Semua Bab Leesa's Advent: Bab 341 - Bab 350

Leesa never practiced her magic in the vicinity of the volkaane settlement. To do so risked awakening the fell power that slumbered beneath the earth there, a magic so powerful Dominic said it dwarfed anything he had ever experienced. “Let sleeping magic lie” was a fitting switch on a familiar old saying.While inconvenient, the need to travel to work on her magic had its benefits. Pretty much every day, Leesa got to enjoy a ten or fifteen mile ride in Rave’s arms, cradled snug against his muscular chest and feeling his inner warmth soaking into her body. Being carried by Rave as he raced swiftly through the trees was still far and away her favorite way to travel.She had a few favorite places to practice, most of them spots where she had trained with Dominic. She varied them so she wouldn’t become too accustomed to wielding her powers in any one place. For the same reason, she and Rave occasionally tried a new spot. Almost all of them were deep in the woods somewhere, hidden from sig

Several weeks passed. The child inside Leesa continued to grow. Now when she focused her concentration inward, she could clearly sense the boy’s aura. The energy pulsed in a light, almost yellowish green hue, telling her for certain now that he would possess at least some of Rave’s volkaane magic as well as her own. The yellow tinge to the color made her think the waziri magic was probably the stronger of the two, but only time would tell. How the two magics would interact was an even bigger mystery.She had not yet visited a doctor—in fact, she wasn’t sure if she ever would. She had no idea what kind of readings the magical child in her belly might trigger during any physical exam, but she was pretty sure they would not be normal. And anything abnormal would cause the medical people to worry, which would probably result in more tests and still more abnormal readings. It could be a vicious cycle with no real end unless she admitted to the magic, which she was not about to do. She knew

The next week flew by. Leesa worked hard on the growth spell every day. The stone continued to grow a little more at each session, except on the fourth day, when she had a small hiccup in her progress. The day before, the rock had finally reached the size it had been in Jenna’s illusion. The next day it stubbornly refused to grow any more, despite more than a dozen attempts from Leesa. The difficulty had not been unexpected, and Leesa simply shook it off. She was fairly confident now she would be able to break through that barrier and was determined to do it on her own, without another assist from Jenna. The next day, that’s exactly what happened—the stone finally grew bigger than Jenna’s image.The stone had become too big and heavy for Leesa to levitate—it was now thigh high—so for the last two days she and Rave had simply left it where it sat and returned to the same place the next day to work on it.That spot was in the middle of a stand of pine trees not too far from the bank of

THE RIDE TO THE PRACTICE SPOT eight or nine miles north of the volkaane settlement took nearly twenty minutes. During the drive, the weather changed three times—from heavy rain to light showers and back to heavy rain. It was during the period of lighter rain that Leesa spotted something along the side of the road that she wanted.“Pull over,” she told Cali. “Right here.”Cali slowed down carefully on the slippery pavement and eased the car over to the shoulder.“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing’s wrong. There’s something back there I want. Back up a bit, please.”Cali backed up slowly, thankful the rain had lightened, making visibility much clearer.“That’s good,” Leesa said after they had backed up a hundred feet or so. “Stop here.”Cali took her foot off the gas. She tried to look out Leesa’s window to see what it was that interested her friend, but all she could see was a piece of discarded furniture. It looked like an old, round wooden end table.“Don’t tell me we

In what had become a weekly ritual that Leesa loved, she and Rave were visiting her mom and Bradley for Sunday brunch. Every week, Leesa asked if she could help in the kitchen, and every week her mom refused. Judy enjoyed cooking for her “kids,” a position Rave had now earned by marrying Leesa. Leesa never pushed it—she knew her mom was making up for all the lost years of their childhood. Bradley and Leesa didn’t mind the making up in the least.This morning, Judy had fixed French toast. The first time she had attempted the dish several months before it had come out bland and dry. Today, though, Leesa thought it was delicious. Judy had used cinnamon-raisin bread, and Leesa had topped it with maple syrup and powdered sugar. The combination of flavors was nearly as tasty as most desserts.“This is really good,” she said to her mom after swallowing a few bites. “Really, really good.”Judy beamed. “I’m so glad you like it, dear.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you telling me the truth?