A glow began in the corner of her vision, at the bottom of the gate, and then she heard the metallic grind of the first cog beginning to turn.

Her excitement grew. She was doing this. She was truly working storm magic. She pushed harder, and the process sped up, adding a second cog, then a third. The gears of the door moved faster than she had ever seen. She opened herself up, pouring out more and more of the magic, watching the wheels whirl at a wondrous speed. Tears gathered at the edges of her eyes, sheer joy and surprise and relief all wrapped around her. She might have even laughed.

Then she felt it.

Something in her, something vital, shifted out of place. It did not hurt, not like a bone slipping out its joint, but she felt a hollow where one should not have been. She felt a stark, swallowing emptiness, and it was only when a whisper of magic from the thunderstorm overhead curled beckoningly inside her that she realized what she had done.

Hold tight to your own soul, the spirit witch had advised.

Aurora yanked her hand back, stumbling on legs that felt not quite her own. Then she pulled, on her magic, her consciousness, on anything and everything that was hers. The moment her soul slid back into place, she fell backward and began to weep uncontrollably. The sobs were not rational, she could not stop them, no matter how hard she tried to think them away; instead they came from somewhere deep inside her that she had not even known existed. She felt … uprooted, as if she had lost something essential that tied her down. Jinx was with her in a moment, her face shoved in front of Aurora’s. The vision of her friend blurred through Aurora’s tears.

“Quiet,” Zephyr hissed.

Aurora knew she was making too much noise, but she could not stop the panic welling up inside her.

“Breathe,” Jinx told her.

Aurora met her friend’s eyes, trying to convey without words what had almost happened, what she had nearly done. Was it possible to lose your own soul? To just let it go? A new round of gasping sobs overtook her, and Jinx pulled Aurora against her in a hug.

“What’s wrong with her?” Zephyr demanded, eyeing Aurora with suspicion.

Jinx said, “She opened the gate. That’s what you wanted. Go on with your mission, and I’ll take care of her.”