Lord of the Night

Chapter 64: Stronger

"Ok," said Isalio, and he closed his eyes.

My chest pinched at the quick obedience. He knew I had no idea what I was talking about—I didn't know how Demons took lifeforce, much less how a select few were able to give it back—but I also understood why he didn't want to question it. He had been in control for too long, and controlling this exchange terrified him. So, I continued to feign confidence.

"Imagine you're standing in a river, facing upstream." I always imagined a river when he took my lifeforce, so it seemed like a good starting place. "The water is flowing into you, offering itself to you."

I studied his face to gauge whether I was making any sense. He pinched his eyes shut tighter, face screwed up in concentration. Fuck, he trusted me way too much.

I drew a breath. "Now turn around, so the stream is at your back. As it washes over you, feed it back a little of what it gave you."

He nodded, eyes still shut, muscles tensed with focus. First Guardian, I hoped what I was saying would resonate correctly—and that he wouldn't give too much.

"I'm going to take your hand," I said quietly. "You don't need to change anything. I'm already standing downstream from you, so just let the water keep flowing."

When I brushed the back of his hand, he flinched back, drawing a quick breath. I waited for his breathing to even and his body to relax before interlacing our fingers. His skin burned hot, almost painfully so, but I didn't let go.

"Breathe," I commanded, and I vocalized my breaths so he could follow them. When his pace matched my own, I added, "You're doing great. Now slowly, let it go."

I closed my eyes and entered the stream with him, listening to our mingled breaths...

And then I felt it: a gentle pressure, a coil of electricity passing from his hand into mine. The strength of the incoming flow startled me. My fatigue evaporated like droplets under hot sun, and then bolts of raw energy surged through me. My muscles flared in response, demanding release.

I tugged my hand free from his and forced my eyes open. "Hey, are you ok?"

His eyes opened more slowly, and then he blinked as though facing a bright light. "Yeah, I'm good. How do you feel?"

I felt like I was deep underground, at one with the First Guardian's heartbeat, but at the same time, an utterly new sensation soared inside me, almost as if...

"I feel like I own a piece of the sky."

He raised his eyebrows. "Does that mean it's working?"

Since no electricity graced my fingertips, I decided to try a different method to test our success. I strolled back over to the boulder in the entryway, the one only Guardians could move. Instead of pushing it, I crouched to slip both hands beneath it. My fingers found grooves, so the rock stuck in place. Then I hoisted the giant rock off the ground.

It snapped up—too fast, too easy—and clunked against the ceiling. So, I shifted the boulder to one hand, balancing it there. I watched, bemused, as the boulder much bigger than myself hovered in front of me. Still too easy.

I peered down the long skinny chamber and listened as hard as I could. Even though it was dimly lit, I could see all the way down the passageway, and I could listen much further. No footsteps; no breathing. I drew the boulder closer to me, leaning back to allow space—and then I shoved it as hard as I could. The boulder thundered down the passageway, ricocheting off the walls in echoing thunks.

Well fuck, I hoped the cave had good integrity.

With a wince, I turned back to Isalio. "Yeah. I think it's working."