House Of Gods 9 - Samantha Snow Page 0,55

linking together. He pulled the magic from each point and infused it with his own power, creating a cocktail that brimmed with ancient secrets and unmatched force.

For a moment, Tara thought that even his horns looked as if they were radiating with a black mist. He was steeped in power, and he emanated a beautiful darkness that he wore like a regal cloak. Tannin felt the magic surge through him, and immediately, he demanded command of it. Usually, he would hesitate, unsure of himself and what he was capable of doing, but not this time. This time he felt more himself than at any other time in his life. As he felt the magic rush together and flow through Astra so she could funnel it into Yggdrasil, he also began to feel Astra weaken. Cai saw it too. Astra began to collapse, and the whites of her eyes usurped all of the visible space, pushing her pupils upward and out of view.

“Astra!” Cai shouted as he ran to her and caught her head just before it hit the ground.

Tara watched in horror as all that they had worked for was suddenly put at risk. Unless the nine powers could converge fully and feed into the roots of Yggdrasil, all would be lost.

Cai held Astra in his arms, and she looked like she was going into a fit of seizures. Lopt lifted his hand from the ground to go to Cai’s aid and help Astra. But then, to Tara’s shock, the power beneath the forest floor seemed to pulse even stronger than before. She turned to look back at Tannin, and her mouth dropped open in awe as she saw him.

Tannin was siphoning all of the power, including his own, and funneling it into the forest. He was acting as both giver and receiver, conduit and chosen immortal. The power in his veins turned them a deep purple that moved beneath his skin like a winding snake as his skin vibrated beneath Tara’s touch. She looked into his eyes, and they were such a crystal clear black that she felt as though she were being swallowed by them. Never before had she seen power like this. Never before had power like this even existed.

In one final push, Tannin propelled the final bits of collected magic into the roots of Yggdrasil, and the ground heaved beneath them as the realm accepted the bound power and stretched to pull the nine worlds back into its grasp. Tannin fell backward into a seated position on the ground, and Tara quickly shifted her weight back to sit beside him and make sure he was okay.

“I’m fine,” he said to her with a weak smile. His eyes were churning like the dark-gray mist of a storm as the power receded within him. “Just wiped out.”

Tara wrapped her arm around his back and held him as they sat together on the forest floor. “Is Astra all right?” she called to Cai.

Astra’s body had stopped jerking on the ground, but Tara wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She had only hoped that Astra had survived the transfer of magic.

“Yes, I think so.” Cai sounded relieved. “She’s awake and breathing, just exhausted.” He held her against his chest as he spoke to Tannin. “How did you do that? No one in the history of all immortal beings has ever been able to do what you just did.”

“Must be the horns,” Tannin joked.

Tara laughed and pulled him even closer to him.

“You saved her,” Lopt said. “You saved Astra, and Yggdrasil, and the connection of all the realms. You truly are the chosen one of prophecy.” He bowed his head to Tannin with a revered sense of gratitude and respect.

Tannin bowed his head in return. “Right now, I feel like nothing more than someone who needs a nap.”

Tannin slowly got to his feet and looked as though every muscle in his body ached as he did so. Tara tried to help him up by supporting some of his weight. Cai also got to his feet, carrying Astra in his arms, as they all headed back to the hollowed tree. They needed to talk with the others, to make sure they were all okay and see if the realms were now back within an interconnected reach. But for now, they needed sleep, and when they woke, they would hopefully greet a healed universe of symbiotic worlds.

The smell of Tara’s hair was the first thing that wafted into Tannin’s