by Lizzy Ford
“Sam, I don’t know how to do that,” she whispered, sparks popping off her as she began to panic.
We will practice. Starting now. You are strong, Morgan. Your challenge won’t be learning to do it. It will be outmaneuvering Bartholomew to bind the child.
“And not burning Beck’s baby to a crisp.” Her thoughts raced for a moment, and she had the urge to run, until she realized this might be the only way she could help Beck, since she was sentenced away from the Light. “Teach me.”
This will take some time and practice. And bending your will and magick to that of another.
She considered his words. “I can do it,” she said fearfully. “I can let go.” I did it for Beck last night. I fell – and he caught me. “Let’s do this, Sam.” She said, mirroring Noah’s willingness and uncertainty from the night before.
Sit down and release your magick. Sam squeezed her hand.
Heart racing, she obeyed and closed her eyes, starting to sweat from the fear of being vulnerable to someone else.
Call for your fire and visualize it forming around our hands, Sam instructed her.
“Beck did a visualization exercise with me when I first got to the school, and I tried it again yesterday with Noah,” she murmured. “It didn’t work so well.”
Let me guide your magick so you can experience what it should feel like.
Morgan summoned her fire. It raced through her body and sizzled in the air around them. Sam’s gentle earth magick pushed and channeled it.
It is as much intention as it is fire, he told her. You need to will it to do what you wish.
“I’ll try.” She felt his magick yield to give her room to practice and made an attempt to shape it around their hands. It sparked and flew off in a different direction, and she sighed in frustration.
Calm your center.
She tried again, and the fire fizzled and spun angrily away.
Sam’s magick increased. It is possible the fire is too strong, he mused. Remain open. Let me test it.
She waited to feel what he did. Earth magick swept into her, as strong as Beck’s, suppressing the flames. She relaxed under the influence of warmth. “Beck does that,” she murmured, enjoying the temporary relief from the constant pacing and pulling of fire in her blood.
Can Beck tame it completely?
“Yeah.”
I cannot.
Morgan opened her eyes at the statement. “But why not?” she asked dismayed. “Are you saying I’ll never be able to control it?”
It is not a bad thing. It is to be expected that the most powerful fire witchling since Tranin is too strong for even me to control. He chortled. What color were the flames you used to burn the Dark out of the witchling Noah?
“Purple then purple-black tipped with white … tipped with a rainbow then boom. Pure white,” she said, recalling the change in colors from the night before.
You burn hot enough to create Light.
“What? How?”
Light is energy. You burn hot enough to fry the impurities in the energy.
“I create Light. Like Beck does,” she said, starting to smile. “You’re serious.”
I am.
“But I can’t control it?”
Only the Master of Light can control Light. You can create it and burn the Dark out of others, but Beck alone can manage your Light. I know of no other witchling in the past thousand years who had this ability who wasn’t also a Master or Mistress.
He released her hand.
“So how do I bind something if I can’t control it?” she asked, disappointed.
You and Beck can work together.
“What if we can’t work together, Sam? What if I confront Dawn alone and try to bind her baby?”
Then do so carefully. You have some measure of control until you burn white. At that point, you cannot control. Learn to keep the flame purple. It will be hot enough to bind, but it will also destroy a person’s body. You need a healer with you if you are to try this on anyone.
She swallowed hard. She needed time to practice and felt like she had no time whatsoever to learn to master her magick.
“Burn purple.” She lifted her hand and focused on calling forth the purple flame then controlling it. Beck had been able to form visions, complete images, with his magick. She struggled to direct hers to go one direction or the other. The white fire had been happy to chase the Darkness out of Noah, hungry for the Dark in his blood. She strained to make the purple magick hug her arm without touching her skin. “Sam, I’m scared.” She lowered her arm. “I’m afraid I’ll let Beck down or hurt his baby if I try to bind her.”
There are risks when you deal with magick this powerful, Sam acknowledged. But you would not have this gift if you couldn’t handle it. You need to learn to work with Beck. It’s your best chance at defeating Bartholomew.
She made a sound of disgust. “So I guess he’s right. I do have to stick around.”
Sam laughed.
Morgan suppressed a pleased smile, thrilled whenever she thought of spending another night with Beck. “I just wish I was able to do more. Go to the Light. Something.”
Your duty is sacred. You will learn to manage.
“I hope so.” Hurting Beck wasn’t an option. The mere thought robbed her of breath and made her want to weep. He was too good, too Light, to suffer.
“Morgan!” the cry was familiar.
She turned to face the direction she’d come. “Connor?”
I must leave.
“Wait, Sam!” she rose frantically. “You have to show me more! Or practice with me!”
Family is important, he said. Go see your brother, then come back here. I’ll be close.
She hesitated, torn between the excitement of seeing her brother once more and the need to learn her duty to help Beck.
Sam made the choice for her and turned, walking deeper into the forest.
Morgan spun and ran towards the cabin. She spotted Conner not far from the road. Her brother was pale, his dark hair trimmed and green eyes riveted to her. He looked ready to have a heart attack. Michael Turner was near the cabin, watching with a smile. He turned and disappeared into the depths of the house.
“Connor!” she exclaimed and dashed to her brother. Joy replaced her worry. Without waiting for him to digest she was alive, she flung herself into his arms.
Connor hugged her hard enough she could barely breathe. He was murmuring her name, and she heard his voice crack as he began to cry.
The sight of her strong, caring brother in tears undid her. Morgan breathed in his familiar scent and began to cry as well.
“What the … hell happened?” he whispered in anguish. “My god, Morgan! How are you … alive?”
She squeezed him, unable to speak, and let her brother support her as they cried together in the forest.
Chapter Twenty One
Biji didn’t notice the drop in temperature or the fact they were the only ones in the cafe. Her eyes were on Noah’s handsome features as she pulled out the chair to the table.
“Don’t get comfortable.”
She froze at the familiar voice and turned. “Dawn!”
The Dark air witchling was flanked by at least seven other witchlings, dressed all in black with her very pregnant belly protruding. Her features were pale, her blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.
Her once beautiful blue-grey eyes were black, and the inky ebony hue filled the whites of her eyes. Biji shuddered internally as the black gaze shifted from Noah to her.
“Get the humans out of here,” Dawn ordered one of her men, indicating the waitress and cook looking on.
“Dawn,” Noah’s tone was hushed as he stepped in front of Biji.
“Your time is up, boy. Dawn asked me not to hurt you – unless it’s self defense. I find you too troublesome to care what she wants especially since you betrayed us,” Dawn spoke words Biji knew were Bartholomew’s.
“Where is she? Is she gone?” Biji asked, edging around Noah.
He took her hand to keep her beside him.
“You could say that,” was the chilling response. “Take the girl. You get one chance to walk away, Noah.”
The Dark witchlings closed in around them. Biji stepped out in front of Noah, not wanting him to get hurt if he had a chance to escape.
“No way,” Noah replied.
“Noah, go,” Biji peered up at them. “I can take care of myself.” She was gathering her air magick as she spoke, testing the power of those around her. At least one was also air magick, which her element was able to sense.
“Like hell you can,” he retorted. “Who almost froze to death in December?”
She rolled her eyes. “Then go get help!”
“I’m not leaving you, Biji.” He gazed down at her. “I’ve risked everything to be here right now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Any other time, she’d swoon over the words. But right now, Biji viewed his ill-fated heroics as annoying. “Fine. Stay and end up murdered with me! You think I want that?”
“I don’t care.” Noah faced his sister once more. “If you take her, you take me.”
“Done,” Bartholomew said.
The Dark witchlings approached. One snatched Biji’s arm. She yanked away, and Noah nudged her behind him again. “We can walk. We don’t need to be forced,” he said.
“Fine. Go.”
Biji glanced at Noah once more. She wasn’t about to tell him her plan: if she were alone, she’d have a shot at flying away, assuming she could catch the Dark air witchling with Dawn off guard. But she doubted she was going to fly with Noah’s weight. She’d never tried to fly with anyone else before.
Worse, he was now in as much danger as she was. She didn’t think she could live with knowing she might’ve saved them both if she had known to practice flying with someone else before this.
The Dark witchlings herded them out of the café and into the parking lot. The storm overhead had broken, and rain dropped from the sky. It was colder out than when they’d gone into the café, and the rain left strange puffs of fog in its wake as it landed.
“You should’ve left,” she grumbled at him.
Noah’s arm went around her, and he pulled her against his body. A thrill went through her at the feel of his hard frame behind her. “I’m not leaving you, Biji. We’re stronger together anyway,” he said.
She turned her face to the sky and let the rain hit her features. He was right in a sense, but the Dark witchlings with them would be able to counter any magick they tried. In theory, air and water magick combined could unleash a storm with the power of a category five hurricane or major tornado, enough to blow the town away in seconds. The Laws of Light, however, dictated that they couldn’t hurt others in self defense or for any reason, which meant doing so risked the lives of everyone in town.
But escaping … at least with Noah, they now had the option of manipulating water magick to assist them in escaping.
Noah’s gaze was on Dawn, and Biji saw the sorrow in his face. It was hard to stay angry with him when she knew how much he was hurting. She had never liked Dawn a day in her life, but neither did she want to see Noah in pain.
Rather than approach the sixteen passenger van in the parking lot, one of the Dark witchlings led them around the strip mall towards the forest. There were several trails visible, some running towards the mobile home park nestled in the trees half a mile away, another in the direction of the witchlings school and a third whose destination wasn’t known to Biji.
They took the third. The path was too narrow for them to walk side by side, so Noah released her. Biji shivered in the cold rain, eyes on the trees and world around them. Three witchlings were ahead of them, two behind Noah, Dawn, and another two behind her.
“Why do you want us?” Biji asked loudly.
“Your Beck’s little friend,” said Bartholomew. “He’ll come for you.”
“Ah. Bait. Great.”
There was a strange sound, followed by someone smashing through brush. Everyone stopped walking to look.
Dawn was braced against a tree, holding her stomach with a grimace. She hissed, her eyes flashing from black to normal to black again, and straightened. “We don’t have much time,” Bartholomew said. “Walk faster!”
“Dawn,” Noah said in a hushed tone. “You need to go to the hospital.”
“Nothing they can do for me there. Shut up and walk.”
Come on, Beck. You have to know something bad is going down, Biji thought.
“We need to get help,” Noah whispered.
Biji nodded, uncertain if he meant for them or for his sister, but hoping he was aware of what she was. They weren’t getting out of there alive, if Dawn-Bartholomew had anything to do with it.
“Where are we going?” she voiced.
“Miner’s Drop,” another witchling answered.
“Figures. I hate that place.” Too much bad had gone down in the area of Miner’s Drop and around it.
“We’ll be okay, Biji,” Noah said softly. “I’ll figure it out.”
“We’ll figure it out, and if you think there’s anything left of your sister that’s going to save you at the last minute, you’re batshit crazy!”
“I know, but – ”
“No but Noah. She means to kill us.”
Noah sank into silence.
A deeper, colder chill worked its way through Biji. What if Noah wasn’t ready to move on? What if she was refusing to fly away to stay with him, and he ended up betraying her? She hugged herself.
Noah draped his jacket over her shoulders. Biji hesitated to take it, not wanting to accept any sort of kindness from the man about to betray her. All the pretty sentiments and words in the world about walking through fire to get to her wasn’t going to matter if he stood aside to let his sister torture her.
“We have to save her baby,” Noah voiced quietly enough for only her to hear. “I do know she’s lost, Biji. It’s very hard for me to admit. I swear, I won’t let anything happen to you if I can help it, but I want to save her baby.”
Biji’s fear and anger faded. “I want that, too, Noah. Beck couldn’t take it if something happened to his child. We need to work together, though.”
“I don’t think anything we do is going to be enough to take out Bartholomew.”
“No, but we can always help distract him while Beck and Decker handle him.”
Noah’s silence made her glance over her shoulder. His features were pale, and rain ran down his bald head and neck. She sensed his thoughts were on the baby again.
She didn’t have an answer for him about what happened once Decker showed up. Hopefully, Beck came with him, because he wouldn’t let the Master of Dark unleash hell.
“Yeah,” Noah said. “We can distract them.”
“But not hurt anyone,” she said, mind on what he’d done in December.
“I’ll trade my soul for your life, Biji. No questions asked.”
“I’ll be pissed if you do!”
“It’s not your choice now, is it?”
“Shut up!” one of the other’s snapped.
Brooding unhappily, Biji focused on walking and shivering, unwilling to consider what she’d do if Noah went Dark again, especially for her sake. She didn’t want that but she did want him, and he’d more than proven he was interested in her as well.
Figures as soon as I meet someone I really like, I end up murdered.
They walked for half an hour, until she was thoroughly soaked outside of the coat Noah had given her. The more rain fell, the clearer it became it wasn’t natural. Black fog was swirling and milling around their feet, clinging to the Dark witchlings and repelled by her and Noah’s Light. Her toes were numb, but her torso warm. The path through the forest grew hilly and rocky before it exited into Miner’s Drop.
The center of the Drop was frozen solid, the ice gleaming whenever the Dark shadows thinned enough for it to be seen. Noah took her hand as they maneuvered around boulders and pockets
of ice along the base of the cliffs towards caves lining the nearest wall.
“What is this?” Biji asked at last, bending to run her hand through the Darkness. It shied away from her.
“Three months worth of planning,” Bartholomew replied. “Decker almost destroyed it earlier this week, but we had more.”
“More what?”
“Dark magick. We’ve been collecting it.”
Biji’s brow furrowed. “How is that possible?”
“It’s simple. Light can be concentrated like it is under the school. Concentrated Light is too powerful for un-concentrated Dark. I happen to know how to grow and collect Dark.”
“You want to destroy the Light, not just Beck,” she said in a hushed voice.
Bartholomew didn’t answer; he didn’t have to. Grimly, Biji began to wonder if anyone was meant to make it out of this alive.
They ceased walking in front of three caves. Dark poured out of two of them while it appeared to be trapped behind an invisible wall blocking the entrance of the third. Dawn passed them and went to the third cave. She tapped on the invisible shield.
A scowling form all in black appeared behind the wall and smashed his fists into it.
“Decker,” Biji breathed.
“A Master can be trapped only by his own element. Takes some time and a great deal of knowledge to do it.” Bartholomew sounded satisfied. “I know how to get out, but he doesn’t.”
Decker was yelling words that didn’t make it through the barrier.
Noah squeezed her hand. Biji couldn’t look away from Decker. If a Master of Dark couldn’t escape Bartholomew, what hope did she and Noah have?
Dawn gave a cry suddenly. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground, hugging her belly.
“Dawn?” Troy, one of those who held Biji captive, approached her. “What is it?”
“Something’s wrong.” Dawn’s eyes were normal once more. “I’m bleeding.”
Biji saw the streams of red running down Dawn’s legs.
“She needs a doctor!” Noah said and started forward.
Two of the Dark witchlings blocked his path.
The moment Dawn looked their way, her eyes flashed ebony once more. “It’s nothing! We move forward as planned!”