Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,75
deep cavern. A pocket of rage, a cunning sentience that was voracious. It was rooted into the land with tendrils plunging so deep that they grew right down into the molten core. The rage came from a painful place, and as I peeked into the abyss, I could see a trail of bones leading down into the hole, a trail of bones and memories as old as the world. The elemental attracted anger and turmoil.
The elemental had been here since the mountains had first risen, since the earthquakes and clashing tectonic plates had birthed the Cascades into being. It had been slumbered quietly before that, but the tumultuous movements of the earth had shattered its peace, and it had been awake and angry ever since, its venom cursing the land.
The elemental suddenly seemed aware of my presence and turned toward me. I gasped and broke out of my trance, almost falling off the sofa in my hurry to remain anonymous. I didn’t want it to notice me.
“Cripes…” I was shaking. “That…thing…”
“You sensed it, then?” Rowan said. “You understand what it is?”
I nodded. “It’s like a geyser, waiting to go off every time something triggers it. No wonder the native people of this area left that site alone.”
“Yes, because they knew they couldn’t win.” Rowan tilted her head. “Those of us who first founded the town did our best to dislodge it, but we had to give up. We should have erected a barrier around it back then, but we didn’t foresee the population growing so large. But take another look, this time at the building.”
Caitlin looked puzzled. “What? What are you two talking about?”
I closed my eyes again and lowered myself back into trance. Once more, I went drifting along the astral as I sought out the patch of ground again. But this time, instead of plunging beyond the building, I focused on it instead of the land surrounding it.
The first thing I noticed was that the asylum was tired. It was weary and it wanted to rest. The spirits who had kept it alive for so long had all been absorbed by the land elemental and they ran wild, like wayward children, banging and clanging against its walls. They were avatars of the elemental, and yet, they were almost autonomous. Like a swarm, each one spun off separately and yet all were linked to form a central hive mind. The building was tired. It was tired of being used as an extension.
My eyes flew open. “We have to destroy the building. It won’t destroy the creature, but it will calm the activity some, and it will allow the elemental to rest.”
“Exactly.” Rowan paused, smiling for the first time since we’d arrived. “Your guardian and I were keeping you protected while you were in trance. It took both of us, but we kept the elemental from figuring out who you are.”
Relieved, I let out a long breath. “Thank gods for that. As for my guardian, there’s a tradition in my family. The Ladies—former matriarchs from the family tree—watch over the witches who are born into the next generation. They watched over my mother, and now they watch over me.”
“I thought your aunt was a witch too,” Caitlin said.
“She is, and they guard over her. But I hear them easier, I think. My great-aunt Esmara is my personal guardian.”
Rowan nodded. “Do you understand my answer now?”
“Yes, I do. There’s no way we can detach the elemental from the land, but the building gives it more form and focus.”
She nodded. “Yes, the building needs to come down. It’s an anchor—a focal point—for the activity. And I agree, the land should be barricaded off. It will put fewer people at risk.”
“Will you explain to me what you found out?” Caitlin asked.
I gave them both a quick rundown of what I had seen and sensed. “Everyone who has died on that land has become bound together. The building itself acts as an amplifier. I think the dark magic that was worked in that place seeped into the walls, turning it into one big bullhorn.”
“You’re correct.” Rowan shrugged. “So my answer is no, I can neither destroy nor purge the curse. But if the building is destroyed, then the threat decreases substantially. However, it’s not my place to raze the structure, and my guess is the owner is motivated by money, not by charity.”
Caitlin leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “What if the city bought the land? They could destroy the building without a problem.”