Night Study (Soulfinders #2) - Maria V. Snyder Page 0,144
didn’t hesitate. An eternity later, the magicians arrived.
“Oh, no,” Zethan said. “He’s out of control.”
Zohav backed away. “We need to take cover. It’s not safe.”
“Can you bleed off the magic?” I asked them.
Heli raised her arms and a gust cooled my sweaty forehead. “Some, but he’s just drawing more.”
I glanced at the twins. “How about you?”
“Are you crazy? You’re going to get us all killed,” Zohav said.
“Yeah, we can. Zo, that’s our brother.”
“But you heard Heli, it won’t stop him, just delay the inevitable.”
“Since I’m still learning control, I’ve been augmenting Zo’s and Zee’s powers,” Teegan said. “We can bleed off more magic that way.”
“Good. Use as much as you can. I’ll do the rest.” Grabbing Valek’s shirt from where he’d tossed it, I put it on and held the material close.
Valek scowled at me as I approached him. The null shield in the fabric must seem like a hole in his cocoon of power. The air grew thick and viscous, and I struggled to get closer. Valek’s gaze darted to the magicians, then back to me. He crouched as if preparing to fight, and no glint of recognition appeared in his gaze.
Nothing left to do, I yanked off the null shield. Magic slammed into me. I braced against it as if it were a gale. I concentrated on our love. On the matching heart-shaped scars on our chests. On all our times together. On our baby growing inside me.
He staggered. “I can’t...stop.”
“Send it back to the sky.” I took another step.
“I...can’t.”
I searched my mind for an image Valek could use. “The magic is an ugly gray stone. Carve it. Shape it into a butterfly and let it fly to the sky.”
His black hair clung to his sweaty face. He swiped it from his eyes. His muscles shook with the effort.
“Do it, or we will all die.”
That seemed to rouse him. His gaze focused on a distant point. I twisted the fabric of his shirt in my hands. If this failed, I might have to use the null shield to sever his connection to the power blanket. But the magic he’d gathered would be released like a flameout, killing us. Unless he managed to return enough of it.
“It’s working,” Zethan said. “Keep going, bro!”
Valek sank to the ground. He fisted his hands and his brows creased with pain. I moved to within touching distance.
He met my gaze. Exhaustion and misery etched on his face. “Can’t...do...more.”
I glanced at Zethan.
The teen shook his head. “Still too much. But he disconnected.”
“Go inside the cave,” I ordered. And when they hesitated, I added, “Now.”
Zohav grabbed her brother’s hand and pulled him along. Heli frowned, but she left with Teegan.
When they were safe, I tossed the shirt aside and knelt next to my husband. Perhaps what drained Loris’s magic from me would work for Valek. Reading my intentions, he shook his head and tried to scoot away.
“Risky,” he rasped.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Go.”
“No.”
“Yelena, wait!” Zethan ran toward us. “Leif says I can share my strength with Valek. You and Leif have done it in the past.”
True. “But we could both control our magic. Valek—”
“Lasted longer than he should.”
“No,” Valek said.
We both ignored him.
“Come on. Let me try,” Zethan said.
“All right, but if he starts gathering more—”
“I’ll disconnect.”
“What if you can’t?”
Zethan gestured to the shirt. “Use the null shield.”
A temporary measure, and one that wouldn’t save his life, but I agreed. We had to do something. Despite Valek’s protest, Zethan grabbed his brother’s hands.
“Send the power back,” I instructed, imaging how I would release souls into the sky, including the pure joy of it—a feeling I’d missed.
I waited a lifetime. Deep lines of strain scored Valek’s face.
“No,” Zethan said. “Take the energy from me.”
After another couple of centuries, Zethan wilted, but held tight.
“That’s it,” Zethan encouraged. “Almost there.”
Picking up the null shield just in case, I fisted the fabric. It wouldn’t be big enough to cover both of them.
“Just a...little bit more.” Zethan’s head dropped as if it was too heavy to hold up. “Stop.” He opened his hands and pulled back, but Valek clung to him. “Stop.” Zethan glanced at me with wide eyes. “He’s drawing power again.”
Dropping the shield, I grabbed both their hands, hoping the blocking effect worked with direct touch. Magic sizzled along my arms and ripped through me. The force pushed me back. Pain exploded in my head and a loud crack sounded. Then it all disappeared in a snap of black.