By Blood Betrayed (The Lost Shrines Book 3) by Amberlyn Holland

Author:Amberlyn Holland [Holland, Amberlyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-03-11T23:00:00+00:00

-10-

"NOW. Heal him now."

The sudden surge of life in Arun's body stunned Selena, but Finn's shouted command jolted her out of the momentary shock.

She jumped into action, pushing away the dozen questions formed in the wake of Finn's transformation. The desperate need to heal her brother before she lost him again overshadowed everything else.

To do that, though, she needed to tap into the earth's magic. Healing this kind of damage took much more than the small store of power she carried with her. The ley-pool of swirling power beneath spring was the most powerful and convenient source, but Mora had corrupted it with her sorcery and Arun's blood. And that taint was spreading to the thicker leylines leading into it. Selena couldn't risk using any of the close leylines, in case they were infected, too.

Selena's soul was already darkened by the minor sorcery she'd done at Hafgan's knee. The more tainted power one used, the more corrupted the soul became. The more one craved the power for its own sake.

Even knowing all that, Selena would risk her own soul, without hesitation, to save her brother. But the tainted power of the spring would also leave its depraved mark on Arun, as well. She would never willingly allow her brother to carry the taint staining her.

So Selena reached farther away, pulling power from leylines untouched by the corrupting influence of the Mora's magic. She stretched to the edge of her ability, where the lines were weaker and the flow sluggish but managed to pull some of their light toward her. She welcomed it, pulling it in until it combined with the shards of magic she carried within.

Dragging as much power into herself as she could, Selena encouraged the light inside her to grow until the magic filled her. Until the energy of it could no longer be contained and she throbbed with the need to release the power or be consumed by it.

Then she focused every bit of the magic she held into Arun. With careful precision, she stopped the bleeding, knitted the worst of the torn flesh back together, and replenished as much of his lost vitality and strength before exhaustion overcame her.

She slumped over Arun until her head rested lightly on his chest. The band of fear around her heart finally eased when she felt the steady, if slow, rise and fall of air in his lungs. Heard the rattle of his heartbeat under her ear.

Her brother was alive.

Hot tears splashed onto her cheeks, releasing the conflicting typhoon of grief and fear and joy and uncertainty that she'd forced down to focus on healing him

Arun would survive for now, but he'd need to rest for a while. The magic only took them so far. The body had to do the rest on its own. And there was always the possibility of infection setting in.

Finn stayed by her side, not even trying to conceal anything from the bond humming between them. Worry. Concern. Amazement. Guilt. Uncertain anticipation.

He was waiting for her reaction to his revelation.

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