A Storm of Chaos (The Hunter Legacy #1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Felix staggered back, and Kaya instinctively reached out to press her hand to his back and steady him. 'How?' he said, his voice strained.

'Shouldn't the Eretz be protecting the town?' asked Kaya, remembering the steel structure in the manor that had supposedly contained the essence of Varalyn.

'The Eretz has failed,' the Comavren told them. 'Addius used the last vestiges of its power to send a message to Nerice, and now there is nothing.'

'What about the rest of the country? If the other two Eretz—'

'They are fine. One of my mages searched for their power sources and confirmed they are still intact.'

The fact that the Comavren had a mage powerful enough to sense magic at such distances caught Kaya by surprise. She imagined the Comavren had a map in her chancery, marked with each major source of magic across Reven.

'Did Addius say how many Reapers?' Felix asked.

'Too many,' the Comavren replied. 'They were going to evacuate the townspeople into the catacombs beneath the town.'

But even in a town the size of Devenese, Kaya knew that just two Reapers could cause an absolute slaughter – she could only imagine what an entire pack might do, before everyone could be evacuated.

'What about the other two Eretzs? Isn't there enough power in them to funnel into Devenese?' said Kaya, silently cursing herself for not understanding how the Houses protected themselves.

'It doesn't work like that. The Eretzs aren't linked, for the exact reason that the power can't be funnelled between them, and therefore neither can any damage be shared between them. The other two must continue standing if one falls,' Felix told her gravely.

Kaya pinched her nose in frustration. 'Is the essence that the Eretz contained gone permanently, or can the Eretz be... recharged somehow?'

She couldn't believe that the town would be forever left defenceless. It would be like Klave, where everyone hurried home before the sun fully set, and cowered by their shuttered windows and locked doors until morning came.

'They can, but only by the Descendant,' Felix said, looking back to Noah. 'It was why he felt such guilt when the wards began failing. The Essence of Varalyn which is contained within the Eretz is tied to a Descendant, the magic limitless so long as a Descendant exists, but when Noah had to seal away his magic—'

'The power was no longer limitless,' said Kaya, understanding.

Felix pressed his hands to his face in frustration. 'But I thought we had more time. If the Eretz in Devenese stopped working...' He lifted his head, devastation writing across his face. 'Then that means Noah is dying.'

The Comavren, it seemed, had already drawn the same conclusion.

Kaya turned back to Noah though, her hand on her heart, because even though Felix and the Comavren feared the worst... Kaya didn't. Yes, Chaos had stirred panic inside her when it was first discovered that something happened to Noah, and it warned her each moment his condition worsened, but she felt no fear or concern that Noah was close to dying. There was every chance that he could, if he was suffering the same as his father had, but right now... They still had time.

An idea forming, Kaya said, 'What if I can fix the Eretz?'

The Comavren and Felix looked at her, Felix with a look of disbelief and the Comavren surprised, but thoughtful.

'What if the connection goes both ways between Noah and I? He was able to access Chaos even before we really established the connection, so maybe that gives me access to his powers as well.'