Page 95 of Choosing Jenny
“That’s true.” He sipped his coffee and nodded. “But there was only one of her, and Halla has a magic all its own. I worry that I tapped into it, and that was why it was so easy. Here…”
“Here, what?” I pressed gently.
He hesitated before finally lifting his gaze to mine. “Power on Orhon is hard to come by. When the conduits slaughtered so many magicians, they took that power for themselves. Here, weare weak, and I am not sure if that is why helping Aphonic took so much out of me.”
Discord was aghast. “Since when do you doubtanything, Surge? I count on you to believe that anything is possible. How dare you say otherwise now?”
“I’m not feeling like myself, Discord. Yesterday,” he paused, his face lined with fatigue and worry. “It took almost everything I had to help Aphonic. I’m not saying this as a regret—I don’t regret helping Aphonic whatsoever. But I am concerned that helping all those ghosts…”
I followed his reasoning and swallowed hard. “Do you think it could kill you, Surge?”
“I don’t know,” he replied earnestly.
“Then we don’t do it,” Malice chimed in, his voice firm. “If it’s going to cost us you—”
He shook his head sadly. “I’m the only hope they have.”
“They have another.” Tiger’s gaze shifted to me.
I had no idea what he was insinuating. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re a conduit, Jenny. I know you haven’t explored everything that entails, but you can see the Illiapol ghosts. Sarah, without knowing what she was doing, was able to possess Rex into her own body. I saw her do it. All she had to do was try—”
“She’s the contra, though,” I countered. “It makes her different, and special, in terms of her powers. I think that’s why it worked.”
“But you couldtry, right?” Discord asked.
I looked around the table. Every set of eyes met mine. Expectant and hopeful as they waited for an answer. “I guess I could, but how would I even start?”
Surge sat up straighter. “I can show you, at least from a magician’s perspective.”
I bit my bottom lip, thinking things through. “Wouldn’t it…I mean, if it could kill you, couldn’t it kill me?” I wondered out loud.
“I don’t think it would,” he replied. “Conduits have an easier time of channeling power on Orhon than magicians do.”
I trusted Surge, but that didn’t stop the nerves fluttering around in my stomach. It was overwhelming to think that saving the Illiapol ghosts might rest entirely on my shoulders. “And if I can’t?”
“Then I will do what I can,” Surge said, holding up a hand to cut Discord off before she could protest. “Within my limits.”
Shockingly, she remained silent.
We didn’t make the trip to the mountain until after dark, and I welcomed the distraction to keep my mind off of the fact that Justice was holding my sister, Elizabeth, hostage. The area where I’d met Illiamor was behind the palace, so sneaking in there was tricky. But once all of us were in place in the middle of the Illiapol hunting grounds without triggering alarms or guards, I felt confident we weren’t about to be arrested.
Or slaughtered.
Maybe it was PTSD, but just being back here had my nerves jangling. I hated everything about it. Every tree, every bush, every shadow felt like a threat. Like Justice and the council were still hunting me. My chest tightened when I heard something rustle nearby, only to see a mouse scurrying past my boots.
I jumped and made a strangled sound in my throat, trying not to scream.
“Relax, it’s just a cina,” Tiger murmured.
I stared at him. “You call micecinas?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You call cinasmice?”
Another time, I would have laughed. Right now, nothing was funny. “Never mind.”
He reached out and took my hand in his, his expression filled with understanding. “It’s being here again, on the hunting ground, right?”
