The Fate of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy

Author:Jeffe Kennedy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Brightlynx Publishing
Published: 2020-02-02T16:00:00+00:00

I spent the next few hours on the breakwater, tracking futures until my head ached. Then I switched to looking through the eyes of northern Tala, verifying my landmark for the new barrier position. Then I returned to my lonely bedroom, changed out of my fancy dress, jewelry and crown, and napped for a few hours to build up my strength.

When I emerged—after first checking to make sure Rayfe hadn’t returned to our rooms—I went to the window to do my habitual scan that all remained well. I still had time to spare. Traveling to the Heart of Annfwn requires very little preparation. Part of why this last remaining font of magic has remained so well hidden all these centuries—except, perhaps, from clever but discreet librarians who understand geometry—is because it’s deceptively simple to access.

As long as you’re a shapeshifter capable of taking multiple different forms over a short space of time.

Also, I didn’t have to be there precisely at midnight. There’s no particular magic to the stroke of midnight, no matter what the stories say. It’s just that Moranu’s power waxes greatest at the farthest point from her sister goddesses. Just as Danu is strongest at the bright light of high noon, and as Glorianna holds sway at the twin cusps of day and night, Moranu belongs to the darkness and shadows.

If I had time for it, the ultimate time for any sorcery would be in the middle of the night during the fullest of the new moon. But a new moon, like the full moon, occurred once a month—and that wasn’t now. Also, though the new moon, again like the full moon, truly lasts about seventy-two hours, having the exact peak occur in the middle of the night is even more rare. The Tala shamans and wizards chart that assiduously for their rites.

One advantage, at least, of inheriting my mother’s sorcery and having access to the Heart, was that I didn’t need the magical boost the others did. It would be nice, but it would also be nice if the high priestess drowned herself in the sea.

So, I figured on getting to the Heart a couple of hours before midnight, which meant leaving an hour before that. I considered leaving even earlier, but the Heart could feel like a prison, a sealed bubble that trapped me away from the world.

Which is why I tried not to contemplate the last resort solution too long. An eternity in that… I shuddered and pushed the thought away.

“Andromeda.” Rayfe’s voice behind me almost made me jump out of my skin. I whirled, heart pounding furiously. “You’re still awake. You waited up for me. Thank you.”

He smiled at me, eyes lighting with affection and sensual promise, with that hint of a wicked edge to it that I’d always found so appealing. I risked a quick brush of his thoughts and detected nothing of Deyrr. That told me nothing, however, as I hadn’t sensed anything like that from him before either. The high priestess had been terribly clever in leaving little trace of her work.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.