Chapter 25

While the rest of the world saw longitude and latitude, magic users knew about another kind of map. Lines of power crisscrossed the earth, some fixed in predictable patterns, some constantly shifting due to unknown forces. Whether conscious or unconscious in intent, sacred sites were often built on the fixed lines, like ancient Stonehenge or a plain mountain chapel emanating tranquility. The fault lines weren’t merely feel-good spots, however, though it was certainly helpful that most humans thought of them that way, visiting them with starry eyes, New Age ideas and chakra stones.

Fault lines provided the divine arteries that kept the earth flourishing, a spiritual flow as essential as the rivers and waterways that nourished physical life. Sorcerers like Nathan knew how to draw on them at the deepest levels, all magic users connected to them in certain ways. At specific points, the fault lines also contained portals to other realms. Even after centuries of awareness, ongoing studies b