Magician's Touch (Deadly Touch book 3) Chapter 41: 41: Focus

Read chapter 41 of Magician's Touch (Deadly Touch book 3) by Deb E Howell on NovelPedia.

Orin had not been the most willing recipient of Aenuk blood – even his mother’s – but relented under the onslaught of Orinia’s pleas backed up by Braph’s assertion it was necessary. The needle hurt and the blood was gross, but his parents won out. “Wow! I feel like I could take over the world!” Orin leaped up and flexed, trying to make himself appear big and powerful, hindered by the simple fact he was a child. “Focus.” Braph infused his tone with impatience and frustration rather than the gnawing anxiety that had driven them to this situation, which he was reluctant to explain to Orin. He walked around the Ajnai, once again marveling at its newfound healing ability. They had riddled it with holes the night before, and now they were all gone, leaving a near clean slate to drill again. Shallow divots remained where holes had been the previous evening. Interesting. It had closed the first holes much more cleanly. But that had only been tens of holes, not the hundred plus they had drilled as a family the night before. Perhaps it lacked access to all the power in the world. It was still young and relatively small, nothing like the tree that had stood in Turhmos for a thousand years or more. What mattered the most when it came to raw power? Having an Immortal buried among its roots, or forming ancient connections? Orin shadow-boxed some invisible opponent. “Focus,” Braph repeated. “You’re meant to be helping me with an experiment.” Orinia watched on anxiously. “Does he need more?” “It wouldn’t hurt.” Orin continued to bounce around, swinging his arms, then he slumped. “Oh.” He scowled. “It’s gone. I want that again. Ma, please?” He clasped his hands in front of him and threw a pleading look at his mother. Orinia obliged, drawing a syringeful from herself, pressed a hand to the Ajnai to replace the blood given to Orin, and returned to press the precious liquid into his veins. He was a much more enthusiastic recipient this second time. “Now, before you get too excited—” Braph turned his attention back to his son. “—take a moment for some internal reflection. Think of when you’ve been sick in the past and how much you wanted to feel better.” “Okay, but why? Phwoar . This is amazing!” Orin lit up again, jogged on the spot a few strides before swinging his arms and running up the path. “Hmm.” Once again, Braph ran calculations with imperfect data to draw conclusions from. He’d only needed the one syringe of Orinia’s blood administered at the first sign of weakness when he’d risked infecting himself. Orin had shown no signs of weakness, only an increased appetite. That made some sense, his being Immortal rather than Karan – his healing ability required feeding. Probably just the one syringe was enough to halt the infection in Orin, too. But Braph was an adult, able to direct the magic with a little meditation. Orin had so far failed to demonstrate any such capability. Braph couldn’t deny some jealousy over what his son was likely experiencing, too. He’d suspected Jonas’s Syakaran acquaintance with Syaenuk blood to be more intense than Braph’s own. What would it be like to receive Syaenuk blood as an Immortal? Not just an Immortal, either. An Immortal who had drained the power of another. He could only imagine, and his imagination was not on his own side. As far as ensuring Orin’s health, there was nothing more Braph could do. For his own endeavors, a thick putty awaited his experimentation. Orin’s help with the process would be appreciated, although, his not interrupting was nearly as good. He went to the pot and pulled up a small handful of the thick putty and rolled it around in his hand, savoring the sense of wellbeing that washed over him. There was definitely magic there, but how could he best access it? He’d thought of amber beads, but the way the sap crystallized around the edges of the pot didn’t speak to amber in the future, not from heating alone. Perhaps this sap lacked the chemistry to turn to amber. He suspected the oil that