had never tested that idea. There was not a safe way to experiment.
If she was not immune, then what would adding more magic to the heart bond do to her? He would not risk her, not even for the chance to escape. He did not even have a way to ask her permission before he experimented with this, if he decided to attempt it.
A heart bond was a mysterious magic. Elven scholars had been debating exactly what it was for millennia.
But it had given rise to many of their marriage customs. The eshinelt, the green paint used during the blessings and vows of the wedding ceremony, had magic from the bride and groom mixed into it, which was believed to encourage a heart bond to form. That was the theory behind it, anyway.
Since Essie did not have magic, the eshinelt Farrendel made for their wedding contained only his magic.
If that magic was the spark that the heart bond used to form, then the magic of the heart bond was his originally. If his magic was already integral to the heart bond and tied to Essie, then surely the addition of more of his magic would not hurt her.
He would be careful. He would ease only a little bit of his magic into the heart bond this time. If his hunch was right, Melantha would be back. He would have more chances to store more magic...if this worked.
Essie, I wish I could ask you first before trying this.
She must have sensed a question through the heart bond. He felt an impression of a question in return.
Farrendel flexed his fingers. This would have been so much easier if elishinas resulted in true telepathy. He tried to send thoughts about what he was going to try, but it was not an idea that could translate to vague impressions.
Gripping the crackle of his magic, he drew it deep into his chest. It crackled next to the warmth of the heart bond, but nothing else happened.
Farrendel huffed a breath. He had to make this work. Already, the faintest hint of pain throbbed at his wrists. Using his magic was making Melantha’s magic disappear from his body faster.
Somewhere, he could feel Essie still questioning. Would she figure out what he was trying to do?
He had to get this right. This tiny crackle of his magic was fragile.
Yet, if he could store this magic, he could prevent history from repeating itself. No one would die on his account.
He gripped the crackle of his magic tighter with one mental fist, the heart bond with the other, and drew the magic together.
Something burst inside his chest. He gasped, magic sparking across his vision. He blinked and took a moment to catch his breath.
When his senses finally sharpened, he felt for his magic.
The crackle had lessened, but was still there, melded into the warmth of the heart bond.
He had done it. What he had done, exactly, only time would tell. Would he still be able to access this magic once Melantha’s magic wore off?
Essie. Was she all right? He felt for her through the heart bond. Even through the additional crackle of his magic, she was still there. The wave of impression he sensed from her was filled with confusion, but not pain.
His experiment had not hurt her. He breathed a sigh of relief. This had worked, and it had not hurt Essie.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the tingle of his magic. He was not going to be helpless this time. By the time he was rescued, he would be able to fight back.
No matter her reasons for pretending to help him, Farrendel was looking forward to Melantha’s next visit.
ESSIE GLANCED around the command tent, crowded with both elven and human generals going over their plan of attack one last time. Weylind and Averett stood at the center, though now that the debates had all been laid to rest during earlier discussions, they were mostly there to give their royal approval to the plan.
The tent flap was thrown open, and Edmund’s tousled brown hair popped through first before he straightened and grinned. “What did we miss?”
Jalissa followed him and gave him a quelling look, as if she thought that opening line inappropriate for the seriousness of battle planning.
Leyleira strode in behind Jalissa, glanced around, and raised her eyebrows. “It would seem we are precisely on time.”
Julien was the last to enter. He glanced around the tent before he worked his way through the crowd to where Essie stood. He wrapped