Page 25 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
She tried not to think about the man who had done exactly that when she’d touched him.
She walked stiffly and knelt, every movement making her skin burn worse. She clenched her teeth against the pain, but it did little to stem it. The chilled ground bit into her knees, but she barely felt it. Niels was too pale.
“It hurts,” she said, the words coming out in spurts. “I don’t know how to let it out without—"
“You’re focusing too much on the flow,” King Filip said, his voice steady as he hesitantly took her hand and laid it on Niels’knee. “Find a single strand and grasp it. Hold it tight. Focus only on that strand.”
Sweat stung her eyes. She was so distracted by the power raging within her that she could barely tell she was now covered in Niels’ blood. She tried to follow King Filip’s directions. The toll of the last few days weighed heavily on her. She’d nearly died several times, said goodbye to Kase and her father, killed soldiers, and now she was at the mercy of the Cerl king.
The power writhed in her body, and it took all her willpower to find anything to focus on at all. In her mind’s eye, it was like a bonfire, blindingly bright. The undulating flames snarled and snapped, crackled and leapt. It burned so badly, she nearly begged for the woman to take it away once more.
“Can’t…can’t…” she sputtered.
“Essence powers need to be tamed. If you let them roam freely within you, they will devour you,” the woman said.
Hallie breathed best she could against the crushing weight in her chest. It felt like her lungs were carved from marble. She willed them to accept the oxygen, prying her airways open with sheer force of will.
In, two, three. Out, two, three, four.
The weight only lessened slightly. The air couldn’t blow the fire out.
“Again,” King Filip said. “Focus.”
In, two, three. Out, two, three, four.
A little less pressure.
In, two, three. Out, two, three, four.
The blaze dimmed, yet sharpened, coming into focus in her mind’s eye. It no longer blinded her. Each flame was a strand, and with each breathing cycle she completed, the strands became clearer.
In and out. Pause. In and out.
One flame strand fluttered more softly than the others, pliable, swaying to music only it could hear.
“Good,” King Filip said, his voice lower yet closer. “Don’t lose it. Keep it within your grasp.”
Hallie nodded, afraid to do more than that. “Now what? How do I heal him?”
“Each Essence power is unique, and the Lord Elder held the power for centuries.” The king spoke lazily, almost as if he’d suddenly lost interest in the conversation. “I can only teach you control.”
Without losing her grip on the strand, she opened one eye. Still not sure what she was doing, she coaxed the power into him slowly, focusing on the single flame. The heat flowed from her and into him. His jagged breathing hitched…then smoothed.
With each pulse of her power as it entered Niels, the strain on her mind lessened. The heat abated, dimming to a soft, comforting burn. Not too hot. Just enough to remind her it was there.
She could still feel the power working in Niels. It repaired the ruptured blood vessels from both wounds, replaced the chipped bone shards from the one she’d inflicted, and resealed the skin—almost like she’d rewound time. Except nothing around them changed. Only Niels.
What were the repercussions of a power like that? Could she affect more than just a single person? Stories she’d read about time magic flashed in her mind. Would saving Niels here only cause a worse outcome in the future? Would there be a price to pay for saving him?
Her blood ran cold as the fire extinguished.
She collapsed, spots gathering in her sight. She blinked them away, her hands and arms tingling, almost numb.
Warm fingers encircled her wrist and pressed heat into her. The spots cleared from Hallie’s vision. The prickling sensation in her limbs slowly faded.
“We will work on your control. You focused too hard on the one strand and allowed the rest of your power to leak,” the woman said, her hand still around Hallie’s wrist, heat like fire on a cold winter’s night entering her bloodstream. It stung, but it wasn’t unbearable.
Hallie blinked, trying to stay her shaking hand. “What?”
