Ready?" Becca asked.

And so it began.

Closing her eyes, Jill carefully took down her wards, unhooking them from their moorings until she was naked in the stream of magic. Ever so slightly, she could feel her palms begin to itch. It seemed as if her newly healing hands wanted to lodge some sort of protest. She ignored it and pushed ahead. She felt the others lower their wards as well, each throwing aside the protective camouflage. For a heartbeat, she could see them all as they truly were. The view was breathtaking. Unsullied and whole, the ryt'chen showed a pattern of colors she had never imagined, let alone seen.