Dawnbreaker

“Then how do you use it?” I demanded, giving her hands a slight squeeze to emphasize my desperation as my gaze darted from her to Cy

Shelly’s hands slid from mine and she sat back on her heels before me, confusion filling her lovely face as her blond hair slipped down around her cheeks.

“I don’t understand,” Cy

“I can feel the earth’s power when I am here,” I said.

“Just here or when you’re near a swell?” Cy

“A swell?” Shelly asked, her gaze darting over to the naturi.

“It’s one of the places on the earth where the crust is the thi

“Yes, when I’m near a swell, I can feel the power of the earth,” I said with a nod. I threaded my fingers together, twisting them tightly as I continued my story. This was information that I wasn’t sure was safe in the hands of the naturi, but at the moment I didn’t see that I had much choice. We had already gone over much of this the previous night in the woods, but I was forced to leave that place with only a weak barrier spell in my back pocket. After walking around Cuzco and feeling the power in the air, I knew I was going to need a stronger plan of attack to survive the encounter at Machu Picchu. “It’s more than that. I can feel the power from the earth pushing against my skin, trying to enter my body.”

“I’m assuming that you allow it to enter,” Shelly said, a frown pulling at the corners of her lips.

“No, not intentionally.”

“Mira, why not? That’s a wonderful gift that you’ve been given,” Shelly said, rising up on her knees with newfound energy. “It’s like the earth is reaching out to you. It’s not the same for earth witches. We have to reach out and tap the energy in the air that we can find. Being here, with the power so thick in the air, it’s easier for me now, but for it to come searching you out…it’s…it’s like an honor.”

“But I can’t feel it when I’m not at a swell,” I countered.

“You said that you didn’t intentionally allow the power to enter your body, but it has in the past?” Cy

“When I create fire at the swells, the earth power rushes into my body. I can’t stop it! It fills me, consumes me until there seems to be nothing left inside of me except for this power. The only way to get rid of it is to create more fire, but it never seems to be enough.”

“And it never will be,” Cy

“Blood magic. It pushes the earth magic back out of my body,” I carefully said, avoiding mentioning that Danaus served as my source of pure blood magic, given his bori nature. “I want control of this. I want to be able to use the earth magic that pours into my body, but I also need to be able to shut it off. Can either of you teach me that?”

Cy

I looked over at Cy

“Please understand my point of view, Mira,” she said, slowly lifting her eyes to meet mine. “You’re already the stuff of legends among my people. Am I to be the one responsible for making you even stronger? More dangerous not only to my people, but to the entire world?”

“And what happens if we don’t?” Shelly snapped, raising her voice toward the young naturi for the first time. “Your sister Aurora will come through and kill us all. I don’t always agree with Mira’s methods, but at least in her version of the world, there’s a place for humans.”

“You’re food!” Cy

Shelly jerked back, looking as if Cy

“It’s true, Shelly,” I gently said. This time I laid a hand on her shoulder. She flinched under my cool touch, but I refused to move my hand away. “Nightwalkers ca

“They’ve hunted you,” Cy

“And we’ve protected you,” I calmly said. “We are neither villains nor saviors. We simply are a part of this world as much as humans are.”

Cy

“I’ll agree with that as long as you’re willing to share it with the rest of the races. Look me in the eye and tell me that is Aurora’s plan.”

Cy

“And because of that I will not stop fighting the naturi. Give me a naturi ruler that understands coexistence and I will consider putting down my sword.”

“Consider?” Cy

“Your brother and many others are responsible for much I will never be able to forgive. I ca

“I thought the saying was ‘forgive and forget.’”

“I know my limitations. There will be no forgiveness.”

A sigh from Shelly drew my attention back to the earth witch. She was trapped between two warring races. Her only chance was to pick a race that would protect her survival, which meant siding with the nightwalkers. But Cy

“From what it sounds like, Mira,” Shelly slowly began, moving away from my touch as she kept her eyes on the worn and faded carpet beneath her knees. “You’re trying to act as a battery for the energy that is coming into you instead of a conduit.”

“I’m not trying to do anything,” I admitted, struggling to keep from sounding defensive. “The first couple times it happened, I wasn’t trying for it. It just happens against my will.”

“Then the earth must recognize you as an outlet because of your ability to manipulate fire,” Cy

“Nia,” I murmured in the gentlest voice I could muster amidst my growing frustration. “I have to stop the door from opening.”

To my surprise, Cy