Page 62 of A Soul to Guide

Her lips vibrated together as she let out a ‘pfft’ and then a giggle.

“No! Not at all. I guess I feel it’s just important I explain that to you first.” Then, her laughter was gone, and she rubbed her biceps self-consciously. “I have been a synedrus councillor for around seven Nyl’therian years. Six years ago, which is around ninety Earth years, we were discussing a way we could destroy the Demons in large quantities, or at least provide protection that would allow us to take back our home and drive them back to their own.”

Even though he was, hopefully, nearing completion with his task, Merikh paused and lowered it to his lap to stare at her.

“It’s hard to call it a weapon when it could have been nothing more than a protective charm, but when our astronomer made an off-handed comment about wishing we could harness the power of our three suns, since the Demons burn when exposed to them, everyone had laughed, except he and I. We’d shared a look, realising we might actually be able to replicate the suns with our magic.”

He tilted his head sharply. “Would that even be possible? It’s not like you can just float into the sky and scoop a drop of it.”

“No, but if we combine the right elements, we could clone its impact. I was placed as the leading scientist, since it would require most of my skills, knowledge, and experience.” Her laughter was empty. “I almost did it, too. I almost made something like it, but it was too much. The magic was unknown, its effects unknown, the mathematics unknown. It was unstable, and instead of being a controlled power source within a mana stone, it shattered. I lost my sight and suffered severe radiation poisoning that almost killed me. I was only lucky we still had a few healing stones remaining. That was the sole reason I was saved.”

“You use stones for magic?” Merikh asked as he scratched at the back of his neck, not really understanding.

“Our land is very fertile in both ore and magic, and there is a stone that has managed to absorb that magic. We call them mana stones, and if we tweak them, we can direct their use for various things, such as power conduits, healing, and growth. They are the only reason we were able to survive the Demon attack; otherwise, we all would have been eaten. To cast the kind of barrier we have in place to protect our people requires constant power. We use conduit stones to help maintain its longevity and strength, and people willingly donate their own magic to keep it going.”

“You Elven people sound complex,” he said as he shook his head and worked on wrapping the end of the hollow metal rod in his hand to make a comfortable grip. “Even your lives and city sound complicated.”

“It can be. Our people work together to ensure we not only survive, but thrive,” she admitted.

“What happened to this ‘sun stone’ you were trying to make?”

“The entire project was cancelled, as it was too great of a risk. I wasn’t the only one who succumbed to radiation poisoning, although I am the only one who lost their sight, since I was in the direct vicinity of its blast.” Raewyn then lowered her head. “I almost killed our central tree. Without it, our city will die; we need it to survive. It took nearly a year to repair the damage I’d caused, although no blame was put on me, as I was just doing my job.”

Merikh placed his completed task on the ground, folded his arms, and leaned back against the wall. It didn’t take a genius to understand what she was getting at.

“You think you can recreate it.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Here, Raewyn?” Merikh scoffed. “You’re on Earth. We don’t have mana stones or items like that.”

Raewyn lifted her chin with a stubborn pout, her ears pulling back. “But you do. I’m staring at one right now.”

He looked around, wondering what the fuck she was talking about. It was only them and this room, and nothing seemed out of place or unusual.

Her twisted smile was almost teasing, mocking even. She tapped at her forehead, and Merikh reached up to touch his own. A cool gem flicked under his claw.

“My glamour?”

“I didn’t see it at first because of my blindfold, and it appears as though it’s only active when humans are nearby, but yes. I told you earlier I can see magic when it’s being used, and I would know that glow anywhere.”

Fiddling with it as he eyed her, Merikh thought deeply. “What would happen if I gave it to you and it didn’t work?”

“I would be changing it, so it’ll either no longer be useful for its current purpose, or I would destroy it. It’s difficult to wipe a mana stone, but it’s something I’ve already done. However, the last sun stone I made shattered, as it’s a highly volatile component.”

Merikh continued to finger it as a coldness washed over his chest. This diadem was precious to him. It was the only thing he owned that he would give his life to protect. It was the only thing that made his existence worth living.

Without it, he’d have to go back to hiding in the shadows.

Would he give it up if it meant he could leave Earth?

Some sacrifices were often worth it, but if this resulted in failure... he wouldn’t be reverting to step one, but to a life he refused to return to.

“What’s the likelihood you’ll be successful?”

“I can’t give you those calculations. The charging time and radiation was the problem, and even exposing the stone to our three suns for a single second made it too powerful, but I canfeelthe sun is weaker here. With the right ingredients, which I can test before I do any changes to the mana stone, I’ll know if there’s a chance.”

“Why should I give you my diadem when you can’t be certain?” he asked, uneasy about taking that kind of risk.

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