A Fey New World (The Godhunter #32) - Amy Sumida Page 0,64

was a bunch of birds high on faerie fruit going on a rampage like the plot of an old horror flick.

As if all of that wasn't enough, in the center of the orchard was a path to Faerie, hanging in midair. I could see it this time, unlike the others that Mallien had to locate. The air shimmered like a heatwave but only in a vertical circle—as if something had punched a hole through the air. A hole from one realm to another, going straight through the Aether like one of the tunnels of Internet that Torrent can create. I wondered if it was the way the rath had been made that created the sheen or simply because it was going in the opposite direction than its predecessors.

Its existence made me realize why the forest had grown around this meadow—it was the first layer of protection for the rath. The magic hadn't merely been responding to stimuli or growing because it was fed fire as fuel, it was attacked and so it protected itself. It knew that the source of its power was important and it couldn't let anyone with ill intent reach it. So, it sent out soldiers to defend its borders just as the military was doing beyond. But it didn't know to fear me. Of course, I wasn't there to hurt it, just transport it.

“Will the rath close if Vervain's successful?” Azrael asked Arach.

“I don't know.” Arach stared at the strange rath with a bemused and horrified expression. “I hope so.”

“At least the land hasn't reacted poorly to us,” Odin noted.

“It recognizes the elements in Vervain and me,” Arach said absently as he trailed a hand down a smooth trunk—as if he were stroking a pet.

I took a deep breath and clutched my emerald pendant. It hung on a thick, golden chain around my throat and suddenly felt heavy. Or maybe that was just the weight of what I was about to do.

I'm with you, Vervain, Alaric said in my mind. I will give you what protection I can.

Thanks, Alaric, I thought back at him.

I crouched and lowered a hand gently into the grass. The bright blades bent over me in welcome. Magic tingled along my skin excitedly. Arach and I were probably the first people to touch the MZ in kindness since it had bloomed there. I reminded myself that I wasn't betraying it, I was taking it home. The plan was to collect the magic inside my emerald and release it in Faerie. Once there, with the help of the wards my star established, it should acclimate to the magic of the realm and stabilize.

I closed my eyes and focused on the fey magic. It wasn't like finding the magic inside a god. This wasn't power condensed into a purpose, it was untapped potential. Its only purpose was to thrive. This made summoning it difficult. I tried to grasp it but without a purpose, it had no metaphysical form for me to focus on. In other words, it had no concept of itself other than that it existed. Instead of mentally grabbing the image of an animal inside a shifter god or a plant inside a god of nature, I had to hold onto pure magic. It was like trying to grab a handful of mist.

Don't think of it as something solid, Al said. Think of it as fire. As heat. When you absorb the energy of fire, what do you do?

I don't know. I just reach out and... call it.

Then summon the energy before you, Vervain. It may not have a purpose but it does have the elements. Once Fire goes, the others will follow.

I reached for Fire and immediately felt the magic touch me again, sensing me, but I could also sense all of it. Its individual elements. I called to the elements as I would a forest fire. I summoned them to me as energy, not magic. And it responded. A zinging, stinging, zipping feeling ran up my hand and I had to scramble to direct it through me and into the emerald. It burned as it went. Not like fire but ice. It cut like gravel cast across my flesh by a stinging wind and cried like darkness. My fey essence protected me from Fire but it also weakened me to the other elements and although they couldn't kill me, they made their passage known.

I moaned and swayed. Hands gripped my shoulders but I shook them off. I didn't want the