Destroyer (The Elemental Series #7)(43)

He shook his head and then nodded. "Yes and no. Using Spirit to damage others breaks your mind, as it's done with Cassava. But using it to help others, to do good, heals those breaks. So, if you use it in balance, you're okay. And Riding it is a neutral usage, not harming or helping anyone."

Yet again, I'd been led astray by Viv and her machinations. "Damn her. Okay, tell me how to do it then."

I continued to stare at him, finally grasping how he'd escaped me in the Eyrie. "That's how you keep avoiding me, disappearing into thin air."

He shook his head and spoke as if he'd read my mind. "Again, yes and no. You can't Ride Spirit in or out of the elemental homes. They are protected from that to keep Spirit Walkers from going wherever they want. Back when there were enough Spirit Walkers to do that, anyway." 

That was it; he wasn't giving me anything more. I snorted. "Okay. Show me how to do this Riding of Spirit."

"We have to land, and as you can see, right now we are over a rather large body of water. When you make the jump, you can't do it with more than a single person, not unlike Traveling with the armbands. Actually, I think the Traveling bands were set up by Spirit Walkers." He swept his hand out to indicate the ocean below us as he spoke.

As if to impress on me the point that we were indeed over the Atlantic, a spray of salty air slapped me in my face. "Fine. As soon as we land you are going to teach me that."

He gave me a sloppy salute and I glared. "Don't get sassy with me, Raven."

"You need me to teach you. Especially since Talan is going to be pissed when he finally catches up to us. Goddess only knows what he will do then." He blew out a breath and shook his head.

"He won't be able to find us."

"Oh," he laughed softly, "I think he will. And I think when he does, he's not going to underestimate my loyalty to you over him again." Raven didn't look at me as he spoke. I stared at him hard, though, as if my gaze could break through his words and tell me if he was speaking the truth or not.

"What else can you tell me about?"

"Well, you got a dose of being able to inflict pain through Spirit, and I'll let you figure that one out yourself, I think. I don't have a lot of strength in that area anyway. Now, if you can find a witch to work with, you can create or pull apart a creature. At least, that is what Talan told me. I've never done it myself." He spoke that last bit as if he were afraid of how I would react. I didn't understand why he was so careful with those words.

"Why would I pull apart a creature?" I asked. "That's stupid."

"A creature created by another elemental," he clarified.

My whole body stiffened and I tightened my legs around Shazer's barrel. "You mean …  Ash?"

"Yes. You'll need a powerful witch to help you with that if you want it to be successful. I can show you what you would have to do on your side of the spell. It is Spirit that brings the process about, changing the shape of the human body into the flesh of the animal spirit that resides in all of us."

I closed my eyes, doing my best to quell the spurt of hope growing in my heart. I knew no matter how much I loved Ash, I had bigger things to deal with before I found him and took him home. Much as I wanted to dwell on Ash and helping him, his loss paralyzed me if I let myself think on him too long. He'd been trapped as a golden eagle for years. "How long has he been trapped exactly?" The question was one I'd wanted the answer to for so long, I wasn't sure Raven could answer it.

"Twenty-five years, give or take a few. Mostly give," Raven said.

"Holy shit," I whispered. "And can I bring him back from that?"

"Hey, what about me?" Shazer rippled his back, bringing my attention back to him. "I've been stuck like this for longer than I can remember. You're acting like Ash won't be able to even converse with you. Like he's suddenly stupid because he's an animal."

I looked back at Raven. "And?"

"Different with Ash; he wasn't given the ability to speak. Which means he's been locked inside that eagle that entire time."

My guts clenched with sudden understanding. "Like an oubliette."



       
         
       
        

"Yes, but it was the only way to save him."

"Wait, what?" I twisted around farther. "You say that like you …  had something to do with his change."

Raven's lips pursed. "I was there when it happened."

Peta shifted in my lap as she shook her head violently from side to side. "There is something, almost like a memory I can't quite grab hold of in my head. Was I there with him?"