pale green stems with purple flowers so tiny they were hardly more than dots.
“Looks innocent enough, but it’s very powerful for restoring strength,” Aunt Dorothy said.
“What happened?” I finally managed. Ang, Sophie, Mason, and Mr. Sykes stood around me in a concerned ring.
“You nearly burned yourself out.” Aunt Dorothy sounded matter-of-fact, but her eyebrows drew together, shadowing her eyes. “A valiant effort, but wholly unnecessary to strain yourself that way. We’re going to try that again, but this time working together.”
“I’m sorry, Corinne,” Ang said. “I wanted to help, but I didn’t know what to do.”
I looked at Aunt Dorothy. “Yeah, how are we supposed to work together if we don’t know how ?” I tried to keep my irritation in check. But what was the point of throwing us into a drill with no warnings or direction?
“She’s right,” Mr. Sykes said, and sighed. “We didn’t know either, when we started.”
Aunt Dorothy harrumphed and planted her hands on her hips. “I suppose you could be right.”
I gave Mr. Sykes a tiny, grateful smile, and he winked when Aunt Dorothy wasn’t looking.
“While Corinne recovers a bit more, we’ll have a lesson.” My great aunt squared her shoulders and assumed the teacherly air she’d had earlier. “Guardians, the net you wove earlier is very useful in a drill such as this one. If you were to cast a net in the shape of a funnel, Corinne could use it to amplify the influences so she would not have to use up so much energy.”
“A funnel?” Sophie said, an incredulous frown making her eyes all squinty. “No offense, but it took us, like, all morning just to cast one net over a bunch of flowers. How are we supposed to make one into a complicated shape when we’re freaking out over some nasty black fog?”
I held my breath, waiting—and kind of hoping—that Aunt Dorothy would reprimand Sophie for her snotty tone. But no reproach came.
“It’s not much more complicated, my dear. Here, let us have the two of you try it. Form one that begins at that rock and narrows all the way to that large shrub.” Aunt Dorothy gestured. “As though the center is being pulled away from you while the edges remain stationary.”
Ang and Sophie started to weave a funnel that winked out of existence a few seconds later.
What was that ? I said to Mason. If I talked like that to Aunt Dorothy, she’d burn holes through my head with her eyes.
Yeah, that was weird, he agreed. You going to be okay?
A few more minutes, and I think I will be. I examined the tiny flowers in my palm again.
Mason sat down next to me, his back against the stump and his upper arm pressed against mine. A small surge of energy spread from where our bare skin touched, filling me with warmth and strength.
It’s too bad you can’t see this, I said. After a few more tries, the two Guardians formed a funnel that held. Aunt Dorothy whispered something to Mr. S, and they both nodded. “Excellent!” she called. “Now see if you can extend and shorten it.”
The gossamer funnel shivered, then began to stretch past the meadow and into the woods beyond. Then it shrank back on itself, growing more compact until the wide end and the narrow end were only a few feet apart. Sophie stood with her feet planted wide and fists clamped against her thighs, but she looked a lot calmer than she had earlier today. Ang’s face was soft, her eyes intent and unblinking.
“One more challenge,” Aunt Dorothy said, pointing. “Swing it around ninety degrees.”
The narrow end of the funnel rotated from west to south.
“Way to go!” I cheered. This could work. If I could send a burst of influences swirling around the inner walls of the funnel, gaining momentum as it neared the narrow end, it would shoot like a bullet into its target.
Aunt Dorothy nodded with satisfaction, and they all joined me and Mason.
“I’m sorry, but I just have to ask something,” Sophie said. She jutted
“Looks innocent enough, but it’s very powerful for restoring strength,” Aunt Dorothy said.
“What happened?” I finally managed. Ang, Sophie, Mason, and Mr. Sykes stood around me in a concerned ring.
“You nearly burned yourself out.” Aunt Dorothy sounded matter-of-fact, but her eyebrows drew together, shadowing her eyes. “A valiant effort, but wholly unnecessary to strain yourself that way. We’re going to try that again, but this time working together.”
“I’m sorry, Corinne,” Ang said. “I wanted to help, but I didn’t know what to do.”
I looked at Aunt Dorothy. “Yeah, how are we supposed to work together if we don’t know how ?” I tried to keep my irritation in check. But what was the point of throwing us into a drill with no warnings or direction?
“She’s right,” Mr. Sykes said, and sighed. “We didn’t know either, when we started.”
Aunt Dorothy harrumphed and planted her hands on her hips. “I suppose you could be right.”
I gave Mr. Sykes a tiny, grateful smile, and he winked when Aunt Dorothy wasn’t looking.
“While Corinne recovers a bit more, we’ll have a lesson.” My great aunt squared her shoulders and assumed the teacherly air she’d had earlier. “Guardians, the net you wove earlier is very useful in a drill such as this one. If you were to cast a net in the shape of a funnel, Corinne could use it to amplify the influences so she would not have to use up so much energy.”
“A funnel?” Sophie said, an incredulous frown making her eyes all squinty. “No offense, but it took us, like, all morning just to cast one net over a bunch of flowers. How are we supposed to make one into a complicated shape when we’re freaking out over some nasty black fog?”
I held my breath, waiting—and kind of hoping—that Aunt Dorothy would reprimand Sophie for her snotty tone. But no reproach came.
“It’s not much more complicated, my dear. Here, let us have the two of you try it. Form one that begins at that rock and narrows all the way to that large shrub.” Aunt Dorothy gestured. “As though the center is being pulled away from you while the edges remain stationary.”
Ang and Sophie started to weave a funnel that winked out of existence a few seconds later.
What was that ? I said to Mason. If I talked like that to Aunt Dorothy, she’d burn holes through my head with her eyes.
Yeah, that was weird, he agreed. You going to be okay?
A few more minutes, and I think I will be. I examined the tiny flowers in my palm again.
Mason sat down next to me, his back against the stump and his upper arm pressed against mine. A small surge of energy spread from where our bare skin touched, filling me with warmth and strength.
It’s too bad you can’t see this, I said. After a few more tries, the two Guardians formed a funnel that held. Aunt Dorothy whispered something to Mr. S, and they both nodded. “Excellent!” she called. “Now see if you can extend and shorten it.”
The gossamer funnel shivered, then began to stretch past the meadow and into the woods beyond. Then it shrank back on itself, growing more compact until the wide end and the narrow end were only a few feet apart. Sophie stood with her feet planted wide and fists clamped against her thighs, but she looked a lot calmer than she had earlier today. Ang’s face was soft, her eyes intent and unblinking.
“One more challenge,” Aunt Dorothy said, pointing. “Swing it around ninety degrees.”
The narrow end of the funnel rotated from west to south.
“Way to go!” I cheered. This could work. If I could send a burst of influences swirling around the inner walls of the funnel, gaining momentum as it neared the narrow end, it would shoot like a bullet into its target.
Aunt Dorothy nodded with satisfaction, and they all joined me and Mason.
“I’m sorry, but I just have to ask something,” Sophie said. She jutted
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