by Opal Thomas
I sat and waited. She took a few steps forward and then picked up Aiden's power box, to which I gasped.
"Amelia!"
"Yes, I know... but give me a chance. I was shown. Or introduced, as it were to the primary thirteen power symbols. I met them, in the monolith circle. I know how to save Aiden. My Mother arrived and she shared that these three symbols will help to find and locate the Denizen's strong-hold, put them to sleep and then guide us to his location there so we can free him," she said, talking so fast I could barely keep up with her.
As she did so, she brought forth a parchment of paper and showed me the symbols. Then she held out her hand, evoking a small flam of fire. One by one, the symbols rose in concession, sparked and then disappeared.
Stunned, I sat there with my mouth open. She'd done it all on her own. Had been transported to meet the primary thirteen. With no need for guidance or protection.
I was happily flabbergasted.
And impressed.
She'd gotten one of the most difficult aspects to mage training done while we'd all been working on a plan, worried about how she would handle it. And here she was, not only fully introduced to the power thirteen as we referred to them as, but with the magic to make a plan work.
"You've done very well, Amelia. Let me get Devon and Zach," I said, standing up to get my husband and the head of security.
Returning to the living room, I gestured for Devon and Zach to join me in the library. They immediately stood up and joined Amelia and I.
"Okay Amelia, please share with them," I asked.
"In front of Zach, too?" she asked.
I nodded, "Zach knows who and what we are. We trust him. He's been with us for a long time," I explained.
She nodded back and moved back and forth on her feet, "I know how we can locate the Den's current stronghold, how to put them to sleep and then find Aiden so we can rescue him. I just showed Tracie the three power symbols to do so. I need a map, so I can scry over it to reveal their location."
Zach pulled one from his duffel and spread it out on the table near the window where the light was best. "Here you go, scry away."
Amelia stepped over to the table and pulled of her crystal necklace pendant. Then she held her hand over the map, palm facing upwards. She evoked the first symbol she had shown me and then dangled the crystal with her free hand. The crystal immediately responded, pointing to a location in the Ballard area of Seattle. Near the old ports.
"That's an interesting location... but smart too. So much around, would deter us from thinking they'd be somewhere that is so popular," Zach commented.
Devon was looking back and forth at me and the map, in utter surprise. He stood behind Amelia and shook his head. "Amazing... Absolutely amazing."
I held back the part about how she'd figured it out, waiting for privacy since Zach was present.
"How fast can you get your men ready?" Devon asked Zach.
"As soon as possible, but I think it would be best to execute a recovery in the late evening, early morning," Zach answered.
"Good then, do it. We'll be getting ready too," Devon said, looking stressed but also relieved. "Amelia, you've done good," he said, looking in her direction with his praise.
"Thank you... I'm sorry for the state of the library. I had to find... something," she said, looking sheepish.
"Don't worry your pretty little head too much. Aiden would ransack his entire property to find a way to rescue you if needed. If anything, he'll be impressed," Devon said, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, knowing that magic can gobble up energy.
Amelia nodded. "Yes, famished actually. I lose my appetite when things get stressful," she shared. "But it's come back, thankfully..."
I nodded at Devon, "Ask Sherry to prepare food. In the meantime, have her bring in some snacks, tea and coffee. I need to fuel up too."
"As you wish," he said, turning around and dashing out the door.
"Ladies, I'll leave you be. I'm gonna get my security team ready. Excuse me, please," Zach said, winking at me and smiling warmly at Amelia. He smiled with pride giving me a knowing look as he exited the library.
"He likes you," I shared.
"Good, I like him. He has good mojo. How long has he worked for you guys?" Amelia asked.
"For nearly twenty-five years. He knew your parents. He's one of the best in his trade. He also provides security services for our businesses," I explained. "We trust him implicitly. He's lost a loved one to the Denizen and knows the harm they cause."
Amelia looked sad upon hearing that, which I knew was hard for her to hear. But I also knew we could only protect her if she knew everything she needed to know. In time, she would be a true Steward for the powers her kind and lineage bestowed upon her. And with that, came knowledge. Especially, the cold, hard realities we fought against diligently, day in and day out.
* * *
-- Aiden --
Once Tazora left my measly cell, I'd tried to sleep. But the thought of her having harm done to Amelia kept me awake. I moved as little as possible, knowing that I was being watched from the other side of the one-way window.
That bitch had dared to threaten Amelia, which made me laugh. Once Amelia was trained in her power, she'd make a fool of the Denizen Queen. Venom's wife. It was easy to see that Amelia would learn to hold her own with the small-mindedness of some of their kind.
Tazora liked to think that she was the most beautiful of them all. Having a Disney, dark Queen mentality. Similar to the evil queen of Sleeping Beauty, I always had a hard time taking her serious. It took everything in me to just glare at her and not let out the laugh I wanted her to hear.
No food had been offered yet and I was hungry. With no daylight to gauge, I wasn't sure what time it was, since they'd taken my phone. Thankfully, it was fingerprint protected, then pin protected. And likely lost in the forested woods near my place where I'd left my clothes in a pile.
If I was lucky, they hadn't found it at all.
I sighed... Rolled over on the cot and stared into darkness. My thoughts kept drifting back to her. Her face. Her smile. Her body.
I'd spent a lifetime watching her grow up to become the woman she was becoming and it had been innocent until the day I'd rescued her. There was something about being in her vicinity that had made me see her as the woman that she was. Was becoming.
Then I had to chastise myself for thinking about her when near the Denizen. Some of them were like me and could telepathically read my mind. It was best if I stayed zen and allowed random thoughts to just flow in my mind, but not think about her.
I sighed again. Rolled over.
This was always the hard part.
Waiting.
For god only knows what.
All I knew is that the moment I got free, I was going to unleash a fireball or two or three.
A growl from deep within started, my dragon making himself known.
Easy boy... all in good time... all in good time...
* * *
-- Amelia --
Night time arrived and I was as antsy and anxious as I could be. Which meant I appeared strangely calm, to others. My inner resolve was pushing and clawing at imaginary barriers inside my mind, my world. To the point that I seemed calm and resolute on the outside.
We were in a dark, luxury SUV and driving to an area of Seattle that I loved. The Ballard area was a great spot for coffee shops, dining and had an eclectic neighborhood vibe about it. It felt strange to be headed there, not for a day of homework in a coffee shop but to rescue Aiden. A dragon shifter. My protector.
Just four days ago, I was a college student looking forward to the weekend. Then Aiden plucked me out of an angry mob into another reality all-together. And now, we were rescuing Aiden.
All because of me.
Which made me feel guilty.
"If you have to leave the SUV for any reason, you're going to need to blend in w
ith the crowd, so be casual and relaxed. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Got it?" Zach instructed.
We all nodded, already on board.
Tracie and I had practiced in her meditation space, the spells needed so that the symbols would do their thing. I was thinking about the rescue in my mind when I could feel Aiden thinking about me. It was a beautiful feeling, a warm sensation that went through me.
Initiating the change. I stared in awe as my skin turned into beautiful scales.
"You've shifted..." Tracie noticed, in awe.
"He must be nearby, right?" I asked, thankful that the SUV had dark, tinted windows for privacy. There was no way anyone on the street could see me.
Zach looked in the rearview mirror, his gaze capturing mine. "Good lord, that's crazy. His tracking device just secured he is indeed nearby."
"I can feel him thinking. It's weird... a sensation and a thought. Is that what initiated my change?" I asked.
"Yes, which means you need to stay in the car. No one can see you like this until you've learned to cloak.," Devon informed me.
"Damn... I actually want to go in, see what it's like."
Tracie shook her head, "Believe me, you'll have plenty of other opportunities. Just focus on your part of the rescue for now. The symbols and activating them with your power. We're your adjacents. Which means that we can use the power you activate, on your behalf, with your permission. The symbols understand and recognize the law of intent. Make sense?" she explained.
I nodded, listening. I'd learned more about magic and spell-casting in one day than I'd had over a lifetime of my own curiosity about the metaphysical and supernatural. And I felt empowered. But I also felt cautious.
Respect was in the picture too, especially since my protectors had taken on a serious responsibility in keeping me alive and protected my entire life. Hidden away. But now that I wasn't to be hidden away anymore, I needed to be ever mindful of the risks. The dangers to being who I am. Who I was, was now a memory.
Former me had been a naive and somewhat oblivious college student. New me, was an empowered mage that came from a legacy. An ancestry I hadn't even thought possible. I needed to respect that. And all that came with it.
"Alright, ladies. We're here. As close as I can get us near their hideout without drawing too much attention. It's time to do your thing, Amelia," Devon instructed.
First, I needed to sense what part of the hideout they were keeping Aiden in. Then I needed to put the Denizen to sleep. I closed my eyes and held my scry crystal above a blueprint of the dwelling. I thought about the kiss between Aiden and I and immediately, the crystal moved to a spot that showed he was in a corner area of the basement.
"There!" I said, my voice lifting in excitement.
"Good job, good job..." Zach said, taking the blueprint from me.
Then I switched my focus to humming. I imagined the symbol in my mind and focused my energy so that everyone in vicinity would find themselves feeling the need to sleep. I kept my focus on the parameters of those in the building where the Denizen were.
I raised the volume by level to level to level, allowing it to find the sweet spot. Considering I'd never done anything like this -- I felt as if I'd been doing it my entire life.
"Okay- there, that's the sweet spot," I said, breathing out.
We waited, holding our breaths and Zach watched the dots on his body-heat surveillance device that informed him how many were in the Denizen stronghold and how many of them there were. Slowly but surely, they started to stop moving around and within twenty minutes, stopped moving all together.
"It's time," Zach said, signaling to Devon.
"Keep that symbol clear in your mind, Amelia. Keeps them asleep. I'll text when we need Aiden awake."
And with that, they were out of the SUV and headed inside. The entire time they were gone, I kept my focus resolute on the power of the symbol, keeping it balanced and continuous.
Until we got the text. This was where Tracie helped me. She took over the sleeping symbol and I worked on the one that would awaken Aiden.
I held out my hand, drew the symbol and saw it come to life. "For Aiden," I said out loud, enabling the symbol's power to wake him up.
And then I heard him, in my mind. "Amelia?"
"Yes, Zach and Devon are inside the Denizen stronghold, they will be rescuing you soon," I explained, my heart swelling.
"Okay, they know where to find me?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "They're already inside. Sit tight."
"Amelia, are you safe?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm safe. I'm outside, in the SUV."
Almost immediately, I knew I'd answered a question giving up too much information. It flashed to me, what Aiden and Tracie had said about being mindful what I said or thought telepathically when near the Denizen and their kind. I'd yet to learn how to cloak a telepathic conversation.
Tracie looked at me, alarmed. Shaking her head and telling me to end the conversation ASAP. The look on her face was unmistakable that I'd just made a huge blunder.
But it was too late.
The doors were ripped off the SUV and angry guardians were dragging us both out of the SUV and into their own vehicle. Zach's guards didn't even get the chance to counter the abduction. It was done, swift, fast and hard.
Next thing I knew was darkness, as a hood was thrown over my head and then something knocked me unconscious. All going black.
CHAPTER TEN
-- Jerau --
"We are very pleased, Jerau. Your plan worked beautifully," my Queen, Tazora said, a gracious hand touching my shoulder.
I bowed. "My pleasure, Queen."
We'd just captured the mother-load of benevolent mages and protectors. All based on one simple reading done by Anya. We knew that she, now identified as Amelia Stuart, would come for Aiden and that they would be stupid enough to bring her right to us. Their own security detail didn't even stand a chance, it was architected so clean and quickly.
"What now?" I asked.
"We introduce ourselves, of course. Provide her the chance to join us. See if she can be swayed," Venom said.
"For now, we let them rest and get acquainted with their cells. I still can't believe they're all here. What are the chances?" Tazora murmured.
"Not in so many moons did I ever expect this. Truly," I said, agreeing with my Queen. My love...
Venom's eyes bore into me, as if he was accusing me of something he was unhappy about. Did he know? Did he care? Our alpha leader was often cranky when it came to the benevolent mages. I ignored his glare, wondering what had him miffed now.
Just like any family, ours had its problems and daily drama. Ours was the same as any human family. Emotions ran high on certain days as we made our way towards a final goal; almost entire annihilation of the human family and the mages who protected them.
For now, my thoughts were on one being and one being only.
Amelia Stuart.
A special cell had been prepared, just for her.
"When do I get to meet her?" I asked.
Venom glanced at Tazora who nodded and moved towards him. "Soon. We want her to be isolated first. To assess how much of her power she is in control of."
"I'd say she is at least aware that she has the power, but how to use it..." I interjected.
"... remains to be seen," Venom finished my sentence.
We remained resolute and calm, our common focus bonding us together in our objectives.
"And her lover, Aiden?" I asked, wanting to also meet him.
Again, Venom and Tazora shared a glance. "He is furious. Containment is working for now... and his energy is dwindling as we're not providing him with any food or water. For now."
"Is that wise? He can pull from the elements still, even if starving," I said, alarmed. I'd spent plenty of time around Aiden centuries ago. So very long ago when I was a benevolent mage. Before I'd met Tazora and been swayed to the dark mages.
Venom looked at me, "What do
you recommend? You know him better than any of us."
"Feed him, don't be foolish and cause him to tap into the elements out of necessity. None of us have the power to control a protector who is in love with his charge. Especially since he can use her power, in tandem," I explained.
"Good point," Tazora said.
"Excellent input," Venom said. The closest I'd come to his approval in a while. I needed to be in his good graces, having never fully gained it since I'd joined the dark mages all those years ago.
"Shall I let his guards know?" I asked.
They nodded, in unison. I let out a slow exhale and exited the room.
* * *
-- Tracie --
Everything went into slow-motion, the minute Amelia answered Aiden's telepathic question.
I'd scrambled to maintain the magic needed to keep the symbol's power up, while also attempting to cloak Amelia's thought and the location of it.
But it was not to be and here I was, sitting in a Denizen cell, wondering if I'd ever see the light of day again.
"Shit, fuck, double-shit..." I murmured out loud, not caring who might be listening on the other side of the one-way mirrored window at the end of the cell room.
I heard the buzz of an intercom, then a Denizen, laughing.
Then it turned off.
That was it, they just wanted me to hear them laughing.
Which made me irate, but it was funny too.
I had to hand it to them, they had a sick sense of humor. I knew I'd be the same way if I didn't care so much about the future of humankind. So, I started to laugh. And laugh. And laughed some more.
We might as well have just delivered Amelia right to their doorstep with a bow on top. As a gift. How come none of us had figured it out that their plan had been to get her to come to his rescue, not the other way around?
And how did they know about the new development between Aiden and Amelia? Or was it just a lucky guess on their part? I knew if I gave it time, we would find our way out, inevitably. We always did, proving to be too strong for the Denizen. Eventually, they'd realize that if they can't sway or kill us, that adoption isn't an option either.