Page 87 of Anomalies

“Round her up with the others,” my Velkan says. “She’s just a scribe.”

The Shadow Man is at the foot of my bed. Callan’s bed.

My Velkan stares back at me, through that swirling black void where his facial features should be. The room is cast in a shadowed haze, puffs of white smoke pluming in front of me at every panicked exhale I take.

He feels different—more powerful. As if his absence last night was only a means to replenish his reserves. Recharging his energy so he can⁠—

“Lune Sylra.”

I fight to move, my body paralyzed, fear gripping me so violently my vision shakes.

“Requires—blood. One drop.” His voice vibrates the room, and the image of him flickers. Darkness weaves through him like ribbons of his being unraveling. “Manifest with the heart. Be wary. It wanders.”

I can barely hear him over the rush of blood in my ears, but his words echo like the lingering wail of a ghost.

“Who are you?” I try to speak, but my voice is gone—left behind in the plane of existence where my physical body is still sleeping.

My eyes grow heavy as the image of him fades, and the last thing I hear before my consciousness slips is, “Find me.”

Callan’s cabin is silent when my eyes spring open. Moonlight shines across the foot of the bed, pouring in through a sliver in the curtains. I take a minute to steady my breathing. Sweat coats my skin, and a rush of lethal adrenaline saturates my blood.

My Velkan is gone, but his words linger.

Find me…

But how can I find him without using the⁠—

Oh, my gods. I sit straight up in bed.

Blood. Manifestations of the heart…be wary, it wanders.

My Velkan just told me how to use the Eldral.

21

LUCINA

Iremember the first time I stood in this room in front of these three women. Their stoic faces and perfect postures were intimidating then, but I’m not the same girl who stumbled in here weeks ago, confused and wide-eyed.

This is my third meeting with the Dianic coven, but it’s the first time I’ve been excited to show them what I’ve learned. The Captain has been helping me with illusions over the last few days, and now it’s just living things that I have trouble replicating. Those illusions require more memorization than others, like how the body moves, mannerisms, and voice inflections…

Light manipulation, however, is a whole other beast—the ability to steal light and mold it into whatever form I desire, fire, lightning, sun, and starlight. That will be my next feat, if I can ever figure out how to replicate a frog that doesn’t scream like a human.

“Begin,” The Dame says gently, pen poised above her paper, and Laverna folds her hands over her lap. Ceres is sitting next to her, a dull shimmer to her moonlit skin.

I look over to the Captain, who leans casually against the far wall. He’s dressed in more armor today than usual, with enough weapons strapped to him to make Kimber faint. The only encouragement he gives is a wink, then magic leaks into my bloodstream, and the entire room goes dark.

Lights flicker to life—no, not lights…stars, and every head in the room tilts up to the ceiling. To the galaxy I’ve created there.

Every star is a replica of the many I’ve memorized over the years: Lune Sylra, Nyxora, Thalvar…burning in the same way we see them every night.

I pour more magic into the illusion. I weave endless space between the mass of stars in plumes of hazy smoke. I carve the moon into a crescent and place it across the room from the burning sun. Northern lights dance through like ribbons, meshing perfectly with the three planets I set orbiting around each other in the center of it all.

The Chiaros: Vita, Aura, and Pyra.

It’s the only thing I have memorized like the back of my hand—stars, planets, and the shadows between them.

I peel my gaze from the ceiling and find that the Captain is grinning. He notes me staring, and my breathing stutters when his smile widens in response. I quickly close my fist when my magic burns too hot and the illusion dissipates.