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"I guess it was a panic attack," I said, though even as I did so, I frowned I’d never had a panic attack in my life "Last couple of days have been a bit stressful"

He continued to hold "

"And still you are tre," he replied, voice persuasive and melodic "Focus only on the breath Three breaths Then call up in your il"

My brow creased in baffleht have been surprise before he repeated, "The pygah"

I shrugged "I have no idea what that is" Was he fucking with me?

Mzatal released my hand and traced a simple, harmonious form in the air, visible toever so slightly as it began to tone softly "The pygah The balancer Foundation for breath work for a suain how to make it…please?" I asked, deeply curious, and at the sa why the hell I didn’t know this if it was supposed to be so fundamental

He flicked his fingers to send the current sigil away, then traced the siain while I watched closely As he finished, he touched it with potency, an infusion of power to bring it to life, like turning on the electricity "You followed?" he asked with a questioning tilt of his head

I nodded I had no idea how to initiate a floater and knew I couldn’t even try while I wore the collar, but I’d memorized the pattern

"Now, trace it in yourpatience

A , oddly surprised to find that it really did help, despite the collar He nodded, approving "Now you have the perspective to look at your fear"

"Okay," I said, brow creased in a frown "Nohat?"

"The rest is si nized that which is you, and that which is Elinor" I realized he was referring to yesterday when he revealed the statue to me "This is no different"

Of course, I realized I didn’t have a panic attack It was that damn Elinor’s freakout

"Your fear today was acute and so interwoven you could not distinguish yourself froain Call up that which il, breathe, and seek the boundary between you and the fear Then expand until it is all of you and none of her"

I led to fathoaaze evenly, and I finally gave up and did an the careful breathing and visualized the sigil Sweat broke out on radually I could vieithout the irrational reaction

I opened ularly," he said in a tone that left no doubt that he was accusto obeyed "Panic will destroy you if you do not learn to defuse it efficiently and expeditiously"

He turned and walked away "If you have not yet taken in the view fro stride, "ask Safar to take you It is not to be missed, and we depart on the ularly and see the sights? Ae to shout after hi?" Instead, I turned to Safar: "I guess we’re going to the west tower"

Chapter 6

Safar stood, snorted, and bounded down the corridor At the end he turned back to me and bared his teeth "Come!"

I smiled and trotted after hi and then up a broad spiral stair in the west tower I knew this stair, or at least Elinor did, but the eerie faed e reached the seventh floor, where the chae s all around Eleven of the it in Easels Tables with paints, brushes, and a host of things I couldn’t identify A bench with hale wooden stool, unadorned and orn