Unlike Fenris’s knowledge transfer, this trunk contained no personal memories, just a treasure trove of useful information, like a whole lifetime of textbooks, encyclopedias, and dictionaries in one heap. I gasped as it rushed into me all at once, struggling not to go under in the tide of strange ideas and knowledge, and quickly erected a mental barrier to channel this new influx safely. I imagined a library inside my mind, like Janta’s back in Solantha, and that is where I directed the new knowledge, ready to be consulted when needed.
Suddenly, I understood the nature of the different dimensions. There was an infinity of them aside from Recca and the Tua realm, both dangerous and wondrous in their own ways. Despite their differences, some dimensions were contiguous, like squares of fabric stitched together into one giant quilt. It was possible to get from one to the other, though only a handful were easily accessible from any specific location, and some shifted erratically. Recca and the Tua realm were close neighbors, as dimensions went. The Tua had left the instructions for how to return from their dimension to Recca right in my head. The spell was based on some complicated mathematics, but since the dimensions were currently in close conjunction, simply speaking it would be enough for now.
The problem was, the transfer required a Tua-sized expenditure of magic. Would I be able to perform the spell on my own? With the extra boost in power they had given me, I might just be able to swing it, though from what I understood there was at least an even chance I wouldn’t make it.
Excitement and fear coursed through me all at once, and I wiped my suddenly damp palms on my hands. If I could make this work, I would make it back to Recca, and there would only be one more test to go. But if I failed…I would end up in the void, and die of asphyxiation.
Closing my eyes, I sent up a short but fervent prayer to Magorah to watch over me and make sure that my magic did not falter. Gathering my power, I clasped my hands together, then spoke the spell in the strange language of the Tua, which I now knew as well as Northian, thanks to Nalan and Alara.
As soon as I spoke the Words, the magic inside me was sucked away, leaving me weak and empty. I gasped as a sonic boom rendered me nearly deaf, and the next thing I knew, the world was spinning away from me. Pressure squeezed all around me until I was nearly certain that I’d been flattened into a pancake, and I clasped my hands to the sides of my head, trying to alleviate the pain and the ringing sound in my ears.
Everything around me went black, and there was no air, no sound, no light. I gasped soundlessly for air as horror froze my blood, realizing that I was in the void. I’d fucked up. I was going to die out here, and Iannis would never see me again. He wouldn’t even be able to recover my dead body…
But just as my limbs were starting to go numb, I felt a sudden push from behind, and I slammed into a giant glowing ball of light that appeared out of nowhere. I crashed into the ground on my hands and knees, panting hard, my fingers curling around fistfuls of dirt and grass. The meal I’d enjoyed with the Tua earlier came barreling straight up my throat, and I puked for what felt like endless minutes, heaving my guts up until there was absolutely nothing left.
Finally, when the puking had turned to dry heaving, I flopped onto my back as far from the mess as I could manage. My limbs had turned to water, and everything hurt. But my heart was still beating strong in my chest, and my senses still worked. I could smell the sweet grass and flowers of Ennartha’s garden, could feel the cool wind and tiny drops of moisture on my face. An echo of Ta’sradala’s scent made my stomach clench, but at least she wasn’t nearby just now to witness my abject humiliation.
Who had given me the push that saved my life? I’d probably never know, but whatever the cause, I had made it back to Recca. Perhaps not to Solantha, where I most wanted to go, but at least I had arrived back in my own world. And I was in one piece.
13
I rested in the garden for a good twenty minutes before I finally found the strength to move. Once the dizziness and nausea had subsided, I fished a piece of stale bread from my magical sleeve and gnawed on it to settle my upset stomach. The bit of food helped, and I struggled to my feet so I could get my bearings.
As I’d surmised from the scents, I was in Ennartha’s garden again. The position of the sun told me it was mid-day, and it was still high summer judging by the fact that the same flowers were still growing and the weather hadn’t changed. But was it the same year that I’d left? How much time had I lost?
One thing at a time, Sunaya, I told myself. At least I had made it back. From what I could tell, there was nobody around—surely my arrival would have drawn attention if anybody was home. Even if I’d made no sound, any competent mage, let alone a Tua like Ta’sradala, would have sensed the powerful magic I’d used for the dimensional transfer. Most likely they hadn’t expected me to survive and come back at all, and had all gone off to do something else.
As I absently plucked some blackberries from a bush and popped them into my mouth, I had to admit I was feeling more confident despite the uncertainty of my circumstances. I had a much better sense of appreciation for Ta’sradala’s power now that I’d had a glimpse of the Tua realm, but I was also armed with knowledge of my own that might help me. I sure as hell wouldn’t be telling Ta’sradala or her daughter about what I’d learned—I had a feeling that would have dire consequences, both for me and the Tua who’d helped me get back here.
I briefly considered leaving Ennartha’s place altogether and trying to make my way to Iannis alone, but I worried that he might arrive while I was gone. The serapha charm was still not working, so there was no way to tell. Besides, Ta’sradala could snatch me up at any time, from any place, and even with my increased power, there was nothing I could do about that. Her magic seemed to operate on a different frequency than my own—I would need to learn to use Tua spells in order to combat her, but with the huge disparity in power, it wouldn’t make much difference.
Thinking about it, it seemed strange that Ta’sradala’s magic would be different from my own, if the theory about Resinah being a Tua was true. Shouldn’t our spells be the same? But perhaps our magic had evolved into something different over the millennia, something inferior to the original.
Half-heartedly, I pulled the gulaya from my sleeve and attempted to recharge it with my new powers. Unfortunately, the extra magic was of no use— I still needed to perform that tiresome recharging ritual, and I didn’t have the right ingredients necessary for the spell.
Wandering the gardens, I found Drawe sitting on a secluded bench, reading a book. He was still dressed in simple, drab clothing, but his hair was washed and he was clean, with no signs that he’d recently performed any labor.
Definitely not a servant.
“Hey,” I said softly, moving a little closer. I angled my head to try and see the title of the book he was reading—a compendium of Manucan folk tales. “How’s it going?”