My legs were still shaking, not from exhaustion this time, but from the sheer, mind-boggling audacity of what I'd just done. I'd opened a chasm in the Heartwood. A chasm. My inner monologue was currently screaming, "You're going to jail for this, Cassie! Magical geological vandalism!"
"So," I mumbled, my voice flat, staring at the gaping maw in the earth. "I'm going to be the Fae Witch who accidentally causes an apocalypse every time she has a bad hair day." I looked at my hands, still faintly tingling with residual power. "How do I un-fissure this? Do I say 'Close!'? Or 'Earth, get your shit together!'?"
Violet sighed, a long, weary sound, but there was a faint, almost imperceptible tremor of amusement in her voice. "Perhaps we should leave that for another lesson, Cassandra. For now, you are once again severely drained. And we have a rather large hole to explain to the Heartwood Elders."
I groaned. "Oh, joy. More explaining. Maybe I can just tell them it was a very enthusiastic gopher."
Lyra chuckled, a genuine, hearty sound that cut through the tension. "I doubt they would believe you, Cassandra. But perhaps… perhaps this is exactly what we needed. A clear demonstration of the raw power you wield. It is not about control, as we understand it. It is about channeling that raw force, that boundless potential, with absolute intent." She looked at me, her Emerald eyes thoughtful. "You are not meant to be a gentle whisper, Cassandra. You are meant to be a roar. We simply need to teach you which direction to point it."
A roar. That sounded… terrifying. And exhilarating. The thought of wielding that kind of power, not accidentally, but on purpose, was a dizzying prospect. I was a walking, talking force of nature, a Definer of State, an Amplification machine. And I had just accidentally opened a chasm in the Heartwood. My journey to master the Voice of Echoes was going to be less about learning spells and more about learning to master the raging storm within myself. And right now, that storm felt like it was just getting started.