63. Tori

Iwas sitting with Jun, eating our cold camp dinner, when I felt it—cold, wet dread gripping at my stomach. The food turned to ash in my mouth, and I set my bowl down on the ground beside me with a clank.

"Tori?" Jun looked at me with concern. I grabbed his hand and focused on the feeling that was twisting itself around my stomach. It was fear, deep and ingrained, but it wasn't mine. I visualized the mana of the earth and followed it to that floating light I had given to Pallas, and it was beating so fast I thought it might explode.

"Pallas?" My brother felt it, too, and his face blanched. "What's happening? We have to help her." He rose like he was ready to run straight to her across the fields of ambrosia. It was a very me thing to do. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

"Focus. We've got a lock to pick."

Heraised his eyebrows but didn't question me as I pulled his forehead to mine. I entwined our fingers and the white light in our hearts. That ancient and foreign magic flowed down the ley line beneath our feet and straight into Pallas' heart.

Thosetwisted roots remained, just like I had seen in Abraxas. These were stronger and more numerous. Some areas were so thick that they almost completely blocked out the light that was hidden inside. The heart underneath threatened to give out, and as I focused more, I could hear Pallas' screaming. Jun's jaw clenched as he heard it, too. We didn't have time.

Together, we reached out with our magic, probing gently at the shimmering tangle surrounding Pallas"s heart. I hesitated, but Jun launched in, tugging at the roots with abandon. The first he pulled on snapped; its loose end was sucked deeper into the writhing mass. I gripped his hand tighter. We had to be careful. He squeezed back and worked slower.

Wepulled and worked at the puzzle, and with every bit loosened, I saw more and more of that blue light that was Pallas peeking out. Pain shot over my legs and back, and I knew it was only a shadow of what she was feeling. I couldn't let it break my focus. I ground my teeth until they nearly cracked, and Jun gripped my fingers until I thought they might snap.

Wepersisted, and more light emerged from the depths of Pallas"s heart. Finally, our white magic and her blue light were too much, and the knot disintegrated into ash, the threads of the earth unraveling like strands of silk as they fell away.

Pallas' magic burst forth, and we were both thrown back, landing next to the fire. Numerous worried eyes looked at us, but I only saw Jun.

"She has to do the rest," I whispered, and he nodded.

"We're with you, Pallas," Jun murmured, sending it on the wind to her.

"Fight, Pallas."