The moment Orlando began chanting, the air changed. One moment she sat with condensation gathering on her skin in the rising heat. Then the air around her hummed with electricity. The lightning danced across her skin, dazzled her eyes, tickled her ears. And then it was inside her. 

All at once, emotions filled her. And memories. Anger at the many ridiculous expectations of a princess. The pleasure of the small handful of young romances she had enjoyed, made all the more delightful by their forbidden status. And a deep, unyielding certainty, the same one that had kept her alive for the last few days. 

For the first time, she understood in her belly why she had been chosen by Chukulla. 

The air began to flicker. Lines of light etched themselves across her vision, curving and splintering until they began to form a glowing map of the empire, stretching from the remote peaks of the North to the vast salt flats of the South. The ocean to the West and the endless swaths of rainforest to the East. 

She saw the capital city in the west and the sacred mountain at the center of it all. As she watched, a new line formed, starting at the capitol and veering Southeast. It was following her escape route, she realized. As the line wended its way deeper into the Southern mountains, Kaz caught flashes of her journey, brief windows into her memory. 

She saw the palace burning below her, smoke rising from the great plain. She saw the twisted tree where she had stopped to gnaw on some jerky on her first day.  There was the canyon where she had cut the bridge. And there was Owen sitting with Devlin by his side, leaning into the shaft of sunlight that had first illuminated his face. 

The glimpse of Owen came with an especially strong burst of certainty, and a glowing dot appeared on the map even as the line continued. As it came to a stop in the village of Yavasay, Kaz realized that the line’s turns were sharper than they were curved. Indeed, her route looked like a wild and dramatic bolt of lightning. 

This journey has been an initiation, said a harsh, clear voice in her head. The lines on the map flickered in sync with its words. Chukulla. 

Kaz had only begun to wonder what the initiation had been for when Chukulla answered her. 

Power, he said. Every mage must undergo great trials to prove themselves strong enough to wield their element responsibly. You have passed your initiation. All that is left is for you to choose. 

To choose? Thought Kaz. You mean I get a choice? 

Oh yes, said Chukulla. That is fundamental. You must knowingly choose the power offered to you. Otherwise that power becomes useless. 

Just like that? Zap, I’m a mage? 

Of course, there will be consequences either way. You will need to learn to control your power. It adds another burden to your journey, but also another way to defend yourself. But in this moment - yes, all you must do is decide. 

Kaz stared at the glimmering map. Her current location glowed brighter every time she blinked, joining two other glowing dots. One was at the capitol, the other the place where she had first met Owen. 

Could she really be a mage? The spiritual connection to the elements already freaked her out. Part of her screamed that she would be crazy to add an even more direct link. But she also felt the deep satisfaction and comfort of having her element give such a clear gesture of support. Given what she was going into, wouldn’t she be foolish to reject any weapon or advantage that was offered to her?

Kaz took a deep breath and focused on the powerful, certain part of her that had emerged as she came into contact with Chukulla at the start of the ceremony. She realized that when she looked at the question from this part of her, the answer became very clear. 

“I accept,” she replied, speaking the words aloud. 

The lightning, that gleaming decisiveness and passion, grew within her, a rising crescendo of sensation. And at its peak, the lightning paused. There was an expectant, waiting quality to it. She felt, instinctively, that Chukulla was, for once, awaiting her acquiescence. Teetering on the edge of ecstasy, Kaz gave it. 

And then the lightning burst from her in sheets. She could not contain it. It scalded her skin as she began to scream with the pain and the overwhelming intensity. She was dimly aware that Orlando was yelling something. But what could he do? The lightning would kill her, burn her alive from the inside, before anyone could do anything to save her. 

And then strong arms caught her in a desperate embrace. And somehow the lightning was dissipating, vanishing into a nothingness that somehow also emanated from that same embrace. She heard singing from very far away. And then everything went black. 

Next Chapter: 18: Owen - Discovery