“Is it a different experience for you?” Admon asks Thorne.

“The whispering is the same,” Thorne begins. “That’s how it started, right when I scented her blood. And I feel a source of magic too, something that I never realized I had. Now that it’s changed, I can remember feeling it my whole life. But the form of the source has changed for me. It used to be almost like a rock of light. Static and unmoving. Now, it’s constantly churning, and I feel a cord connecting me to Laurel.”

Admon frowns, lost in thought. “You do not feel such a cord?” he asks me. I shake my head.

“The cord, or thread, or whatever it is. It’s what helped me find Laurel after she left,” Thorne adds. “I focused on it, and it helped me find Laurel. The whispering intensified as I got closer to her, telling me she was in danger.”

Admon looks sharply at Thorne, concern for me written clearly across his features. “She was in danger? How so?”

“I don’t understand it,” Thorne says slowly, brow furrowed in concentration and eyes wandering, like he’s remembering the moments in the cave. “When I reached her, it was like all the aether was being sucked out of her. I somehow knew if I didn’t do something, I was…” Thorne chokes. “I was going to lose her.” His eyes drop to his lap, expression shuttering with grief. I stare at Thorne and the raw emotion on his face. I don’t understand how he could have such deep feelings so quickly.

“And how did you save her?” Admon asks.

“I pulled as much aether together as I could into the surrounding light—more aether than I’ve ever controlled—and had it cover her body with healing power,” Thorne says matter-of-factly, as if that’s a totally normal thing to do. “Then I willed the aether to disperse into her, willed it to fill her back up.” Now it’s my turn to stare at Thorne with awe and confusion.

“How long did it take her to recover after you pushed the healing aether into her?” Admon asks, still showing signs of concern that make me nervous.

“Not very long. Just a few seconds.” Thorne squeezes my hand as if to assure himself I’m still there.