Page 73 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

This is insane, Liria thought as Thax carried her through clouds, up to the sky city of Icara. It should feel insane.

It would take them hours to get there. By the time they arrived, the fighting might be over.

Liria could only hope that the rebels were waiting on word from the men with Thax.

Maybe they'd hold off the battle until he arrived.

But she didn't think so. Thaxvarien was just a figurehead to them.

A symbol. Someone to point at as proof of their claims. Her nightmare kept shrieking through her mind.

The Speaker would be safe, but that didn't mean Thax and she would be safe in Icara.

Alone. Just the two of them. It was insane. But it also wasn't.

Liria looked at Thax. Beneath his wrap-around eye-shield, his expression was serene.

Confident. Others may have found that disturbing, more proof that this was insanity.

But seeing his confidence eased the tightness in Liria's muscles.

For her, this was proof of the opposite.

She had seen magic and tech flow through Thax.

He had done impossible things. This would be one more impossible achievement to add to his list.

“Go to sleep, Liri,” Thax said and kissed her forehead. “We have a ways yet to travel.”

“I'm not tired.” Liria lifted her face to the light. In that bright sky, death and war seemed far away. “And I can't sleep in the sunshine.” She nuzzled in against his chest, her hand pressing over his heart. “What are you going to do if you manage to stop the battle?”

“What do you mean? That's the goal.”

“Yes, but then what? You said before that you want to lead your people, but what does that entail? What are your plans, Thax?”

“I don't know. I suppose the sources will guide me.”

Liria straightened. “We're going to Icara, in the midst of civil unrest, without a plan?”

“The plan is to speak, Liri. I will speak to them, and the Sources will speak through me.” He bent his head to her, his confident expression cracking. “If it goes badly, I will flee with you. I won't risk your life to save Icara. You are worth more to me than all the sky cities over Para.”

“Thax, that's beautiful, and I love you too—more than anything on the planet.

But I'm asking what will happen if your mediation works? You need to think about that, Thax. Not just wait for the Sources to guide you. If you go up there and speak, you will feed into their assertion that you should replace your father.”

“That is not my path anymore.”

“Have the Sources told you that?”

Thax shifted his stare away.

“They speak to you, don't they? Not just through you. They speak to you.”

“Not in the way you're implying.” He met her stare.

“I don't hear voices, but I do feel the presence of both sources.

And they guide me. They show me things and give me information.

I tried to explain it to you before, remember?

Back at the fortress. I told you that I was shown the way to victory.

That knowing and sensing have increased tenfold.

The more I open myself to them, the more they show me.

That's why I can be confident without having a plan for what will come next, destra. I know they will show me the way.”

“All right.” Liria lay her head back on Thax's shoulder and stared at the clouds. They were so high up, those clouds were within reach. And yet, that didn't excite her. She was too worried to be excited.

“I'm not insane.”

She lifted her head in surprise. “I know you're not.”

“Do you?” Thax nuzzled her. “You don't think I'm imagining this? Perhaps giving myself more importance than I have?”

“No, Thax. You wouldn't do that. But there are a few things I'd like to know. If you have the answers, as you say.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You're going to test me? That sounds like doubt, Liri.”

She shrugged. “More like curiosity.”

Yeah, her curiosity over whether she was being shown things by the sources too. Like that Nethren.

“All right. What do you want to know, destra?”

“Why do your eyes glow but not your skin when you speak?”

“Unlike my father, who is controlled by the Source of Magic when he speaks, I am not controlled by either source. They flow into me, offer me guidance and power, but leave me in control. So, the light shines through my eyes, but not my entire body. I am their partner, not their medium.”

Liria blinked. She hadn't expected him to answer that so clearly. “Holy shit. That makes sense. You've said that before—that you remain in control, but I never realized it had something to do with the glow.”

“Next question, please.” Thax grinned.

“All right, smart guy.” She grinned back. “Have the sources explained why you can converge living things?”

His gaze softened. “That is more complicated. And it involves something else I wish to speak to you about.”

Liria leaned closer. “Go on.”

“First, the issue of living things.” Thax kissed her cheek. “Do you remember when we talked about your schooling and you explained how there are many types of convergence?”

“Yes, of course.”

“You talked about science—how it's the study of the physical and natural world, while technology is the application of science toward industry. But we don't call it the Source of Science because you can't converge living things.”

“Yes.”

“But just because a thing hasn't been done, it doesn't mean it can't be done. We may not call it the Source of Science, but that is what it is.”

Liria considered this. “Maybe.”

“It is, Liri. Technology is merely an aspect of science.

Magic has aspects too. Aethari don't wield magic, so we don't classify it.

But we know there are many faces of Source.

Prophecy, for example, is an aspect of magic.

Or even telepathy. There are levels Medeans haven't explored. The creativity you say that magic adds to convergences is an aspect of it, Liri.”

“Prophecy,” Liria repeated, thinking of her nightmare. “Thax, when you say you know things, do you mean things that will happen in the future?”

“Not exactly. I haven't received visions as you have. I believe that is your gift. But I can sense which option will work out for the best.”

“Magic has aspects. Great convergence, how have I never noticed that?”

“You are taught one way and don't think to question it.”

“Yes, perhaps.”

“Now, to answer your question, we must return to science.

It's actually very simple. Living things are part of the natural world.

They are part of science. But sentient beings have will and intellect to protect themselves.

Converging a person or even an animal would be very difficult because their will to be as they are will supersede yours.

In short, they know who they are and will not change.

But plants have no minds to reject convergence.

They are open. Converging with non-sentient living things is simply another level that I've been the first to achieve.

I believe losing my wings allowed me to surpass the limits you were taught.

You see, I wasn't taught those limits. I was open to the guidance of the Sources. And my sacrifice of magic created a void inside me that they could fill.”

“A void?”

“Yes, a vacuum that drew in what the Sources offered. Magic gave wings to my people. Technology took them away. It left me in the middle. But even then, I wouldn't have been able to converge in the manner that I do without you, destra.”

“What?” Liria's chest filled with shivering energy.

Questions blasted through her mind. Memories presented themselves—going underground, converging in a way she couldn't explain, sensing things about Thax, seeing the future in her dream.

That fucking Nethren. It didn't make sense.

Unless she was a part of whatever miracle was happening to Thaxvarien.

“Separate, you and I had talent. The perfect amount of potential. I was in line to be Speaker, and you were one of the greatest convergers of your generation. But once we came together, our potential was magnified. My sacrifice opened me to the Sources, but it was my abduction that opened you. Your love for me made you willing to do anything to get me back. And the Sources flowed into that void, Liri.”

“I . . . that feels true. It's the only thing that makes sense. I did open myself. I did it before I even left the pit. And then your father spoke to me. That was the catalyst?”

“Yes, Liri. I wasn't the only one changed down there, in the dark.”

“Sweet convergence.” Liria held a hand to her lips. “Thax, are you saying that I could do what you do?”

“I don't know, Liri. I wouldn't be surprised if you could. But I think your dream proves that you're capable of more now. That and the way you saved me.”

“The converging I did underground.”

“Yes.”

“So, it wasn't just the Source of Magic that drew us together.”

“No, it was both of them. They've been waiting for the perfect conditions to be met in the perfect people.

We were reborn underground and returned to the surface as new beings.

Once that happened, our bond became even greater.

We empower each other. Only together can we reach heights that others view as impossible.

But even without the bond or the converging, I need you. I can't be me without you, Liri.”

Warmth, light, and love burst in Liria's chest. To know that she wasn't just a tool sent by the Sources to help Thax achieve his potential, but instead had her own potential to achieve with him was so damn freeing.

It felt good. Liberating. She wasn't just a note in his story.

Not a supporting character at all. She was a lead.

As important as he was. Yeah, it felt great.

But what felt even better was being loved so completely by Thaxvarien Rennux.

Her hand clenched in his shirt. “I feel the same. It's as if I've waited my whole life for you.”

“You are my goal, Liria. You are the reason I'm flying to Icara.

You're why I need to change the Aethari.

I want to make Para a better world for you—from its core to its skies.

That's the destru in me. But the partner in me, the one who is your other half, knows that I can't do any of this without you. You and I must do this together.”

With her eye-shield on, Liria couldn't wipe away her tears.

So, she blinked rapidly and leaned in to kiss Thax.

In a frigid sky, he became her sun, warming her despite their altitude.

Love had scared her once. She had searched for a lesser version of it to protect herself.

Now, Liria saw the truth—lesser love isn't love at all. It’s tasteless and dry.

A coward's repast. Actual love was worth the risk.

When she thought about the men she used to date, she couldn't believe she'd been satisfied with them.

But then, she hadn't known that Thaxvarien Rennux existed.

Or that he would give her the sky and offer her the world.

No, not offer. He asked her to change the world with him. And that was so much better.

How ironic that all she wanted was him.

“I don't need you to change an entire race to make Para a better world for me,” she spoke against his lips and then leaned back to meet his gaze. “Your love for me does that.”

“Liri,” Thax whispered, and yet they were close enough that his words reached her, even with the wind trying to tear them away.

“This is our journey. Every step must be taken together.

If you don't want to do this, I'll fly us back to Thennis. Just say it. Command me to turn around. Tell me what you desire of me, and I will give it to you. What will make you happy, my destra?”

“I don't want to go to Icara.”

Thax slowed their flight.

Then she went on, “But you need to do this, Thax.

You need this to be happy. And I can't be happy if you're not.” She shook her head.

“As tempting as it is to run away and hide with you in the mountains, I know that will wear away at you. You are meant to lead your people into a new age. I am meant to help you.”

“No. As long as you are safe and happy, I will be content. We will go to the mountains.”

Liria grinned. “Sweet liar. I love you, Thaxvarien.

I love you enough to run from a battle and hide forever.

But neither of us will be happy running.

We're soldiers, reluctant though we may be.

We run toward battle, not away. So, we will do this together.

That's what I want. I want you to walk this path with me, not for me.” Liria cupped his cheek. “That's an order, Private Rennux.”

Thax chuckled. “Yes, Chief.”