Page 114 of Shrine of Fire

“Let her decide what she’s willing to risk,” I said. “Besides, do you want her bonding another spirit?”

Kalahar had a fearsome scowl on his face, and I could feel the heat from it.

“That’s what I thought,” I chuckled. “Admit you’re as deeply in love as the rest of us.”

“Loving her is not the problem,” he sighed. “It never was.”

“Let us work out the rest.” I clapped him on the back. “You said you could show me some techniques?”

Kalahar nodded, shaking off his ire. “You seem to enjoy the night sky. Let’s try this time to train. Some shamans have an easier time performing their magic during certain times of day.”

I sat down, pushing my back against the railing. Even the air smelled different this far south, and it had a balmy quality that I’d never experienced.

“You have done this technique before, when you pushed Hella Mora back into the Spirit Realm.” Kalahar sat opposite me. “Sit cross legged, your hands resting comfortably on your knees.”

I arranged myself, feeling ridiculous. I wasn’t very flexible, and getting into a comfortable sitting position wasn’t easy.

“Later there will be time for pillows and different sitting positions, but right now you are open to the magic around you.”

Open was a good description. It felt like the night sky was embracing me, wrapping around me like a lover.

“Stare up into the sky and let yourself be.”

I leaned back, staring up into the sky. “All I need now is a tankard of beer.”

“Someday you might use that as a method as well, shaman, but let this time be with intention, you and the stars.”

I let out my breath and stared at the sky. I named the constellations again, tracing the invisible lines they made. Here was the Hunter and the Bow. Here was the Alpha’s Battle, with many other small constellations scattered around it, the Doves, the Weeping Sisters, the Lovers.

Up in the inky black, spirits also moved. Some small fluttering things I didn’t have names for. Birds with antlers flew overhead, and something that looked like a flying manta ray. My hands tingled, and sudden worry for Nova flashed over me.

“She’s safe.”

“Someone tried to hurt her.” I tried to settle my nerves, but the image of Nova’s pale face burned into my memory. The way she’d tried to move, the horror on her face when she realized she couldn’t. I had been too far away, much too far, I could only watch as the knife flew to pierce her heart.

“That didn’t happen.” Kalahar’s soft voice floated into the night. “You’re unsettled without packbonds. It will do you as much good as it will Nova. You’re untethered right now, open to everything.”

“I thought most shaman of old didn’t have packs?” Something else that had been bothering me. I couldn’t give Nova up, but I didn’t want to make her life harder either.

“They tethered themselves to other things, like an object or tree or favorite place in the world. Bonding a pack will make your way harder, but also allow you flexibility.”

“Good,” I grumbled. “I’m not giving up the pack.”

“I would not ask you to.” Kalahar patted my hand. “Keep looking at the stars.”

I resumed my focus, and this time when my panic for Nova welled up again, I told myself she was safe. I pictured her curled in our bed, Hashir and Stefan on either side of her, Aki watching them sleep with his many, many knives.

My pack was safe.

A chill ran down my spine, like the ghost of a threat.

Hella Mora’s influence tainted the air like a bad smell. I tensed, but the spirit was nowhere I could locate. Her essence was there, though, like a scent on the breeze, a testament to her strength.

When we reached Ember Island, we would have to seal her away. The longer her prison allowed her to leak into the world, the stronger she became.

We were out of time.

I sucked in another breath, expanding my lungs with crisp night air. The constellations spun slowly in front of me, and the press of the spirit realm inched closer. I was still in the mortal realm, but now that I was looking for the sensation, I realized I had become more attuned to the spirit magic around me.

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