Page 47 of Faeheart
“Lydia must have created this space specifically for tetrad practice,” Wild mused, running his fingers along the wall where crystals pulsed with soft light. “The energy conduits are already in place.” He glanced back at me. “She wasn’t lying. Her and Sorrel really did know we’d be here one day.”
Caden moved to the northern point, his connection to growth and nurturing magic drawing him there instinctively. “I think we each have a specific position.” He stepped onto the northern tile, letting out a contented sigh. “Growth. The cool earth beneath our feet.”
Atlas nodded, taking his place at the western point without hesitation. “Protection. The flowing river.”
Wild grinned, practically skipping to the southern marker. “Chaos. The burning sun.”
That left the eastern position for me. Structure. The never-ending winds of change.
As I stepped onto my marker, the floor beneath my feet began to glow with a soft blue light. Looking around, I saw the others’ positions illuminating as well. Amber for Caden, crimson for Atlas, and emerald for Wild. The colors seemed to pulse in time with our heartbeats.
“Now what?” I asked, feeling the room’s energy beginning to swirl around us.
“According to the journal,” Atlas replied, “we need to synchronize our breathing first, then extend our magical awareness to form the initial connection.”
It sounded simple enough, but as we closed our eyes and began to breathe in unison, I felt the familiar tightness of anxiety creeping up my spine. What if I couldn’t maintain the connection? What if my hesitation broke the formation?
“Elias,” Wild’s voice came through our bond rather than aloud, gentle but firm. “Stop overthinking. Just feel.”
I took a deep breath and tried to let go, focusing on the sensation of our bond instead of my fears. Gradually, I became aware of the others’ magical signatures more distinctly than ever before. Atlas’s protective energy was like a steady drumbeat, Caden’s nurturing power flowing like sap through a healthy tree, Wild’s chaotic magic dancing and sparking like lightning.
When I finally extended my own structured magic to meet theirs, the effect was immediate and breathtaking. Lines of pure energy shot from my position to each of theirs, forming a diamond of power with me as its source. Then similar lines extended from each of them, creating a complex geometric pattern that pulsed with combined power.
“Holy shit,” Wild breathed through our bond, his amazement rippling through all of us. “This is incredible.”
The magical matrix we’d created was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Where our individual magics had always felt separate and distinct, now they flowed together like instruments in a perfectly tuned orchestra. I could feel Caden’s growth magic strengthening my structured spells, while Atlas’s protective energy formed a foundation that allowed Wild’s chaos to dance freely without becoming destructive.
“Try a simple spell,” Atlas suggested, his voice tight with concentration. “Something basic.”
I focused on creating a light orb, the most elementary magic I knew. But instead of the usual pale blue glow of my precise magic, what formed above my palm was a swirling sphere of all four of our colors, amber and crimson and emerald threads weaving through my blue in patterns that defied logic.
“It’s beautiful,” Caden whispered, his own orb forming at the northern point, equally complex and radiant.
“By the gods…” Atlas breathed, holding up his own orb of magic, something normal werewolves couldn’t do. “I… I’ve never felt anything like this.”
Wild let out a whoop of joy, his sphere crackling with chaotic energy that somehow harmonized perfectly with the rest. “We’re doing it! We’re actually doing it!”
But as our excitement built, I felt something reverberate through the mansion. Then a loud bang echoed through the halls. It happened again and again, each one sounding hollow and far away. Our magic faded away simultaneously, confusion and worry filling the bond between us. I turned on my heel to see one of the far doors opening, an ethereal servant stepping inside, their form a shimmering silvery mist.
“The mansion,” it said in its normal monotone. “Is under attack.”
Chapter 18
Wild
The sound of splintering wood echoed through the mansion’s halls like thunder, each crash sending vibrations through the floor beneath our feet. Through our bond, I felt all four of us go rigid with fear and battle-ready tension simultaneously.
“How did they find us?” Elias whispered, his face pale as parchment. Through our connection, I could feel his terror warring with a fierce protectiveness that surprised me with its intensity.
Atlas was already shifting, his human form rippling as his werewolf nature surged to the surface. “The wards,” he growled, his voice deeper and more guttural than usual. “Something’s trying to break through Lydia’s protections.”
Another thunderous crash shook the mansion, closer this time. Dust rained from the painted ceiling above us, and several of the glowing crystals embedded in the walls flickered ominously.
“We need to get out of here,” Caden said, his usual calm cracking as panic bled through our tetrad bond. “If the Purity Front has found a way to breach the sanctuary?—”
“No,” I interrupted, surprising myself with the firmness in my voice. The chaotic magic inside me was responding to the threat, crackling along my skin like barely contained lightning. “The wards will hold. And if they don’t, we’ll be prepared. But we’re not going to run. Not this time.”
The ethereal servant flickered, its silvery form wavering like smoke in a breeze. “The eastern ward line has been compromised,” it reported in that same emotionless tone. “Unknown magical signatures are attempting forced entry through the Veil crossing.”
