by D G Swank
“Just making small talk.”
I doubted it. Much to my disappointment, I suspected he was up to something else. He wanted me to reveal my true purpose. He wanted to catch me in a lie.
I wasn’t sure why I was so disappointed. He’d made it clear that he couldn’t stand me from the moment we first met, but I’d mistaken his tutoring as kindness and friendship.
I had no friends within the Dark Set, and I’d do well to remember that.
When the food came, I picked at the omelet, sudden concern for my sisters gnawing in my gut. Donall’s plans might currently revolve around the orb, but the Dark Set still wanted the Book of Sindal. What if Zane was working his way up to asking me where to find it?
We ate in silence and I forced myself to eat nearly the entire omelet, mostly because it was making me feel better. When the waitress brought the check, I asked for a to-go container to finish it later. Zane gave me a smug look.
He wouldn’t be so smug when I used the Orb of Power to absorb the power of every last person affiliated with the Dark Set.
Chapter Fifteen
That thought gave me pause. It was one thing to take the power from mages like Donall and my father, who’d wholeheartedly devoted themselves to their wicked scheme, and another to take it from magicals like Zane and Lisa. I told myself I couldn’t be held responsible for their decision to align themselves with the Dark Set, but it didn’t make me feel any better.
You will be forced to make tough decisions, my mother had said. You will be forced to make sacrifices. But you will save Valeria. It is your destiny.
I’d always thought most of the sacrifices would be my own. The thought of other people suffering didn’t sit well.
When we got back to the car, Zane continued driving away from the Dark Set compound. About thirty minutes later, he pulled off into a state park, following the main road until he turned into a gravel parking lot with a sign that said Angel Falls.
“Do you feel strong enough to handle a short hike?” he asked.
“Yes.” He’d been right about breakfast. While I wasn’t one hundred percent, I was better than I’d been an hour earlier.
We got out and headed for the trail, Zane leading the way. Although my thoughts were still pinging around, thrown in different directions by bursts of magic, I instantly felt it this time—the trees. Their magic was bombarding me.
“Zane,” I said. “Does the magic of the trees call out to you?”
He stopped and spun around to look at me, his face expressionless. “Are they calling out to you now?”
“Yes.”
He stood stock still for a few seconds, then nodded. “Let me think about that.” He continued to lead the way down the path, the crunching of the leaves under our feet the only sound.
But my magic reacted to that too. The sounds were a magic all their own, floating in the air around us. It was as if Zane’s lessons had awakened me to the world around me in a way that could not be shut off or turned down.
I stopped, closing my eyes, and let my power connect to the sound. When I opened them, I could see the waves fluttering through the air around us.
Zane slowed and glanced over his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
I needed to shut this down. It was too distracting, but now that I could see the sound waves, I couldn’t un-see them. I could also see the magic of the forest around us—the trees and the ground and even the air overhead. I was engulfed by magic.
I realized I’d spent twenty years fighting it without even realizing what I was doing.
“Celeste?” He stopped and turned to face me, looking nervous now. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should go back.”
“No. I’m fine. It’s just that I feel the magic and it’s distracting.”
“The magic of the trees?”
“Of everything.”
He closed the ten feet between us. “Define everything.”
“The trees. The earth. The air.” I paused and looked up at him. “Sound.”
His brow furrowed. “You shouldn’t be able to do that yet. It took me years to reach that level.” In his situation, Donall would have been pissed, no doubt, but Zane just sounded concerned, like he thought I was moving too quickly and it worried him. That didn’t match up with the way he’d baited me earlier, but I couldn’t think about that just yet. I couldn’t think about anything except the bombardment of my senses.
“I don’t know how to turn it off,” I admitted, panicking slightly. “It’s overwhelming.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Close your eyes and just breathe.”
I did as he said. “I can still see it. I feel it.”
“Focus on me,” he said. “Focus on my magic.”
I reached out for him, my palms pressing against his strong chest, and drew in a deep breath as his magic latched onto mine.
My eyes flew open, and our gazes locked as his magic flooded my body. My magic welcomed the incursion—no, it savored it. The sensation stole my breath and set my body on fire from head to toe.
“Easy, Celeste,” he said, but it was breathless and his eyes were dilated. This, whatever “this” was, was affecting both of us equally.
Acting on impulse, I pushed my magic toward him. I felt a wall holding me back, but an extra push and it gave way. My power rushed into him.
One of his arms slipped around my back, pulling me closer.
“I was right,” I whispered. “Our magics were made for each other.”
He just looked at me, his eyes full of surprise and something else. Something hotter.
As our magics mingled, I could feel him react to me. I pressed my body against his chest, needing to be closer to him.
His face lowered, his lips hovering over mine.
Everything in me craved his kiss. I was just about to stretch up and take what I wanted, but he dropped his arm and took two steps backward.
The loss of his magic was abrupt and felt like a vacuum.
“Can you…are you…” Words failed him, so he ran a hand over his head and tried again. “Is it better?”
“Yes.”
“What just happened…it can’t happen again, Celeste.”
“You mean mixing our magic?”
“Yes. That. And more.”
More.
I’d seen my sister Phoebe with her boyfriend Brandon, more often than I would like. I’d felt the sexual tension between them. And although I’d only spent a few moments with Rowan and Logan, the man she’d met the week we were separated, I had felt the strong connection between them, which had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with hormones.
I’d never expected to find that. My mother had made it clear that my purpose did not include men.
But that moment with Zane…
Was this what my sisters felt? Was it what Zane felt with Lisa?
Lisa.
I didn’t know her very well, but I respected her, despite her allegiance with the Dark Set. It was obvious she had her own reason for being involved with them.
No. I couldn’t do this to Lisa…not that I could do it at all. I was engaged to Donall. I intended to destroy the Dark Set at our wedding.
Which meant I needed to keep our engagement on track.
“Agreed. It’s an unnecessary distraction.”
He started to say something, then stopped. “Yeah. Distraction. If you’re better, then let’s keep going.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond, which was for the best given I had no idea what to say. Instead, he turned around and continued down the path.
We hiked for another fifteen minutes, and if I hadn’t known any better, I might have suspected he was taking me out here to do away with me. Killing me in the middle of nowhere would be an easy way to get rid of his irritation. But I did know better. For those brief seconds when we’d allowed our magics to mingle and combine, I’d finally felt the true essence of Zane—he was good, despite the fact that he was with my enemy.
> Which raised a new concern. Had he seen my heart? Had he seen my true purpose for being here?
We could never do that again. It was much too dangerous for both of us.
I heard the waterfall several minutes before I saw it, but that didn’t take away from the effect when we finally stepped through the tree coverage. The fifty-foot waterfall pounded into a pool of water, the sight beautiful and strong. A large creek flowed to the left, and the path followed it deeper into the woods.
“Why the waterfall?” I asked. “Is this part of connecting with the elements?”
“Yes, but mostly I wanted to make sure you could practice without worrying a guard will interrupt.”
“What about you?” I asked. “How do I know you won’t take advantage of me?”
“Celeste, if I’d wanted to take advantage of you, I would have done it when we joined our magic on the trail earlier.”
He had a point, but now that the thrill of sharing my magic with him had faded, doubt had crept back in. His good heart did not necessarily mean he was trustworthy. I liked to think I had one as well, but if I didn’t learn to use the orb, I might have to allow the book to commit mass murder. I doubted anyone would saint me for that. “I’ve never heard of anyone joining magic like we did back there,” I said. Because it was true. Because I couldn’t really help myself. “We’re counterparts. Why can’t you admit it?”
“What’s the point of admitting it?” he asked, turning away to avoid looking me in the eye. “It’s pointless.” He gestured to the side of the pool. “Come stand closer to the water.”
I wanted to press him more but decided to let it go. For now. “I get why I’m connecting to the elements,” I said as I moved closer. “Connecting with the trees yesterday helped me control the chaos in my head, but I need to learn to use the orb like Donall said.” Especially if I wanted to avoid relying on the book to destroy the Dark Set. I was running short on time. Although I didn’t want to use the orb on any unsuspecting mages or witches, like Donall had suggested, surely there had to be another way.
“I already told you that our magic isn’t like everyone else’s. As you already figured out, the elements keep us balanced. You have to master all of them before you move on to more complex things.”
“Fine. What do I do?”
For the next hour, Zane taught me how to use my connection to the elements to balance my magic.
“When you feel yourself losing control,” he said when he was satisfied with my progress, “you will almost always have access to one of the elements, no matter where you are. Even if you have to turn on a faucet—although a bath or shower is better—center yourself using whichever element you can access. It will take some time before it automatically balances your magic. But soon it will be part of who you are, and you won’t even have to think about it.”
“It will be as natural as breathing,” I said.
“Yes. Exactly.”
I raked my top teeth over my bottom lip as I wondered how long that would take to accomplish. “Is this why I didn’t feel your magic the first night I saw you? Were you using the elements to conceal it?”
“The night I found you in the council meeting?” I didn’t think he was going answer, but then he said, “No. When a witch or mage senses my energy, it makes them uneasy. It’s easier to keep it under wraps and let it out when needed. Shielding it has always come naturally to me.”
I was pretty sure it was more than that, but it wasn’t like I’d told him everything. I’d let him keep his secret. For now. “Okay, what next?”
“Next we work on channeling simpler magic like telekinesis.”
I propped a hand on my hip. “Telekinesis isn’t simple.”
“It is for us. If you do it right.” He grinned. “Your mother taught you to use your magic directly to move things, but you can channel the elemental magic to do it for you. Nature does the heavy lifting, and your magic only needs to steer it. It’ll save you tons of energy.” He pointed to a small rock next to me. “Pick that up and move it next to me.”
I glanced down at the rock, which I could have easily grabbed in my fist, then concentrated on the air around us. With my magic, I called to the air, asking the magic around the small stone to lift it up. The power of the air was slow to respond, and the stone moved with a jerky movement.
“Gather more air magic,” Zane said. “The heavier the object, the more air you’ll need to pull to pick it up. It’s also a good defense. If you pull the air toward you at a rapid speed, you’ll create a wind capable of tossing your opponents around.”
I held out my left hand and pulled the air magic toward me, but I barely felt a breeze.
Zane grinned when he saw my frustration. “It takes practice, Celeste.”
“Show me.” We could both see the air magic now—the wispy, colorful strands of it—so I figured I could watch what he did and copy it.
He reached a hand toward me and gently pushed me around him. “Stay behind me.”
I almost scoffed and made a comment about mages and their domineering ways, but I was too intent on what he was doing. So I listened. Mostly. I moved behind his back, but I stood to the side as he lifted his hand. I focused my concentration on the magic that flooded from his upturned palms. The air responded in a rush, whooshing around us both in a wind so fast it sounded like a train whistle. Then, just as quickly, Zane shut it down and the wind stopped.
“How did you do that?” I asked in excitement. Although my magic had stirred the air before, I’d never done it on purpose. I hadn’t even realized what I was doing. “Do it again, but slower this time.”
He grinned. “Okay.”
We spent the next few hours working with air. I learned to use it to move things and create a wind of my own, albeit much smaller than Zane’s. By the time we finished, I was exhausted.
“We need to get back,” Zane said. “We both have to eat.”
I was reluctant to leave. Being out here with Zane, I felt like I could be myself for the first time in…forever, maybe. I felt at peace with my magic. It almost felt like the Dark Set didn’t exist, but Donall awaited us back at the compound, and so did Lisa. You couldn’t run from the truth, no matter how far and fast you go, but at least we’d had this moment out of time. Zane was right, though, our moment had ended. We needed to go.
We were silent on our hike to the car, but once we were on our way back to the compound, Zane said, “I can’t believe you’re picking up on all of this so quickly. It took me weeks—months—to connect with elemental magic.” Strangely, he didn’t sound pissed about it. He sounded excited.
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about it since last night. It could be because you’re a Whelan. Or maybe it’s the orb.”
I couldn’t help my grin. “Are you admitting that my Whelan blood might be to my advantage?”
He grinned back. “It’s more likely the orb.”
“Maybe it’s both.”
“Maybe…”
I shifted in my seat to get a better look at him. “Why are you in such a good mood? You made it pretty clear you didn’t want to teach me.”
His mouth twisted. “I admit that I’m enjoying this more than I’d thought I would.”
“The next question is why you’re admitting it.”
He gave the comment some consideration, his expression surprisingly serious. “You’re not what I expected,” he finally said.
‘And what did you expect?”
“A spoiled brat. And you certainly gave that impression the night we met.”
I almost confessed that I’d been playing a part, but no matter how much I wanted to trust Zane Chambers, I couldn’t risk it. My life wasn’t the only one on the line, and whatever his reasons for joining the Dark Set, he had done so of his own free will.
If only it wasn’t so difficult to remember that when he looked at me with his fiery blue gaze.
Chapter Sixteen
> Zane snuck us back into the compound, only he didn’t have to stop this time. I covered myself with glamour, which I didn’t lift until we were well on our way to the church.
My stomach sank at the sight of it. I would have to return to the null room. All of the progress I’d made today would make leaving it again that much worse… But I wasn’t fool enough to believe that was the only reason I didn’t want to return. The thought of Donall’s dry kisses made my heart shrivel in my chest.
“I don’t want to go back.” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but Zane didn’t look scandalized.
“You don’t have to go back,” he whispered. “Not yet.”
I glanced up at him. “I don’t think they want me wandering around.”
“Then don’t. I have something to show you.”
We walked into the building, and he led me down a hall to the cafeteria. When we walked inside, he called out, “Marni?”
The witch poked her head out of the kitchen. “Yes, Master Zane?” Her eyes lit up with excitement until she saw me.
“Can you bring two of my protein lunches to the library?” he asked.
“You must be very hungry today,” she said, batting her lashes at him. Based on the amount of attention she paid me, I might as well have kept the glamour.
“Yeah,” he said. “Like I said, I’ll be in the library. Please bring them there.”
When we headed back down the hall, I said, “Somebody’s got it bad for you.”
He scowled.
“What does Lisa think of her trying to hit on you?”
“She’s not too happy about it, but she trusts my judgment.”
I stumbled at that—did he mean what I thought he meant?—then took two extra steps to catch up. He cast me a questioning glance. “What?”
“Are you saying that you’ll sleep with whoever you want, regardless of what she thinks? Typical Dark Set shit.” I shook my head in disgust, although it was mostly disgust at myself. I’d let myself believe he was the exception, that he was a different breed of mage than Donall. But perhaps my mother had been right all along. Perhaps all mages were the same.