Free Jinx's Fire by Sage Blackwood

put out that within a few minutes she was able to see the Samaran prison corridor.
    â€œThat’s amazing,” said Elfwyn. “You did that?”
    â€œYeah,” said Jinx.
    â€œAnd you used the preceptors’ knowledge as power for the spell?”
    â€œYup.”
    â€œSo, do I have a golden ball of knowledge too?” she asked.
    â€œYeah. Everyone does.”
    â€œCan you see my knowledge-ball?”
    â€œOf course,” said Jinx.
    She looked vaguely uncomfortable at the notion.
    â€œIt’s nice, it’s all sparkly,” Jinx assured her.
    â€œAnd you could use it to do a KnIP spell?”
    â€œIf you were standing close enough to me, yeah,” said Jinx.
    â€œWell, don’t!”
    â€œI won’t without asking you first,” said Jinx.
    Elfwyn pressed her hand against the ward. “The space between the portal and the ward is a problem,” she said. “I wonder if someone from Samara stood in that space and showed the Bonemaster how to get through the portal.”
    â€œOne of the preceptors,” said Jinx. “Yeah, I guess they could have. If they noticed him sniffing around the portal site.”
    â€œCan we push the ward further in?” said Elfwyn. “So there’s no space?”
    â€œThe ward can’t touch the portal,” said Jinx.
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause KnIP spells and wizard’s spells can’t touch,” said Jinx.
    â€œWell, we can put them closer together, anyway,” said Elfwyn.
    And that was when Jinx discovered the Urwald’s lifeforce wasn’t there at all. Or not in a way he could draw on—any more than, say, Elfwyn could. All he had was the power of the fire inside him, which wasn’t enough to shift a ward this strong. Neither was Elfwyn’s power.
    â€œWhy can’t we move it?” she asked.
    â€œBecause something’s happening to the Urwald’s lifeforce,” said Jinx, fighting panic. “I can’t reach it. It’s like it’s being pulled away from me.”
    â€œYou use the Urwald’s lifeforce for power?”
    Elfwyn listened as he explained what had happened.
    â€œCripes,” she said. “Do you think it has something to do with the Bonemaster getting through to Samara?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Jinx thought of what Malthus had said. Once the Bonemaster understood that he and Jinx were both wicks, he would act against Jinx.
    â€œYou do think that,” said Elfwyn. “You just don’t want me to feel bad about helping him get through.”
    Jinx shrugged.
    â€œBut what could he do to take over the Urwald’s lifeforce?” said Elfwyn. “He thinks it’s impossible to draw power from the Urwald. He told me so.”
    â€œI don’t know how he’s doing it,” said Jinx. “But it’s making it easier for Reven to invade the Urwald, and harder for us to fight back. And I’ve got to stop him.”
    â€œHow?” said Elfwyn.
    â€œI don’t know. I have to find out,” said Jinx. “I need to get Sophie to let Malthus look at the Eldritch Tome.”

Peas and Beans
    S ummer blazed out into autumn, the leaves turning the many colors of fire. It quickly became the coldest autumn Jinx could remember. He yearned to go and find out what had become of Simon . But he couldn’t. He had to get all the clearings armed and protected by wards.
    The drain on the Urwald’s lifeforce went on. It wasn’t constant. Sometimes the lifeforce was there and Jinx could use it. Other times it was gone.
    As soon as Jinx had a chance, he went and asked the trees about this.
    The lifeforce goes deep, said the trees.
    Well, it doesn’t seem to be there at all sometimes, said Jinx. What’s happening to it? Where’s it going?
    We do not know.
    How can you not know? Sometimes Jinx found it hard to be patient with the trees. The power comes from you.
    The trees were