Page 144 of Of Blood & Stone

“Again.”

He took a breath. Sylzenya took a breath. This time, it stayed down. They repeated this another four times, her heartbeat slowing, her focus caught on a tree up ahead. The limbs, long and spindly, reminded her of reaching fingers.

“Good. Nowfeelyour body. What are your feet saying? What are they experiencing right now? Your knees? Your thighs? Hips?” He continued his list until he got to the crown of the head. “Did you consider them all?”

Sylzenya took another deep breath. Her feet walked upon the dry earth, aching from the journey. Her knees wobbled, her thighs asking for rest. She continued until she reached the crown of her head, wishing she hadn’t asked what it was thinking.

Elnok.

Elnok.

Elnok.

She shooed his name away. “Yes, I’ve considered them all.”

“Now, bring them together as one. Let them speak to one another, support one another, find strength in one another. Let your body be together.”

She furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

He tilted his head. “My chest is heavy from exertion, while my feet are light as a feather. I bring them together, and now I’m allowing them to aid each other. I do this with each part of my body, and then?—”

Bright yellow crackled along his skin, his veins, and into his eyes. Smiling, he rushed in front of her, becoming mist.

“Understand?” he asked, appearing by her side again.

Sylzenya put her hands on her hips, raising a brow. “This was less of an explanation and more of a demonstration. I still don’t understand.”

“Just give it a try.”

“Easy for you to say.”

Kharis laughed. “You really did spend a lot of time with him, didn’t you?”

Something caught in her throat. “What do you mean?”

“You just sounded a bit like Elnok, that’s all.” His smile faded. “From what I can tell, you did everything in your power to keep him safe, even fighting me,helpingme, really. You did what I couldn’t. I’d heard the rumors of how Sylzenya Phatris was a powerful Kreena, but it seems your power doesn’t just stop at your abilities.”

Sylzenya’s face burned. “I disliked him at first. Strongly, I might add. He had no respect for our culture, no reverence for everything I’d dedicated my life to…” she trailed off, the image of his half-smile and pale green eyes flashing through her mind. “But he’d been right, in the end.”

“What a bastard.”

“The worst of them all,” she agreed.

They laughed, the heartache easing a little.

She continued, “So… deep breaths, letting my body talk to itself, and then connecting it together? That’s your secret?”

“Afraid so.”

The last time she accessed Dynami power, she’d been able to escape Distrathrus’ presence. Perhaps this is how its power worked, and if it did, then she needed to know she could harness it at any moment.

She needed to know she could stay in control of her power when facing Distrathrus.

She followed Kharis’ instruction. Calling upon each part of her body, she led them together, pushing them to work with one another, to aid each other’s burdens; she needed to trust every part of herself—a strange feeling.

Thump.

Thump.

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