But Headmaster Cyrus had deliberately left her in the dark. Thatwas the only conclusion she could reach. This teacher wasn’t the only one who’dbeen too trusting.
The sounds of banging and swearing filtered through the largeroom downstairs. Thana paused by the huge pyramid and looked down the wide hallthat led toward the back doors. She craned her neck to see over the crowd.Cyrus would no doubt appear soon, and Thana could ask all her questions, timebe cursed.
But Sylph grabbed her arm. She’d gone pale, her lips mashedtogether until they were as bloodless as in Thana’s vision of her corpse.“Something’s wrong.”
Thana’s heart rate picked up again. “What is it?”
Sylph groaned, and light blazed from the huge pyramid behindthem. A kaleidoscope of color shone through the halls, and people cried out insurprise and wonder. Sylph’s power. Her grip tightened. “Thana, I don’t know ifI can hold on,” she said, eyes unblinking. Sweat broke out on her forehead asif someone had splashed her.
Thana’s fear had her moving almost before she realized it. Sheyanked Sylph toward the doors. “Move!” she shouted to the throng. She shovedpeople aside and nearly dragged Sylph toward the door. Plaster rained from theceiling as the building began to shake. A few people fell on the staircase.More began to scream. Thana shook Sylph’s arm. “No! Do not retune that pyramid,Sylph. Fight it.” She clenched a fist, tempted to strike her, but that mightmake her lose control completely. “You have to fight.”
“Trying.”
But there had to be so many pyramids here and now this newcrystal. The bricks near the door shuddered, twisting slightly. Thana chargedthrough the door. “Focus on me. You can do it. Just breathe.” She met Sylph’seyes until their breathing matched. “That’s it. You can do it. If it’s toomuch, focus on the big light pyramid. Just make it shine. That’s all. Nothingelse. Just light.”
“Just light,” Sylph whispered. A few other people ran out aroundthem, crying out to each other or just calling in fear as the rumble in theground slowed. “It’s just light.”
Thana tried to reach for the light pyramid, too, but didn’t knowhow when she couldn’t touch it. When her mind fell into the facets of a pyramidthat now stood behind a closed door, she nearly stumbled in surprise. She’dused this one before, of course, every pyradisté had, and it surrounded her nowso she could barely see where to put her feet. “Feel my mind in with yours?”
“Yes,” Sylph whispered, and there she was, her presence in thepyramid like another shining light, but one that sought to stretch forth, nodoubt to touch all the pyramids and reshape them, to bring in the raw power ofthe new crystal, to make the city fall. “It hurts.”
“I’m sure.” Trying to touch so many pyramids and raw crystal, ithad to feel like she was being torn apart. “Stay with me. Follow me.” In thestreet, she guided Sylph toward the horses as she sent her power through themyriad facets of the light pyramid.
Sylph’s bright light followed her mind just as their bodiesstayed together in the street. Thana had used pyramids with others before butnot as if she was playing some odd game of tag. The ground ceased to rumble,but Thana kept her concentration. “Stay with me.”
“I am. I’m scared.” Her voice was high, almost childlike.
Thana squeezed her arm. “It’s all right. I have you.” But theycouldn’t stay like this. They had to get away from the academy, and Thanadidn’t know how long she could keep her focus. Sylph’s reach was undoubtedlygreater than hers. Would she continue to hold on to the pyramid after theyleft?
When they reached the horses, Thana dug in her borrowed satchel,fumbling over the pyramids as her mind tried to be in two places at once. Hercontrol on the large pyramid slipped, but just as Sylph gasped, Thana pulled alight pyramid and fell into it. “Here, Sylph, follow me here.”
Her gaze snapped to the small pyramid in Thana’s hand, and Thanafelt her focus shift as if it was a tangible thing. By the spirits, she wasstrong. Thana’s jealousy was nearly swamped in awe and fear and pity. Herpyramid blazed, shifting through radiant colors as if it was all the world’sjewels combined. It was beautiful, but more than that, Thana could nowfunction. She helped Sylph mount her horse, then climbed on her own. She keptup a soothing litany of nonsense even as her mind wanted to panic and run. Withboth horses under her control, it was slow going until they were a few streetsaway, and Thana didn’t feel Sylph’s power reaching for something else tocontrol.
“It’s okay.” Thana had hidden the light pyramid in her cassock,but she glimpsed the light peeping out everywhere, as if she’d swallowed a star.“You can let go. Come with me. Come out.” She let her mind slip slowly from thepyramid, and Sylph followed like a moth, but this one running from the flame.
They released it at the same time, and Sylph sagged in thesaddle, sighing, her eyes slipping closed. When she opened them, tears filledher lashes and spilled down her face.
“It’s all right,” Thana said, amazed she could still feelanything after all the turns her emotions had taken, but she managed relief.“Everything’s fine now.”
Sylph breathed a laugh that had no humor. She wiped at her cheekshurriedly. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Thana looked away, awkward.
Sylph took back her reins, and her touch lingered on Thana’shand. “No, please. You have to hear me…to know that I mean it. You stopped me fromhurting anyone, and you didn’t hurt me to do it. Thank you.”
When Thana looked at her again, she had a grateful smile, andThana wanted to be embarrassed, wanted to say that it was all right or that itwas nothing really or that anyone would have done the same, but none of thoseresponses seemed to fit. If they’d been standing, she would have embracedSylph, and that surprised her nearly as much as Sylph’s entreaty. “I do hearyou. And you’re welcome. Truly.” She led the way again. Maybe her pride wouldkeep the fear and anger at bay for a while.
