The girl that Bratton was lying on made a rude gesture at Alchia. “I’m not superstitious. I am mystical.”
Alchia rolled her eyes. “Batshit crazy.”
“It’s a shame that this is all going to waste down here, waiting for the gods to return when they already have,” Cyrene said, sheathing Shadowbreaker.
She could have heard a pin drop.
Mags jolted upright, letting Bratton fall into a heap at her feet, cursing. Alchia had round eyes. Cambria looked skeptical. Jenstad looked eager.
“What…what are you saying?” Jenstad asked.
“I’m saying that there is a war in what you call the wetlands. The gods—the Creator and the Destroyer—have returned. The goddess of destruction, Malysa, is attempting to slay everyone and everything in all of Emporia. She won’t stop until everyone submits to her,” she told them. “And you are sitting on an arsenal, waiting for that day when it’s already here.”
“But…it’s not in Tygh,” Alchia said hesitantly.
“Not yet,” Cyrene said. “Do you think she’s just going to stop once she’s gone through the rest of Emporia?”
“This can’t be,” Cambria said.
“She’s the sign,” Mags said in awe.
“I’m not a sign. I’m the Domina. I am here to stop Malysa. I could use Hohl blades and trained water seekers.”
Jenstad sighed. “That sounds like…a fantasy.”
“Everything you have ever been told is fantasy is true,” Cyrene assured him. “Take it from someone who knows.”
“How are we to know you’re even telling us the truth though?” Cambria asked, still skeptical. “You could just want to steal all the Hohl metal we have been collecting forever. You could be a thief.”
Cyrene nodded. “I could be. But I’m not.” Then she stepped back. “Let me show you.”
She took a deep breath and went deep within herself. She knew that this was dangerous. Reaching for her spirit magic without linking to Sarielle could leave her vulnerable. But she didn’t feel vulnerable with the Domina diamond at her throat. She felt more secure than ever. Centered and present in the moment.
She found that place within her that held the ether. Then, instead of going deep within herself, pulling herself out of her body, and crossing the spiritual plane, she did the opposite. She used the strength of her magic and the amplifying power of the diamond and brought the vision to the surface. She focused and filled the chamber with her memory of the battle with Malysa. The two armies poised against each other. Cyrene versus Kael. Light versus Dark. Eternity molding them into this moment.
She could feel that she had all of their rapt attention. Many of them had never see real vegetation before. Some might not have been above ground. Let alone seen this many people at once. An army had to look impossible.
Then Malysa appeared. She called forth her generals. Stole Matilde’s body. Spirit merging with flesh. And then she vanished with the promise of chaos and destruction.
Cyrene let the projection vanish and slumped forward at the exertion. It had taken more than she had anticipated. But not more than she could spare. She took a deep breath and looked at the faces of the Tyghan youth before her. The frightened appearances that merged with…eagerness.
“That is what is brewing. That is the goddess. She is here now. And these weapons are going to waste.”
“Even if we wanted to help, they’d never listen to us,” Jenstad said.
“Yeah,” Alchia said, “they think we’re young and useless.”
“They do not,” Cambria disagreed. “They just want to protect us.”
“Control us,” Jenstad muttered under his breath. He stared hard at Cyrene. “Can you show this to the council?”
“Yes. If you think it will help.”
“It won’t,” Alchia said. “They don’t want this to happen.”
“Agreed,” Bratton said.
“This is the real world,” Cyrene told them. “While you all hide out underground, the world is suffering. The world suffers, and you could help.”
“They’d never let us help,” Jenstad said miserably. “You saw how he was with me. We’d never be allowed.”
Cyrene smiled. “Then perhaps it is time to stop asking permission.”
“Do you think that they’ll help when the time comes?” Dean asked Jenstad as he escorted us out of the training room and down another passageway.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I’ve seen what you can do. They’ve just seen whatever vision you showed up. Some people want to believe. Others want to keep their heads in the sand. Literally.”
“Like your father?” Cyrene asked.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Like my father. He’s not been the same since my mother passed. He didn’t used to be like this. So obstinate and afraid of change.”
“Some people can’t handle change, and some people rise in the face of it,” she said.
Jenstad shrugged. “I think everyone in Aleut could use a little more change. You showed up for less than a day, and already, we know more about water seeking than we’ve learned in generations. That’s not a coincidence, and I won’t ignore it.”
Cyrene smiled at him. “How old are you?”
He flinched. “Seventeen. I just became a water seeker on my name day.”
“You stand where I stood two years ago, except that I had never heard of magic. You have that advantage. The rest of your powers should come to you easily.”
He faltered a step. “Other powers? What do you mean?”
And Cyrene didn’t know how she knew it. She just had a sense that had come over her. As if…as if the diamond itself was speaking to her. But she knew that Jenstad had the capability for three of the four elements. Making him incredibly powerful, all things considered.
“You have the capacity for water, earth, and air,” she said gently. “I can see that in you. You could be more than a water seeker. You could be a Doma. Trained in my domain.”
His look was one of awe. “Earth and air? But…how?”
“Doma all have the capability of four elements and the fifth, ether. Few have all four, let alone the fifth. We draw our energy from within,” she explained the basic Doma principles to him as they continued down the empty hallways. “So, I presume, if you don’t eat or sleep after water seeking, you feel drained. Very dangerous in the desert.”
He nodded. “Yes. We’re very careful about supplies and regulated sleep schedules. I’m off schedule right now, I’ll have you know.”
She laughed. “Sorry about that. But I think you’ll be fine for some time. The important thing is that you already understand your water heritage, and you just need to focus on building up earth and air equally so that you can master your magic. Not mastering it means it can master you.”
“And this means…I’m Doma?” he asked uncertainly.
“Yes. Yes, you are.”
He seemed stunned by the words and all the new knowledge she had given him. Dean just chuckled behind her.
“Way to blindside him,” he muttered.