Magical Redemption

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  “And you still want to take these risks?” Venni asked.

  “Atasha seems to think that without awakening, I’ll have no chance against Padraig. And I want that man dead.”

  “The elementalists should be cleaning up their own mess,” Alijah said with a growl, the red flecks in his eyes glowing in the shadows. “Why aren’t they out here hunting him?”

  I rubbed my face. “Padraig was Highborn Council level strong, and I don’t think they’re willing to risk their most important people to hunt him down. He’s already killed two guards and no one noticed anything. He’s also walking around with a time bomb. There’s no telling what he’s going to do with all the magic he’s gathering.”

  “That’s a load of shit. They’re scared, and they’re going to hide behind their shields instead of dealing with their own shit. I’m really not impressed with these elementalists. The moment shit gets hard, they turn their backs.”

  “I wouldn’t want them going after Padraig, so I’m okay with them taking the back seat,” I said, grabbing their attention before they got distracted with debating how the elementalists thought. “Padraig is ours. They already fucked it up once. I’m not leaving it to chance that they’ll do it again.”

  “I don’t like this,” Davies muttered and he was back to pacing again.

  I watched him for a few moments before turning to the others. “I’ll be out for about a day, so we’ll need to keep an eye out for danger.”

  “I’ll handle it,” Rhett said. I nodded, knowing he would. He’d come up with the schedule and make sure no predators got within ten yards of this cave.

  Everything moved in a bit of a whirlwind after that. The Blackfoot brothers used their knives to carve into the stone symbols, none of which I recognized. While I waited for the water to boil, I committed the symbols to memory in hope of researching them later when I was back home.

  “Where is Padraig now?” Venni asked as he stepped up next to me. I traced one of the symbols carefully, feeling the sharp ridges against my finger.

  “About a day’s journey. They moved around a little, but I think it’s because they’re circling the elementalists’ lands.”

  “Trying to find a weakness.”

  “Yup. What do you think these mean?” I asked.

  “I have no idea. Laila, I hate to ask this again, but I need to. Are you sure about this?”

  I sighed, feeling my shoulders lower. “Not at all. But I’ve never been sure about anything in my life.”

  “This can kill you.”

  “I won’t let it.”

  “That isn’t how this works.”

  “That is exactly how it works. The mind is a powerful tool and people always seem to forget about that. My spirit is strong, and I’m confident I won’t die from it. I’m not ready to die. I refuse to go under with my last thoughts being that I might not wake up from it. That gives weight to the outcome. So yes, I will wake up from it, and when I go under, my last thought will be that I can’t wait to wake up and tell all of you ‘I told you so’ with a smile. I’m going to be fine.”

  “Dammit. Then why does everything in me scream that this is a bad idea.”

  I tilted my head to the side as I thought about his words. “Because your wolf is scared and he needs reassurance. Alijah once told me that his tiger rode him hard until he made sure I was given food because I hadn’t been taking care of myself as well as I should have been. His tiger knew that and pushed him to feed me. Once I ate, it seemed to calm him. I imagine it’s the same with your wolf? He knows I’m doing something dangerous, knows the odds, and it scares him.”

  “Scares me too,” he muttered. He grumbled something else underneath his breath and followed me around as I kept tracing all the ruins. “Once you’re under, we won’t have any idea where Padraig is. He could circle around and that could make us vulnerable. You’re going to be in an extremely weak state.”

  “I know you guys will hold him off. Besides, he won’t know what’s going on. If he does backtrack, he’ll spot you and stay away.”

  “Maybe run.”

  “Then we’ll chase him. I refuse to let him get away. I’m not going to just shrug my shoulders like the elementalists did when he first escaped. I’m in this for the long haul.”

  “I know.” Venni glared at the symbol. “I don’t like this at all.”

  “I’m still doing it.”

  “Yeah. I hate it, but I still want you to do it too.”

  I raised an eyebrow in surprise. It seemed all of them were against me doing it. There was a lot of grumbling going around as everyone prepared. A few of them stomped around.

  “You don’t miss it because you never knew, and you can’t miss something you never knew about. But the way I see it, a part of you is missing. I want you whole, Laila. And when you’re whole, people will regret trying to hurt you. You’ll be stronger.”

  I smiled. “And you won’t have to worry about me using too much magic and exhausting my body.”

  He shuddered. “I never want to see you in a sleep again. Ever.”

  “Water’s boiling,” Elliot said.

  I sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” I leaned over and kissed Venni’s cheek before going back to the pot over the fire. At least the guys had come with more supplies, and that meant food, blankets, and any camping gear they expected to need.

  Sending a smile at Hale and Tek, I passed the small bag to them and watched as they mixed it into the water. Once Hale finished, I reached out and pushed my magic into the mixture.

  “Thank you,” I told them. “For guiding them to me.”

  “It is what we do,” Tek said.

  “You still deserve my thanks.”

  Tek blinked a couple of times before clearing his throat and stepping away, doing another walkabout around the cave, inspecting the carved symbols.

  Hale smiled. “You embarrassed him. He hasn’t been embarrassed in a long time.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Don’t worry, it is the good kind. He needs that reminder sometimes that people can be just as kind and gentle as Kokumthena can be.”

  Someone snorted and Hale’s smile widened. “When you don’t anger Kokumthena, she can be extraordinarily kind. If you pay attention, you’d see this.” He held up a wooden bowl to me, the liquid inside dark as it sloshed around. “Let’s get you as comfortable as I can.”

  The guys hovered over Hale as he got me settled on a blanket Dwight and Shanton had set up for me.

  “Can we go over this again?” Elliot asked, sounding nervous. “How will this work exactly?”

  “I’ll drink this and it’ll knock me out. I’ll go to sleep so to speak. She said I’ll be out for about a day and when I wake, there will be a power explosion. That’s the danger you need to prepare for. No one should be within the wards when this happens. I’ll kill you.” I glared at all the guys knowing they wanted to fight me on this. “Do not make me regret this by getting you killed. Knowing I caused your death will kill me, so stay the fuck out when I wake.”

  “We will keep them out,” Tek said, joining us.

  “Thank you.” I sent him an appreciative nod. “After the explosion, it’s a matter of getting settled as my body adjusts and then I should be fine.”

  “Drink. We have you, Dr. Porter,” Hale said.

  “And if anything happens, the elementalists better fucking scatter,” Davies said, needing to put his two cents in. The others around him nodded, telling me they would do it too.

  I forced a huge smile to show them I wasn’t scared. “Good thing nothing is going to happen.” My accelerated heartbeat told them the truth, and for Elliot and Davies, they’d never have believed me anyway.

  Before they could try to drag this out, and knowing we were on the clock, I grabbed the bowl from Hale and knocked back the contents. I had expected the drink to taste disgusting. Most concoctions did. I was pleasantly surprised at the cool sweetness with the nip of something else on my taste buds.

/>   Meeting Venni’s eyes, I said, “I’ve always been an A student. This time isn’t going to be any different. I’m going to kick this awakening’s ass.”

  Those were the last words I remember saying as everything went dark.

  ~*~

  I woke to yelling. I wanted to tell them to stop worrying, that I was okay. My body refused to listen to me, no matter how hard I tried. Panic bubbled up, and I wanted to cry out as my body spasmed. There was more yelling, but I couldn’t differentiate the voices and words from the tsunami taking place inside of me.

  It felt like a massive tidal wave smashing through my body, taking all my cells out with it. My body felt tight, too much too quickly. My skin itched from the pressure building within. Two entities in me clashed together, using my body as its battlefield. I wasn’t going to survive this. I wasn’t.

  Roaring filled my ears. For a moment, I thought Shanton had lost it and was in his dragon form, but that wasn’t right. No. This was me. I was roaring.

  Then I exploded. I turned into little particles stretching out and out, filling every nook and cranny around me.

  Then nothing.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  My body ached. Every inch of me felt raw. I whimpered, my skin feeling feverish.

  “Babe, it’s early. Go back to sleep.”

  I whimpered again.

  “Sh. It’s okay. Everything is okay.” Davies’ lips met my forehead and then something cool was laid across my forehead and against my neck. I moaned in pleasure before letting the darkness wash over me.

  When I woke up again, I felt like I was buzzing, on a high. I sat up and looked around the cave. My men slept around me in their own sleeping bags. They all looked exhausted with dark circles, pale skins, and worried expressions that sleep couldn’t wipe away. Knowing they needed more sleep, I rose up slowly and quietly, before slipping by them.

  My body shook, and when I reached inside, I was almost slammed with the amount of power that came, eager to do my bidding. Drawing in a sharp breath, I barely made it to the mouth of the cave where Tek and Hale were standing guard.

  They nodded to me.

  “You made it,” Hale said with a smile.

  I grunted and pushed further out, unable to say anything. I fell to my knees, burying my fingers into the cool ground, the dirt finding a new home in my nails, and then released the buildup.

  Power rolled out, scattering all around. The ground rumbled but not with anger. Nature liked it, liked my release, ate up the power I fed it. My body shuddered, and I moaned.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Dwight asked.

  “The last of the transition,” Tek answered.

  I shook my head as I grew light-headed.

  “Shit, she’s going to go down,” Elliot said.

  An arm looped around me to hold me up, and I welcomed the support, leaning into him. A bottle was shoved in my face and held while I drank the cold refreshing water, enjoying the crispness against my sore throat.

  “Laila, are you okay? What do you need?”

  I blinked a few times, taking in Rhett’s face as he kneeled in front of me.

  “She needs focus, help in containing her powers,” Tek said. “Kokumthena is currently absorbing it all, but she won’t be able to continue to do so without becoming dangerously oversaturated.”

  “What happens if that happens?” someone asked.

  “Kokumthena won’t be able to control all the life. It’ll flare up, abnormalities will occur.”

  Rhett drew my attention again as I shuddered. The power just kept building and releasing, building and releasing, in a dangerous loop that was making me feel raw and vulnerable, like I didn’t have any control.

  I didn’t. I couldn’t stop. I tried. I tried to pull it in, hold it, ask it to stop, but it didn’t want to. It was making up for the nineteen years of oppression.

  “Laila, I know you can beat this. You’re unstoppable, invincible. You can do this. You can win. Don’t let the power control. It’s yours. Not the other way around.” Rhett continued with his support as he rubbed my back.

  Time didn’t matter as I fought with my power for control. I could feel all of them around me. They didn’t know how to help me, so they gathered and touched me. A hand on my back, my shoulder, my arm, my leg, my ankle, wherever they could touch me, they did, giving me their support.

  It helped. It helped more than they realized. They reminded me that I wasn’t alone anymore. I had people. I wasn’t that five-year-old girl in the park screaming as her magic lashed out at anyone who tried to come within five feet of her. I wasn’t her anymore.

  I wasn’t alone.

  I sobbed at that thought and screamed, releasing the frustration within me. Rhett was right. This power was mine. Mine. And no way in hell was I going to let it control me. Using every tactic I taught myself growing up, I yanked on the power and forced it to do my bidding.

  Once my heart stopped trying to jump out of my chest, it became easier, the power settling into my body, stretching over me and forming a second skin. I knew it was an extra barrier, a personal ward to ensure it’d take a little bit more to injure me. I wouldn’t be indestructible, but I was going to be harder to hurt. My power became my armor.

  “Laila, are you okay?” Shanton asked in a soft voice. He stood behind Rhett, staring down at me, his dragon flickering in and out of his eyes.

  “I’m okay,” I croaked out. “I’m okay.”

  “Here, drink.” Rhett held up the bottle, and I took another drink, welcoming the refreshing taste as it soothed me.

  “What happened?” I asked as my mind cleared and everything came to focus. We were in a huge huddle, all my guys around me. I was practically in Alijah’s lap. He was the one rubbing my back.

  “You died,” Davies said, his expression twisted with pain. “You went to sleep and then you died.”

  I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it again as I processed what he’d said and failed. “What?”

  Shanton sent Davies a glare and moved closer. “It isn’t as bad as Davies says. Your heart stopped beating for a time. We thought it was a failure, but Tek explained what was going on. Your body was being remade to be able to hold power, and that had stopped your heartbeat. You went into a stasis for a few hours. When you woke up the first time, that was when your heartbeat started up again.”

  “And you exploded too.”

  Shanton glared at Davies again and shoved him away. “You exploded with power. Your body was fine, but the explosion nearly tore down the wards. We were all outside of it. The moment you woke up the Blackfoot brothers made us get out of the cave.”

  Dwight cleared his throat before speaking. “We thought the cave was going to be torn down with you.” He squeezed me closer to him. “We thought we were going to lose you.”

  “The ward held,” Elliot said.

  We spent a few more minutes reassuring each other that I was okay and alive. In fact, I felt amazing. I told them that too. I felt… I didn’t know; the same but different. I felt fuller, stronger, powerful. For a moment, I realized why the elementalists thought they had the right to so much while only doing so little. I could feel it pumping through my veins—the power. With just a thought, I could do so much.

  I kept those thoughts to myself. They were dangerous thoughts that could go down a slippery slope. If I weren’t careful, I’d end up like Atrius, creating abominations like the dreho. I never wanted to stoop that low. I didn’t want to become a mad evil scientist, doing experiments that went against nature just because I wanted to play at being a god.

  Silently, I promised myself to never become that. Yes, I was powerful, but someone wise once told me that just because I was powerful didn’t mean I needed to show it off. I liked to live from those words. It was the only sound advice I had been given by a foster parent while I was growing up.

  “Are you tired?” Dwight asked. “Do you need to rest more?”

  I shook my head. “I want to go for a
walk. I feel like I’ve been out of it for months. I want to stretch.”

  “Then we’ll go for a walk,” Dwight said.

  Everyone voiced their need to join me. I eyed them as Dwight helped me to my feet. They were all ready to follow me around. If I were in the right mind, I would have found humor in that, instead, I felt a little overwhelmed. I wasn’t a claustrophobic person, but with everyone hovering over me, I was ready to freak out.

  Dwight realized this and glared as a warning for them to back off. “I’ll take her. Everyone else, get ready to leave. As soon as we can, we’re out of here.”

  I glanced around as they trickled away, still glancing back at me with concern.

  “Where is Siitha?” I asked.

  “Tek and Hale have him tracking Padraig. Once we leave, we’ll head toward him. Padraig has been staying close by. We think he’s gearing up to do something big.”

  “So we don’t have much time.”

  “I don’t think so. Tek says Nature is antsy too. She can feel what is coming, and she doesn’t like it.” He led me away from the caves.

  “Why can’t she just get a tree to eat him?” I grumbled a little.

  Dwight snorted. “That’d be too easy. And Padraig is talented. He’s been running around these lands for a very long time. He knows how to blend in when he needs too. Tek said that even Nature loses track of him sometimes, making it impossible to stop him.”

  Silence fell between us as he led the way. After a few minutes, the sound of rushing water caught my attention.

  “There’s a small river running through here and one spot has a waterfall,” Dwight said. He held back a branch, motioning for me to walk by him. When I ducked under his arm, my eyes widened at the scene.

  It was gorgeous. The waterfall fell about fifteen feet into a lazy moving stream. On our side was a beach-like area with white sand, and on the other side of the stream were rocks with blue moss covering it. The water itself was pure white, not just the waterfall part of it, but also the river.

  Dwight didn’t say anything as he went to the sand and sat down, not worried about getting his clothes dirty. He took his shoes off and buried his feet into the white sand. His focus stayed on the water as I joined him, doing the same.