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Chapter 210
Her thoughts returned to the ankle weights analogy—she hoped all this work while her magic was weakened would pay big dividends when it finally returned to its normal strength. She refused to think about what she would do if it never came back.
“This is tiring for me,” Jenna said, “so I can only guess how draining it must be for you. After all, you’re the one doing all the real work. I’m just sending general energy into you.”
Leesa grabbed a half-empty bottle of water from atop her refrigerator and sat down on her bed. She eased herself across the mattress until her back was leaning against the wall, then she took a big drink.
“It’s exhausting,” she said after she swallowed. “More so than I would have imagined. I have to believe it’s going to pay off though.”
“Let’s hope so.” Jenna pulled Leesa’s desk chair close to the bed and sat down. “You’re working so hard, Leesa. Do we know each other well enough yet for you to tell me what the urgency is? I’m g
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 211
An ocean away, two of the people Leesa and Jenna had been talking about sat in a horse-drawn carriage outside a tiny Romanian mountain hamlet. The specially built coach had reinforced springs, but it still tilted noticeably to the left, courtesy of the Necromancer’s immense bulk. Viktor and Jordan sat opposite him. Rafael was perched on the driver’s seat outside, wrapped in a heavy cloak against the night’s cold, his gloved hands gripping the leather reins. The trip here had taken the better part of two hours, but the Necromancer didn’t like practicing his black arts too close to his castle—unless he was practicing them inside the castle, safe from prying eyes. Usually, he would send one or more of his waziri in his stead on any mission away from the castle, but tonight’s test was a big one. To be successful, it would need his pers
Leesa's Advent Chapter 212
Monday afternoon, Leesa received a letter in the mail. It was handed to her by Missi, a sophomore from the second floor who delivered the mail to each room in the dorm. Leesa looked down at the envelope in surprise. Receiving personal mail was a rare occurrence. She didn’t get very much mail to begin with, and what she did get was mostly junk. Her whole time here at Weston, she could recall receiving only one other letter. That one had been sent by her aunt and uncle soon after she moved in. She thanked Missi and reached to close the door. Missi turned to leave. She was wearing a dark gray sleeveless shirt, and Leesa found her eyes drawn to a blue tattoo on the back of Missi’s right shoulder. The tattoo was heart-shaped and looked like it was fashioned out of blue flames. The blue fire immediately made Leesa think of Rave. She hadn’t seen him in over a week,
Leesa's Advent Chapter 213
Dral and Bain twisted their heads around and gave her quick “hellos,” then turned back to keep watch on their surroundings.Leesa pulled one hand from around Rave’s neck and placed her palm on his cheek.“You’re still not very warm,” she said. “My magic has not returned to full strength, either.” She looked at Balin. “Has anyone figured out how long this might last?” she asked him.Balin shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. All we can do is wait.”Leesa frowned. “I don’t like waiting—not when it means you all have to stay so far away.”She finally unwrapped her l
Leesa's Advent Chapter 214
By the time Leesa arrived back at her dorm, it was nearly seven-thirty. She had stayed with Rave right up until sunset, when the volkaanes had to leave and head back to wherever they were hiding. She had reluctantly kissed Rave goodbye and then watched him and his companions disappear into the darkening woods. Having gone all day without eating—and not really missing it because she was having so much fun—she stopped for a fast-food burger along the highway on the way home. That, plus some rush-hour traffic outside Springfield and in northern Connecticut had delayed her return.Glad to finally be done with her driving, she eased the Focus to the curb a short way down the block from her dorm, planning to return the car to the rental agency tomorrow after class. Tonight, she was going to be busy trying to make up for missing three of her classes.The day had been well worth skipping class, though. She had gotten to spend more than ten hours straight with Rave,
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After Cali left to return to her room, Leesa plopped back down onto her bed. They hadn’t found too many more details about the attack in Romania, but what Leesa had read was enough. Thoughts about her schoolwork were temporarily forgotten. Even practicing her magic had been shoved onto the back burners of her mind.She needed to talk to Dominic—not only about the Necromancer’s latest attack, but also about the weakening of magic in this section of Connecticut. The problem was how to contact someone who was on the run and who didn’t have a phone or email address. She couldn’t just wait until Dominic contacted her—she had no idea when he might be returning to Middletown, or when he might call next.Her room was too quiet. The stillness seemed to amplify the futility of her thinking
Leesa's Advent Chapter 216
Leesa’s eyes were glued to the window as she rode the train southwest from New Haven toward New York City. This was her first time ever aboard a train, and while it wasn’t as amazing as her first plane ride—had that really only been seven months ago?—it was still pretty fun. They rumbled through the heart of several cities and skirted the edges of suburban towns. Occasionally, the train passed though open or wooden areas. A couple of times, she even got a glimpse of boats docked in crowded marinas or of the blue-grey waters of Long Island Sound.It was nearly ten o’clock Monday morning, and the train was barely half full, allowing Leesa easy access to a window seat. The earlier trains were much more crowded, she knew from her research, filled with commuters heading into New York for work. Since she didn’t need to be in Grand Central Station until noon, she had been able to take a slightly later train. This one would get her there at eleven-
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Dominic reached into his back pocket and pulled out his magic wallet. He glanced around the subway car to make sure no one was watching. None of their fellow passengers appeared to be showing any interest in a couple they probably guessed to be father and daughter—they were all lost in their own private worlds, faces stuck behind newspapers or listening to music with their eyes closed.Even so, Dominic turned his body sideways and held the wallet between him and Leesa before sticking his hand inside. Leesa watched, no longer surprised but still amazed, as Dominic’s arm disappeared into the wallet halfway up to his elbow. When he withdrew it, he was holding a beautiful rectangular box slightly smaller than his hand and no more than two inches deep. The box looked like it had been carved from ivory, with engraved silver plates reinforcing each of its eight corners. A ninth piece of silver joined the top of the box to the bottom. From its position, Leesa thought it w
Leesa's Advent Chapter 218
Leesa blinked, not sure she had heard Dominic correctly. “What do you mean, I have to activate it?” she asked. “How? Why? I don’t understand.” Before Dominic could answer, the train pulled into another station and lurched to a stop, the seventh or eighth such stop since they had boarded this train. “I’ll tell you in a moment,” he said. “But first, it’s time for us to change trains again.” Leesa didn’t really want to wait for his answer, but she had no choice. The doors slid open and they exited the car. At least they didn’t have to go above ground to make the transfer this time. They simply hurried across a wide, dimly lit platform and boarded an identical looking train getting ready to head in the opposite direction. Once again, they managed to find a seat that afforded them at least a little bit of privacy. “Now, to answer your question,” Dominic said after they sat back down. “The avatar is activated simply by opening the box, but the box c
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