Page 45 of The Discovered
He chuckled. “Of course I do. But I need you safe most of all, and I think I know something that will help.”
I sighed in defeat, pulling back to cross my arms. I turned on my heel and continued to the center. When we got there, I faced an amused Daelon.
“We’re going somewhere,” he said, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. “I thought you’d appreciate that, at least.”
Thiswasan interesting development, I had to admit. “Aw, at least my kidnapper is kind enough to take me out every once in a while.”
He shot me a warning look. “Stop that.”
I raised my hands up. “Kidding!”
“I’m going to need to channel you to make the leap, if that’s all right. Nothing like last time, of course.” We both paled at the memory.
“Maybe if you tell me where we are going.”
He nodded, though I could tell my pushback made him edgy. “Have you ever been to any Nordic countries?”
I shook my head. “Are we going to Earth?”
“Similar to there, but here in Aradia. It’s remote enough to avoid any prying eyes, and I know you like the snow,” he said with a shrug. “Plus, I’m hoping we can catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis.”
I grinned. “That’s been on my bucket list. I’m down for witchy Norway.” I furrowed my brows, remembering his intentions for this session. “Wait, why are we traveling to use offensive magick?”
“When we get there, I’ll explain what I have in mind.” He gave me a reassuring smile, but something darker flashed in his eyes.
I swallowed. I didn’t know how much more action I could take today. “What do I do?”
“I need you to act as a battery again so we can make the jump.”
He held out his hands. Reluctantly, I placed my hands in his, making sure to give him a warning look. I would not channel that dark power from last time ever again. It felt eerily similar to Lucius’s energy… I wondered what that meant about Daelon’s spell.
In that moment, my hands began to tingle, and I felt myself pulling in power from the world around me. I was pleased to feel the familiar head high as it flowed through me, like a rush of euphoria. Just as energy sharing had been, this process felt intimate. I couldn’t imagine someone channeling through me without my consent, or anyone but Daelon, for that matter. It was like I was giving him access to the entire Universe.
The impression from this energy was that of travel and movement, and I could catch glimpses of our destination as it flowed. I could see the snow, the monstrous evergreens, and the magickal night sky.
“How does this w—”
Before I could finish the thought, a loud whirring sound filled my head as if we were being sucked through a cosmic tunnel of space and time. Almost instantly the scenery shifted, and in the dizziness of the transition I fell forward into Daelon.
Chapter13
“You all right?” he asked as he caught me.
I steadied myself. “Yeah. Motion sickness, I guess.”
“Teleportation is weird the first couple times. Like airplanes, I would imagine.”
“This is much more eco-friendly,” I joked as I spun slowly, in awe of our surroundings. It was like a winter wonderland.
Daelon was right, the landscape was very remote. Nothing but snow and trees in all directions. I looked to the sky and broke out in a grin at the swirling green, blue, violet and pink hues shimmering above. It was even more breathtaking than what I’d seen in pictures or videos. The air was fresh, crisp, and woodsy. Daelon moved to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck.
Then he pulled away and knelt to the ground next to me, chanting something unintelligible. His forehead creased in concentration.
“What are you doing?” I asked. I felt an almost undetectable shift in the energetic field around us, like I was suddenly exposed. I frowned, scanning the dim environment. “Is something wrong?”
He stood, now all business again. “We can only do so many mental exercises, Áine. You need some low-stakes real experience.”
“What does that mean?” My voice turned icy, and I narrowed my gaze. “What did you do?”
