Threading the Needle by Joshua Palmatier Page B

than seen.
    â€œWhy would they do that? They’ve known you since you were a baby.”
    â€œBecause they don’t like the ley or anyone who can wield it. Look at how Paul treats Kara and the other Wielders.”
    â€œThe Baron and the Prime Wielders forced Paul from his land, hurt his family. He’s bitter. It has nothing to do with you. He accepted your father, didn’t he?”
    â€œThat’s different,” Morrell said hotly, pulling away from her, sitting up straight. Her face was red and splotched from crying. “My father kills the ley, blocks it somehow. Of course everyone in the Hollow likes him.”
    Janis’ eyes narrowed. “Sometimes you’re too smart for your own good.” She shifted tactics. “It won’t matter. Paul won’t find out what you’ve done. Logan, Sophia, and I have agreed to keep quiet about it.”
    â€œThey won’t tell anyone?”
    â€œWhy would they? What would they say? They don’t know exactly what you did.”
    Morrell glanced down at her hands. “All I did was touch him.”
    â€œFrom what Logan says, you healed him. Cured his infection, at least.”
    â€œBut I don’t know how I did it.”
    â€œMy point exactly. Why would they tell anyone if they aren’t even certain you can do it again?”
    â€œI
won’t
do it again. I refuse to.”
    Janis’ skin prickled in sudden unease. “Why not? You saved Claye’s life, didn’t you?”
    â€œYes. But when it happened, I saw—”
    Morrell’s jaw snapped shut.
    Janis touched her arm, drawing Morrell’s attention from the distant plains, now cast mostly in shadow, to her own eyes.
    â€œWhat did you see?”
    In a quiet voice—not childlike, but adult; more adult than anything she’d seen or heard from Morrell the entire time they’d spoken—she said, “Lights. I saw auroral lights. Like those we sometimes see on the plains.”

    â€œIs it going to hit us?” Allan asked.
    Kara reached for the ley as she shaded her eyes with one hand, staring hard toward the shifting auroral light rolling across the plains between their position and Erenthrall like an eerily beautiful fog bank. A hideous prickling sensation crawled across her skin and down her back at the sight, like a thousand fire ants scuttling beneath her shirt. “I don’t think so. But it’s too close already. We should be careful.”
    They were standing on the outskirts of an abandoned town, long since raided for whatever supplies it might have held. As Kara lowered her hand, something tugged at her attention on the ley and she turned to face the west.
    Allan caught her sudden tension. “What is it?”
    â€œA ley line, stronger than anything we’ve encountered since leaving Erenthrall.” She hesitated, dancing down its length, then gasped. “And a node.” She turned to Allan in astonishment. “An
active
node. I have to see it.”
    Allan drew breath to protest, glancing toward the auroral storm in the distance, now blotting out half of the distortion over the city, then sagged in defeat. “Make it quick—”
    Kara had already spun away from him, stalking toward the wagon and the rest of their group hovering on the edge of the town. “Artras, come with me. There’s a ley line and node not too far from here. We need to check it out.”
    Artras gaped a moment, then hustled down from the wagon to meet her. Dylan and Carter both perked up.
    â€œI can help,” Carter called, hopping out of the back of the wagon as well.
    â€œNo need.” Kara waved the young Wielder off. “Artras and I can handle it.”
    A look of irritation flashed across Carter’s face, but then Dylan placed a hand on his shoulder and said something and he turned away.
    â€œWhere is it?” Artras asked as she approached.
    â€œWest of the village and the road, away