Page 62 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

Liria didn't know how to teach Thax about his version of convergence.

All she could do was show him how she converged and hope that learning the basics of one style would help with another.

It was still converging, still working with two sources of energy.

He just did it differently from the rest of them.

Not that it mattered. Thax was doing great on his own.

Or maybe she should say, he was doing great under the tutelage of the Sources of Magic and Technology.

The lessons she gave him were just a way for them to spend time together.

As long as his father kept his secret, they were safe in Thennis.

Liria looked at it as a vacation. So, they made love late into the night, got up late in the day, and lounged around their palatial home in any way they wished.

They even moved upstairs into the main bedroom.

She was getting used to being pampered now that she didn't have to take care of him.

Of course, Liria knew it wouldn't last. The rest of the world would come for them eventually. Secrets couldn't be kept forever, especially when they involved convergence. But she intended to get as much happiness out of their reprieve as possible.

“How about we go into the town today?” Liria suggested.

They had just finished their breakfast out on the balcony of their new bedroom. Near the balcony railing, they sat across an iron table from each other, the remnants of their meal between them.

“Why?” Thax asked.

“To walk around. See something different from this.”

“I like this view.” He stared pointedly at her.

Liria smiled but also stared back, searching his eyes. “All right. I was thinking we could work on design and fabrication.”

“Design and fabrication?”

“Yes. Converged creation. You've gotten a feel for convergence in your way. I think you're ready to create something in the traditional manner.”

“Anything?”

“That's the idea. You come up with a concept for a device, and you make one. Or attempt to. Usually, it takes a while. The first fabrication never goes as you expect.”

“I wouldn't know what to make.”

“We'll start with something simple. You said you liked your bread crispier than Aga made it this morning.” Liria waved at his half-eaten slice of bread. Why don't you create a device that will crisp your bread to the perfect amount?”

“You mean a crisper?” he asked dryly.

Liria snorted a laugh. “Yes, but we're pretending crispers don't exist. How would you design one if there were no such thing as crispers?”

Thax frowned. “Interesting. But I'm not an inventor. I'm not even a cook. I don't know how crispers work.”

“You don't have to know how anything works to design it.

That's what tech does. It takes your idea and gives it a form that will function.

But the clearer your idea, the better. That's why we're starting with something simple.

You know that bread needs to be heated to get crisp.

So, you'll need some kind of sleeve for a slice of bread to go into that will heat it evenly. Take that as a starting point.”

“And technology will forge the machine for me?”

“Yes. That's what the Source of Technology does—it creates machines.

But that's only one part of converging. You fabricate a machine that needs fuel.

If you were a Nethren, it would end there.

You'd find a source of fuel like . . . shit, I honestly have no idea what they use for fuel. But we use magic. Through convergence, you can give your machine an endless power source.”

“So, tech makes the machines and magic fuels them?”

“Yes, but that's still not convergence. Or rather, it's not a complete convergence. After you provide the fuel, you guide energy from the Source of Magic—or from a ley line—to converge the machine into something greater. Your vision directs the convergence. So, Tech gives us the machine, magic fuels it, and then convergence merges the two to create wondrous things. You are limited only by your imagination, Thax.”

He shot to his feet. “I have an idea!”

Liria hid her grin by taking a sip of coffee. “Wonderful. Go draw it out. It helps to have images to focus on, and measurements can be good for a first convergence.”

Thax paused. “Aren't you coming?”

“Nope.” She put her feet up on his empty chair. “I want you to do this by yourself. It will be more satisfying. Trust me. Go design your concept, and when you're ready to converge, let me know.”

Thax came back and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Liri. For everything you do for me.”

With a hand on his cheek, Liria whispered, “I love you. You don't have to thank me.”

“I believe our love means I should thank you more often.” He brushed his lips over hers and went inside to the bottom floor of their massive bedroom, heading to the desk set against the south wall.

Across from the desk, near the window in the north wall, was a small dining set, but they loved to dine outside.

Liria loved the new view. The only thing she didn't like about the suite was that the bed—an enormous thing made for Aethari—was on the second floor of the suite, up in the loft.

So they had to climb stairs to get to it at night.

But the view from bed was even more spectacular than it was from the balcony.

Speaking of views, Liria looked over at Thax.

In the small space of time she'd taken to ponder their new environment, he had gathered paper and a pen and had started sketching.

Her chest filled with light to see him focused and excited.

Thax was doing better and better every day.

He was almost back to his old self. No, he'd never be that man again, and that was a good thing.

Thaxvarien was becoming something better.

And she was helping him. His first converged device!

Maybe he'd become an inventor. Thax could do anything he wanted now. Losing his wings had freed him.

And it freed Liria as well.

Looking back, she could admit that her work had given her satisfaction, but it also kept her in a constant state of anxiety.

Even fear. Living next to a Nethren pit was not fun.

Liria had been saving her money since she first arrived and planned on retiring as soon as possible.

Thax's tragedy—their trauma—had retired her a lot sooner than expected.

Which was kind of wonderful. The more Thax recovered, the more she could see the positives of their experience.

Liria stood up, stretched, and breathed in the fresh air. Taking their breakfast tray with her, she headed out of the bedroom, pausing only to kiss Thax's cheek and tell him where she was going. He nodded distractedly, making her grin.

Once she reached the ground floor, she dropped the tray off with Aga but took her mug of coffee.

Back through the dining hall, toward their old room, was the north tower.

It was the only tower with an open outer wall, and so it had a door leading out to it instead of an open archway.

Liria went into the stairwell and glanced up the spiraling stairs, the amazing structure looking as if it had been poured instead of carved.

The outer wall made every level look like a balcony, with stone columns for support and a railing that ran along the stairs.

The architect had certainly designed this place with the view in mind.

Instead of heading up the stairs, Liria went to an opening in the railing where a short set of steps led down to the side garden.

Sea salt and selanine flowers offered their scent to her as she stepped onto the bright grass.

Even when she was younger, without the hindrance of a job, Liria had never gone for walks in gardens.

She never understood the appeal. But after all she'd seen and done, all she'd been through with Thax, she now understood.

Striding through the fragrant beauty, Liria felt at peace.

More than that, she saw the wonder in nature that she had rarely appreciated as an adult—a ripening peach, a massive pink selanine in full bloom, a glossy pebble.

When you can pick up a pebble and see nature's full glory in it, you know you've found true peace.

Liria slipped the pebble in her pocket and sat down on a stone bench beneath the overhang of a frothy white tree.

Staring up, past the fluff of pristine petals, Liria sought the sky.

Pale blue and utterly empty. No clouds, no birds, and certainly no Aethari cities.

Liria wondered what Thax felt when he looked at it.

Would he miss it forever ? Or would his new talent and new home fill the void? Would she?

With a scowl, she pushed the thought away.

It had been all about Thax lately. Liria had been so focused on his recovery that she hadn't thought about herself.

Her future. What she wanted. Yes, Liria wanted to be with Thaxvarien.

Yes, she'd marry him. Perform the forever rite.

That felt like a foregone conclusion now.

Honestly, she understood why he hadn't thought to propose.

They were simply preordained. A given. But what about her as a person?

Liria Drask. What was she going to do now that she had left her career as a security officer?

There would be no going back. And not just because she wasn't thrilled about her old job. Liria may not be waking up every night screaming, but the underground still haunted her.

Shifting her stare from the sky to the ground, Liria felt as if she could see through the stone and soil.

To the core—that bubbling mass of magma that churned endlessly, keeping their world turning.

As a Medean, Liria knew the paths to both sources.

She could connect to either of them with a thought.

So, she wasn't surprised to feel the fiery response from the Source of Technology.

But then the ache came. The longing. Not hers.

No, this pain belonged to someone down there.

Maybe it was the Source itself. Maybe not.

She had felt that pull on her way out of the underground.

At the time, she was too focused on escaping to concern herself with it.

Now, however, she could analyze the feeling. And she didn't like her conclusions.

A shiver ran down her arms as the memory returned.

Liria heard the clank of metal and the thunder of the Nethren weapons.

She saw the soldiers below them, aiming those weapons.

It was then that she had first felt the draw.

Someone was watching them and not just those who were in furious pursuit.

No, this person projected an emotion that felt out of place down there.

Desire? No, that couldn't be. It was some sort of craving.

Need. He coveted. But what? He'd also been angry, but not in the same way as the others.

It was a he! A Nethren man. He had watched their escape with fury and that odd craving.

No, he hadn't just watched. He had given chase.

And then the image of that blond Nethren filled her mind—the man who had stared through the pit camera at her.

Liria rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled.

But that was ridiculous. Wasn't it? There couldn't be a connection between her and a Nethren.

Her memory was playing tricks on her. It was to be expected after a trauma like that.

So, she let the feeling and her touch on the Source of Technology go.

Her life was full of enough drama without adding imaginary issues to it.

Her connection to the Source of Technology dimmed with her withdrawal.

Now, what had she been thinking about? Right.

Her future. Focus on that, Liria. Let the past go.

She picked up her mug and took a fortifying sip of coffee.

Several yards before her, a wall protected the garden from ocean gusts, but she could still hear the waves crashing against the rocks.

The sound soothed her. Grounded her. All right.

The future. What would she do after Thax found his way?

She wasn't a woman to lounge about all day picking up pebbles and sniffing flowers.

Sitting there was nice, but she was already getting bored.

The obvious things to contemplate when deciding on a new career were enjoyment and skill.

Liria was a talented converger. That made her a perfect partner for Thax.

In her, he had a lover and a teacher. But what would happen to her after she taught him all she knew?

What would Liria converge when her husband could make the very plants grow and water churn?

And that was just the beginning. Would he summon storms and shake the soil?

Dear convergence, he would become a glorious and fearsome man. And she would be . . . what? His?

“Well, I'm not going to belittle myself just because I'm sleeping with a miracle,” Liria muttered.

“I am talented in my own right. I went underground and came back alive. No one else has done that.” Liria lifted her chin.

“I'll figure it out, just like Thax.” She stood up, her gaze deliberately staying high.

Away from the ground. “My talent is converging, but what do I enjoy doing?”

Now, that was something that would take some pondering.

Unlike her sister, Liria had never had a hobby.

She didn't do frivolous things. Her thoughts had always been on survival.

Get a good career. Make enough money to live comfortably.

Maybe have a family someday. No time for searching her heart for a passion. Now, she had the time.

With that freeing thought, Liria went back into the house. There was at least one passion waiting for her there. Maybe he could inspire others.