Page 158 of Gift from the Wing

“Great, so me and Oakly will hit the books while you all do that. I’ll worry about this spell another time,” I say as I try to mosey out from underneath his arm.

“Not so fast,” he and Gaster order.

Groaning, I turn back to them with the most innocent smile I can muster.

It doesn’t work on either of them.

“I know what you experienced the last time in the Amplifier room was rough, child, but you can do it. It was obviously needed for it to be that hard on you your first time, but this time will be different. You’re more prepared. Now, San taught Oakly the spell last night, so she is ready to go. Oakly, take yourfancynew book and go with Willow. Stay outside her doorin case she needs you, and us four will do what we need to in here.” Gaster decides, leaving no room for argument from me.

Pressing up on my toes, I give Caspian a kiss on his cheek, then turn away, chugging down the piping hot coffee to distract my mind.

Yes, I’m nervous about going in there again. The last time, I got some half-ass vision that made me feel like I was burning from the inside out and never once did it allude to the fact that’s what my best friend, sister, would be experiencing. Never mind the other confusing shit I saw about the Summum-Master.

“Come on, if you need me to come to your rescue, I’ll bust down the door,” Oakly says as she hip bumps me before climbing the stairs to leave CC’s room.

“I very well might need you to.” I sigh, linking her arm with mine when we step out into the bedroom. “So how much of it have you already read?”

“Well, when San taught me the spell, I skimmed through the Elementra bits since I was already familiar with them. It’s kind of a crazy sensation. With the spell activated, it feels like it’s literally being written across my brain permanently, then it just fades into my knowledge. It’s hard to explain,” she says, and I hum as I cover us in my shadows.

Like the trooper she is, or maybe because of our bond, she doesn’t sway, get dizzy, or need a minute to collect herself when my shadows release us in front of the south wing ward and we walk through.

Since her kidnapping, both Caspian and I have realized we can travel much farther in our shadows now. We don’t even have to be completely covered in darkness or move through walls to get to where we need to go.

Although I’m far more confident in transporting people now that I’ve done it a couple of times, it feels so much more natural to me to move myself and others through the shadows.

“That sounds a lot like the communal knowledge Tanith explained to me and Draken. I think we have a touch of it, small things we just know, but she makes it seem like information on the brain, waiting to be called on.”

She snorts, nodding along. “Exactly, it’s just there now. I’ll never forget it and it’ll come as soon as I need it to.”

Blowing out a harsh breath as we hit my hallway, I squeeze her hand. “You’ll use the spell wisely. I know it. CC wouldn’t have mentioned it if he didn’t already know you were meant for it. This spell will benefit you for the rest of your long, long,longlife.”

“Is it cheating, though?” she asks quietly.

“What? What do you mean cheating?”

“Well, being a Master Archivist requires you to rely on your own intelligence. I feel like having this spell is a crutch for me to remember things I should remember on my own.”

“Oakly, that’s ridiculous. Gaster uses the same spell. When you live to be as old as him—which I assume is fucking ancient—then can you imagine how hard it would be to remember things you learned two thousand years ago? No, it’s not a crutch. If anything, it’s best practice for your line of work. In my opinion, a Master Archivist should use whatever tools are provided to her so she has the answers and knowledge whenever she needs it.”

“Pot meet cauldron,” she says as we come to stand in front of the door of the Amplifier room. “CC’s given us both other-realmly gifts. Between this wing, this whole palace, and what Elementra’s blessed us with, we’ve got plenty of tools at our disposal. We need to use them wisely.”

“See, you’re already so smart.” I grin down at my feet rather than at her as I shake my hands out.

She’s right. Time to get to work.

“If you need me, call for me. I’ll barrel on in there,” she says, giving me a little push forward before she sits on the ground with her book.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Happy reading,” I grumble.

Taking a deep breath, I push the door open and walk on in before I convince myself otherwise. The power of the room is already calling to me, but I lock everything up until I can get in and get comfortable.

I haven’t even made it across the room to my platform and the reflective walls are making ripples like the first raindrop disturbing a calm puddle.

Still, I lock my barrier up and caress each crystal that circles the dais. My hands linger on the Angel Aura Amethyst. The pure connection andprotection to Elementra herself surge into my palms from the four massive spires and I get lost in the stunning purple shades.

Just gazing at them, they’re striking in beauty. The varying light and dark tones of the purple gives them depth, and at first glance, the only thing anyone would think is how stunning they are. Then, like I’m doing now, they’d lay their hand on one and realize how incredibly powerful this crystal is.

Fitting.

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