‘I won’t do it,’ Zhira was quick to promise. Rhyode sighed again. ‘Like I said, decades. Before someone channels they usually have decades learning their limits. We’re taught how to pour ourselves without stepping beyond life.’
‘I haven’t – I haven’t been learning? How do I know how to use the power?’
‘Every so often there is a gift so strong that it reaches out on its own. Like a beacon.’ His eyes, which had been fixed on her face, dropped to her neck. He stood up suddenly and walked around the fire. His boots kicked up dried mud as they scraped across the floor. Zhira jumped back to her own feet, ready to withdraw. Before she could move he’d curled his hands around the necklace.
‘How long have you had this?’ he demanded.
‘It’s not mine.’ She pulled it carefully out of his hands and s
