Neither, thank you! Leave the bodily functions to me.
I will rejoice when the powder starts working,Caliel grumbled.
I decided I liked him better silent. I had found the Chastetuber powder I needed at the cafeteria, but half an hour after consumption, I wasn’t going to see much benefit.
Cara took us through the gate to a beach with waves crashing against the shore. The sun shone down, but the breeze off the water was cool.
“Okay,” Cara said. “I’d like to see you guys do your team thing.”
I swallowed. “Not sure I can call my monster up on command. It’s only been interested in surfacing when I really needed it.”
The Watcher smiled. “That’s why I’m here. I need to show you how to tap into it whenever you need it. Not just when things are desperate.”
“I don’t even know what Isobel put inside me,” I protested. “She wouldn’t say.”
“I have some ideas about that,” Cara stated. “But I want to see you in action first.”
I stared out across the water. And as I did so, droplets began to rise from it, to hang suspended in the air.
Riggs stepped forward so that he stood beside me, one hand raised and his brows lowered in concentration. “Try to freeze them,” he suggested.
I reached deep inside, but nothing at all greeted me. Not Caliel. Certainly not any ice-making monster.
Riggs grunted, and the droplets fell. “Damn. I couldn’t hold onto them.”
“Okay. Let’s break this down,” the Watcher said. “What was different between now, and the time at the volcano?”
“Other than a boiling cloud of ash heading straight at us?” Riggs asked, one corner of his lip twitching. “That’s what you’re getting at, isn’t it? Tapping into emotion?”
Cara grinned. “You remember your earlier lesson. Good for you. Yes. You can use the emotions evoked by memory to activate your powers.”
Be nice to think that my pervading sense of guilt could be useful, but I had a feeling things like fear and rage would be easier to work with.
“Was there anything else different about that time?” Cara asked.
I brought up the memories, and my pulse quickened. It had been pretty intense—then I turned to Riggs. “Your sword. You had it out.”
He snorted a laugh. “It was dumb. But with all that ash boiling down on us, it just seemed natural. Put the weapon between us and the enemy.”
“Ah. The sword.” Cara tapped her chin.
Riggs stared at her. “It’s a fine weapon. But it is just a sword.”
Cara’s lips twitched. “My boy, there is nothing “just” about that sword.”
“I think it glowed,” I said.
His mouth straightened as Cara raised a brow. “Was it really glowing?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Riggs admitted with reluctance. “I think it was.”
The Watcher’s fingers tapped against her thigh. “That sword has always adapted itself to its bearers. Pull it out.”
He stared at her, and then he did so. It shone in the sunlight. Riggs spun the hilt in his hand and sank the tip into the sand at his feet.
This time, there was no doubt. The entire sword lit up, and I saw runes running along the blade.
Cara’s eyes gleamed a vivid blue. “It’s tapping into the lodestone.” Her voice was almost hushed. “I didn’t know it could do that.”
