“That wasn’t the stone’s magic; that wasKaylia’s,” Lexi said.
Before he could stop her, she bent andsnatched the stone off the floor. Cole pulled her hand back to tryto stop her, but she’d already grasped it. Though the curse hadbeen removed, he kept waiting for her to fly back again or cry outin pain, but she did neither.
Instead, as she cradled the stone in herhand, it started to glow again. The brilliant radiance bathed herface in a red glow before returning to normal again.
“So, does this mean I can duplicate things?”Lexi asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Sahira said. “It mightrequire you to figure out how to use your powers first, but youshould be able to work the stone.”
Lexi smiled as she examined the stone. “Ihave to put it somewhere safe.”
“I have somewhere,” Sahira said. “Follow me,but everyone elsestayshere.”
***
“Well, I guess your father could have come,”Sahira said as Lexi followed her past the staircase. “It’s not likehe doesn’t know about this.”
Lexi didn’t reply as they entered thekitchen; she and her father both knew about Sahira’s safe. Shestopped in the doorway as Sahira crossed the room.
Sunlight normally streamed through thekitchen windows to illuminate the room at this time of day, but allthe curtains were closed against it. The unnatural darkness of theroom was a bleak remindershewas the reason those curtainswere closed.
She flicked on the light switch; nothinghappened. The electricity was out again, but that was nothing new.Ever since the Lord’s war, it often came and went. At one time, itwas doing better, but it had become more unreliable recently.
“I’m sure it will be back soon,” Sahirasaid.
“One of these days, it’s not going to comeback,” Lexi replied.
“No, it won’t.”
Lexi dreaded that day. They’d adjusted to notalways having power, but they also expected it to return a coupleof times a day to heat the water and run their appliances.
As of now, it came and went often enough thatthe little bit of food they had in their fridge rarely spoiled.They would lose that luxury when the power was completely gone.They’d also lose the luxury of hot showers.
Sahira glanced nervously over her shoulder.“Did anyone follow us?”
Lexi looked back to see Cole leaning againstthe wall where she’d left him, but his attention remained on thelibrary.
“They’re not paying attention,” Lexi assuredher aunt.
“Good.”
Sahira walked over to the gray, stone backwall and ran her fingers across it until she found the rock shesought. She pushed on it.
A small panel swung open to reveal the safebeyond. Lexi was sure it was where Sahira kept the harrow stonebefore it decided to become her new best friend and almost killedher.
Lexi opened her fingers to study the redstone filling most of her palm. It wasn’t glowing anymore, but shesensed power humming through it. She had no idea how to harnessthat power, but shewouldfigure it out.
This was not what she’d wanted from her life.Before the war started, she was content to live at her manor, withher horses and aunt and dad. She’d loved her simple life, the joythe land and animals brought her, and felt secure in the loveshowered on her.
After the war, she’d learned to live with thehole her father’s passing created inside her. They hadn’t had muchmoney, and things were falling apart around the manor, but she’dstill loved her home, her aunt, and her life.
She’d never wanted it to change.
But change it had, long before she learnedher father was still alive and was Orin’s prisoner of war insteadof dead. Cole’s love had changed it for the better, and now thather dad and Sahira had revealed her true heritage, it was changingagain.
This time, she didn’t know if it was for thebetter or the worse. But she would have to find out because thereweren’t any other options. If she said she didn’t want to do this,that she’d rather hide than learn her powers and face the Lord,Cole would take her from here and find somewhere safe for her tolive the rest of her life… in hiding… as a coward.
She wrapped her hand around the stone again.No light shone from her palm, but warmth spread through her body asa small pulse reverberated from the stone.
