Page 85 of Spirit Storm

The chamber is doing what it’s supposed to do, and I know it works. I’ve been here before, both for myself and with Violet. I’m exactly where I need to be.

The runes beneath me hum in steady pulses, working their way up through my body. My magic lurches, disorganized and frantic.

“Breathe, Hallowind. Trace the sigils in your mind and breathe.”

I follow Wylder’s advice and focus on the sigils he taught me for calming my energy. I keep my eyes shut, my hands flat against the floor, and focus on box breathing.

In for the count of five. Hold for five. Out for five…

The warmth of the runes climbs my shoulders. My magic is still chaotic, but the room is drawing the excess outward, pulling the overflow away from my core like a tide going out.

I continue to breathe through it and stay still.

“That’s it, Poppy,” Dr. Thorne says. “Almost there.”

I continue to focus on breathing, envisioning the calming sigil in my mind, tracing the intricate lines and curves with my mind’s eye… until things quiet inside me.

"All right, Poppy. You're free to move."

I open my eyes and sit up.

The runes on the floor have gone dim again, leaving only their outlines carved into the stone. I flex my fingers and reach for my affinity.

It’s muted but still there.

Thank the Goddess. I’d worried that Tharuzel’s meddling had overloaded me so badly that my affinity would be burned up entirely.

The desperate drowning quality of it has eased, but the potential for chaos is still there.

The moment the seal of the chamber unlocks, Asher rushes in and helps me off the floor. Then, I’m locked in his arms and he’s squeezing the air out of me. “I’m sorry. I’m supposed to keep you safe, but I didn’t know how to stop that… or fix it… or how to help you.”

I squeeze him tight and then ease back. “You got me here, didn’t you? Wait. How did you get me here?”

He shrugged. “I portaled you and Wylder. I wasn’t sure I could do it, but I made it to the standing stones at the house and then Wylder got us through to Arcana.”

“Yeah, so quit hogging her.” Wylder is standing beside us, glaring at Asher. “You’re not the only one who was scared shitless.”

“Yep, sorry.” Asher turns me and gives me a nudge toward Wylder’s open arms.

Wylder’s hug isn’t anything like Asher’s. He’s gentle with me, tentative. “You gotta stop scaring us like that. I swear my heart was about to beat out of my chest.”

I give him a squeeze, breathe him in, and press my forehead to his. “I will try never to do that again, but since I have no idea how we got to this point or what happened, I can’t guarantee it.”

“Well, that can’t be right.” Dr. Thorne is frowning at his computer screen, murmuring to himself.

That can't be good.

The three of us exit the chamber and join him.

I peer over his shoulder, unable to make sense of the graphs and waves on the screen. “What can’t be right? What do you see?”

Wylder leans in to study whatever is on the screen, and the furrow of his brow tells me that he sees something I don’t.

Dr. Thorne turns and looks at me for the first time.

"What?" I ask. "Is it bad?"

“No. Not bad.” He turns my hands palm-up and studies the faint traces of light still visible beneath my skin. "It's actually quite incredible. You have a second affinity emerging."