"I know," I said out loud.
Animus paused.There’s something I've been meaning to tell you, but it's too difficult to explain. It's easier to simply show you.
One of Animus's fiery feathers floated in front of me. It was warm and soft, but didn't burn me.
The instant I touched it, I was thrust into one of Animus's memories.
Eighteen
Leveret
The world was hazy and surreal with a dreamlike quality. Surrounding me was a cloudy, featureless void. There was no grass or sky or anything to ground me. It was like I was floating in space.
But I wasn't in space. I was in the past, reliving one of Animus's memories.
Three figures loomed over me. Nautilus, Terranus and Mistral. They all looked slightly different than how I knew them in the present. Nautilus had a longer body, almost snakelike. Terranus was noticeably larger, his brown hide covered with sharp stalagmites at every angle. Mistral's wings flowed behind him like ribbons and his birdlike features were prominent.
I recognized with a jolt that my suspicion was correct. The appearances of all the spirits had changed over the years, so theycouldshift.
At once, I realized I saw the memory from Animus's point of view. He was on his knees as if shrinking from the other spirits, his expressions all twisted in anger and disappointment.
"What have you done?" Nautilus demanded. His voice boomed like a tidal wave crashing into a rocky cliff. It was completely different from the tone he took with me in real life.
"I—I haven't done anything wrong," Animus said.
As he spoke, I felt his body trembling. He was terrified of these spirits—his own brothers.
"If that's what you think, you're a fool," Terranus growled. The timbre of his voice was viscerally terrifying. I realized I felt what Animus felt. He worried Terranus would lift his great foot and stomp on him in anger.
"I'm not a fool," Animus argued weakly. His fear smothered his confidence. I felt the uneasy regret churning in his stomach. "It was my decision to make, and—"
Mistral cut him off. "No, it wasn't. You've got to stop feeling sorry for every pathetic little mortal you meet. Their lives are worthless, and no matter how much of your magic you spare, it will never change what they are." Mistral's expression darkened. "But this time, Animus? You've gone way too far."
The other two spirits murmured in furious agreement.
Animus shrank back like a mouse cowering beneath a hawk's shadow. "I did what I thought was right—"
"It was wrong," Mistral snapped. "Giving magic to a mortal… How could you be so stupid?"
Animus frowned as sadness welled up inside him. "But you didn't see how badly he wanted it, how happy he was when I gave it to him."
Mistral flexed his talons and struck Animus across the face.
Fury burned like fire in my chest. Even though I knew it was a memory, I wanted to stop Mistral. How dare he touch my mate that way?
Animus shakily raised a hand and touched the blood trickling down his cheek. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal," he said quietly.
Mistral sneered as he leaned in to mutter in Animus's bleeding face. "You're a fool, just as Terranus said. We are spirits. We arespecial. Mortals will never be like us, and more importantly, theyshouldn'tbe. This is the way the world works. You clearly don't understand that."
Anger built up inside Animus. "Why shouldn't mortals be like us? What's the harm in sharing a tiny bit of my magic with the human I loved?"
"He never loved you. Heusedyou," Mistral stated coldly. "That's why you came crying to us. Did you think we could ever support you after such a heinous mistake?"
Animus winced like he'd been struck again. I experienced all the emotions tearing him up inside—the anger, the sadness, the betrayal. Not just at the three spirits who were supposed to be his kin, but at the human man who'd betrayed him.
Animus knew Mistral was right. The human—Christopher—hadused him. But within Animus's storming emotions, I felt that he didn't regret sharing his magic. He only regretted that it was with the wrong person.
Animus gazed up at the others’ three spirits pleadingly. "This can be an opportunity for us. Don't you see? We don't have to be unique. If mortals have shifting magic, then we won't be alone anymore."