“He’s right.” Another blue chimed in. “We’ve lost a Guardian. Without him, the Alliance is even more desperate for the astral strength that the Elementum Arcesso can bring.”
“At present, the only way to return the Emtori Ruby to that instrument is to kill Lyra,” a man’s voice resonated from outside the circle.
Two blue dragons crouched and imprisoned Tarom in their wings.
Lyra’s mind raced. He’d helped her get the keystones and escape Eburscon’s control. Had he kept her alive in order to kill her for his own reasons? This crowd seemed intent on returning the keystones to bring power to the Alliance, especially since she killed their Imperial Dragon. She swallowed hard…trying to accept giving her life for the one she’d taken.
Chapter Twenty-seven: The Tea Party
Lyra jumped to her feet. Although wavering from weakness, the ruby insisted she gain control of the situation. If they wanted to kill her, they’d get a fight. She felt naked without her staff, but the ruby directed precise aim of her powerballs. A golden-red mass filled her palm, and she scanned their faces.
The handsome man jostled the striped owl into the air and offered his arm to her, but she didn’t accept.
His owl hovered overhead, and Lyra dodged whenever she felt air currents from its wings.
“Lyra, why are you so edgy.” Tarom stepped nearer. “Eburscon is gone. You are out of danger.”
“Am I?” she retorted. “You just recommended I be killed for the ruby.”
He shook his head. “That is the quickest way, for those who are impatient fools,” His gaze fell on several in the crowd who spoke up. “And not what I advise. I’ve worked hard to foil Eburscon at his own game in order to do the right thing and keep you alive. With a little more effort, we can return ownership of your aura from the ruby to you.”
“That is exactly what we will do,” the man at Lyra’s elbow said in a loud voice and nodded to the blue dragons guarding Tarom. “Please release him.”
Kessa clung eagerly to Tarom’s forearm and said, “I asked her if she’d given all of her aura to the ruby, but she didn’t remember.”
“I taught you what to watch for.” He gazed intently into her face. “Did you read any signs?”
The girl gave a hop and grinned. “I did. She showed rare moments of gentleness and compassion to me. She stroked my hair and held me when I was worried. She clawed at the dirt with frustration over the death of the Imperial Dragon.”
“Very good, Kessa. And what do you conclude from those observations?” A smile spread across his face.
“That she still has a small part of her aura deep inside her heart,” the girl proclaimed and clapped her hands together.
Tarom wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Excellent! I do agree. You’ve been my eyes and ears.” He faced Lyra. “I did some research. With so much of your aura locked by the ruby’s control, there is only one method to restore your original balance. It’s difficult, but you possess the talent. You will need to perform an advanced fascination technique.”
Lyra’s forehead tightened.
“I realize you don’t remember the term fascination, but I’m confident you will be capable if I guide you through the steps.”
“What makes you so certain?” she asked.
“Because I taught you the craft of fascination,” Tarom replied. “Your natural ability rivals mine. You came to me needing the skill to reclaim Cullen’s aura stolen by our dear friend Eburscon. Following our lessons, you were able to extricate Cullen’s aura from the mind of the Black Dragon’s heir.” He motioned to Cullen. “Lyra, your love is alive and well as a result of your actions. That alone should give you confidence.”
She nodded. “Thank you. That does help.”
Cullen clapped Tarom on the shoulder. “Thank you for finding a way to communicate with Lyra through the bloodswear bond.”
“Did you feel the messages also?” Tarom asked.
Cullen nodded. “I badly wanted to send replies but don’t possess that skill.”
Tarom grinned. “Another way of entering the minds of others with fascination. I developed the method during the past month when I began to wonder about Eburscon’s intent. He secretly planned to kill Lyra in order to gain her powers, something I’d never agreed to.” He met Cullen’s gaze. “Years ago, I swore to honor our bloodswear bond.”
“Should we be under protection of the Imperial lair to perform the procedure?” the mature woman asked.
Tarom waved an arm. “No. Lyra’s condition is unstable. It’s harder to protect her in transit than here. If strengthened by an external force, the ruby could claim her remaining personal aura. Luckily, the shadow of evil fought the ruby for control.”
“Mimio, every blue fighter and sentry is present, along with the magnificent golds, Gea and her son, Yasqu. We are as safe as in the lair,” Cullen replied to the woman.
“I’ll assign sentries to watch specific zones,” a burgundy drake said and barked orders to dozens of blues.
“Good. Let’s begin.” Tarom motioned Lyra and Kessa to sit close, facing each other. “Cullen and Mimio, please take seats and join us. Having multiple healers present is always a good safeguard.”
Lyra secured the three loose keystones in her pocket and lay the violin in her lap. Tarom’s odd scent of soothing rosemary not quite covering undertones of volatile coriander distracted her. Stubby plants trying to grow in the dry ground prickled her ankles through thin socks. She rearranged her seat in order to fully concentrate.
“Lyra, I’ll guide you through the steps, but I doubt you’ll need me much. Like I said, this is one of your innate talents. The process should flow instinctively.” He faced the girl. “You and I played with the basics of fascination. The sensation will be similar.”
Kessa nodded and sat straighter.
“First, please join one hand together. If, at any time, either of you become uncomfortable, raise your free hand, and I’ll help you end the process safely.”
Lyra nodded but kept her eyes on Kessa. “Ready.”
Tarom took a deep breath. “Lyra, focus on Kessa’s pupils until you see nothing else.” He paused while her vision acclimated. “Keep your gaze there throughout the entire procedure. This next step will be difficult. Take your time and gather any aura you can find that isn’t under the ruby’s control. You will likely need to search past your mind to regions deep within your heart. Once you find it, signal me.”
Lyra felt inside her mind, but all aura there lay cloaked in red from the ruby. She pressed against outer energy layers protecting her heart. The shields held fast against her weakened probing ability. She set her jaw and tried again, this time burrowing a small hole through to the inside. The energy storage area appeared hollow and empty. She scanned for any of her golden aura but found none. Like Kessa said, her aura existed, so it must be in there. Not willing to give up, she traced the walls. Tucked in a membranous fold, she found it. She couldn’t help but grin.
“Good! Thank you for the encouraging sign.” Tarom’s voice sounded warm and positive. “No matter how small, take only half of that aura and pull it out of your heart. Your destinations are the nerves behind your eyes. Once just beyond the heart walls, hold it tight along the nerve network. The ruby will try to get it. Fight back. When you have your aura in your eyes, signal me.”
Accessing the tiny mass of gold aura proved difficult, since it was wedged tight into the recess. Only a corner of the aura extended out. Pulling on the aura proved useless. Instead, Lyra pressed the walls away, working at one point, then another. Gradually, the aura broke free. She cut it in half and tucked the unneeded portion back into the crevice. The other, floating in the empty storage area, she cloaked in her probing aura and hurried it from the heart to the closest nerve. There, her aura appeared almost indistinguishable from surrounding nervous tissue.
Setting a course for her eyes, she maneuvered the aura along the natural roadway. The slick nerves provided fast transport until she r
eached her brainstem.
There, the ruby stood guard over the workings of her mind. The gem surrounded and dug inside the cloak.
Arranging all the cloaking at the forward end of the aura as protection, Lyra used the entire mass as a battering ram, forcing past the ruby’s power. The cloak tore away, but she got the aura into her brain. Wasting no time, she scooted the aura as fast as she could into the vision center at the back of her skull. Few red sensors of the ruby monitored that area, probably since the ruby didn’t seem to alter her sense of vision. She eased past those with no problem to arrive at the nerves leading into her eyes. “Done.”
“Good work. You’re doing well, Lyra,” Tarom replied. “Now divide that mass into your two eyes and settle the halves as close to the backs of your eyes as possible. You will jump that aura into Kessa’s pupils. Once you are there, let me know.”
Lyra compacted the aura into the nerve endings. She shoved it into the space separating her from Kessa. It felt like jumping a stream that might be too wide. She held her breath, hoping to land in the girl’s eyes. When her aura touched down, she sighed the breath out. She heard responses of sighs on either side of her.
“Well done.” Tarom’s voice shook. “The rest will be technically easier, but…”
Lyra wondered what he didn’t choose to say.
“Let’s continue. From this point, Lyra, you need to maintain constant focus. You and I cannot communicate. Raise your hand only if you are hurt. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Trace Kessa’s nerves into her brain. There, you will look for a storage area with files. You may need to peer inside a few to determine the correct zone. You want the region she stores information about her great grandmother, Heilia. Look for one with information about Heilia’s relatives. When you find that, read everything carefully. The information you are seeking will be obvious.”
No forces guarded Kessa’s mind, which made Lyra’s journey easier. In the storage area, she used her aura to open and read files. Some contained recent memories of the girl’s torture, information Lyra wanted to know, but didn’t think her small amount of aura could process rapidly enough. She left that file behind and dropped far back into older storage. She peered into several files, some about how Kessa had been injured by Eburscon’s son. Again, Lyra wanted to linger but realized folks of the Alliance expected the keystones to be replaced quickly.
She located a cluster of files about relatives and took time to study the contents. Those about Kessa’s father’s side of the family Lyra left unread since Heilia was her mother’s grandmother. Lyra found plenty of heartwarming images of Kessa with her grandmother, who she called Gramaema: time together spent feeding an orphan newborn puppy; a magical cake for Kessa’s birthday; a special party dress for the girl sewn from color-shifting cloth. With all the suffering the girl had experienced in her young life, the happy images tugged at Lyra to spend time enjoying them. Reluctantly, she pulled herself away and made a mental note to ask Kessa about those times later.
The next file Lyra opened contained information Kessa’s grandmother told her about her own mother, Kessa’s Great Gramaema Heilia. The woman had been a great seer, respected throughout all of Dragonspeir. Memories of conversations told how she called upon knowledge in the stars to make sense of fragmented stories that sprang up in her mind. Heilia always did good things with her power. For that, she was loved through the many centuries she lived.
One afternoon, six-year-old Kessa and Gramaema had a tea party for two and a number of dolls under a low, gnarled tree in Gramaema’s garden. The grandmother made the dolls come to life and enjoy the treats.
Kessa clapped her hands and giggled at the dolls. “I want to make the dolls eat cake too. Can you teach me?”
Gramaema sipped her tea and shook her head. “No, dear. You don’t have the power.”
Kessa’s lower lip quavered. “Where do I get the power? Where did you and Great Gramaema get it?” Lazy tears dripped from her lashes into her lap.
“Oh, my sweet little Kessa, don’t cry.” Gramaema moved around the table and hugged her. “You don’t have my power, but you do have Heilia’s. She gave it to you as a gift, like she gave me my power.”
“Really?” Kessa’s tears stopped, and her eyes twinkled. “Will I live to be two hundred years old like you? Maema never—”
“Don’t tell your maema,” Gramaema pulled back and kneeled in the grass next to Kessa’s chair. “She doesn’t want you to use your gift from Heilia.”
“Why not? Is it bad?” Kessa asked, her eyes wide.
Gramaema’s face lit with a wide smile. “Oh, no. She’s just jealous.”
“Why doesn’t she get her own power like Heilia did? Where did she get hers?”
The old woman twirled a ringlet of Kessa’s hair around her finger. “Heilia’s mother shared her gift equally between her two daughters—Heilia and Nareene. Keep that as our secret. Your maema will be really jealous.”
Kessa hugged her Gramaema. “It’s our secret—you, me, and the dollies.”
At the mention of Nareene’s name, Lyra’s concentration broke. She fell completely out of Kessa’s mind and would have rolled backward if not for Kessa holding her hand.
“You must have found the right information,” Tarom said with a grin.
The others leaned closer. “What did you learn?” Cullen asked, brows lifted.
“Tell us!” Mimio unwound the tail of her scarf knotted around a finger.
“Kessa, why didn’t you tell me before that your great grandmother Heilia was Scribe Nareene’s sister?” Lyra stammered as she squeezed the girl’s hand.
Cullen sucked in a breath.
“Oh my!” Mimio exclaimed.
The girl’s gaze dropped to the ground. “Maema would have beat me. She hated me for my magic, so I tried to hide it.”
Lyra pulled Kessa into an embrace. “No one is ever going to hurt you again. You’re safe.”
“I miss Gramaema.” Tears rolled down Kessa’s cheeks. “After she died two years ago, Maema started hurting me.”
Lyra rubbed her back. “It’s all okay now. You’re safe with me.” While hugging the girl, Lyra said to Tarom, “How does this information help rid me of the ruby’s hold? I don’t understand.”
Tarom nodded. “You will.” He touched Kessa’s shoulder. “Now, remember what you’re to ask Lyra.”
The young seer pulled away from the embrace, blinked back tears, and sat taller. She took Lyra’s hands and looked in her eyes. Kessa swallowed hard and asked, “Lyra, I beg you, please give me the ruby.”
Lyra glanced at Tarom. “Is it safe? As a descendent of the scribal line, isn’t she also guided by a fire star?”
“No. Water guides her. She’s safe from the ruby’s fiery bond.” He waved a hand toward Lyra. “Go ahead.”
Lyra focused on Kessa’s face, this time using no aura, no magical power of any type. She simply let her gaze rest on the eyes of a young, motherless girl who’d known pain from injury, abuse, and torture. A girl who’d risked her life to save Lyra’s. A girl who inherited great magic and with it great responsibility, just like her. A girl whose immediate family was gone, just like her. A girl who made up for that lost family. A girl who needed her.
Lyra’s throat tightened. Tears welled into her eyes, blurring her vision. She felt in her pocket and selected the ruby by its heat. Her fingers shook, but she kept her gaze fixed on Kessa while pressing it into the girl’s palm. Tears of joy slipped down Lyra’s cheeks as she closed the smaller fingers around the gem. Her aura, now free of the ruby’s control, gushed into her heart and swirled through her brain. Those sensations compounded her elation.
Kessa’s face lit with a smile while tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. She hugged Lyra tight and broke into a round of sobs.
The dragons and wizards cheered.
Cullen kneeled to hand the pair his and Mimio’s handkerchiefs.
Lyra accepted, and she noticed him studyi
ng her. A wide smile covered her face as she tackled him with an embrace.
He laughed and held her tight while they rolled sideways onto the sorceress.
Memories flooded Lyra’s mind with a whirl of emotions that took her breath away. She was glad for Cullen’s steady arms around her. She extended an arm and pulled Mimio into their hug to feel even more grounded.
“Lyra, you’re shaking. Are you all right?” the sorceress asked.
“Yes. I just feel a bit disoriented with the change—so many thoughts all at once,” Lyra replied with a laugh.
Cullen lightly touched the base of Lyra’s head and neck. “Electrical activity is unusually high, which seems logical. I’ll keep watch, but tell me if you feel anything unusual.”
She nodded. “It’s beginning to pass already.”
Kenzo sailed to a sharp landing beside the women, and they wrapped him into their arms.
The crowd pressed closer, shouting and cheering. A few magicals clapped Tarom on the back.
When the laughter slowed, Lyra sat back and pulled the Staurolite from her other pocket. “I need to do one more thing before I can transfer the keystones to the Elementum Arcesso.” She gathered a mass of her own aura, so easily without the ruby that a bit of a laugh escaped her lips. She channeled the energy into the Staurolite. The crossed crystals sparked brilliant white, which formed a halo around the stone. The enclosure widened and encompassed the four keystones. The glow of the Staurolite changed to a rich purple. “The Staurolite now masters the others.” She stood, and the circle expanded to maintain coverage of the ruby that Kessa held.
“Would you like a ride?” Yord, the magnificent blue dragon, asked.
“Yes. One moment.” Lyra clutched a hand to her heart and scurried a dozen yards to kneel beside the fallen body of the Imperial Dragon. She caressed the side of his face, the long gray whiskers, the smooth scales of his earflaps.
Cullen joined her but remained silent, and Tarom stood by his side.
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