by Cat Adams
She felt again, searched for another of their kind. Another Parask. She found her mother, mortified and shamed that she hadn’t herself taken on the mantle of the Tree, when she knew that the Tree was sick. Then Mila sensed Baba, her hand cool and frail in Clara’s larger one, wounded in body and spirit. But she could be healed … was being healed. There were healers all around her. Jason and Dareen sat at her bedside, looking worried, and a tall dark-skinned man with a wreath of gold on his head was creating a gate to bring in even more healers. She knew it, could sense the intent. Even Sarah was there, dressed in party finery that said she had come from an event somewhere. Viktor was there—dear Viktor, her once and future Dido, grandfather. She could feel it in their hearts as she swept through the air past them. Baba’s eyes moved up under closed lids as she went by, as though she could see or sense Mila’s presence. Perhaps she could, because a tear glistened in the light as it trailed down her cheek. She abruptly felt her mother’s resolve to return to their people, to restore Sarah’s memories, and teach her to craft properly and restore the Parask guild.
She would miss Baba, miss her mother and family. Most of all, though, she’d miss Tal. How had he become so important so quickly? Why did it stab her in the chest to think she’d never again know his touch, or hear his laugh? Had the Tree ever lived, ever known pleasure or family or … love?
“Can’t you remember a time when you walked among us? Is it because nobody speaks your name anymore that you have forsaken us? Did we forsake you so that you punish us? Should we have worshiped you by name?” Tal’s voice in her ears sounded sad now, and Mila couldn’t help but remember the ruined fruit and scattered flowers. She remembered her own sadness, even though she didn’t understand what the offerings meant at that time.
A stab. Pain. Sharp and intense, so powerful that she couldn’t draw in enough air. And the voice was there again, stronger now. More confident. I remember … remember … my people. A name flowed through Mila’s mind—Eva. I was Eva.
Eva. It was a good name in the Ukrainian language. It meant the mother of all the living, and Mila could see an image now, of a young blond woman not that different from her, but in brightly colored garb with embroidery on the apron, her hair in coiled braids under a pretty kerchief. Her family had died from Tin Czerwona, and there was nobody left to heal. The past opened to Mila as she watched and she could see Eva stumble into a cave, exhausted from healing, seeking a place to simply lie down and die. The cold wrapped around her, as though there was no warmth left in the world. She felt her pulse slow, weaken until the light became darkness.
Then she awoke to see a beautiful tree. She thought herself dead, so when the tree spoke to her, Eva answered. The Tree was just a tree in that bygone era, but it bloomed with magic that could heal her people. Eva shared her love of her people with the Tree, and it responded by offering to help.
She became one with the Tree, with a strength of purpose that would save all their kind. The purpose of love and health.
Tal saw the story along with Mila and she could feel him squeeze her tight. “If you remember love of your people, then don’t do this. As you have healed us, we can heal you. We can renew your purpose without taking an unwilling life.”
Eva’s voice hesitated, as though confused. It echoed through the air uncertainly. “She is not unwilling.”
Mila responded in her mind, because she couldn’t seem to feel her body. I am willing if there is no other choice. I love our people … all people, and will serve if I must. But I love Tal more than life. Have you never had that sort of love in your life? The love that makes you laugh with all the joy of the world?
Another image flashed, of a young man with wild dark hair and an easy laugh. And then the same man, among the dead … taken before she could save him. “I remember … love. But I am tired. So very tired. I must think.”
Another stab of pain ripped through her mind, so immediate and encompassing that it wiped out everything, including the sensation of Tal’s hand on hers. No, she didn’t want this. Not like this. Fear and sorrow filled her and she couldn’t help but cry, even if no tears would ever roll down her cheeks again.
Falling, falling, down into the darkness, where it was cold and lifeless and empty. But then a spark of warmth and she raced toward it, taking Eva along in her wake. Now there were voices and laughter, surrounding the Tree in Vril. And then Shambala. And Rohm, and Thule. Bright sunlight and flowers blooming. Mila whispered a word and they heard. They all began calling her name, chanting it while touching the rough bark of the Trees.
Not Mila. But Eva.
Mila could feel each person the same way she was attached to Tal. It was dizzying, mesmerizing, and so powerful that it made her head feel like it was going to explode. But within the sensation was emotion, and it was stronger than anything else. Love and anger and pain. It grew, faster and stronger, the voices joining into a roar of noise and light and emotion that overwhelmed her. Until—
“Yes.” She both heard and spoke the word. “There is much to do, Mila—”
“Mila!”
“Mila, wake up.” She blinked. Yes, blinked with eyes that opened. Tal was kneeling above her, his smile radiant. He pulled on her arm to lift her from where she was lying and wrapped warm arms around her. “You’re so cold. I thought I lost you.”
She nodded and hugged him tight. “You did. Just for a moment.” She touched the Tree and it was just bark. “But then she remembered … Eva remembered. You reminded her of why she became the Tree. The people haven’t forgotten her, nor forsaken her. She’d forgotten they were there. I just had to help her find them again.”
“She let you go?” His voice was stunned, filled with disbelief, still afraid it might not be real.
“To save her people.” Mila got to her feet unsteadily and wrapped her arms around Tal’s neck, giving him a slow kiss. She hoped Eva could still feel the tingles that slowly spread through her as his tongue found hers. She let the Tree taste sweet fire magic and might have imagined it, but thought that Eva might have sighed in bliss. “There’s much to do.”
She took a deep breath, as the wind began to blow fragrant air toward them. The little pine was green again, sprouting fresh new growth and tiny yellow buds that tickled her nose with pollen. Eva was reborn, fresh and alive with the love of her people. And in the awakening, she’d found new purpose. She planned to heal wounded hearts as well as bodies and Mila knew she could always count on that help as they fought to bring the pandemic Vegre had planned under control. And if in the healing, the Agathians came to forgive the Parask … and themselves, so much the better.
“C’mon, Tal. Let’s go save some people. There are more than I’d thought. It’ll take a lot of long nights. ’Cause I work days.”
He touched her face and let out a little laugh. “As long as you promise to come home to me at the end of every long night, I don’t care. I love you too much to care.”
She smiled and kissed his hand. “Every night. I swear on my mark, because I love you, too.”
Praise for Cat Adams, Writing as C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
Praise for the World of the Sazi
“I read the book in one sitting. I look forward to the next book in the series, because it has to be the beginning of a series. A world this enjoyable deserves more than one visit. This book has some new twists in the werewolf’s tail that were very cool.”
—Laurell K. Hamilton on Hunter’s Moon
“Adams and Clamp are adept at writing intensely sensuous, hot lovemaking scenes, but where they really shine is in the creation of an unforgettable world where secret shape-shifters live, love, and scheme. Laurell K. Hamilton readers will enjoy this edgy world.”
—Booklist on Moon’s Web
“It’s only taken two books for the dynamic duo of Adams and Clamp to cement their position as premier authors of paranormal fiction. Gritty and unique, with amazingly Byzantine character development, this inside look at the unconventional world of shape-s
hifters is a page-turner in the truest sense.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews, (4 ½ stars, Gold Medal Top Pick) on Moon’s Web
“Firmly grounding these extraordinary characters in the modern world helps increase the emotional stakes in the gripping Sazi reality. Like few others, Adams and Clamp’s writing style successfully blends romance, adventure, and the magical. As their latest confirms, this outstanding duo is unbeatable!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Captive Moon
“After being a dangerous footnote in previous books, the true evil of Sazi serial killer Jack Simpson is now revealed. Layer by layer, Adams and Clamp build their compelling Sazi world with its strict laws that give this unique universe dramatic shape and form. Besides captivating plots, it is the rich, dark characterizations that make these books distinctive and mesmerizing. True genre luminaries!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Howling Moon
Praise for the World of the Thrall
“Kate is back and ready to rumble in the outstanding sequel to last year’s amazing Touch of Evil. This edgy and dark tale is chock-full of rich characters and conflicting loyalties. Kate’s first-person perspective adds poignancy to the story of a woman pushed to the edge. The paranormal genre was richly blessed when the virtuoso duo of Adams and Clamp joined the ranks!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Touch of Madness
“Unveiling a new paranormal series, the brilliant team of Adams and Clamp crafts an exceedingly intriguing heroine trying to survive a dangerous and complex world. Told in first person, the resilient Kate’s struggles and choices are both vivid and terrifying. This is an unbeatably good paranormal!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 ½ stars, Top Pick) on Touch of Evil
“Adams and Clamp are adept at incorporating riveting plot twists into this fully imagined world, and they don’t stint on the romance.”
—Booklist (starred review) on Touch of Evil
“Touch of Evil receives The Road to Romance Reviewers’ Choice Award for … the great writing of the author duo C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. This book has it all and more. Readers don’t want to miss this perfect example of fantastically vivid paranormal fiction.”
—The Road to Romance on Touch of Evil
This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously.
MAGIC’S DESIGN
Copyright © 2009 by C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
All rights reserved.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eISBN 9781429954129
First eBook Edition : March 2011
ISBN-10: 0-7653-5963-4
First Edition: February 2009
