by Elon Vidal
"Interesting," Ezekiel said, then let go of Dawn's hand.
"What?" she asked.
"It seems your magic really is shielding him, as you put it. The seal is still there on his magic, but your light is preventing it from working. "
"So, what did you do to me?" Damon asked.
"Tested what is linking you two together. If she removes her bond on you, you won't be able to use your magic."
"I'm like Enlightened repellant," Dawn smiled, earning a raised brow from Ezekiel.
She made a zipping motion over her mouth.
"Why can't we put a seal on Fisher? Wouldn't that solve all this?" Elijah asked.
"You can only lock the door to which you have keys," his grandfather replied. "Few people can use sealing magic well, and even then, we can only do it on the magic we have access to. Our magic comes from light, and a seal is a careful barrier between the power in the light and your ability to harness it. Sealing Fisher's magic would require the ability to harness the same magic as well."
"Great," Elijah muttered.
"But maybe Dawn can," Ezekiel said, surprising all of them. "You are linked by the trials, drawing from the same magic but on different sides. You might be able to locate him."
“How? I barely know how to make the light work.”
“Dream walking,” he replied. “But I need you at your very best, which means a lot of rest tonight. All of you need it, we have a long day tomorrow.”
Of that Dawn had no doubt, any day with Ezekiel was bound to be long. His whole countenance was stern, and she instinctively knew it was all in with him. She was lucky to seem to be on his good side.
“And my parents?”
Ezekiel was quiet for a second. “Perhaps when I take you home it might be best to wait until I can tell them about what’s going on.”
Now that was the best thing that he had said all night.
SEVENTEEN
Dawn hugged Nathan as tightly as she could as soon as she saw him. “I missed you so much.”
Nathan groaned and pushed her away when she ruffled his hair. “I didn’t miss that.”
“Too bad, I did.” Dawn stuck her tongue out for good measure.
Her brother rolled his eyes and threw himself onto her bed. “So, what have you done now?”
“What makes you think that I’ve done anything?”
“The fact that I was sent up to your room as soon as we got here so that Ezekiel could talk to mom and dad. Well, mostly mom. I don’t think he likes dad all that much.”
Dawn chuckled. “Ezekiel doesn’t like anyone.”
“So, what did you do to make him come here? You’ve been getting in trouble since you came back from your camping trip.”
“I learned from the best,” Dawn teased, playfully pinching his side.
Nathan laughed as he tried to wiggle away. Dawn took time to enjoy the moment, scared that if things went sideways, she wouldn’t get any more time like this with her brother. But just seeing Nathan made her hopeful that everything would work out. It just had to.
“How is it at dad’s?”
Nathan shrugged. “It’s cool, but I miss you guys. And it sucks not being able to go anywhere.”
“It will be over soon then you can come back home, okay?”
“Nah, think I’ll stay with dad for a while if mom will let me. He lets me stay up much later than mom does.”
Dawn chuckled, “And here I thought it was because you missed dad and wanted to spend more time with him.”
“That too.”
She shook her head and her thoughts went to her parents downstairs. She wondered what Ezekiel was telling them. There hadn’t been any loud outbursts yet, or her father rushing upstairs to carry her away and lock her up somewhere. So that had to mean they were understanding, right? A girl could hope.
“Heard mom over the phone saying you have magic now, is it true?” Nathan said, bringing her attention back to him.
“Yes and no,” she said with a frown, wondering how to explain it exactly.
“You’re so lucky,” Nathan sighed.
If only he knew the whole story, Dawn thought, he would probably change his mind on that. Or not, boys do like their cool perks and to feel adventurous. But it’s one thing to dream it and another to face it head on.
“So, what can you do?” His eyes were full of excitement.
“Just have this light glowing from my hands that can chase away ghosts.” Dawn didn’t want to make a big deal out of a power she didn’t understand or control. More importantly though, she didn’t want to worry her brother if she could avoid it. Not that he would lecture her, but it was quite a lot to take in: Pandora’s box, a lunatic warlock on a power and killing spree, her power that countered Enlightened spells. Just a few days ago, changing her hair color and speaking to ghosts was about as much as she could muster.
“What else? Is it like a laser?”
“It’s like-” Dawn stopped when she heard shouting downstairs. She stood up and tried to listen but couldn’t make out exactly what was being said. “Stay here.”
“But-”
“Nathan,” she said with narrowed eyes, and her brother’s shoulders sagged.
“Fine!”
Dawn closed the door behind her softly and tiptoed down the stairs. She stopped when she was able to hear what was being said without revealing herself.
“You want to use my daughter to catch some lunatic! How am I supposed to calm down?” her father was saying.
“We do not have a choice,” Ezekiel said calmly. “If she does not complete the trials, she will die. But she has a chance going up against him. I do not believe it was a coincidence that she got the power that she has, and despite her immaturity, she has handled it quite well so far.”
Dawn rolled her eyes, quickly catching herself when she realized she was displaying the very immaturity that she wanted to protest.
“You are still using her. Why can’t you just catch this guy and stop him yourself?”
“Because you need them to complete the trials together,” her mother said softly. “Don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Ezekiel had not been forthcoming with that information the previous night. But to be honest, she had already embarked on these trials on her own initiative. It would still be good to get clear information from Ezekiel. Up until now it had been like pulling teeth and tapping into the darkness.
“And what happens if they do not? My daughter still dies?” Isabel asked.
“When the Gates were sealed, two warriors completed the trials together, and they have to be two for the Gate to be opened. Both of them have part of the gifts to offer the Gatekeepers. We have no way of knowing what will happen if we do not allow Fisher to do his part. Even if we caught Fisher right now, we cannot take the chance that he will take Dawn down with him.”
“And this is what the Council agreed to? To throw her into the deep end like this?”
Ezekiel was quiet for a second and Dawn knew what was coming. “The Council does not know.”
“Aren’t they the ones who should be helping her? Isn’t that your job?” her father asked with anger in his voice.
“Our job is to protect everyone and keep the balance, not only with magic but with humans too. And guess what would go against that goal in a cataclysmic way? Opening a Gate that the gods specifically shut to keep us safe. So no, the Council will not be helping your daughter to do anything that leads to her getting the key to that Gate. If she dies, it works in their favor because then the Gate stays shut.”
Everyone was so quiet after that Dawn was afraid that they would hear the pounding in her chest. The Council would be alright with her dying as long as it served their purpose; that was an eye opener. The Council had been elusive and somewhat dismissive with her up to this point, but having them actively against her, that was a whole new level of discomfort.
“So, I am doing this all on my own,” she could hear Ezekiel continue downstairs, “because
no matter what you might think about me, I do care about the girl. I watched her grow up with my grandson, and he has already lost his magic. Fisher will stop at nothing and we don’t have means to control his magic. He will not hesitate to come after Dawn once he finds out how much he needs her to achieve his plan. I do not want to wait for something to happen to her and not take every opportunity to reel him in.”
Who knew that Ezekiel actually had a heart? At least he was on her side, Dawn thought. Up until now she had seen a side of his that was a stickler for rules and a bit grumpy. But she was now beginning to realize that she might have had a skewed perspective. He did care about her and Elijah.
“What happens when she completes the trials? Since this Gate cannot be opened, what do you plan on doing afterwards?” her father asked.
“No one has ever completed the trials since the Gate was sealed, so we do not know what lies ahead. But no matter what happens, the goal is to get Dawn back safe and sound, while making sure the Gate is sealed again.”
Now that was going to be a problem, Dawn thought. Because as long as that Gate opened and she got the opportunity to get what she wanted, she wasn’t sure she would be able to resist the temptation to get a few of her own desires fulfilled. Up until now she had been level-headed about having some sort of power. But to tap into god-like power. Fisher was already power-hungry. Would that be a shock to her senses and prevent her from seeing straight?
“All of these plans, are they hypothetical?” her father asked in that tone again. The one that said he was not on board with any of this.
“Unfortunately, yes. But I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to keep her safe, and to help her get ready for what is to come.”
“And what do we do meanwhile?” her mother asked.
“You support her, she needs that right now. Believe me when I say I want to strangle all three of them, I really do. But putting any more pressure on her right now will not help the situation, and she never had a choice in the matter to begin with. The Light chose her, not the other way around.”
“And is the 24-hour guard still necessary?” her dad asked.
“Yes, I would feel better not having to worry about all of you at the same time,” Ezekiel responded.
Dawn imagined her father was both thrilled and disappointed at the news. Thrilled because he got to keep Nathan away from all this, and disappointed that his life was being disrupted once more by magic. If he had his way, she knew that he would take her and her brother away from this life completely, but he couldn’t do that.
“So, what’s the plan?” Isabel finally asked.
“I’m going to teach her how to use her magic.”
Damon picked her up for her first training session on a motorbike, and Dawn laughed as soon as she saw him. He looked crazy in his red leather jacket and helmet; it was all a bit too much.
“Really?” was the first thing she said as he took his helmet off and shook his long hair.
“I need to get from point A to B without magic, what do you want me to do?” He smirked and handed her another helmet. He really could, but Ezekiel had asked him to keep up with appearances for the time being. He had to tread carefully with the Council until they figured out a way to go about their upcoming challenge.
He really was milking it, and she couldn’t blame him. If only Maggie was here to see this, she would have appreciated the sight. He seemed to enjoy the roaring thunder of the engine and how cool it made him feel. It wasn’t like Dawn felt the drooling draw her ghost friend did, but she did imagine Maggie levitating behind him. A spirit couldn’t really hop on the bike, but she could make it seem so.
“Are you ready to go?”
Dawn got on behind him before putting on her helmet. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Damon clearly had a good handle of the Chiang Jiang, a 750cc hydro powered chopper, cruising the streets and swiftly making their way to the training center. Everything was fairly quiet since it was during lesson time. He continued along the compound and made a pitstop at the plant nursery.
She’d been here before, with Elijah, practicing casting magic spells, so being here was familiar. However, recent events made it more pressing that she was being pulled away from her own plans by forces beyond her. Her eyes widened with excitement as she took in row after row of budding seedlings.
“Oh, this is beautiful!”
“I knew you would like it,” he said, then took off his jacket and put it on one of the chairs before sitting down.
This was like paradise for her, and she breathed in the earthy scent in the room. There was a trough full of dirt in the front and she went to it and stuck her fingers in it. She relished moments like these with renewed intent, relieved to be in touch with beauty and care that took her mind away from imminent danger.
“Why plants though?” Damon asked with a look that showed Dawn that he had been thinking about this for a while.
She smiled and dug her fingers deep into the soil, enjoying the feeling of the grains against her skin.
“Because plants are simple and harmonious with their environment. They give and we receive. The science that governs them is pretty straight forward. Even though people continuously harm the environment, their basic purpose never wavers. And if this world is to have any hope at all to be cured, I believe the answer lies in the very thing we tend to harm.”
“Which is nature,” Damon said with a nod.
“Exactly.”
“Spoken like to a true Fae,” he smiled. “Your program would have been lucky to have you.”
“Thanks.” Dawn realized Damon truly meant it. She felt comforted that the warlock acknowledged her intent instead of talking her out of it, though was more specifically, she was glad to see a more caring side of him.
“Perhaps that’s how you can harness your magic, through something that you love. You need to strengthen both aspects of your fighting skills. Your daggers will be useless against powerful magic, and you might not get the chance to get close enough to strike.”
“You just want a chance to beat me since I destroyed you on weapons,” Dawn smirked.
Damon laughed. “Oh, on that I have no doubt that Ezekiel is going to make your life miserable. I don’t even have to do anything except sit back and enjoy.”
Dawn grinned as a rose magically emerged from the soil and bloomed right in front of her. She turned to look at Damon. He whistled as he looked around, pretending as if he had no idea what had just happened.
“What was that for?”
He shrugged and smiled, “I know you must be scared with everything going on, but I’ve got your back.”
Dawn brought her rose to her nose, breathing in the sweet smell. A gift from Damon. He’d had her back from the very beginning, even when she went out of her way not to trust him. He was a good friend, and she was lucky to have him.
She relished in this moment of calmness before the storm, because she had no doubt that everything was about to get real.
EIGHTEEN
“Patience! Your speed will be your downfall.”
Ezekiel had been repeating this for a couple of hours now, and she was getting tired of it. When he’d said training, this was not what she had in mind.
“Lack of speed can also get you killed,” Dawn groaned.
“Patience! Less talking, more training. Now focus.”
Dawn tried to follow Ezekiel’s voice behind a blindfold as he moved around the room. The master had his own private training quarters on the compound, just opposite the nursery garden. His stoic nature shined through in its simplicity, much like his home set up was austere and practical.
“Do not rely on your weapons, rely on your senses,” he said. “Magic is an extension of your senses, your emotions and your thoughts. If you want to conjure fire, first think of it, smell it, feel it. If you want to use your magic to attack or defend, trust your senses. Take in everything around you and change the light into what you need.”
; Dawn heard something slam against a wall and she gripped her daggers as she turned in the direction that she thought the sound had come from. Her back arched as Ezekiel suddenly hit her with the foam noodle.
“Do not rely on your weapons!” he repeated. “What is a weapon?’
“Something forged by a pair of hands,” she said, repeating one of the first lessons they had been taught in weapons class.
“So, what are you supposed to rely on?”
“The pair of hands that can forge a weapon,” she replied.
“You are the weapon; the daggers are a tool.”
Dawn nodded and got ready to try again. It was way harder than Ezekiel made it sound. He had been using magic since he’d been a child, he had no idea what it was like to have to learn it now. Much like with the light energy within her, she really didn’t have any control over it. Summoning it was no of her choosing and she didn’t really know how to tap into whatever triggered it. Being used to doing things one way, like cleaning your room, and then being told you could just lift a finger, and everything would be folded into place and tucked away with some internal force. She hadn’t been able to do any of that.
“Follow my voice and listen to the sound of my footsteps. Try to picture where I am. There is light all around us, use it to find me.”
Dawn took a breath and focused on Ezekiel’s steps. He seemed to be everywhere at once, which she knew was impossible but that’s what her senses were telling her. Stupid blindfold, she thought. This exercise was not helping her at all. A ball hit her on her side and bounced off, the sound fading as its momentum fell and started rolling.
“Focus!” Ezekiel commanded.
“I am trying.”
“Try harder. Imagine someone is trying to kill you in a dark room, and the only thing you can rely on is your hearing.”