at her. “Wait, water-rat. I… I don’t think I can do it.”
“What?” she hissed, her own olive-colored eyes wide with disbelief. To offer her a shred of hope and then to crush it so quickly!
“It’d take a Master Seer to do something like this and the girl doesn’t have the time for you to go kidnapping one.”
Mahri shook with frustration, weariness, and too much zabba. “Are you saying you’re not powerful enough? But what about me? You know I am.”
“You’re also a root-fried Wilding and don’t have the control I do. I saw what happened when you tried to Push the virus. What if you accidentally Pushed harmful bacteria or something into that little girl?” They both glanced down at tousled chestnut curls, the innocent face of that sleeping child.
Mahri dropped her head, stray wisps of dark red hair fell to cover her face. “There has to be some way.”
Sh’ra moaned and barked a weak cough.
Warm strong fingers tilted Mahri’s chin up, brushed the red strands away from her face. “Even a water-rat knows,” he said, “that there’s only one way to tap another Seer’s Power.”
Mahri lost herself in his eyes. “A Bonding,” she whispered.
Chapter 7
M AHRI BLINKED AGAINST HIS CHARISMATIC LURE AND had to force herself to look away. “I knew it!” She cursed viciously. “I knew they’d find a way to make this happen.”
Korl crossed muscled arms over his broad chest. “What’re you talking about?”
“The natives…”
His full bottom lip curled into a smile and Mahri snapped her own mouth shut. She remembered his reaction the last time she’d told him about her dream. He didn’t believe it for a moment and neither should she. Yet, why were the natives watching them at the river? Although it could be hard to determine the facial expressions of those scale-furred humanoids, she’d sensed smug satisfaction as they watched her and the Prince. As if they knew that the two of them would be drawn together.
“There has to be another way,” she muttered. “A Bond could only be as a last resort—it’s too permanent, we could never break it.”
Korl’s eyebrow rose in that arrogantly superior manner and Mahri knew that he was about to spout off something that would make her angry. “You didn’t think I was suggesting that we Bond, did you? A prince and a water-rat?” He barked a short laugh.
She’d been right. Anger flared inside of her. “Spare me your ego, Oh Great One. I’d risk twice as much asyou, considering I’ve got more tolerance than you could ever hope for.”
He near sputtered with surprised indignation. “Well it works both ways. You could tap my Power too, maybe use that to influence me—or keep me weak—or try to control the throne.”
“You haven’t got the throne, at least not yet. But you could use enough of my own Power to secure it.”
They stared at each other, sparks of unleashed Power flashing between them, and recognized the mutual distrust. And fear. No wonder a Bonding is so rare, thought Mahri. The risks far outweighed the advantages.
Sh’ra moaned and Korl took Mahri’s hand when her face crumpled in response to that pitiful mew. “I don’t trust you,” she whispered.
“Nor I you.”
Mahri shook her head. If only there was someone else who could tolerate the root as much as she did. Someone who could feed enough Power to Korl to save her niece. “But I don’t know any other way to do this thing—there are no other Wildings in the village.”
They both stood frozen with indecision, the silence in the room only broken by the rattled breath of the child.
“A prince can’t Bond with a water-rat,” muttered Korl with the finality of a command.
Mahri snatched her hand from his, tried to cool the burn in her fingers from that brief contact with his skin. He didn’t want to Bond anymore than she did yet that only slightly reassured her. The natives had wanted this to happen and she didn’t like the feeling of being manipulated,
“What?” she hissed, her own olive-colored eyes wide with disbelief. To offer her a shred of hope and then to crush it so quickly!
“It’d take a Master Seer to do something like this and the girl doesn’t have the time for you to go kidnapping one.”
Mahri shook with frustration, weariness, and too much zabba. “Are you saying you’re not powerful enough? But what about me? You know I am.”
“You’re also a root-fried Wilding and don’t have the control I do. I saw what happened when you tried to Push the virus. What if you accidentally Pushed harmful bacteria or something into that little girl?” They both glanced down at tousled chestnut curls, the innocent face of that sleeping child.
Mahri dropped her head, stray wisps of dark red hair fell to cover her face. “There has to be some way.”
Sh’ra moaned and barked a weak cough.
Warm strong fingers tilted Mahri’s chin up, brushed the red strands away from her face. “Even a water-rat knows,” he said, “that there’s only one way to tap another Seer’s Power.”
Mahri lost herself in his eyes. “A Bonding,” she whispered.
Chapter 7
M AHRI BLINKED AGAINST HIS CHARISMATIC LURE AND had to force herself to look away. “I knew it!” She cursed viciously. “I knew they’d find a way to make this happen.”
Korl crossed muscled arms over his broad chest. “What’re you talking about?”
“The natives…”
His full bottom lip curled into a smile and Mahri snapped her own mouth shut. She remembered his reaction the last time she’d told him about her dream. He didn’t believe it for a moment and neither should she. Yet, why were the natives watching them at the river? Although it could be hard to determine the facial expressions of those scale-furred humanoids, she’d sensed smug satisfaction as they watched her and the Prince. As if they knew that the two of them would be drawn together.
“There has to be another way,” she muttered. “A Bond could only be as a last resort—it’s too permanent, we could never break it.”
Korl’s eyebrow rose in that arrogantly superior manner and Mahri knew that he was about to spout off something that would make her angry. “You didn’t think I was suggesting that we Bond, did you? A prince and a water-rat?” He barked a short laugh.
She’d been right. Anger flared inside of her. “Spare me your ego, Oh Great One. I’d risk twice as much asyou, considering I’ve got more tolerance than you could ever hope for.”
He near sputtered with surprised indignation. “Well it works both ways. You could tap my Power too, maybe use that to influence me—or keep me weak—or try to control the throne.”
“You haven’t got the throne, at least not yet. But you could use enough of my own Power to secure it.”
They stared at each other, sparks of unleashed Power flashing between them, and recognized the mutual distrust. And fear. No wonder a Bonding is so rare, thought Mahri. The risks far outweighed the advantages.
Sh’ra moaned and Korl took Mahri’s hand when her face crumpled in response to that pitiful mew. “I don’t trust you,” she whispered.
“Nor I you.”
Mahri shook her head. If only there was someone else who could tolerate the root as much as she did. Someone who could feed enough Power to Korl to save her niece. “But I don’t know any other way to do this thing—there are no other Wildings in the village.”
They both stood frozen with indecision, the silence in the room only broken by the rattled breath of the child.
“A prince can’t Bond with a water-rat,” muttered Korl with the finality of a command.
Mahri snatched her hand from his, tried to cool the burn in her fingers from that brief contact with his skin. He didn’t want to Bond anymore than she did yet that only slightly reassured her. The natives had wanted this to happen and she didn’t like the feeling of being manipulated,
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