Page 233 of A Sanctuary from Shadow
Myrrdin’s mouth quirked. “That shall depend on how many powers you’ve been gifted.”
“Oh, well—that makes sense.”
“And Pete—” Myrrdin looked to him. “Yours is a more grueling lot. Not only will you serve as a filter for her powers—”
I nearly bit my tongue in half. “A filter? What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going to slow the flow of magic from the conduits, so your powers don’t overwhelm you.” Pete’s smoldering cooled at the thought. “Because that might make you swoon while your gifts are still mingling among them. Then they’d need to keep them controlled until you came to.”
I cringed, thinking of my powers as wayward toddlers. You’d never want them misbehaving at someone else’s house. “Yes, let’s not let that happen.”
I fully believed Pete when he nodded, assuring me he wouldn’t.
Myrrdin glimmered at us. “Pete, as Amy’s anchor, you’ll also keep her grounded in the onslaught.”
I could’ve done without the wordonslaught. “My anchor?”
Pete’s eyes rolled skyward as Myrrdin said, “Aside from the threat of swooning, there’s also the worry that you might forget yourself and soar away. Sometimes it happens with zephyrists. Wind sustains the Mother’s Isle in the heavens, you see, and tends to call its vessels home.”
“Home?” After a moment, I realized what he meant. “Home? Like the Isle of Apples,home?”
“Yes.”
Pete shifted, his mouth bunching.
“Pete has to keep me from doing that?How?”
Myrrdin flipped up a hand, so nonchalant he was beginning to annoy me. “It’s as simple as—”
“It’s not simple, Myrrdin,” Pete argued. “As I’ve told you, I’m not—”
“Youare, Pete. I know you think otherwise, but I’ve seen it—youareher anchor. You, and only you, will keep her here. You’ve done it several times before already.”
Oh, my Goddess.I thought I knew what he was talking about.
“But that’s absurd.” Pete scraped a hand through his hair. “Anchors are only meant to be those with whom you’ve formed an affinity bond. And wehaven’t, Myrrdin.” He was so damn definitive that I knew he feared we had.
I might’ve taken offense if I didn’t know Pete so well. He didn’t fear for himself. He feared for me.
Pete looked to me for confirmation. “Have we, Shorty?”
I bit my lip, my cheeks warming. “Er, I—I think it happened that night we cheated Howlite. Maybe afterward when we were talking—and then when we were listening to my iBloom together—”
Because the next morning was when that curse seed had tried to enslave me, and the only thing that had prevented me from overpowering Pete and grabbing the damn thing had been him—my memories of him. The same thing had happened when I’d taken that slide down the ravine just before we’d first reached Eden. Without his visage to cling to, I’d have flown off to Danu only knew where until I was lost, alone, and in danger of nature swallowing me.
I offered a crooked smile. “Good music can make you do crazy things.”
Guffawing like a monster, Morus ambled away.
“Damnit all, no!” Pete massaged his forehead. “This cannot be! I—I—I’ve spentyearstrying to avoid this very thing happening, Myrrdin. Years! I’m aharbingerfor Christ’s sake! And now—now you’re telling me it might’ve happened when I wasn’t bloody watching?”
“Yes,” Myrrdin said.
Pete spewed a diatribe of what I guessed was Gaelic into his hands. I’d never heard him speak Gaelic before, but he was right—now seemed the appropriate time.
Heart aflutter despite Pete’s mood swing, I peered over at Myrrdin. “This anchor thing—it’s more complicated than Pete just keeping me grounded for the summoning?”
“Hm,” Myrrdin hummed, amused again. “Pete will explain it to you later, Amy. Right now, all you need know is that he, as your anchor, will prevent you from a premature departure. And to do so, he must commune with you.”
