“Y-yes,” I stammer.
“There is a natural symmetry between the maegic that whispers through your veins and that which burns in mine. A tactile connection helps at the beginning when the connection is still…new.” He pauses. “When you used the bond to find me today, what did it feel like?”
“Like tugging a thread or following an unspooled skein of yarn.”
“Faint?”
I nod.
“It will strengthen. Eventually, with a bit of practice, you will be able to locate me much more easily. And to feel my fire, along with my physical presence.” Heat blasts down the link again; Istart at the sensation of warmth spreading through me. “To channel me, in a sense. And vice versa.”
“Channel you?” My heart is thudding madly. “You mean tap into your power?”
“Yes. It is sometimes possible to channel the power of another Remnant.”
“Not always?”
“Just as air fuels a fire and water extinguishes it, the four Remnant powers can fuel and feed from one another. There are innate compatibilities. And, with them, innate limitations. Some elements work better in combination than others. For instance, fire and air are…”
I arch a brow. “Combustible?”
“They can be, yes. Your power and mine work well together, as air feeds a burgeoning flame to new heights. But when it comes to fire and water…” His sun-bronzed shoulders lift in a slight shrug. “Soren and I are not only opposites in personality. Our powers are at opposite poles of the tetrad.”
I think of their Remnant marks—Soren’s flowing across the left side of his chest, Penn’s furling over the right. Their placements mirrored, yet aligned.
“So you can’t channel his power? Can’t link with him?”
“It would not be easy. Nor, I imagine, comfortable for either of us. Even when we were on better terms, we never found occasion to try.”
“You’re natural foes, then? Enemies by design?”
“Not foes, exactly.Foilswould be more accurate. You will likely experience a similar sensation with the Remnant of Earth, if they are ever discovered.”
“Why?”
“Earth and air are fundamental opposites, intrinsically atodds. We are all connected, but some of those connections are more harmonious than others.” His hands tighten on mine. “Even within the tetrad, there is a natural balance of power. None of the four can rise unchecked or wield their power uncontrollably, for we each have a foil.”
My mind turns this over. It does make sense. “Water to quench fire, earth to tamp air…”
He nods. “And flame to boil the flood, wind to stir the soil.”
“Does that mean air and water would also be compatible? That if I were to merge with Soren—” My words cut off sharply as a pulse of power—this one hotter, nearly scalding—shoots down the bond at the mention of Soren’s name. My wide eyes scan Penn’s rage-suffused expression.
Perhaps it is not wise to mention Soren at the present moment.
Penn swiftly recovers from the slip. His nostrils flare and his jaw clenches with effort as he scales back the unexpected heat.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, feeling sweat drip down the back of my neck. My body temperature has yet to regulate from his blast.
“Don’t be.” There is the ghost of a chuckle. “Here I am trying to teach you control, and I practically lose mine before we’ve even begun.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” His teeth grind together. “It’s just what you said—merge.”
My brows lift. “Is that not the same as channeling?”
“No. It is not. In the time before the Cull…to merge with another fae…” His eyes lock with mine. “It was akin to a mating bond. An unbreakable, irremovable covenant. A soulmerge.”