Page 10 of Invocation

“Kadaki?” Novikke prompted.

She shook her head. “This—” she gestured to the trees, “—this is not a good sign. I think the forest could die from this. Really die, and not grow back. I can feel it happening already.”

Novikke watched Aruna’s face go dark. “How can we fix it?” she asked.

“I can heal a body, but I can’t heal an entire forest,” Kadaki said. “I believe there’s a way. Anything is possible with magic. There is a way.” She winced. “I just don’t know what it is yet.”

“What was that thing Theros was using?” Novikke said. “Can’t you just…do the same thing, but in reverse?”

Neiryn and Kadaki both looked at each other like that was the stupidest question they’d ever heard, but tactfully didn’t say so.

“That’s not how it works,” Kadaki said. “It’s kind of a one-way system.”

Aruna said something to Neiryn, and Neiryn heaved a sigh and began giving translations.

“If worse comes to worst,” Kadaki said to Aruna when Neiryn had finished, “We could... try to evacuate the forest. Your people could seek shelter across the border. We could speak to your leaders about making a truce with Ardani...”

As Neiryn translated, Aruna’s face twisted into an expression of disgust and horror. He launched into a tirade that Neiryn didn’t bother to translate, and didn’t really have to. Novikke heard Kadaki take a shaky breath.

Aruna abruptly turned and stalked away. Novikke watched him go, unable to offer any meaningful comfort.

The three of them returned to the house and sat around the table. Shadri glanced up at them, perhaps noticing the somber mood, but said nothing. The Varai in the village didn’t seem to understand what was happening yet. After a while, Shadri and Nhazin went out, leaving them alone in the house.

There was both too much and not enough to talk about. Too many questions, and not enough answers. Every solution they tried to come up with was half-formed and less than uncertain to work. The situation seemed hopeless.

A while later, the front door opened. Aruna came inside, looking drained. He sat down beside them, licked his lips, and started talking.

“I haven’t told anyone,” Neiryn said, translating Aruna’s words as he spoke.

“Good,” Kadaki said. “I doubt they’d be very happy with us if he had.”

“Do you know how to fix it?” Neiryn translated again. Aruna was looking at Kadaki.

Kadaki slowly shook her head.

Aruna said something else.

“Will you help me try?” Neiryn translated.

Novikke was surprised he had to ask. “Yes,” she said.

“Yes,” Kadaki echoed.

“Za,” Neiryn said.

Aruna let out a soft breath. His worry and relief were bared on his face. As if he’d thought they would refuse. He spoke again.

“Where do we start?” Neiryn translated.

Kadaki cleared her throat. “I…” She hesitated, uncertain. “I did have a thought. I don’t know for sure that this would work, it’s possible the axis could rebalance itself if it was given a large influx of magic energy to make up for what it lost. But there’s no way we could summon that much magic at once, not without dozens of mages all casting at once.”

“We don’t have time to find dozens of mages,” Novikke said.

“No, we don’t. So where does that leave us?”

Aruna listened carefully to Neiryn’s translations. He waited hopefully for Kadaki to continue, and it was clear Kadaki had nothing more to offer.

The front door banged open. Shadri quickly shut it behind her, barking a string of Varai words into the room.

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