Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy Book 3) Page A

sacrifice on the winter solstice,” Kami said slowly. “Now he’s asking for one on the spring equinox. You guys, you set up shop hundreds of years ago in Sorry-in-the-Vale because the woods and the lakes power your magic—”
    â€œWe are not batteries!” protested Lillian, but Kami waved a hand at her dismissively.
    â€œAnd you get sick in the autumn, when the year dies,” Kami said. “It’s all seasonal. He’ll get more power if he does it on a certain day. He’s willing to wait and wait until the right time. What’s he waiting for? What does he want all that power for?”
    â€œWhat do any of us want power for?” Lillian demanded. “To rule and to be feared, so your rule will be long.”
    â€œThere’s a campaign slogan,” Jon muttered.
    â€œBut I am glad you assembled us all here nonetheless,” said Lillian. “I wanted to talk about magical power, in fact, and who has the most power among us: namely, the source and her sorcerer.”
    She nodded to Kami and Ash. Kami met Lillian’s eyes, regarding her dispassionately. She did not look over at Ash, though she could feel his flare of mingled worry and pride.
    â€œWhat about us?” Kami asked, for both of them.
    â€œVery few of our number can do magic now,” Lillian said. “I have mentioned before that I shared power with Rob, once, so he could complete a magical ceremony. There are ways of setting up a magical bond, between one sorcerer and another. The bond is …” Lillian set her teeth. “It is uncomfortably intimate, though not to the same degree as that between a source and a sorcerer. Given the choice, I would not engage in the link again. But we have few choices and little hope left now.”
    Jon rubbed his forehead. “Please never become a motivational speaker, Lettice.”
    Lillian was dressed in one of Martha Wright’s knitted cardigans, but she wore it with the air of a queen wearing a mantle. She drew it closed now with an air of offended dignity.
    â€œI don’t believe in telling children comforting lies,” she said. “It lets them delay growing up. I wanted to lay all possible choices before my children, so they can decide what to do.”
    She directed her coolly demanding gaze to Ash and Jared. Jared looked badly startled.
    â€œI get to decide what to do as well,” said Kami. “Don’t I?”
    Lillian made a small face, as if she agreed that Kami got to decide but Lillian didn’t have to like it. “It’s Ash’s decision.”
    â€œIf I’m the source, and he’s my sorcerer, wouldn’t his being linked to someone else affect me too?”
    Kami had never laid claim to Ash like that before, and she felt a ripple of his surprise go through her, but she wanted to be clear and she wanted them both to be safe.
    â€œMaybe so,” Lillian said. “All I know is, two sorcerers can share power, give each other power, and Ash has the most power of any sorcerer in Sorry-in-the-Vale right now. We need more power.”
    â€œSo you want to link up Ash and Jared to create some sort of magic nuke,” Dad said.
    Rusty laughed. “Please come to all our meetings in future.”
    Lillian’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t call it that, but essentially, yes. Though Ash could choose to share power with me, or Henry, if he wanted.”
    Henry and Holly looked about equally alarmed, but Holly got over it faster and patted Henry on the arm. Kami wondered how much Holly liked Henry, if she was scared for him and comforting him.
    Kami did not have to look at Ash to know that he was the most alarmed person in the room.
    â€œOne of Rob’s people told me,” Kami said, and bit her lip and hoped she was not going to seem as if she was discussing kinky magic threesomes in front of her father. “She said that Matthew Cooper, the source who was married to Anne