Sorceress of Faith Read Online Free

breaking the physical connection. She shook her head, then
met Marian’s eyes. “I don’t know what it means. I can’t tell you. Except that
this full-moon ritual is very important for you. It will be life changing. For
you and your brother.”
    Her
words were as fearsome as Marian’s nightmares, and seemed just as real.
Believe, or not? Golden Raven had mentioned Andrew again, the bait Marian would
always swallow.
    She
said steadily, “When I said your name this morning I wanted to ask if you knew
others who had had experiences like these I’ve been enduring.”
    “Your
psi potential demanding to be fulfilled. Do the ritual, find one who will help
you direct it. As for your brother, he is linked to you and I believe he will
be…greatly affected in a good way by your psi development.” She opened her
mouth, then shut it and shook her head again. “No, I should not tell you, even
if I could. I’m sorry, Marian. I must go now, and Blessings upon you.” With a
little duck of her head she turned and left the apartment. The door clicked
shut behind her.
    Marian
barely saw her go as emotions churned inside her. She needed another shower,
although a hot bath would be better to banish the sudden chill.
    She
might have shrugged off the continuing auditory illusions, might have ignored
Golden Raven’s advice to find another teacher. Might have continued to “dabble”
in New Age spirituality on her way to receiving her doctorate. But she would
never ignore any threat to her brother. Andrew was the person she most loved.
She’d do the ritual tomorrow night.
    She’d
anger Candace by not appearing on demand, couldn’t in good conscience take her
mother’s money when she wasn’t going to follow through on the favor of the
fund-raiser. That meant putting her career on hold, getting a job—leaving her
college fund with her mother. Marian squared her shoulders. So be it.
    If
a full-moon ritual was important to understand the strangeness happening to her
and if it could help Andrew, she’d do it. And take it seriously, by God—or by
All the Powers that Were.
    Lladrana
    The
same day
    J aquar had just
finished recording his journey in his lorebook when a crackle of lightning had
him jerking his head to the crystal sphere on his desk. He flicked it with his
fingernail, ping , and accepted the sending of another Circlet.
    Cloudiness
filled the crystal, then dissolved to wisps. Two people finished the Songspell
that allowed them to communicate with Jaquar and stared out at him. A shaft of
pain speared through him. Jaquar was accustomed to speaking only with his
parents this way, and they would never sing to him again.
    Chalmon
Pace and Venetria Fourney—on-again, off-again quarreling lovers—gazed at him.
They both bore the mark of great magical Power, thick streaks of silver at both
temples in their otherwise black hair.
    The
last Jaquar had heard, Venetria had been backtracking the sangvile. She’d lost
an aunt in Coquille-on-the-Coast.
    “Bad
news,” Chalmon said gruffly.
    Jaquar
grunted.
    “Venetria’s
information, compiled with what I’ve gleaned from the oldest lorebooks, tells
us that the appetite of the sangvile is exponential.” He cleared his throat.
“And it prefers those with Power. The monster is directed at us, the Circlets
of the Tower Community.”
    With
stiff lips Jaquar said, “We lost eight strong Sorcerers and Sorceresses in
Coquille-on-the-Coast. That can’t be allowed to happen again.”
    The
other two nodded. “We agree,” Chalmon said. “We must protect ourselves from
this horror. We’re sure you are right—the sangvile followed you from the Marshalls’
Castle.”
    Jaquar
laughed harshly. “I thought it was too weak to attach itself to me. I thought
it would hide and garner strength in the Castle. Instead it knew I could lead
it to a richer feast later.” He didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for that.
“You said its hunger is exponential?”
    “Yes,”
sighed