She couldn’t continue linking copses of trees. Doing so did not stop what the magi had already done.
Shadow stopped and sat near her, watching.
Eris pulled one of the svanth seeds from her pocket. Would what she intended even work? Would it make any difference?
She had to try.
With a surge of energy, she pressed the seed deep into the ground. She pressed it deeper than she had with any of the others, pushing it all the way to her shoulder before releasing it. Energy flowed into the hard outer shell as she did, swelling until the seed burst forth, stretching toward the light.
Using the energy from the nearby trees, the connection she’d forged, she fed the sapling.
It grew steadily, drawing more and more energy.
When it reached her shoulders, she took a clipping from the teary star vine and added this to it. The vine drew more energy, unfurling like a flower before the sun. Eris coaxed the vine as it worked around the trunk of the tree. She pushed more and more energy into it as it grew, letting it rise ten, twenty, and then thirty feet tall.
As it grew, she encouraged the roots to grow outward, sending them south and toward the desolation. They dove deep beneath the ground, beneath the layer of what the magi had done, probing toward the distant stores she suspected there. Through it all, Eris sensed the ground was ready for healing.
Other roots she sent north, toward the neighboring trees, winding around them and joining more fully with them. There was something like the shock from Shadow’s bond when they finally touched.
Eris sighed and dropped to the ground.
Shadow looked down at her, and blinked.
“Will it work?” she asked.
His great head shook from side to side. “I cannot say. But it is a start.”
Chapter 60
Eris spent that night lying near the desolation.
The air remained hot, but a breeze gusted across the ground, as if starting from the tree itself. Eris rested against the trunk while Shadow watched over her. She slept, and dreams of darkness colliding with light filled her.
She awoke as dawn crept cracked the sky, feeling refreshed. The svanth tree towered overhead, having drawn even more energy throughout the night. Pushing to her knees, Eris looked out toward the desolation.
Something had changed.
She delved and felt the difference. The grasses no longer receded from where the desolation had been. They didn’t push against it—not yet—but in time they might.
It was a start.
“Come,” she said to Shadow.
He snorted at her, and his ears twitched.
Eris followed the line of the desolation, moving east. After a while she stopped. Something about the location and the nearby trees felt right. There, she planted another svanth tree, letting it grow and join the others. Power surged through the trees, creating something like a wall, a barrier she suspected the magi would struggle to cross.
When she finished, Shadow blinked at her. “He comes.”
“Who?”
In answer, he flicked his ears and then bounded off.
Eris frowned. The bond told her where he’d gone. He sat on the other side of a small hill, stretched out across the ground, soaking in sunlight. In that, he seemed more catlike, but otherwise, he was nothing like any cat she’d ever seen.
Eris used the roots to listen for who came. A smile crossed her mouth, and she understood why Shadow had gone.
Terran.
He appeared atop a hill and paused. When he saw her standing next to the svanth tree, he ran toward her. Terran pulled her into a tight embrace as he reached her, kissing her firmly on the mouth.
“Something changed,” he said, pulling away from her.
“What?” Could he feel the bond between her and Shadow? Would Terran understand or would he fear him?
Terran nodded toward the trees. “These. They…” He trailed off, as if uncertain what to say. “They push back whatever the magi have done.”
Sometime soon she would have to understand what abilities he had as gardener. It was more than helping with growth. When they walked, he kept up with her easily. And he seemed attuned to the land nearly as much as she.
“If I plant enough of them, I might be able to hold them back.”
Terran frowned, looking at her. “Just hold them back? You don’t want to destroy them for what they did?”
“I think that’s been my problem. I’m a keeper. I don’t think I’m allowed to destroy.”
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head. “My ability. I’m a keeper. That’s why the power has worked for me when I use it to heal and grow. But for anything else, it fails.”
“You fought the magi before using your powers.”
“The forest was threatened. That’s the only time, I think.”
“It makes sense. You seem more at peace than you were before. I’m happy to see it.” He kissed her again. “I was afraid of how I’d find you. Knowing that creature prowled here with the magi…” He shook his head. “I’m glad you’ve managed to stay safe. You can keep doing what you need, and I’ll protect you while you do.”
She smiled as she looked up at him, uncertain how he’d react. She had to know. “You don’t have to.”
He frowned.
And then Eris sent a summons to Shadow through the bond.
* * *
Terran sat on the stretch of flat ground, looking from Eris to Shadow while she leaned against the newest tree that joined the other five she’d planted throughout the day, creating the barrier and pushing the desolation back. It would take many more trees to complete, but Eris began to feel hope that what she intended might actually work. Another few days, and the entire border would be connected.
She could tell Terran still hadn’t come to terms with Shadow. The way he sat, hand resting near the hilt of his knife, was as if he prepared for whenever Shadow might attack. As the day had gone on, Terran had grown a little more relaxed, though not completely.
“Can you talk to him?” Eris said.
She meant it for Shadow, but Terran frowned and stood.
“What do you want me to say? Does it even understand me?”
Shadow growled softly in response. “He cannot understand me as you do. Without the bond, you would not either.”
Eris shook her head. And here she thought it would be easier for her with Shadow to help. Now she realized it might actually make things harder, at least where Terran was concerned. And would Shadow be able to feel everything through the bond? Eris felt his annoyance clearly, but other emotions—like the simply pleasure of lying in the sunlight—came through the bond as well.
“I’ve already told you that he’s my guardian, Terran. He will do me no harm.”
Terran looked from Shadow to Eris again and nodded. The look on his face told Eris he wasn’t completely convinced.
“I’m sorry—”
Shadow’s loud growl interrupted him. The hair on his back stood on end. His ears stood tall and straight.
“What is it?” Eris asked.
“They come.”
“Eris?” Terran asked.
“Who comes?” As she asked, she suspected she knew the answer and began delving.
“Bringers of Nothing.”
Eris nodded. The magi.
“Where are they?” she asked.
Shadow’s great head turned from side to side, and his ears swiveled. Frustration surged through the bond.
Shadow didn’t know.
Eris traced along the roots of the tree, racing through them as she searched for signs of the magi. She found nothing.
How could they completely obscure themselves from her?
Terran watched Shadow, frowning at the low rumble emanating from Shadow’s chest. He pulled his bow off his shoulder. Sometime since she’d left him, he’d refilled his quiver. He nocked an arrow. She wasn’t surprised to see it was made from one of the branches of the svanth trees.
&n
bsp; Shadow bounded away, streaking off in a dark blur.
Terran watched him go. “What is that about?”
Eris waited, wondering if Shadow had heard or smelled something, but the bond didn’t reveal it to her. “Magi.”
“Where are they?”
She shook her head. “I can’t tell. The trees should keep them out…”
But they wouldn’t keep them out entirely. Not until the barrier was complete. Now, all the line of trees did was funnel the magi in a certain direction. They could still get around them and into Errasn.
The magi must have discovered what she planned. And if they wanted to access the power deep below the earth, they would do nearly anything to stop her.
Eris ran west, hurrying after Shadow. Terran followed her silently.
She reached where the next svanth tree was needed and quickly planted the seed, surging energy into it. The sapling burst from the ground, and she sent the teary star vine swirling around it as it drew energy from the others.
Waiting only until its roots connected to the others—the others would feed it, drawing it upward as roots connected—she ran onward, moving west. She stopped long enough to plant the next seed, nurturing it as quickly as she could. Terran worked alongside her, and his hands on the soil helped her draw energy from the others more easily.
She looked at him, guilt working through her. “This should be you. You’re the gardener.”
He shook his head. “Not for this. This…this takes a keeper.”
“I think it takes us both.”
When the tree reached nearly fifteen feet, Eris ran on.
The effect of working so quickly drained her. Had she the time, she would have moved slowly, letting herself recharge after each new planting, but there wasn’t the time.
Shadow hadn’t returned.
As the fourth sapling planted since Shadow darted away climbed toward the sky, Eris sunk to the ground. She’d spent too much energy too quickly. She hoped it was enough for now.
She held her connection, pushing the roots out toward the desolation and binding them toward the neighboring svanth trees as others dug deep below the earth, solidifying the barrier when it joined with the others.
“Eris?” Terran looked at her, worry wrinkling the corners of his eyes.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to—”
She didn’t get the chance to finish.
The earth began rumbling. She looked around for Shadow but didn’t see him.
Terran grabbed her hand, eyes darting from side to side.
And then the magi attacked.
Chapter 61
Immediately, Eris knew this was different than the other groups of magi. There, she had managed to surprise them, catching them off guard. This time, they surprised her.
The attack began with a surge of lightning.
It was nothing like she’d experienced before. Those had been single strikes, streaking toward the trees, trying to destroy the power within the trees as the desolation set in. But Eris could use the power within the trees to push back and against the magi.
This attack came all at once.
And she still couldn’t see the magi.
Terran bellowed. For a moment, she thought something had happened to him again. Terror coursed through her with the thought. As tired as she was, she didn’t know if she could protect herself, let alone Terran. She turned to him and realized he was unharmed.
He still shouted, but it was at her.
“Run, Eris!” he shouted.
She shook her head. She didn’t have the strength to run.
Then the lightning struck.
It hit all around her, at first hitting earth and sending chunks flying. Each strike came closer, almost as if the magi used it to gauge where to find her. Dirt and debris flew around her. She barely had the strength to push away the ground as it exploded near her.
Terran yelled something else, but she couldn’t make it out.
Eris pulled on the energy of the grasses, drawing strength from it. It helped somewhat, enough for her to look up as the next strike streaked from the sky. She flung her hand over her head. But the grasses couldn’t provide enough strength to deflect the lightning.
She needed more energy.
Would the new tree be strong enough to aid her?
With the thought, there came the familiar surge when its roots joined the others. The sensation again reminding her of the bond with Shadow.
Where was he?
Eris drew through the svanth tree. Energy filled her, surging down the line of trees. Interconnected as they were, they drew massive amounts of energy, more than the smaller groves. But even those groves lent their strength with the others.
As she pulled the energy, she sensed a pattern to the way the trees were aligned but didn’t have time to recognize it.
Eris pushed against the sky, forcing the lightning back.
Chanting started, low and steady, but rising quickly.
The sound seemed to come from all around her, but still she saw no sign of the magi. They must be here somewhere.
Shadow attacked.
His roar split the air like thunder. Someone screamed nearby. Blood sprayed, and Eris saw the magi appear on the ground.
When Shadow touched the earth, Eris sent a surge of energy through him.
She was rewarded with another loud roar.
And then he attacked, pouncing quickly. Magi appeared where they had not been before, falling quickly as Shadow circled through them.
He moved like a creature out of a nightmare, flickering from one place to the next. Each time he landed, Eris pushed another surge of energy through him and he answered with another loud roar.
She and Terran struggled to stay on their feet.
Eris created a wall of wind, using the energy she drew from the trees to swirl the still air into a torrent that left them otherwise untouched. The magi chanting caught in the wind and faded.
Explosions of lightning crashed around them. Each strike tried to penetrate the protection Eris pressed over her. None reached her.
Then the attack shifted.
The magi turned their attention to Shadow. She drew upon the energy of the new svanth trees, on the newly linked trees throughout this part of Errasn, and fed that to him.
The attacks slowed, and then stopped.
Eris let the wind drop.
Shadow stalked nearby, ears twitching.
Magi lay dead or dying around them. Eris shuddered at how many there were. She counted at least ten, but the way Shadow attacked, tearing through the magi, made it difficult to know for sure.
Terran’s eyes widened when he saw how many magi had fallen. He met Shadow’s gaze. “Thank you.”
Shadow growled low in his throat in response.
Eris made her way to the svanth tree and leaned against it. The attack had drawn much of the energy from the trees. Another attack like that might be more than she could withstand, at least without pulling from the deeper stores. She didn’t know how to access that power directly.
Her eyes dipped closed, and she took a deep breath. She slipped into a light sleep. As she did, she delved, sliding across the grasses, questing out until she reached what she sought.
Her eyes snapped open. Jacen and his soldiers lived, but Saffra attacked.
“Magi,” she breathed out.
Shadow’s ears twitched, and he growled.
“Where?” Terran asked.
She shook her head. “Near Jacen and his men.”
Terran nodded. “How many?”
Eris let her eyes fall closed again and listened, but couldn’t tell how many magi were there. That alone frightened her.
She sighed and stood.
Terran hurried over to her and grabbed her arm. “You can’t do this, Eris. You’re too weak.”
The thought of leaving her brother at the mercy of the magi made her sick. She couldn’t leave him there, not without trying to do something. Even weakened, she could draw of
f the magi, give Jacen’s soldiers a chance against the Saffra army.
“You know I have to.”
Shadow looked at her.
The bond told her something made him uncomfortable. She could not use her ability to attack, not unless her garden—her trees—were endangered.
But if the magi succeeded, all of Errasn was in danger.
“I will claim them,” she said to Shadow. “All of them.”
His ears twitched again.
* * *
Eris ran toward the battle. Terran ran alongside her, keeping pace. Shadow ran ahead, scouting for danger.
More and more men of Saffra streamed toward the battle.
They moved across the ground, running with speed no man or horse should have. The magi fueled them. Were she closer, she might be able to destroy the stones. This time, Eris knew, would be different. The magi knew she was here. They would do anything to stop her.
And then they reached the battle.
Chaos spread in front of her. Saffra soldiers riding horses imbued with the magi stones crashed into Errasn men in silver armor. The Errasn soldiers seemed better prepared than when she’d seen them fighting before; they still had the numbers, enough to push back the Saffra troops, but for each man in maroon armor who fell, two men in silver dropped.
“They will know you are here the moment you attack,” Shadow said with a low growl.
Eris nodded. She looked around, searching for anything that might help. During the last attack, she had been able to use the connection to the svanth trees to draw energy from. Here there was nothing but empty plains. Even the grasses were trampled and weak.
“Shadow,” Eris started. She needed to ask, suspecting a way he could help.
He looked toward her, long ears twitching. His mouth opened slightly, revealing sharp, gleaming teeth.
“I will need to borrow from you for a moment.”
She sensed a question through the bond but still pushed a surge of energy through her.
It filled her, a massive amount and more than she would have expected. How much could he store? When this was over—if they survived—she would have to learn.
The Lost Garden: The Complete Series Page 47