The Discovered

by Maggie Sunseri

  I wasn’t sure how much more I could take as my body submitted to his over and over again in different ways. We complemented each other’s actions and desires so perfectly.

  When we finished, I lay on his chest with his arm draped around me, drawing circles on my back. He pulled my body as close to his as it could possibly be, but it still didn’t feel close enough.

  “You must be exhausted,” he murmured.

  I sighed. “Very.”

  “Sleep now. And please try not to get into trouble in your dreams.”

  I closed my eyes, and in no time, I fell asleep in Daelon’s arms.

  Chapter 15

  I woke with a start at the sound of a voice.

  Áine, the voice called, sounding like hundreds of voices in one.

  I opened my eyes to darkness, cemented into my body, unable to move. I began to vibrate as if jolted by waves of electricity. Popping noises erupted in my ears. I floated up above the bed, suspended in midair.

  Áine, the voice called again. This time it was the voices of my mothers.

  I slowly turned to face the bed, my heart leaping from my chest as I came face to face with… myself. I cocked my head, staring down at my body as it lay next to Daelon’s. He lay on his side, his arm still draped over me. I watched as my own chest rose and fell.

  Well, at least I’m not dead, I thought. I was astral projecting again. Somehow, this didn’t scare me. So much for not getting into trouble in my dreams, though.

  I continued to ascend, farther away from my physical form. I passed through the ceiling and then the roof, shifting myself so that I was more vertical. I gazed down at the modern architecture of the cabin, admiring its sleek and open design.

  As I rose higher, I noticed a circle of light amongst the trees, shimmering white energy that moved around the perimeter of the property. I knew the border was a part of Daelon’s magickal workings. There was also a hub of iridescence gathered in a smaller circle, and I recognized it as the clearing Daelon used for rituals.

  I was delighted by my ability to see these energies here in the astral plane, but the most captivating of all was the shimmering white light collecting at a focal point in the center of the roof. It’s ever-moving rays of pure energy shone up through the air and far above me into the night sky.

  I knew it came from me. This is what Daelon had to conceal each day.

  I flew through the air to admire its brightness, drawn like an insect to a streetlight. It was warm and inviting like the soft rays of a summer morning. As I reached a hand into the swirling shimmers, I suddenly flew upward.

  Áine, a voice called again. This time it was my own voice.

  I soared through the air so quickly that it was uncomfortable, the rushing sound of wind assaulting my eardrums. The house became a blip and then disappeared, and soon I knew I was far above the atmosphere. I was moving too fast to see anything now.

  There was a pop as my movement came to an abrupt stop. I was dizzy with whiplash. It felt like I was wading through a pool, but when my vision finally came into focus, I gasped at the sight of a giant blue mass below me.

  It was Earth, but it was also Aradia—like two overlapping dimensions existing in the same space.

  I gazed all around at the twinkling stars forming constellations, and as I did, entire galaxies took shape in the darkness like ethereal landscapes—shimmering blues, purples, reds, and yellows that spread out before me. I grew lost in this celestial showcase, forgetting who I was or how I got here.

  Here among the stars, I was everything again. I was Magick itself.

  Áine, the hundreds of voices called, and like the flip of a switch I was back in my own consciousness.

  The galaxies and constellations dimmed until there was just nothing but darkness and the bright blue sphere of a planet below. I felt a tugging sensation, stronger than gravity, and soon I was plummeting back down into the atmosphere like a meteor.

  I passed through clouds in a haze of white, and in the distance, I could vaguely make out a towering castle. Below me lay scores of trees, barren and blackened as if burned. This was my trajectory. Moving too quickly, I flailed my arms in any attempt to slow my descent.

  Stop, I yelled to anyone who was listening.

  Just before I collided with the hard dirt, I halted, my face mere inches from the ground. From there, I reached out my hands, dug my fingers into the soil, and then fell to the barren ground.

  After a moment to catch my breath, I pushed myself up and stood. The trees around me were tall and dark, with long, curving branches. The few leaves they held were black and shriveled. The ground was largely devoid of life, muddy and abysmal, and the plants that did exist were adorned with dead and rotting foliage. Thorny vines crept over the soil and up the trunks of the barren trees. The air smelled of death.

  The energy here was as unbearable as Lucius’s, or like what Daelon channeled through me in the clearing. It was unnatural—it didn’t belong in this realm or any other.

  “Áine,” I heard outside my mind, coming from my left. It was my mothers’ again.

  I walked quickly in that direction, trying my hardest to block out the unnerving energy of this lifeless forest. I started picking up on a din of whispers, wincing as the energy only got stronger around me the closer I got.

  A mist began to spread out over the land, obscuring my vision. A shiver crept down the length of my spine, and I began to feel like I was in a horror movie.

  Maybe it was time to go back to my body… especially since I wasn’t sure it was my mothers I was hearing at all.

  My heart leapt out of my chest as I stumbled into a circular clearing, surrounded by a natural barrier of tall trees with branches that wrapped around each other to form a wall. I watched as a tree sprung up at my point of entry, branches growing rapidly out of its sides to connect to the others.

  “What are you doing here?”

  I jumped. My heart pounded harder, sounding loud inside my ears.

  I spun around to see the old man from the castle standing in the middle of the circle, just in front of a large slab of stone. The earth was scorched from its center.

  The energy of this place leapt up and assaulted my senses, bringing pain to my every nerve. I fell to my knees, crying out. “Where am I?” I called to him.

  “Somewhere neither of us should be, I’m afraid,” he responded, regarding me with renewed interest.

  I took a deep breath, drawing up my defensive wall as Daelon had taught me. My clairsentience was far more of a hindrance than an aid right now.

  The discomfort subsided, and I got back to my feet. I walked closer to the peculiar formation of stone.

  “I’m so glad I can see you now. I was wondering when I finally would,” he said, his body outlined by a nearly translucent bluish glow.

  So, we were both astral projecting. But why? Why here?

  He smiled at me, his eyes crinkling. I let down my guard for a moment to find that his energy was serene… and far from threatening.

  “Who are you? Were you calling to me?” I asked. Was this all some sort of trick? A trap?

  “I’m Amos.” He stroked his beard. “And no. How peculiar…” He was looking at me and through me at the same time.

  “Is this an altar?” But my intuition knew the answer from the dark shadows of magick that breathed through the stone.

  He raised a finger to his lips. “We shouldn’t be here. You especially, I’d imagine.”

  “Because of him?” I asked, careful not to say his name.

  He sighed, turning from me and trailing his fingers along the stone. He hummed something, low enough that I could barely make it out, and the tune was so familiar, so sacred, that it sent a wave of chills over my entire being. It sounded like home.

  He turned back to me, a sad smile on his lips. “I think I will see you again soon. Very soon. Leave here quickly.”

  In a flash he was gone, as if he had never been there at all. Against my better judgement, I crept toward
the stone altar, holding my breath as to avoid its putrid magick. As I focused my gaze, a dark, polluted energy began to shine out from it into the air. It was thick like smoke, as pitch black as the night sky without stars.

  When I stood just before the structure, a deep sadness washed over me, like nothing I had ever felt before. I heard screaming, crying, shrieking, from the thick aura, and I knew that this place told a story of utter destruction. It sang of horrors that language could never do justice.

  Áine, the voices said again, strong and clear. Remember this.

  I recalled what my mothers said during the meditation after Daelon and I fought, and as I did their voices played in my mind as if they were here now:

  You will avenge us all, but not as an act of vengeance. As an act of salvation. You are made up of everything good in the world.

  You are hope embodied—the hope of thousands—the hope of this world and all the rest. You will deliver us. You will restore this realm to its former state of balance and goodness. Trust your intuition. It will guide you always, sweet girl.

  Something rustled from behind the wall of trees, and I wasn’t in the mood to figure out what it was. I closed my eyes, envisioning my physical body in Daelon’s bed.

  I snapped back into my body like the flick of a rubber band. A sweat broke out across my forehead. I gasped, reconnecting with the room around me, feeling the weight of Daelon’s arm across my chest as I’d seen from above.

  I slipped carefully out from under his arm, admiring his peaceful features as sleep washed away his usual mask of strength and control. I set off to the kitchen to grab some water, still reeling from my astral journey.

  Who was calling me to that altar and why? What atrocity had happened there that left that kind of disturbing, mournful energetic imprint? What did it have to do with my purpose or a supposed wrong that needed to be righted, a balance that needed to be restored? What was this Amos character’s role in all of this? Or Lucius’s?

  I shook my head as I sipped on water in the dimly lit kitchen. It felt like I was running blindly through a multidimensional, cosmic maze. My mothers wanted me to have faith, but I was only growing more and more restless with my confusion and ignorance.

  I stood over the pale purple candle that sat on the marble island, absent-mindedly setting it alight and playing with the flickering flame. I watched as it danced wildly and then stilled, influenced by my every silent command. I felt a sort of comradery with this bit of fire. I knew how it felt to be under someone else’s spell.

  I heard footsteps approach, but I stayed mesmerized by the flickering light. I set my water down on the counter.

  A hand swept my hair over my shoulders, its gentle trail across my exposed skin sending a shiver down my spine before resting on the back of my neck.

  With a whoosh, the candle snuffed out. I frowned, but before I could wonder what caused it, Daelon grabbed my waist and spun me around. I squealed in surprise as he dipped me as if we were dancing, holding me suspended below him and his devilish crooked grin. He leaned down and kissed my neck, and I let out a small sigh.

  “You’re coming back to bed,” he said, pulling me back upright.

  Breathless and disoriented, I nodded.

  “Yes, sir,” I said teasingly.

  He narrowed his eyes, but a smirk played at his lips. He kissed my forehead. “Good girl,” he whispered.

  In a quick movement he lifted me into his arms bridal style.

  “Daelon,” I protested, but he ignored me, of course.

  He brought me back to his bed, laying me down slowly before crawling in after me. “No bad dreams or astral projections?” he asked, stroking my cheek.

  “Nothing bad,” I said, only half a lie. I didn’t know why, but I had the compulsion to keep all that I saw to myself for now. Maybe because I knew Daelon was doing the same.

  Instead, I turned on my side to face him, reaching my fingers to trail across his defined chest.

  He inhaled, catching my hand. “You need more rest.”

  “What if I don’t want more rest?” I asked, batting my eyelashes.

  “Then that would be unfortunate, but irrelevant,” he sighed. “Your needs come first to me.”

  I could take care of myself just fine. Well, most of the time.

  “Don’t roll your eyes at me,” he warned.

  I smiled, feigning innocence as I turned away from him. He pulled me close to his chest, biting at my ear. I giggled involuntarily at the tickling sensation.

  “Go to sleep.”

  “You aren’t exactly making that seem like the appealing choice, right now.”

  “Good thing you don’t have a choice,” he growled.

  I wanted to talk back again, but I also knew he was right. I needed far more rest after the day that felt like many days in one. I could already feel exhaustion rolling back over me like a thick cloud, and I couldn’t fight the security I felt in Daelon’s arms.

  Or how safe I felt without any choices to make. So, I relaxed into him, and as I did, his body relaxed against mine.

  Chapter 16

  The next time I awoke, bright rays of sunlight cast shapes on the wood flooring of Daelon’s bedroom. I’d managed to sleep dreamlessly the rest of the night, and for that, my body and mind were thankful.

  When I rolled over to face Daelon, I found him wide awake, clothed, and staring at me as he leaned against the headboard. A book rested in his lap.

  “Finally,” he murmured.

  I narrowed my eyes, stifling a yawn. “Contrary to what human pop culture would have you believe, staring at me while I sleep is far more creepy than it is endearing.”

  “I sensed you wake,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging. “But I’ll keep that in mind.”

  His gaze was unwavering, his jaw set. His demeanor had shifted right back into its usual business-like, perfectly controlled self. It was striking how off-putting I used to find this because it felt like a challenge to my own independence. Now that I understood him better, I knew that it was something else entirely.

  “Does it bother you that I’m so much more powerful than you?” I asked.

  He laughed. “No.” He reached down to grasp my chin, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip. “It only makes it all the more thrilling.”

  I knew now that his tension was due to the lengths he went to protect me and conceal my power, and his façade of control was teeming with fear of losing me. Daelon wanted me to be my strongest, most powerful self. His dominance comforted me, and it quieted my indecisiveness, my doubts, and the overwhelming nature of my power.

  It was also exciting.

  He looked down at me still, moving his book from his lap without breaking his gaze. I watched something dangerous flash in his eyes, and I knew the suggestion of my power had excited him. Holding my breath, I braced as he climbed over me.

  His dark hair was slightly tussled, falling lazily on his forehead. Stubble lined his sharp jaw. He regarded me hungrily, and I could tell he enjoyed when I didn’t know what was coming next.

  In a swift movement, he grabbed my wrists and slid them up along the silk sheets until they were parallel with my head. “How powerful are you now, baby?” he teased. “Push me off.”

  I hesitated. He did know that I could still send him flying through a wall, right?

  I decided to go with my physical strength, which was abysmal compared to his. I struggled underneath his grasp, pushing all of my muscular force through my arms.

  “You’re not trying your hardest, are you?” He cocked his head, drawing his brows in.

  I scoffed. “That’s actually so rude,” I said, feigning offense. I stifled a giggle as he stared at me incredulously.

  “Looks like physical training will be our next endeavor,” he muttered.

  I glared at him indignantly. “Whatever. You know I could make a Daelon-sized hole in the wall if I really wanted to.”

  “Then do it,” he growled, fighting back a smile as he bent his head down to kiss m
y neck. His weight was still holding me in place.

  Everything inside me stirred at his soft touches, juxtaposed with the way I lay helpless beneath him. As soon as I shifted attention to those universal forces, that power stirred—questioning, lying in wait—but Daelon and I both knew I would never unleash it on him like that. At least not on purpose, I amended, remembering the few times I may have accidentally knocked him on his ass.

  There was something oddly poetic about this philosophical truth, that Daelon had articulated to me from the beginning. Power was far more about how it was wielded than its tangible reality.

  I relaxed under him, and he shifted his weight off my wrists.

  “That’s what I thought.” He smirked as he leaned down and touched his lips to mine in far too short of a kiss.

  I couldn’t help but pout as he rolled off of me.

  “You slept for like fourteen hours,” he said. “You need to eat.”

  My eyes widened slightly. I didn’t think I’d ever slept that long, except for when Daelon first brought me here. The look he gave me held a certain finality, so I sighed and slipped out from under the warm covers.

  We sat at the dining room table, where we ate in a comfortable silence. My mind was still wracked with a pleasurable afterglow from the experience yesterday of becoming one with my magick. But like a smoky haze, Lucius’s darkness lingered and taunted, reminding me that our cozy stay in this secluded cabin had an expiration date.

  “I really am sorry about yesterday,” he said suddenly.

  I swallowed my food, surprised. “Which part?” I wasn’t sure I would ever get a full apology, since Daelon seemed dead set that his methods were the only way he could protect me.

  “The parts that caused you pain,” he said. A grimace played at his lips. “But also, the way I went behind your back. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  I nodded, sipping my coffee. I could tell this was hard for him, which made me wonder again what he did as a so-called witch trainer before all of this. He clearly wasn’t used to being questioned or having to apologize for his decisions. He’d also been pretty ruthless in his command during the fight, and I couldn’t help but question what kind of terrible things he’d had to do for a greater good.