“Ahh, the old passive-aggressive approach. That’s the worst. My dad was actually better than my mom about it. He would let us hold hands and sit close when we were out with just him. When my mom was around, though, it was like break out the ruler and leave room for Jesus kind of restrictions.”
Alison laughed at her analogy. “How did your boyfriend take it?”
“In stride. He knew my mom from growing up, so he had a good idea of how she was going to be. He’s still around, so I guess she doesn’t scare him too badly.”
“My mom would have been the cool one. She would have talked to me about everything and made sure I understood what I should do to keep my honor—or so my grandfather apparently used to call it—and then let me make my own choices. She trusted me, and she also knew that for me to learn, I was going to have to make my own mistakes along the way.”
“It sounds like your mom was a cool lady.”
“She was.” Alison smiled, thinking about the talks they used to have. “She treated me like any other kid. I just wish she would have talked to me more about my magic when I was younger. I wouldn’t have so many questions now.”
“Yeah, but you also might not be here. In my opinion, everything leads us right where we are supposed to be, and it’s obvious you are supposed to be here with us. We’re your new family, and we love having you.”
“Aw, thank you, Aya. That’s really sweet.”
The girls laid there staring at the ceiling, listening to the other girls shuffling around the common area. Everyone was a little more relaxed, but they still had a curfew, and they still went back to the dorm areas after dinner was over. It wasn’t the best thing, Alison knew Izzie really wanted to see Marigold—but it was what it was, and Horace had promised to take care of the horse and the cat while the girls were away.
“Oh.” Aya gasped, sitting straight up. “Can I see the dragon egg?”
Alison sat up and nodded. “Sure. We don’t usually get to have it out without all of us around.”
“I know, and I’ve been dying for some one-on-one with it.”
Alison went to the dresser and opened the top drawer, carefully moving her panties and socks to the side. With both hands, she pulled the egg out and turned back toward the bed. She walked forward until the mattress hit her knees and slowly bent over, carefully laying it in the center of the blankets.
Aya gasped, running her fingers lightly over the shell. The golden flecks sparkled, reflecting the lamplight and casting sparkling motes across the ceiling and walls. She could feel a warmth around it like it was in an incubator, maintaining a perfect temperature.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you. I don’t see exactly like you do. I mean, I’m blind, sort of. I’m sorry, I’m not doing this very well.”
Aya waited patiently. “It’s okay, take your time. You move around so well.”
“That’s because I can see some things like the energy inside of people or coming off of buildings and I can see magic.”
“That’s cool and more than I can do.”
“How does the egg look to you?” Alison asked.
“Well, the shell is bumpy, like craters on the moon. Dark gray, with bright sparkling patches of gold all over it like rough polka dots. What does the energy look like?”
“Its energy is thick. It starts out with a swirling gray with those gold flecks spinning through it. As I concentrate harder, the colors on the inside pop through. They are a mixture of purples, greens, reds, oranges, and all the colors in between, moving in a circular motion almost like it’s a liquid. It’s different than energies I normally sense. They are very light, like fog or smoke, but these are fluid and almost shimmery.”
“Wow,” Aya cooed. “You really do see the energy.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Let me tell the others, when I’m ready. I mean that I can’t see.”
“Sure, in your own time, I get it.”
The girls sat on the bed admiring the egg. Beyond the energies and their colors, Alison could feel heat every time she touched it. It would surge up her arm and linger in her chest, just like the energy she used for magic. It felt like it was communicating—bonding almost—but she had no idea what it was trying to tell her. She wasn’t sure what was in there, or if it would even survive, but whatever it was, she felt drawn to it. Like she had to keep it safe from harm.
“Do you think it will be friendly?” Aya asked.
“I don’t know for sure, but if the colors I sense are any indication, then yeah, I really do. At least to us. We will be its family, of sorts.”
“That’s kind of cool, you know? To be there for the first few moments of something’s life and for it to look at us as its family.”
“It is cool, but I think that if it’s a dragon, we may be looking to it for protection as its family.” Alison laughed. “I just don’t understand how it got here. I have never heard of dragons on Earth. I know there are some on Oriceran, but that would mean someone brought it over and put it there. And why would they just leave it there unprotected like that?”
“I don’t know, but it makes me think that they did it for an evil reason. Maybe they were going to sell it to someone? Dragons have been used as weapons on Oriceran. They can be enchanted, just like one of us could be, and they are used for destruction, war, and just general evil shit.”
“That’s sad.” Alison frowned. “But we won’t let that happen to whoever is inside this egg, if it ever decides to make its debut.”
“Hey, with everything going on out here, I would just stay inside my nice warm safe egg too. And can you imagine if we brought a dragon out right now? They would point the finger and burn us at the stake.”
“I don’t know about all that, but I think you’re right. It’s not the right time.”
Alison ran her hand over rough shell, wondering when the right time would be.
16
Mara rolled her shopping cart through the small grocery store in town, picking up different things to make a peach cobbler. Peaches weren’t quite in season yet, but she was craving a cobbler badly. Every time the weather started to change, she just couldn’t wait to have a seasonal treat. She smiled to herself, thinking about her granddaughter Leira’s troll Yumfuck. He would love a slice of peach cobbler right about then. She strolled through the produce section and turned the corner, looking at the different frozen pie crusts. She could make one, but she wasn’t that motivated.
“Mara, is that you?”
Mara turned and smiled at the sight of Victoria Hallsworth in the aisle with a cartful of wines and cheeses. Victoria was a very well-connected and wealthy witch who had given a lot to the school over the years. She wasn’t necessarily one of Mara’s good friends, but Mara tolerated her because she was important to the school and she always had the latest gossip and whispers in the alleys to tell her about.
“Victoria,” she exclaimed, giving her a hug. “You look amazing, as always. No older than a hundred and fifty!”
“Oh.” She giggled. “You are the sweetest. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted a homemade peach cobbler, so I came to grab some ingredients.”
“I heard what happened at the school,” she whispered, leaning closer. “That poor boy.”
“I know.” Mara sighed. “It’s a very hard situation for both the teachers and the students.”
“And on top of that, the craziness that is going on in this town! It has to be connected somehow, don’t you think?”
“Are you speaking of that fight on the first day of school?”
“Well, yes, that, but apparently the same dark wizards have been traipsing in and out of town. They are supposedly connected to very old money, but of another kind, if you get my drift. The light wizards and witches have been trying to track them, but it’s like they disappear as soon as they come into town and then reappear out of thin air when they are leaving. They are very fast, too, not giving us enough time to even start to track them.”
“I know.” She sighed. “But crazier things have happened, you know that. Remember the portals ten years ago? We didn’t even know they were there until one of the wizards fell right into one and found himself in the front yard of a dark wizard’s house. Luckily, he got out of there fast, but it could have been so bad.”
“Yeah. I was one of the people who forced them closed.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand why this place holds such an attraction for them.”
“Me either. They’re probably just jealous of all the parties and good times we have.” Victoria looked down at her watch. “Oh, good grief, it’s getting to be that time. My husband has a bunch of his work colleagues coming over for wine, cheese, and poker tonight, and I have to play happy little hostess. Good thing I have magic, or it would take me ten years to cut all this up.”
“It was good seeing you.” Mara smiled. “Be careful out there.”
“You too, Mara. Things are just getting so dark out there. We really need to start banding together again.”
Mara smiled as Victoria walked toward the registers. She stood there for a moment thinking about what she had said, irritation building inside of her. If what she had told her was true, there was more danger than she had thought. Danger for the students, and especially for Izzie. She’d had enough of it all, so she grabbed her purse, leaving her cart in the center of the aisle. She headed out to her car and called the school, asking Xander and the shifter, Elias Hodges, to meet her in town. It was time they took the bull by the horns and did something about what was going on.
They both headed over as fast as they could. When they arrived they looked ready for war, and Mara couldn’t help but chuckle.
“So, what are the details?”
“Apparently, they are coming in the town, disappearing, then reappearing when they are leaving. The light folks haven’t been able to trace them to the source.”
“Have any elves been on the case?” Elias asked.
“Not that I know of. It has been the local wizard and witches, the council that keeps everything running smoothly out here.”
“Well, we all know that Light Elves are very good at tracking.” Xander smiled.
“That was exactly what I was thinking.” Mara winked. “I think we should go down to the Tavern and start there. See where the different tracks lead us. We might be able to find them and see exactly what they are up to. That might also give us a clue as to who is behind this student’s spell.”
“You think they are connected?” Elias asked.
“Of course, they are. One minute everything is fine and the next, dark wizards are showing up, and one of our students goes down hard. There is no such thing as coincidence when it comes to dark magic. I learned that a long time ago. The details are what I’m interested in.”
They all nodded and headed toward the Tavern. Mara stood on the sidewalk and looked around, taking a deep breath. She pulled energy through her and let it do its work. Everything shimmered and vibrated through her eyes as she sent the energy out to pick up all magical movements. Lines that crisscrossed the roads became visible, as well as footprints back and forth to the Tavern and back into town. She turned in her spot, watching the shimmering trails of magical beings move down the streets and into various shops.
She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary at first, but then a small glimmering light caught her eye. She moved forward, swiping her hand right and left to clear the other tracks. She bent down and stared at the line on the asphalt as the light slowly bubbled and melted away. Someone had put a spell on their tracks to hide their dark magic. Mara stood up and slowly began to follow the tracks into an alley. Xander and Elias stayed close behind her, Elias with bright yellow eyes and Xander with his wand out, ready for anything.
When they reached the end of the alley, the tracks disappeared and what looked like a brick wall was in front of them. Mara waved her hands through the air, white light pouring from her palms.
“Reveal what is not real,” she whispered.
The light spread over the brick wall in front of her. She pursed her lips and looked at the others, pulling her wand from her inner pocket and tapping it on the wall.
“Glamour disappearance, Exion Partaus, Maximo!”
The light shot from her wand to strike the center brick, and the wall shook and crumbled, falling to the ground. A cloud of dust floated in front of them, and Mara took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth.
Lingus and Tyrian watched, slightly terrified, as the wall crumbled, a cloud of energy concealing those on the other side. Lingus pulled his wand out and Tyrian mimicked him, squinting into the cloud. Lingus took a step forward but stopped as the dust parted, creating a hole. Mara came barreling through, Elias in his wolf form leaping beside her. Xander followed them, sending a stun spell straight at Lingus.
Lingus dove to the side and rolled across the ground, growling as he sent bolts of magic in their direction. One streak hit Elias in the chest and he flew back, whining in pain. Xander stood facing Tyrian, the two exchanging blows of magic. Mara sent out sprays of white light as she ran toward Lingus. The light split into small fireballs over his head and he swirled his wand, turning the balls to smoke and watching them evaporate. He turned toward Mara with a smirk and shot orbs of dark light at her as he walked toward her.
She flicked her wand, deflecting them all as he picked up the pace. He thrust his wand out and sent two flying toward her. She was able to deflect one, but the other hit her in the chest, sending her sliding across the ground. Her wand was just out of reach, but before she could grab it, Lingus jumped on top of her and pressed his wand to her neck.
“You silly witch! You can’t defeat us. We have been here for too long.”
“You know what’s silly?” she growled.
“What’s that?” He smirked.
She threw up her hands, bright white light clinging to her palms. “Thinking I’m just a witch, asshole.”
She shot two orbs of light straight at his head, knocking him to the side, then grabbed her wand and stood up, pointing it at him. When the light cleared, she could tell he was dead. She breathed heavily, not having been in a battle in a very long time. Xander continued to battle Tyrian, blocking his shots. Mira straightened her blouse and jacket before swirling her wand through the air.
A strong stream of white light blasted toward Tyrian. He noticed the light from the corner of his eye, but he was too late to do anything. The energy hit him in the chest, burning his skin. He coughed, blood gurgling in his throat. Mara ran over, healing him just enough to survive and kicking his wand across the grass. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him, Xander helping hold him up.
“Who are you working for?”
Tyrian growled and turned his head away from her. She grabbed his chin and yanked it back toward her. She narrowed her eyes and attempted to use her magic to read his thoughts, but Xander shook his head.
“That is forbidden. Don’t sink to their level.”
She nodded and looked him in the eyes. “Tell me who you are working for, and I will make sure you are safe.”
Tyrian smiled for a moment before spitting in Mara’s face. She wiped the spit off her cheek and backhanded him across the jaw. She wanted to tear him to shreds, but that would be a waste.
“You don’t want to talk? Fine. We are going to send you back to your leader, and I want you to take a message back with you.”
He tried to struggle, but she grabbed his chin, raising her wand to his temple. “This is our town, and I will do everything I can and risk anything I have, even my life, to defend it and the people in it. If your disgusting group of maggots does anything else to harm a single student in my school, I won’t wait for you dark wizards to show up. I’ll come hunting for you mys
elf.”
She let go of his face and nodded at Xander. He opened a portal two towns over and pushed him through, leaving his wand in the grass. The wizard grimaced as the portal slammed shut. Mara ran over to Elias and bent down, running her hands over his fur, white light healing the wounds enough to allow him to change back. He looked up at her as his body morphed back to his human shape, and Xander walked up behind her and waved his wand to mend his clothes.
He stood up and shook his head and shoulders, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at the dead wizard on the ground and narrowed his still-yellow eyes.
“Are you all right?” Mara asked.
“I’ll survive,” he growled. “Did we get anything useful?”
“Not anything that will help the kid, but now we know there’s an outside force in the whole thing.”
“What do we do with him?”
“Leave him,” Xander responded. “They will collect the body. It’s part of the agreement with the townspeople. They let them collect the bodies.”
The three walked back to their cars and got inside, exhausted both mentally and physically. They headed back to the school and parked around the side, where the employee parking spots were. Xander got out of the car and looked at the courtyard.
“You all right?” Mara asked.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I’m all right. I think I’m gonna take a walk. Clear my thoughts. I’ll be in to check on the boy in a little bit.”
“Okay,” Mara replied, helping Elias into the school.
Xander tilted his head, feeling strong energy coming from the Fixer Garden at the front of the property. He walked through the grass into the small garden. He looked at the bench, the flowers, and the sign paying homage to the Fixer, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. As he went to leave, he kicked something with his foot. He leaned down and picked it up, holding it in front of his face. It was a wand, split straight down the middle, energy flowing out of it into the grass.
Bright Is Her Sight_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 14