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Rhadan touched the bowl. “We should return this to the temple. Are there any other druid artifacts? Can you use the energy in the bowl to guide you?”
“That’s a great idea. The bowl does have a signature of sorts. I guess you aren’t just a pretty dragon.”
Rhadan huffed. “I will attempt to forget you said that.”
She chuckled before she focused on the bowl in her hands. The energy had a white wavy pattern, and she allowed her consciousness to flare out, looking for anything else with a similar feeling. The rebound from her search reminded her of a bat and echolocation. The item that called to her was in the next row, but she couldn’t see what it was. “It’s in the next aisle.” She passed the bowl to Rhadan as he led her to the next row of shelves.
While she was looking with Rhadan’s eyes, she imposed the energy signature over his sight. The bronze urn emitted a white, wavy pattern of light similar to the bowl in Rhadan’s hands.
“That is unique. I have never seen anything like that before.”
“Do you recognize it?”
Rhadan ran a finger over the urn. “No. I have never seen it before. It is not druid or dragon made, but it has been spelled.” He whispered in Celtic, and the urn turned from black marble to stone.
“Can I pick it up?”
“Yes, the spell was a glamor, which is surprising since the person who placed the spell is still alive.”
Tempest picked up the stone urn. It was heavy and had a few crude symbols on it, but it was the feel of it that made her inspect it closely.
Rhadan held his hand out. “May I?”
She passed him the urn. “It is empty. Do you have any idea why this called you? Do you see the previous owner?”
Tempest took the urn back from him and focused her power on it. The image of Adara placing the circle under the vase flashed through her mind. The words whispered in her mind as the images faded. Your time has come. It was Adara’s voice.
There was a cracking sound before the bottom of the urn broke apart and Tempest sifted through the dust to find her circle. She dusted off the black onyx to reveal the symbol of two hands with a gate between them. “My circle.”
Rhadan glanced around. “It was here the whole time? Mara assumed Devlin had it, but when Allorin appeared not to, we assumed we were wrong.”
“I can’t tell you whether Devlin knew it was here. I can tell you it’s coming home with us.”
As she put the broken urn on the shelf and rubbed the circle against her chest to buff the shiny surface, her power pulsed and Rhadan had to grab her to avert her falling to the floor. Her vision wavered as she lost the connection with the dragon holding her.
“What is happening?”
Rhadan spoke between clenched teeth. “Your magic is maturing. Emerging, but it is too soon. Hold it back. We must return the circle to the temple and get some guidance from Adara.”
She wanted to listen to him. Everything he said made sense, but the power continued to grow, and she slumped in his arms when her legs could no longer hold her weight.
CHAPTER 14
Warmth spread through Tempest’s body, and she snuggled closer to the heating pad next to her. Her fingers clutched the fabric under her fingernails, but the muscle tensed beneath the material. She blinked, but she was surrounded by darkness.
Electricity traveled up her arm, and she realized Rhadan had infused her with magic. Strength. Her body hummed in the black void of her sightless life, and she yearned for the colors and brightness. How had she gone so long without the beauty of color? How would she endure the dark when Rhadan left her side?
“I will never leave you, Tempest. You are as essential to me as breathing.” He restored the mental connection as the flow of energy subsided and the warehouse shelves returned.
“What happened?” she asked as he lowered her feet to the floor. She hadn’t realized he had cradled her in his arms and being that comfortable with someone she just met was surprising.
“The circle affected you. It empowered you, but as your power emerged, it was like you didn’t know how to expel it. You lost consciousness, and I used magic to revive you,” he said.
“I felt that, and I am better now.” She took the circle from Rhadan when he handed it to her. This time there was no outward effect, and she slipped it into the pocket on her dress.
“Good. We should return to the cabin. I am concerned about your reaction to the circle. Your power is emerging too soon.”
His voice played over her skin like a fine instrument, and her breath hitched in her lungs. She wanted to say it was the effect of radiance and she had finally fallen under his control, but it wasn’t that. His kindness and concern for her safety had been a far more effective aphrodisiac.
