She’d also discovered if she played with fire or air it would settle her energy a bit. Not much, because she didn’t want Silva to be uncomfortable, but a small candle sized flame, or small burst of air at a one or two on their self defined magic power scale didn’t faze the tiger at all anymore. Not to mention playing with a fist sized fireball in a moving vehicle was probably a bad idea anyway…
But it was only when she hit three on their arbitrary scale that Silva would get nervous and have to fight not to freak out. Progress was good, if painfully slow.
During a lull in the conversation, she called the store. Berny assured her everything was fine, and that she should concentrate on not getting herself killed. She was smiling when she hung up the phone.
It was just after eight when they stopped, grabbed dinner, and got a motel room in a smaller sized town. She went out back into the woods and shifted for a quick run while he took a shower. It was a relief to be out of the van, not to mention expending the energy. Silva’s joy and excitement were catching as they ran, climbed trees, and generally just had fun.
She didn’t run into any border scent markers, so that was a relief as well, no local shifters to worry about. When she got back she took her own shower, got dressed in comfortable sweats and a t-shirt, since they were sharing a room she couldn’t sleep her preferred way, and slipped into her bed. She bit her lip and looked over at Ed’s bed, it was tempting, and she knew if anything was to happen it would be up to her.
Especially as she’d subtly rebuffed his advances a few weeks ago.
But he was already asleep, it had been a long day in the van, and they hadn’t been getting the best sleep the last few days. He must have passed out while she was in the shower. Regretfully, timing was everything, and the time wasn’t now. She was warm, tired, and her stomach was full, so it didn’t take long for her to follow him into sleep once she closed her eyes.
Chapter 12
She had to be dreaming, but it felt so real. She looked up at the oaks that towered above her, as high as any skyscraper. The bases of the trees were so vast it didn’t look real, perhaps twenty yards wide. Her nose was full of the familiar scents of the forest, but somehow they seemed more crisp in her nose, and the colors around her were not the gray of dreams, but if anything were more vibrant.
She had an absurd thought that maybe this place was more real than the world she would soon awaken in.
She heard tinkling laughter behind her, “You are not far wrong my daughter.”
She spun and looked at the one that spoke. The woman looked young, perhaps sixteen years of age, just short of five feet tall, and had long platinum blonde hair that reached down to her knees. The woman also didn’t look like a teen despite having the appearance of one. She had a lush body and held it in a way that spoke of experience, not the uncertainty of tender years. But it was the eyes that gave up the lie of this beings appearance, they looked old, ageless, and yet the amber orbs still sparkled with youthful amusement.
The woman waited patiently as Celia finished her examination. The ears were a trifle too long at the top, and partially pointed. The face was thinner than a humans as well, more angular, and although Celia had never seen one before, she had no doubt the woman before her was a fae.
She shook her head, “You’re not my mother,” she said almost harshly.
The woman smiled, “Yes and no, your human concepts are odd. You are of me, a daughter of magic, I believe you would call me great great grandmother. What a mouthful.”
She frowned and tried to remember what she knew about the fae. They were both alien and familiar. Their nature was dual, they had physical bodies, but they were also of spirit. Not in the way a human spirit was bound to their body, but the spirit was actually a part of their body. Most witches were smart enough to avoid them, they weren’t as treacherous or as alien as an elemental which was all spirit, but misunderstandings were still common.
“I am not fae.”
The woman laughed, “Call me Cilla, please. My full name is harder to pronounce. Let’s see, you’re Great grandmother was… seduced by my son.”
She worked it out in her head. That would make her… one eighth fae? How was that possible?
Cilla frowned, “I can feel your doubt, trust me, it isn’t that rare for a fae to go out and have some fun. Have you not wondered about your lines power, where it came from? Why your magic and your mother’s magic are so strong, how the very weather obeys your commands? Most if not all of the witch lines that boast such powers contain fae blood. Were you not taught this?”
She felt strangely guilty at the woman’s demeanor, as if she had failed in some way. It was… disconcerting.
“No, I was taught nothing of this.”
Cilla sighed, “Very well, you know now.”
It suddenly struck her forcefully as she made the connection, she’d been called a daughter of magic, what the elemental called her.
She shook her head, “Why am I here? Is my fae blood the reason I can see elementals?”
Cilla beamed, “Yes, and it’s why I’ve invited you here to share my dream. When I first sent my elementals to you I didn’t think you saw them, but lately it was apparent your blood is still potent enough.”
She scowled, “My mother could see them? Why didn’t she tell me?”
Cilla frowned, “I told her not too, if you couldn’t see them there was no reason for you to know.”
She swallowed a caustic reply, this may be her great great grandmother, but she was also of a race she didn’t understand. On top of that… it felt wrong to be mad at her, and she wondered if some subtle magic was at work.
She took a calming breath and nodded acceptance, though she was far from feeling that right now, and wasn’t at the same time, “So, why am I here mother?”
Cilla nodded in satisfaction for some reason, “The elementals will come if you call, fire and air anyway, and if you challenge their will you can command them. Not just once like a witch, but for the entirety of your life unless another assumes control over it. I am here to persuade you to be exceedingly cautious if you try this. Even to the fae who are half spirit, the elementals are alien things never to be taken lightly.”
She shook her head, “I have no intention of…”
Cilla held up a hand, “That is a good attitude to have, even I only use elementals to spy, it’s hard to screw that up, and even if you do the repercussions are usually not at all severe. It is something you may want to consider, especially where you are going and what you’re planning to do.”
Celia shook her head, “Can you explain that?”
Cilla shrugged, “All you need do is close your eyes and feel the essence of the wind or fire, and they will come. Not your witch magic, it’s your spirit that will call to them. If you challenge their will and win, they will become your servants until death, or until they are stolen from you.”
She thought about that a minute, “Is that why the elementals following me won’t let me look at them?”
Cilla beamed, “Yes, because if you challenge and take an elemental away from me, you could then learn everything it knows about me. It’s important, one of the first orders you should give your elemental if you ever capture one, is not to let others challenge it.”
She shook her head, “Why just spying?”
Cilla sighed, “I can’t stop you daughter, from doing what you wish. But it is dangerous. To simply ask an elemental to gather information without affecting anyone is fairly safe. It will gather the information and then bring it back to you. Asking it to perform actions is another thing altogether, they understand nothing of the physical world, morality, or even life and death, they simply exist as spirits of their element. Never changing, never dying.”
She frowned, “So if I asked it to save me from something, it might decide the most efficient way would be to separate my spirit from my body… to kill me? Unless I spelled out every step?”
Cilla giggled, “That’s a simplistic example, but
yes. Keep in mind though, it’s impossible to truly explain every step, there is no common ground. Explore your ability daughter, but please, stick to knowledge, even if you’re desperate. Some things can be worse than death. You might even get lucky a few times, and decide it’s not that hard, and then you’ll go too far with it. Or worse, ask it to do something that it simply can’t do.”
She raised an eyebrow, “What happens if I do that?”
Cilla shook her head, “It would destroy you. The elemental is bound to do your will, but then it can’t. This isn’t like a human asking someone to do something another human can’t, doing that to an elemental would create a strain your spirit couldn’t survive. No more than you could jump off a building and decide gravity doesn’t exist. Elementals are a spiritual force, and if you’re lucky a mistake will just kill you.
“My advice to you daughter is to capture one of fire and air, then use them only to spy after ordering them not to accept challenges while they are bound to you. Anything more than that is folly, anything less than that is not living up to your potential.”
She thought of a question she was afraid to ask, about what she was keeping secret. Surely though, a being partially of spirit would know.
She asked reluctantly, “Is there a way to heal my spirit, my soul?”
Cilla shook her head, “Damage to the spirit is forever my daughter, and it’s why I decided to guide you with the elementals, before you did something stupid out of ignorance. But do not fret, you can still live your life in balance and harmony with yourself, you aren’t crazy as the humans define it, and Silva is still you.”
She considered that, and the advice she was given.
“You said there is still danger in asking for knowledge?”
Cilla smiled, “There is danger in everything. Suppose you phrase something vaguely enough, you may find your mind overwhelmed when the elemental returns and dumps more knowledge into you than your physical body can handle. Still, it isn’t likely if you’re even a little cautious, and there is no risk to your soul in it, only a risk in destroying your mind and body. I’m afraid it is time to go daughter, that delicious man you’re with is about to wake you up with breakfast. Time flows slower here.”
“Will I see you again?”
Celia found she had a lump in her throat. She’d thought she had no family left anywhere, and though a little alien, this fae standing before her was family.
Cilla seemed to be ten feet away one moment, then hugging her without any time in between. She hadn’t seen her move at all.
“I’ll be watching, and I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
The world that seemed more real than the world she thought of as real started to fade around her. As she woke up she could smell eggs, bacon, and sausage. She smiled up at Ed and sat up in the bed before taking the bag of food he was offering her. She had a strange residual calmness from the dream that would stay with her for hours.
“Thanks, this smells delicious,” she said happily.
He grinned, “You’re not hard to buy for.”
When he turned and went back to his own food, she decided her great great grandmother was right. Ed was a delicious man, and it had just taken her time to see it… Now if she could only decide what to do about it, was she waiting for the right time, or simply afraid to dive into a relationship?
Chapter 13
They went over the maps of Albany and decided on a hotel that was a little over two miles away from the coven house there. She wasn’t exactly focused, she kept thinking about the possibility of getting an elemental to help them spy, was it worth the risk? Or was it more of a risk to not take advantage of the power her unique family tree provided?
It seemed many of the risks involving elementals for witches wouldn’t apply to her, except perhaps for the last one, asking it to do something physical, which she could avoid. It also didn’t help her focus that Silva and her damn shifter body was reacting to Ed’s presence. She found herself touching his arm, and tilting her head flirtingly as they discussed what they should do when they arrived.
Frustratingly, Ed didn’t seem to be getting the point, or perhaps he just wasn’t reading the signals right because of the past. Either way it was apparent she’d have to be more obvious about it. So when they finished planning and got up to pack their stuff, she stepped closer to him, and their bodies were parted by a mere inch or two as she looked up into his eyes.
He swallowed whatever he was going to say and looked down at her with heat and a little confusion in his eyes.
She knew they’d have to talk about it, decide what they were doing, but right now she’d had enough thinking and debating on her own, she was ready for this, she… really wanted this, and liked him more than enough to take a chance.
When he didn’t step back for a few seconds, she took that as a good sign and moved against his body with hers and went to her toes in an obvious invitation to kiss that even the thickest man couldn’t fail to figure out, and Ed wasn’t even close to that.
He took her invitation, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her softly at first, but it grew hungry and demanding very quickly when she rubbed up against him and moaned into his mouth. Her whole body felt hot as their kiss deepened further and her lady parts started to tingle…
She couldn’t remove the satisfied smile from her face when they left the motel a couple of hours later. It had been a while for her, but beyond that it had been better than she’d ever remembered. She’d been… unrestrained to say the least. She loved that she could still scent him on her skin and her body was pleasantly sore, a constant reminder of the passion they’d shared. There was a slight awkwardness at their new intimacy, but not from regret, she knew they needed to talk about where they were going from here.
Ed looked, very happy but still a little confused, which endeared him to her for some reason. He was a confident man, but she enjoyed the fact he wasn’t quite so sure where he stood with her. She wondered if that was the independent tiger in her.
She didn’t mind though when Ed took her hand and squeezed it, and then kept it; and Silva… well she was still purring in satisfaction deep in Celia’s mind.
They didn’t talk yet though, not about that. Guys weren’t really the ones that started the defining the relationship talks, and Celia… well she just wanted to enjoy it for now, whatever it was between them. That was the whole point, she liked him, was attracted to him, but she was also learning what she wanted by doing. She did want a deep relationship, but she was willing to let time define it. Once she understood it, and her needs, she’d be able to explain it to him.
Ed asked softly, “Hungry?”
She laughed, “When am I not? Is it lunchtime already?”
Ed nodded, “We left a little later than planned,” he said lightly with his lips twitching on the corners, “We can get lunch though, and still make it to the hotel and check in before rush hour.”
She smiled, “Sounds like a plan to me, but I don’t want fast food.”
Ed shrugged, “I was thinking of a restaurant myself.”
She nodded, “Any restaurant is fine. I’ll eat anything.”
When they arrived at the hotel later, they still didn’t have anything more than a general plan. After they checked in, choosing a room with a single large bed instead of two smaller ones, Ed took another shower. Even after just four hours in the van she felt like she needed one as well. She decided that they needed more information, so she sat on the bed with her legs crossed and tried to reach out with her spirit.
Cilla had said if she reached out with her spirit she could summon an untied elemental to her, without the circle or her power as a witch. But she really didn’t have a clue what she was doing. She felt like a kid wishing for something, maybe she should have asked more questions last night. Then she felt something answer her call, and she realized it was less a summoning, then a request.
She realized that’s why she wouldn’t need a circle to hold the elemental and prev
ent it from attacking her, because it came of its own free will, and she got the sense it was curious. She opened her eyes and looked right at it. She could see the outline of a being, like a six inch tall person, except it was all made up of thickened air, wisps, and spirit. It wasn’t defined, just the idea of a person, and she was sure the spirit chose that form for its own reasons.
The fight for dominance was different than she expected as well. She thought it would be harder, but it was closer to a staring contest than anything else. She kept staring at it while she had strange ideas to ask it for wealth, pleasures of the flesh, or power. She realized quickly that the only way to lose would be to give into the temptations it offered, but she was too disciplined and stubborn for that.
What she didn’t know, was the elemental was just getting started, learning about her reactions and desires.
Then it tempted her with what she really wanted, family, children, and her mother. Tears started to drip from her eyes at the gut wrenching need to see her mother again, and to have a peaceful life with a family, and the power to protect them all and keep them safe. She dared not look away though, not even long enough to wipe her eyes. So much for easy. But she managed to keep her lips tightly closed and not cry out, or beg the spirit before her for what she wanted most, but could never have.
The elemental started to spin and the strange cravings in her mind slowly faded. She didn’t understand how she knew, but she had no doubts this elemental would follow her commands now. She felt a… connection with it. She took Cilla’s advice and ordered it not to allow any other beings to challenge it. She thought for a long time about how to word the request to spy on the coven and report what it finds.
So much so that Ed came out before she had done so, and she jumped in the shower, and didn’t give the order until she was almost done.
Demon's Moon: A Celia Winters Novel Book 2 Page 7