Page 259 of Axis of Fire

“And what exactly can they do?”

Why had I never asked the spirits themselves?

Had I really convinced myself they were harmless?

“Some can manipulate objects. Push them. Move them around,” Stasia explained.

“Others can draw power from ancient texts and turn vibrations into something tangible. And those vibrations can become dangerous.”

The explanation still felt frustratingly vague.

I was about to ask another question when I flinched at the sudden rise in Stasia’s voice.

“Looks like Tarven and Airis are already here.”

The moment she said his name, something inside my chest tightened.

Resentment.

I didn’t want to see him.

And the worst part was—

My resentment wasn’t even justified.

He simply hadn’t said what I wanted to hear.

“How do you know they’re here?” I asked without moving while Stasia started getting ready.

“The empty flowerpot on the windowsill.”

Frowning, I turned toward it.

I froze when I noticed a branch with orange blossoms growing from the soil—

Split neatly into two stems.

As though it had always been there.

“This is how we communicate,” Stasia explained.

“We send each other messages through plants.”

“How is that even possible?”

“I think the answer is probably Tarven’s level of control.” She shrugged.

“He enchanted that flowerpot back when I still lived in Utararus.”

“The World of Light,” she added, probably realizing I still hadn’t memorized the original names of all twelve worlds.

“That’s how we used to communicate.”

“Okay, but how do you know he’s here with Airis?”

“Because the branch split into two.” She nodded toward the flowerpot.

I let out a quiet hum.