Текст книги "Reckless Magic"

Автор книги: Rachel Higginson

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Chapter Eighteen

“So last night was, um, normal for someone like me? I mean someone like us? I mean um…. an Immortal?” I got confused saying the word out loud. Principal Saint had basically just relayed the impossible to me. If what he said was true, then I was not human, or like he explained I was more than human, I was a Witch, or what he called an “Immortal.” The enormity of what that meant began to sink in as my blood pumped charged and furiously throughout my body.

“Yes, well kind of. The extra energy or electricity as you call it you feel in your blood and unexplainable phenomena that you seem to be responsible for are parts of what it means to be an Immortal. When you move something just by thinking about it, or create something from nothing, these are all part of your….. powers. Each Immortal is different and unique. We usually classify ourselves into four different categories, but your powers manifested a little stronger than what should be normal for someone your age, someone who did not even know what she was capable of.”

I was trying to take what Principal Saint said as truth, but it was difficult. Everything I held to be true about my life, about me, about the world in general was not true. I was something different; something I assumed only existed in comic books and action movies. My mind was having trouble wrapping itself around the enormity of Principal Saint’s story; yet at the same time my inner being seemed to believe him without any hesitation. I had a thousand questions that needed to be answered.

“How many Immortals are there? What else can I do? Does this mean I’ll never die? Does this mean I’ll never age? Why are my powers so strong? Can I fly?” he cut me off with his hand and a small chuckle.

“No, you can’t fly. Well, at least I don’t think so,” his eyes twinkled, he was relieved to have gotten passed my anger. His smile softened his face and I saw him in a different light now, almost paternal. “Let’s see, there are thousands of us, living all over the world. There used to be more, maybe millions, we equaled the humans, but over time we have begun to die out,” his expression was suddenly full of sadness. “And you can die, eventually, and you will age. ‘Immortal’ was a term given to us a long, long time ago,” his smile had completely disappeared and he suddenly seemed older… ancient. “Thousands of years ago we did live forever, or at least it seemed as if we would live forever. We outnumbered the humans, although we lived in peace with them. No one knows exactly how we came to be, we were born into this world like everyone else, but we simply did not die. Our people would reach an age of maturity and we would age no longer; and we bore children that were like us, Immortals like ourselves. But eventually we began to die like humans, although our lifespan is considerably longer and we have been able to hang on to our special attributes,” I took each word in, feeling as though my head would soon explode. “I’m sorry to go over this so quickly but we don’t have much time.”

“Oh,” is all I said, my brain was on overload.

“We of course keep ourselves a secret from humans now that so few remain; they would have a hard time accepting us,” he smiled at Aunt Syl, who didn’t seem offended.

“But obviously Aunt Syl knew. So why didn’t I?”

“Well, your parents were gone and I thought this would be the best way for you to…. live,” Principal Saint folded his hands together and looked at me seriously. I realized that he didn’t actually give me an answer, and I had a suspicion that he was hiding something from me, but there was so much information to take in that for the moment his answer was sufficient.

“So I am a Witch? Is everyone at Kingsley a Witch as well?”

“Yes and no, you are a Witch,” he chuckled slightly, “But not everyone is a Witch. There are four distinct types of our kind. All four display very unique qualities and have been given different names; it is much like the different ethnic races in human kind. We are different, but of the same species. At first we did not have names for each other, but over time we have adapted names from the slang that has been associated with us; the names also help us distinguish between ourselves. Recently they have meant the difference between life and death,” he smiled sadly again, “There are the Lamia, or Witches in today’s terminology, the Mediums or Psychics, there are the Transmogrifiers or Shape-Shifters and then there are the Proeliators, they have been called anything from gods, to angels to super-heroes; usually we refer to them in English as Titans.”

“But everyone can refer to themselves as an Immortal?”

“Yes of course, just like any of the different races of humanity are still referred to as humans; what makes us stand apart, but also stand together is the magic that we have in our blood. The tingling sensation or what I think you refer to as ‘electricity,’ that is your magic. You would be unable to function without it; it is your life blood. It defines who you are, I squirmed thinking about the men I supposedly drained of their magic. I may not have killed them, but it sounded like I had given them a fate worse than death.

“How did you know I call it electricity?” I asked, realizing I had always been very careful to never share that with anyone before.

“One of the special skills of our Psychics is mind reading,” he smiled, and my face flared up from embarrassment. Slowly I remembered every time I felt my question was answered without asking it, from teachers and other students to Kiran. I buried my head in my hands; this had to be a teenager’s worst nightmare come true.

“Don’t worry; we can fix that for you. I can teach you the skills you need to protect your mind against others.”

“So everyone at school has been able to read my mind…. know what I’m thinking?” I whispered the question, completely mortified.

“Well only the Psychics and I suppose, only those who were interested,” he acted so nonchalant I had a hard time believing he grasped the trauma associated with a sixteen year old girl’s private thoughts.

“Kiran?” I asked in an even softer whisper. I could feel my aunt smiling beside me.

“Yes, I’m sure Kiran has been able to listen to your thoughts. Prince Kiran is very gifted; it was probably no challenge at all,” he spoke so matter-of-factly, while my stomach took the roller coaster ride of its life. I felt overwhelmingly nauseous.

“What? Prince? What?” I barely got the words out. Did he say Prince Kiran?

“Yes of course. Kiran Kendrick is our Crown Prince. I told you earlier we have our own Monarchy. His father Lucan rules over us; he is our King and Kiran is the Crown Prince. Please remember, we are not bound by human law,” he reminded me. Excuse me, but up until twenty minutes ago that was the only law I knew existed.

 “So the King is like my King too? I mean I like should respect him and bow and all that?” I laughed; it all seemed too medieval for me.

“Well yes, you’re supposed to, but I don’t think you’ve respected royalty as of this far, so I wouldn’t be too concerned just yet,” Now it was Principal Saint’s turn to laugh.

“They won’t like execute me or put me in prison or anything for that will they? You’ll explain to them that I didn’t know, won’t you?” my hands flew to my throat and I held onto it as if it were about to be chopped off. All of the times I was sarcastic and rude to Kiran flooded my memory…. oops.

“No, don’t be so dramatic,” he chided. “The royal family hasn’t put anyone to death in a long time, or at least a couple years,” his eyes looked out of my window and slightly glazed over. I knew he was thinking about something else, but I was too afraid to ask what it was and apparently lacked the skill to read minds, like the rest of Immortals. “No, you’re not in trouble, but please try to be more respectful in the future. In fact, I think it would be best if you have no more contact with the Prince at all.”

“Why not?” I wondered if that was possible for me. Hadn’t I tried to stay away from him since the beginning?

“Well, he’s really here for only one purpose, and I’m afraid you have been a bit of a distraction. There are other reasons why you should avoid him of course. For one, your friend Lilly is a Transmogrifier attending Kingsley against the law. You see, Shape-Shifters were banished a long time ago. They are the…. lepers of Immortal society, so to speak. Lilly was attending school illegally and hiding her true identity. After last night they have taken her away to await trial. If you were implicated as having known of her true identity, you too would be sent away,” his voice was melancholy and he continued to stare out of the window.

“Lilly is what? What do you mean banished? How can they just take her away? Who took her away? She was trying to protect us! Where is the trial, I’ll go and tell them the truth!” I half stood up, ready to leave at that moment; I couldn’t believe that my one and only friend was gone, for reasons I couldn’t even comprehend. How could someone really be banished? Where did they go? What happened to them if they were caught? My throat tightened with anticipation and I mentally willed my nerves to steady.

“Please, Eden, calm down. Lilly is a Shape-Shifter; the Monarchy banished her kind a long time ago. They are the outcasts of our society. They are to have no contact with the Immortal world,” I watched the pain flicker in his eyes and instantly realized that he did not agree with the edict. “And no, you will do no such thing; the trial will be held in Romania as well, in front of the royal family. If you were to testify on her behalf and she was found guilty you would receive the same punishment as her. We cannot afford that mistake.”

“So those men that attacked us, who were they really after?” I changed the subject, knowing it was a battle that I would not win, at least not then. I decided to think about it later, when I was alone. But the thought that Lilly would be tried the same as those disgusting men who tried to kill her made me physically sick.

“It appears they were after the Crown Prince. They were apparently making an attempt on his life and had assumed he would be alone, with only his body guard. I’m afraid you girls took them quite by surprise.”

“His body guard?”

“Yes, of course. Talbott Angelo is Kiran’s personal body guard. He is a Titan; they are the royal family’s personal guard and personal advisors.”

“Of course he is,” A light bulb went on in my head, and I finally understood Kiran and Talbott’s weird friendship…. or relationship…. or whatever.

“Talbott and a handful of others are the only Titans that have been allowed to leave the King in a very long time. They had hoped it would be enough to protect the Prince; I think they were quite surprised when it was you who saved them all,” Principal Saint chuckled softly. “Talbott is the only one young enough to go to school with you.  The rest of Kiran’s guard try to remain undetected, and unfortunately were completely absent during yesterday’s attack. Luckily for them it was by the Prince’s orders.”

“Stop calling him that. He’s not like real royalty is he? It’s like I don’t know….”  I tried to search for the right word…. pretend, make-believe, fairytale? Kiran was the Crown Prince of what was now the world that I lived in. How was that even possible?

“I’m afraid my dear, that the Immortal Monarchy is as real as it gets. They have been a ruling Monarchy longer than any institution in history. And as immature as Prince Kiran is, he has the power over your life and death,” Principal Saint’s expression had turned grave, and I knew that he was serious. But I couldn’t be. Prince Kiran…. what a joke.

“So what, I have to bow, and curtsy…. call him your Majesty?” I couldn’t hold back my sarcasm.

“I’m afraid the best course of action is for you to avoid him completely. He is here, like I said before, for a very specific purpose and you are only getting in the way. If you don’t leave him alone soon, his father is going to have something to say about it,” I blushed defensively. Wasn’t he the one always bothering me? Besides I didn’t see how I was getting in the way of anything. Moreover, I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to stop bothering me….

“Principal Saint, did you know my parents?” I nearly whispered, trying to change the subject, but almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Hmmm….” he smiled softly, “Please call me Amory outside of school grounds.  Yes, yes I did know your parents. A long time ago, I knew them.” He looked up at me and an expression I couldn’t define settled on his face. “You look so much like your mother, Eden,” he continued to stare at me for several moments longer and I began to feel a little uncomfortable. “Now, let’s work a little on your powers alright? Let’s make sure no one can read your mind again.”

I nodded my reply. I had no idea what it meant to “work on my powers,” and I was not completely sure I wanted to know. I felt completely overwhelmed by everything and I wasn’t sure if I could take anymore. The electricity pulsating through my veins would suggest otherwise however and I felt almost itchy to exercise the supernatural force that was, as Principal Saint said before, my Life Blood.

Chapter Nineteen

“Try it again,” Principal Saint…. Amory commanded me.

I closed my eyes, letting in every sound, every movement, and every breath. The magic flowed through me, putting every nerve on edge. My senses were sharpened like I didn’t think was possible and my breathing even.

My blood felt hot under my skin, as if it was boiling my insides, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. I welcomed the sensation, understanding it was the magic finally unleashed. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight and I could feel the magic wanting to escape, wanting to be set free.

Now that my senses were heightened, I felt the extra sense that came with being an Immortal. My sixth sense was the perception of nearby magic. What felt like electricity rushing through me whenever I was around another Immortal, was my perception of someone else’s magic. When I was near another Immortal’s magic my blood began to tingle and pulsate. The magic that consumed me now alerted me to not only Amory’s presence but that he was at this moment trying to read my thoughts.

I closed my eyes tighter and concentrated. I could not clear my mind, because then I would lose focus. I allowed it to be full of everything I could think of in order to practice for day to day activities. Closing my mind to outside forces must be natural to me or I would never survive another day at Kingsley. A small blush rushed to my cheeks as I thought about all of the days before and how open my mind had been to everyone else.

I allowed the magic to build inside of me, feeling as natural as breathing. Now that I knew the magic was a natural part of me I no longer felt the need to oppress it. I finally understood that when I would push it down before I would only make things more difficult for myself; I was not human, I could no longer act like it.

I felt Amory’s magic prying the outside of my mind. It was as if someone was trying to cover my head with a heavy blanket. Slowly he worked his magic around my mind, trying to slip under or through any way that he could; but the longer I kept him away the easier it became. My magic grew stronger and I stood up straighter. The force field I had built around my thoughts became fortified and I relaxed, this was becoming natural.

I glanced at the clock, careful to maintain my defenses, 3:OO AM. We had been working on this for hours and finally I was getting the hang of it. I felt Amory pull his magic back and I looked over to see that he was finally wearing a smile. After hours of disappointment I was thankful I could finally come through.

“Good Eden. That was excellent!” he clasped his hands together. “Do you think you can keep that up at school?” his smile faded and his expression became worried.

“Yes, I think so. It’s getting easier,” I smiled reassuringly.

“I would not risk it if I didn’t think your absence would cause suspicion. Everyone is going to be asking questions and we can’t afford one mistake. It’s bad enough your only friend at school was a Shape-Shifter, but then to display your powers in such a way as to make the Crown Prince look weak is an entirely different matter,” he wrung his clasped hands together and began to pace. I didn’t exactly understand what he was talking about, but I did trust him.

I watched him silently, realizing how similar we looked. He had the same oversized onyx eyes that I did and a tall frame topped with almost black, wavy hair. I went over the story he told me once again in my mind: my parents died when I was a baby and Aunt Syl found me while she was on a hike in the woods; I had been raised as a human until now when by accident I discovered I had powers. As vague as the story was and maybe a little farfetched, it was the only one I had.

“There is one more thing I would like to try with you. It will require your full concentration, and it will not be easy,” Amory stopped pacing and looked at me full in the face.

“It can’t wait? I’m exhausted,” I yawned in reply and sat down lazily on the edge of my full-sized bed.

“No it cannot,” Amory snapped. “Do you realize what is at stake here? There is no time for sleep; you must master your magic as quickly as possible. Now stand up and focus.”

I obeyed, feeling a little like a zombie. I stood to my feet, the magic moving with me. It was almost as if I could feel my very blood circulating throughout my body. The magic moved with it, pumping from my toes to my heart to my head and back down.

“Now build your shield again,” Amory continued. I threw my force-field around my mind and realized how easy it was becoming. “I want you to hold on to your own mind-defense while trying to read mine. Let your magic leave you slowly searching for my thoughts. Concentrate on me, on being me, on what you want to know,” he stood still, focusing on a framed picture of Aunt Syl. I realized that he had built his defense and was waiting.

“I thought only Psychics could read minds? Aren’t I a Witch?” It was late. I was tired. I felt like I couldn’t keep my thoughts together.

“Yes, you are a Witch, but after what happened last night, I just want to see exactly what you are capable of. There have been Witches in the past that have been able to read minds and I would like to see if you are one of them,” Principal Saint explained. I was too tired to argue.

I did as he said, thinking first of my magic, bringing it into my mind and creating a heady feeling. I swayed slightly, feeling a tad bit drunk, and tried to refocus. I concentrated on Amory moving my invisible and silent magic to the place where I imagined his mind to be.

I closed my eyes and focused harder. Suddenly it was as if my magic ran into a brick wall. With my mind, I moved it from side to side and up and down. I at least had found his mind; not that that was hard, a mind was where most people imagined it to be: in the head. I worked to penetrate it, to slide underneath his defenses but nothing seemed to work.

I formed the information I wanted to know as a single strain of thought, sending it through my invisible stream of magic using it as extra force against the wall Amory had created. I probed and probed, finding myself tiring from the exertion.

“Don’t give up now Eden, work harder,” he commanded, and I realized why he was the principal of a high school. Yikes.

Again, I did as he said. I stood up straighter, focusing my body as well as my mind. There had to be a loophole here. If there was a way to pierce his force-field it wasn’t going to be from straight on. I continued to search what felt like a square energy field. I moved my magic, like fingers brushing themselves over a smooth surface, until I finally found it; a small, but real opening where his energy field met at a corner.

The hole was tiny, almost miniscule and I was not surprised I had brushed over it so many times before. As I was investigating the catch, Amory realized what I had found. Quicker than I could react, it was gone.

I searched again, with renewed vitality. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I began to find more and more of them. They felt like little rips in my magic, almost like getting a small splinter caught in smooth silk. The more I searched for them, the clearer they became, but whenever I went back to one Amory had already covered it.

I realized I must give up thinking and let my magic take control. I blanketed his mind with my magic, allowing it to completely envelope. This took more energy than I thought it would and I found myself out of breath.

From what I could sense, there were three separate, small openings, but if I hesitated they would be gone. All at once I let my magic infiltrate them, forcing my way into his mind and revealing all of his thoughts. As quickly as I could, I searched for the one thought I wanted to know most: what my mother and father looked like. I flicked through his mind like a flip-file, searching through all of his past memories.

Being in someone else’s mind was almost overwhelming; it was like I had become him. His thoughts and my thoughts were one and the same. I kept my mind protected, but his was completely revealed. I found myself embarrassed as I not only thought his thoughts but felt his emotions. I refused to stop however, until I found what I was looking for.

I searched and searched, realizing that although I had surpassed his force-field, he was still capable of hiding things from me. Suddenly I saw a small glimmer of what I wanted, a long dark haired woman. The image was ripped away from me before I could make it out clearly and my searching became a game of tag.

The minute I found the image I was looking for, another menial image was thrown up in its place. I got tired of fishing trips and old books; I was almost hungry for the image of my mother. I flipped through his memories quicker and quicker, as if I was watching his entire life on fast forward. I felt him growing weaker.

And as he grew weaker, so did I, until I nearly collapsed. A deep longing sensation welled up within me and I couldn’t tell if it was from Amory or if it was from me. I remembered who I was searching for and began again with new vigor.

Suddenly they were before me: my mother and my father. Although nothing had been said out loud, the very fibers of my being told me who they were. My mother was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was strongly built, but had a tiny frame. Her eyes were the same eyes that I had, deep coals that were almost too big for her perfect, porcelain face. Plump, bright red lips were turned into a smile as she looked at my father with overwhelming affection. Her dark hair fell in long waves down to her waist and covered her pale figure, making the memory appear to be in black and white.

I tore my thoughts away from my mother to look at my father who was looking back at her with such a loving expression that I began to cry. He was tall and strong; his very being defined the word “Immortal.” He too had dark hair, but it was much curlier and cropped close to his head. His skin was darker than my mother’s; it had the same olive tone that Talbott had. His lips were pronounced on his face, but stretched in the form of a smile. A long, angular nose sat underneath the greenest eyes I had ever seen. As he gazed at my mother they glimmered like emeralds.

I examined the scene they were in; they stood gazing at each other in the middle of a crowded room. My mother was placed next to a man at first I assumed to be Kiran; the same dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. But on longer examination I realized that he was older, taller and meaner looking. The man wore an embellished gold crown upon his head and draped his arm around my mother protectively. My father stood on the other side of him, tense as if ready to attack at any moment. Although the blonde man was speaking, my mother and father stared intently at each other as if he did not exist at all.

Suddenly I was ripped away from them. I reached out with my hands as if I could grab on to that memory and hold it close to me. After it was gone I felt lost; I fell to my bed sobbing. The strength I used to enter Amory’s mind was gone and I felt weak and somehow exposed.

“Very good, Eden,” Amory whispered in a hoarse voice. I heard the emotion in his voice, and I wanted to apologize, but all I could do was sob.

The parents I never knew I had, the parents I never thought about were suddenly in front of me. Every molecule I was made of hurt from the exertion of so much power; every emotion in my soul completely exhausted. I unexpectedly felt such a longing for something I had never known, I did not know if I would ever recover.

“It’s normal to feel this way. You accomplished something just now that only the most skilled of us all could hope to do.” I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face, in confusion. “What you did just now is called Complete-Mind-Manipulation. I did not ask you to do that. I asked you to read my thoughts. That is much simpler and requires not near the effort. Reading peoples thoughts is more like reading a newspaper headline, you literally read their thoughts with your magic; there are no images involved. I will not ask you to try it right now, but tomorrow at school I think you should practice on some of your classmates. Reading thoughts does not make the other person aware of what you are doing, most people are sending out their thoughts in one way or another, you are simply catching them. What you did was entering my mind and becoming united with it. You were able to not only know what I was thinking, but what I have ever thought. You saw everything I have ever seen and felt every emotion I have ever felt. This is a very invasive process and rarely accomplished without the permission of the other person. Everything that you feel now, is multiplied by a hundred in me. Most Immortals find it difficult to recover from the process; but thankfully for us tonight I have undergone this process before,” his voice cracked and I realized how weak he suddenly was. Amory was slumped over in his chair, resting his head in his hands, staring down at the floor.

“I am so sorry,” I blurted out, bursting into more tears.

“It’s not your fault; I should have explained more of what you were looking for. I just never assumed you had that kind of power,” he shook his head, and stood up unsteadily. “I will leave you for tonight, please remember everything you have learned today and use it tomorrow. Well everything except…. this,” he walked slowly, shakily to the door and closed it behind him. I had nothing left and could no longer control my emotions; I laid my head down into my pillow and let out everything I never knew I felt.