Cole shaping in real world problem

  Mustering his focus, Cole willed the unseen manacles cuffing his ankles to dissolve.

  Nothing happened.

  Cole tugged with his legs against the restraints. The unforgiving iron dug into his skin just as before.

  Cole willed the fabric of the hood to split apart. He drew on his power with all of his effort.

  Not a single thread popped.

  “I don’t know,” Cole replied. “I can feel my power. But it doesn’t seem to be working. I can’t make it connect.”

  “I worried it might be different back in a physical body,” Honor said.

  “Why should it be different?” Cole asked.

  “The echolands are made of a whole different kind of matter,” Honor said. “You didn’t have a physical body there, and you weren’t affecting physical material. I’ve never heard of anyone developing their power as quickly as you did in the echolands. You have the same abilities here, but using those skills in the physical world may take more time to develop.”

  Cole relaxed his mind. Without straining, he tried to push his power at the iron cuffs gripping his ankles. Again he got no result. He refocused on the hood, to no avail.

  “I’m sorry,” Cole said. “I can’t even tear the hood. But my power is with me.”

Chapter 1