Page 91 of The Starlight Savior

Conor turned towards her. “Ancient magic often calls for blood, especially for something as strong as portaling.”

She crossed her arms. “You speak of it like I’m supposed to know that!”

“Shouldn’t that have been discovered in your studies, witchling?” Conor asked with a raised brow.

She hadn’t gotten to the parts of her readings that explored the complex and frustrating layers of ancient magic. What she did know was the deities had used their blood to forge the land and beings around them. The magic lived in them, flowed through their veins in the same way it flowed through the deities.

She supposed it made sense that the oldest forms of power would be strengthened by blood.

With his pointer finger, Conor traced the symbols once again. The dark red liquid didn’t drip like it normally would. It was absorbed into the mirror. He didn’t speak, but by the way his head lowered, his eyes closed, he was in deep thought. The exposed veins glimmered dark purple. A cooling breeze whipped through the room, blowing Saige’s hood off and lifting her curls. Conor took a step back, frantically grabbing ahold of Saige’s hand.

“Do I have to…cut myself too?” Saige asked slowly.

Conor shook his head. “Blood activates it. Now we just have to channel our power into it. Oftentimes one strong magic-wielder can open the portal, but I need to reserve my energy. I’ll need your help there and back.”

“How?”

“No time to explain. Just think of all your energy flowing out your hand, sort of like your meditations.”

The edges of the mirror were transforming from old silver to blood red, Conor’s magic lighting up their surroundings.

“And don’t think of any particular place. Let me do the…intention setting.”

“Easier said than done,” Saige grumbled.

But there wasn’t time for Conor to respond. Each symbol was coated in Conor’s blood.

She raised her hand, eyes closed, imagining her light flooding through her. It was comforting to feel the familiar swell of buzzing energy at the base of her spine, surging under her skin.

“Now!” Conor shouted, the winds whipping around them quickly.

She opened her eyes to see the hair around their faces pushed back, his eyes wide and brighter than she ever saw before. In his free hand, with blood dripping from his fingertip, flashes of lightning were spewing from his palm, slamming against the glass of the mirror. She tried to do the same, a thin stream of silvery light flowing from her.

“Walk forward,” Conor demanded, pulling her along. The mirror swam with purple and white light. Just like their lantern, drifting into the sky.

“We can’t walk through that!” she shouted, her heels biting into the stone floor. “C-Conor!”

“We have to!”

“I’ve never—”

“You have,” he reminded her.

She had.

Even if she had been unconscious.

Saige leapt to Conor’s side as one of his hands grazed the mirror. Instead of fingertips meeting glass, they disappeared into the flood of light and power. Conor’s head went back, his eyes closed. He breathed one word before they were both swallowed.

“Home.”

Chapter 36

Flying through the portal, Saige found herself incredibly grateful she’d been previously unconscious during such a wretched way of traveling. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to be awake through the jarring swirls of magic and power. The moment her body was absorbed by the mirror, it felt as if she was floating and drowning at the same time. Pressure pushed against her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Suddenly, it was as if she was drifting along the stars and clouds.

She tried to keep her eyes open, but the wind was smothering. Light penetrated her eyelids. A symphony of rainbow flowing around her, caressing her, pushing against her, until she felt Conor’s hand ripped away. She landed hard. Whatever remaining air was knocked out of her lungs. Stomach lurching, she spewed her supper on the muddy floor.

Conor leapt from a mirror, twin to the one in Athalos’s castle. He landed gracefully as he ran a few steps forward to prevent his momentum from taking him down. He didn’t even try to hide the cocky grin on his face. A growl escaped her lips before she vomited once again.