Yasmine Galenorn - Night Seeker

Lighting a white candle, Zoey pointed to me. “Summon the winds. And do not become them.”

I would have glared at her, but I realized that she was serious, not being snide. She was right. This was no place to let loose the powers of the fan-apparently now my powers. I gave her a short nod and sucked in a deep breath. I’d never done this formally before, though I’d been playing with the winds since my childhood.

I focused, recalling the mountaintop to which Luna’s song had taken me. That was the feeling of the wind I wanted to invoke. I wasn’t a singer, couldn’t keep on key if you tried me, but I sought for the pitch that represented that feeling. When I thought I found it, I let out one long, clear note and held it for a moment, then let it fade.

“Spirits of the Wind, spirits of Air, I summon you. You who are the fresh breezes of spring, come to me. You who are the warm winds of summer’s evening, hear me. You who are the chill gusts of autumn and the boreal winds of winter, come to this place. You who are the breath of our body, the air that keeps us alive, be with us.” I wasn’t sure of the wording, but I let the words flow on their own, as they would. “You who are communication and thought, you who are clear sight and intuition, come to this circle and join our rites. You who are the Elemental forces of Air, I summon you to be with us in this circle, to infuse our rites with your powers.”

I stopped as a rush of wind raced around the circle. Where the earth had brought vapors weighing us down, the wind threatened to carry us aloft, to sweep us into the fray. I found myself laughing and realized the others were, too, in the whirl and swirl of this crazy dance we were on. But then as quickly as they had come, the winds departed, leaving everything with a crystal clarity that made me want to weep. Nothing seemed muddy now, nothing seemed static or stagnant.

Zoey smiled then and gave me a long nod. I wondered what Ysandra would make of this woman from the Akazzani, but before my thoughts could run musing in that direction, she lit the red candle and pointed to Rhiannon.

Rhia invoked the Elemental forces of Fire, and the room warmed considerably, as sparkling light danced around the circle, and then my father summoned the Elemental forces of Water, and a wash of autumn melancholy swept through me, as the sorrows and joys of the past weeks tumbled in on my shoulders, then were washed clean.

When all the Elemental forces had been summoned, Kaylin stepped forward and held up his hands. He dropped his head back and for a moment, I saw the shadow of a batlike creature raise up to tower above him. He let out one pure note that felt like it was shooting directly through the top of my head.

“Spirit of Spirit, I summon you. Elemental forces of magic, Elemental forces of the will and of purest energy, come forth. We seek your realm, seek to harness your strength, to bend our will against your power. Come, O Spirit of Magic, be with us, crackle through us, wield us even as we wield you. We are your instruments, we are your bodies, we are your manifestations within this world.”

As he spoke, a crackle ran around the room and everything began to spin. The force of magic, the force of the fifth Element-Spirit-took over and my hands became charged, energy flowing from them-intensifying the Elemental force of Air. I glanced at the others-I could see sparks flying from Rhiannon, one look at Wrath and I could see a wave rising up behind him, and Chatter had ghostly vines emanating from his palms. I looked down at my own hands and could see a wavering breeze waft forth.

I stretched out my arms, palms facing sideways, and the others did the same. Earth met Air and blended, growing stronger. And Air merged with Fire and the force grew even more. Fire kissed the Water and the circle felt like it was becoming a sphere. And then, when Water connected with Earth, we were solid and impenetrable-the Elemental guardians holding us strong in their embrace.

We held the energy while Luna and Kaylin moved to the center, standing on either end of Grieve. From just outside the circle, Zoey drummed a rhythmic, hypnotic beat. Kaylin took hold of Grieve’s head in his hands, leaning over him so close it almost looked like they were kissing.

Luna placed her hands on Grieve’s feet and began to sing in a language I didn’t understand, that I’d never before heard. I didn’t even know if it was a language-the sounds were floating against the rhythm of the drum, long, sinuous, and haunting as they echoed through the room.

Luna looked taller in the candlelight, and it was obvious she was in a trance, her eyes were glazed as she held tight to Grieve’s feet. The music snaked and crawled, coiled around us, an ancient melody, dripping with power as it flowed effortlessly from her lips.

Kaylin cried out, stiffening. He leaned back as far as he could, his back arching, but still he held Grieve’s head in his hands. My beloved Grieve looked in pain, and yet-and yet-my wolf did not whimper, nor was he afraid. Instead, as I let myself connect with him, I felt a wonder, and a sudden field of stars flashed in front of my eyes. I could see them-the stars-they were filling my vision, filling my sight, and their beauty was far-reaching and cold, aloof.

The drum continued its slow, steady cadence, forcing our attention. Luna’s voice interwove with it, rising and dipping, swirling like an ancient instrument, so smoothly that never once did I hear her catch her breath. I focused on her singing, followed the note, trying to find my sweet wolf again, but the way was blocked, and I realized, in a sudden whisper from Ulean, that I was not allowed to take part in what Kaylin and Luna were doing.

If you are with him, it will disrupt the ritual. He must walk through this darkness alone. Kaylin and Luna are the only ones here who can guide him.

As much as I didn’t want to hear this, I accepted it and went back to holding the Element of Air-keeping it steady as the four of us kept the circle intact.

A sudden crack of thunder filled the room, startling us, but not once did we waver. As we looked up, a field of stars spread across the ceiling overhead. But some were caught in a maelstrom of mist-a swirling cerulean storm. I realized we were seeing the links that connected Myst and Grieve, her energy field imposed over his through her turning him.

As Kaylin sucked in a deep breath, the mist began to disperse, unweaving and retreating. Grieve began to thrash, but Kaylin and Luna held tightly to him, and the restraints kept him on the table.

Some of the fog surrounding the stars seemed impenetrable; it would not budge, though I could see the rocking energy trying to dislodge it. But most of the outer edges whispered away, vanishing. As Kaylin strained, trying to unweave the thickest part of Myst’s energy, Grieve let out a scream and Luna’s voice stumbled as he ripped the cords binding him to the table and broke free from the table.

Kaylin leaped toward him as Grieve, holding his head and moaning, staggered toward the edge of the circle near my father. Wrath dropped his hands and lunged forward, catching Grieve as he sank to the floor, thrashing in a horrible convulsion. I let go of the air, racing across the room, not giving a damn about the broken circle.

As I fell to my knees near my love, my wolf began to howl in pain, and I began to shake and quiver, unable to control myself. Grieve and I had somehow become bound, in such a way that his pain became my pain-we’d experienced it before, but I’d thought that we might have broken those cords.

Anadey-Peyton’s mother-had turned on us, casting a spell to break the cords between Grieve and me, knowing very well that it might kill us. The spell had worked to some degree-the venom of the Vampiric Fae no longer held me in thrall when I was bitten by them, but we had not known just how far she’d managed to disrupt things.