Concealed (Unbound, Book 4)

Chapter Twenty-Two

He laughed. "No."

"Then I guess we're good." I laughed and looked at Maible, sobering. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to become that drained again. "Do you think she'll figure it out? How to trigger how to use her abilities?"

"I don't know. Probably. You two are stubborn."

"It's got to be frustrating not being able to use them for so long because you think you don't have them. Then, once you do get them, it's to realize you don't know how."

"Are you sure she has them?"

"You said you thought it worked!" I glanced at Calin and then rolled my eyes upwards.

As tired as I was, we needed to know. I scooted closer to him and took his hand in mine, finding strength instantly.

"What are you—"

"Shh." I closed my eyes.

Immediately, I felt the pull as I connected to nature. From Calin's intake of breath, I assumed that meant he felt the same connection as I did. I repeated the mantra so see Maible's power in my head until energy filled me completely.

When I opened my eyes, all I could see was light.

I narrowed my eyes and tried to locate a single thread keeping Maible from shining fully but there was nothing. The sense of familiarity I'd had before returned, but I couldn't place it. Was it from Maible or Calin? It had to be her because I'd felt his magic when I thought he was the prankster.

I let go of the breath I was holding at the same time I pulled my hand free from Calin's grasp, and the brightness around us faded back to the night sky.

"Whoa."

"What?" I inched back to where I had been sitting so that I was no longer pressed against Calin's side and then looked at him.

He blinked as though trying to regain focus. "I—That was cool. Did you see that light?"

"You saw it?"

He nodded and blinked again, then looked at me.

My brow creased. "Did you see it before?"

Calin shook his head.

"Huh." I looked down.

It was weird that he saw it now but not before. What was even more strange was the fact that I didn't feel any worse for wear for having checked if it had worked. Even the first time I'd checked if Maible had power, the act of doing so had used energy. I felt it.

I looked back at Calin to find him still watching me. "So, do you have any idea who bound her?"

Calin sighed. "No."

I raised my eyebrows. "Do you have any idea how we might figure that out?"

"No." He sighed again and cast his eyes up to the sky. "It couldn't be her parents. They aren't strong enough."

"What about your parents?"

"I—no." Calin shook his head. "They maybe could together, but I don't know why they would."

"True." I sighed. "Well, not to be full of myself, but I only know of three individuals who could do it on their own without help from the Council," I said. "One of them is dead, I know I wouldn't do it, and so that leaves Devland."

"But why would he? Devland is the leader of the High Council," Calin said. "If Maible's parents pushed to have her bound, they would have gone to the entire Council. He wouldn't have to hide it."