Enthrall Me (The conclusion to Enchant Me)

by Violet, Anne

  She eventually wound down on her own, and I pulled her onto the bed with me, and held her tight. From down the hall I could hear footsteps approaching. Before Alexis and I could break apart, Liam knocked and opened the door. With the most serious expression I’d seen on him yet, he regarded us. “We’ll start you’re training first thing tomorrow morning, so rest up.”

  He turned and left, and I glanced down at Alexis, who was still staring at the doorway stunned, but resigned. “What does he mean?” I asked.

  She looked up at me, her expression strangely blank. “They’re going to teach us how to fight.”

  CHAPTER 3

  I felt like I had just fallen asleep, when Grady shook me awake at six in the morning. I mumbled a good morning, and stood up, briefly taking a peek outside. Dark grey clouds were dumping rain in biblical proportions. As I got dressed, I started to wonder how they would pair us up for training. I refused to face off with Alexis, or Brianna. But even against Liam or Neila, I wasn’t sure how I could fight with my powers and not hurt them.

  The more I thought about the training to come, something seemed to wake up inside of me. Alien thoughts and feelings flooded me, and suddenly I wanted to train, and stretch myself. To see how far my powers could go. At the sound of someone opening my door, I whirled around, my powers revved up, ready to defend.

  Alexis stood in the doorway in a black tracksuit and her long red hair tied back, the slight smile she’d had on her face, faded. Her emerald eyes studied me, probably picking up on every emotion I felt. I closed my eyes and turned away, not wanting her to see the small war I was fighting within myself. I coerced the strange thoughts to slink away, back into the darkness.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I turned back to her, and smiled. “Nothing,” I said, and grabbed her hand and led her out of the room. Scratch that, I attempted to lead her out of the room.

  She locked her legs and refused to budge. Her green eyes grew stormy as she stared me down. “Don’t even try it. Something’s up, and I want to know right now what it is.”

  For a moment I considered telling her the truth. I imagined all the questions, the concern and then she would want to tell the Grove. The urge to protect myself rose up again. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “I’m just concerned about this training. I don’t want you to get hurt.” She raised a brow in suspicion, but at the sound of Ciara calling us downstairs, she let it go.

  The seriousness of the situation hung on the adults faces, and after a quiet breakfast, we were taken down to a large basement that looked more like a dungeon. The only furniture was a couple of lanterns, table and chairs, and a low wooden platform.

  Ciara assembled everyone against the wall on the far side of the room, except for Liam and Neila, who stood in the center, opposite each other. She then came to stand before us. “Since Liam and Neila have sparred before, they’ll start. Remember the goal isn’t to hurt each other, but to practice using your powers for offensive and defensive purposes.” This last seemed to be a reminder solely for Liam and Neila.

  With a wicked glint in her eyes, Neila stepped forward, and with a wave of her hands, she produced a ball of fire, and hurled it at Liam. It glanced off of his shoulder. Burning through his plaid shirt. He hissed in pain, and glared at her. Faster than Neila could prepare for, Liam created a ball of water, hurtled it over her head and released it. Water poured over her, and cascaded down her body, her long brown hair that had been neatly in a top knot, now hung limply at the back of her head. Grady muffled a guffaw next to me, but Ciara looked tense and anxious as she looked at them. Liam snickered and raised a taunting brow.

  With movements that spoke of her fury, she removed the pins from her hair and let it fall. Staring Liam down, she put her hands together, and the room started to throb with energy. She built a huge fire ball and abruptly threw it at Liam, who only had time to create a thin water shield to duck behind, the fire sizzled as it hit the surface, and evaporated. Without pause, Neila built another one, small and fast that smacked his thigh hard. He didn’t make a sound but his wrath was obvious. In rapid succession he sent several water balls at her, hitting Neila in the chest and legs, she was completely drenched now. Fuming, she built another weapon.

  “Enough!” Ciara roared, and stepped between the two combatants. “Neila go up and change. Liam, Grady will help you clean and dress your wounds. Go on.”

  Neila stomped off, with Liam not far behind. Barely repressing a smile, Grady got between them, but as soon as they were out of sight of Ciara, their raised voices could be heard down the staircase. I shook my head. Liam should just grab Neila and kiss her, and get all this sexual tension out of the way.

  Ciara snapped her fingers at us to get our attention. “Alexis, Brianna, you’re up next.”

  Brianna looked nervous and Alexis patted her on the back.

  “Brianna, I want you to change into whatever animal you want, and Alexis do what you can to defend yourself.”

  Alexis nodded solemnly, and waited. Since they weren’t trying to kill each other like the last two, I knew I could watch Alexis and Brianna with a sense of excitement. While Alexis and I both had amazing powers, I was psyched to see Brianna shape shift.

  After taking a strengthening breath, a dark shimmer cascaded over Brianna and within seconds the girl had been replaced with a massive Bengal tiger, that immediately charged at Alexis. Instinctively I darted forward only to be jerked to a halt by Ciara, with a grip stronger than I would’ve expected from her, but my eyes never left Alexis.

  Her eyes were wide, but without hesitation she used her telekinesis to yank the table in front of her. Brianna was too close to leap it in time, so she slammed into it, shoving them back a couple of feet. In seconds they were both back up. Brianna vaulted the table, and Alexis barely got out of the way in time. Brianna growled in frustration as she chased Alexis down. Using her powers she tossed a couple of chairs in the way, but Brianna easily leapt over them. My fists clenched. Come on Alexis…

  Suddenly she sprinted to the right, levitating the wooden platform, raising it towards the ceiling, with a huge leap she made it on. The breath I had been holding burst out of me and I smiled. Brianna circled and growled below her, and Alexis started laughing. It almost looked like the tiger smiled before Brianna shimmered again and the girl was back, laughing up at Alexis. Once Alexis was back on solid ground, Ciara clapped with pride. “Very good. Now next time Brianna I want you to change into several animals, the faster the better. And Alexis, you need to think faster on your feet. If this had been real…” Alexis nodded, but I could tell she was still to exhilarated to absorb the truth of it.

  Ciara then turned to me. “Now it’s our turn.”

  I blinked at her in surprise. I hadn’t expected to be included since my powers couldn’t be used as a weapon, or at least not without hurting her. I glanced at Alexis, she nodded in encouragement. I couldn’t believe Ciara was willing to go up against me considering she didn’t trust me.

  “Since you have a mental power, see if you can block me from reading you.”

  We took our places and faced each other head on. Immediately I could feel that soft tingling of my senses that told me she was reading me. I tried to merely mentally resist her, to no effect. An urge to defend myself at all costs rose up. I tried to fight it off. I was safe here. Ciara was an ally. But then her reading became even stronger, irritating my senses. I could hold back no longer, I zeroed in on her, entering her mind before she knew what was happening, and started blocking off her powers. I was vaguely aware that she had fallen to her knees with a gasp, but I needed to finish the mental block in her mind. Suddenly I was jerked off my feet, and slammed up against the wall. For a moment, I felt lost in my own mind, then the mental fog cleared. When I looked over at Ciara, I saw her huddled on the floor, surrounded by Brianna and Alexis. Alexis had her hand raised towards me, her power holding me against the wall. “Christian, I don’t know what you’re do
ing, but stop it!”

  Confused, I just stared at her not comprehending, then I felt myself in Ciara’s mind. Horrified I released her. I started to move forward to apologize, but Ciara lifted her head, and glared at me in warning. Shakily she stood up and with Brianna’s help and left the room. I turned to Alexis who stared at me with anger, hurt, and disbelief in her eyes. Wordlessly she whirled around, and ran upstairs. I leaned against the wall, and slid down into a slump on the floor. What had I done? I couldn’t remember the last couple of minutes. Recalling the look in Alexis’s eyes I felt sick. I needed to talk to her.

  I concentrated on sensing Alexis’s powers, she wasn’t in the house. I didn’t want to bump into Ciara or anyone else, so I looked for another exit out of the basement. Spotting a curtain at a weird spot in the room, I walked over and lifted it out of the way. There was a door behind it with an old looking lock. After a couple of tries I finally swung the door free, stale air filled my nose, as I looked down into a dark dank tunnel. With a lantern I slipped inside, and closed the door behind me. Normally I wasn’t claustrophobic, but I felt like a trapped rat, and considered turning back when I finally came to another door. It needed a lot of jiggling and a hard shove before it opened. After the darkness of the tunnel, the bright green of the forest was startling; I shielded my eyes with my hand as they adjusted to the bright light of day. The rain had stopped, and the sun was making an appearance. I closed the door, and arranged the ivy so it concealed it again. Sensing Alexis nearby, I headed up the path towards the circle.

  Halting just outside the circle, I looked around confused. I could sense her powers so strongly that I should’ve been standing next to her. “Alexis!”

  “I’m up here.”

  I looked to find Alexis semi-reclining in a Rowan tree above me. Her long red curls swaying below her in the wind. I didn’t like how her voice sounded, I couldn’t pinpoint the emotion in it, and that made me more nervous than anything. She didn‘t seem angry, but I had a feeling that what she felt now was worse. “Could you come down and talk to me?”

  “No,” she said, quiet but firm.

  I became more worried by the second. “What are you doing?” She hadn’t even bothered to look down at me yet.

  She put her hands to her temples. “I’m trying to get a vision. I’ve heard Druids have been able to get them this way.”

  “What are you trying to see?” I asked, and reached up to touch the hand closest to me.

  In a flash her body tensed, and she shot straight up. She leaned forward as if to get closer to something. With my now elevated powers I could sense the spike of energy about her, and knew she was having a vision. Just as quickly, the feeling faded and I could see her shake her head. She was so still it scared me. I tugged her hand gently, ready to help her down. “What did you see Alexis?”

  She turned to me, her eyes blank with shock, and jerked out of my hand, leapt down on the opposite side of the tree, and took off. I fought off the desire to chase her. I knew if I tried to stop her now she would fight me.

  The sun had started to set when I finally returned to Ward house. I still didn’t know what was wrong with me, the only thing I did know was that I needed to talk to Alexis. Yet at the same time I didn’t know if I could face her. The shame I felt burned inside of me.

  When I walked into the dining room, Alexis was conspicuously absent, and Brianna was avoiding my gaze. Worried, I stretched out with my mind, and immediately sensed that Alexis was upstairs, safe at least. Liam and Neila greeted me as normal, like they hadn’t been informed of this afternoons events, but Ciara stared at me with dark, impenetrable eyes. It was then that I noticed the woman next to her. A frail old woman, her thin grey hair pinned tightly to her head, watched me with faded blue eyes. That stranger inside of me knew she was the seer Ciara had sent for.

  “Christian this is Cassandra, she’s part of our Grove.” I noticed Ciara didn’t mention what Cassandra was here for. Cassandra and I stared at each other, but said nothing.

  Besides the periodic outbursts between Liam and Neila, the meal passed in uncomfortable silence. Eventually everyone, besides Brianna who escaped to her room, moved to the reception room.

  Ciara stood in the middle of the room to get our attention. “The rumors have been confirmed. Everyone in the Grove near Waterford has disappeared, and as Liam mentioned, they are not the only Druids that have gone missing. A council has been called for all the Groves in Ireland, and we’ve decided that the safest place at the moment is here at Ward house.” Cassandra looked at each of us, “Many people will be arriving in the next couple days, so I ask for your patience and help.”

  We nodded in understanding, and for awhile the adults discussed the arrangements on how to house everyone, and I mentally drifted away from the discussion. I remembered Alexis’s face, and her reactions earlier. What had she seen? Did I even want to know why she had reacted that way to me? I wanted to storm up the stairs and demand she talk to me, but I didn’t want to advertise our problems.

  A barely perceptible wave of sensation coursed over me, and I blinked a couple of times as I stared into the fire, coming mentally awake. The feeling was similar to what Ciara did but different, softer, like someone with decades of experience that had learned to be almost ghostlike with their gift. Cassandra was trying to read my future. The stranger inside, rose up in a defensive fury, the urge to block or burn out her powers, raged through me. In my peripheral vision I could see Ciara’s hands grip her arm rests, and she glanced at Cassandra.

  I fought the instinctive urge to protect, and willed myself to remain calm. The sensation waned, and I could see Cassandra shake her head. A stronger tingling wave came over me again, and I steeled myself to not react. It faded, and Cassandra once again shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Apparently she was unable to see my future, I wondered what that meant.

  After a couple of minutes, I loudly yawned, and excused myself to bed. Once I heard Liam and Neila go to their respective rooms, I snuck back downstairs, and hid behind the door to the reception room.

  “What did you see?” Demanded Ciara.

  “Nothing.” I could hear the confusion in Cassandra’s voice as she said it.

  “That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you can’t always get a reading on command.” This from Grady.

  “I didn’t mean ‘nothing’ in the sense that I didn’t see anything, but rather, what I saw was a murky essence. I saw nothing that I could understand or describe.”

  “I wonder if he blocked you?” Ciara mused aloud.

  “What?” Cassandra asked alarmed.

  “He has that ability? And you let me read him without warning me?” Cassandra demanded in her thin thready voice.

  “We needed to know,” replied Ciara, sounding apologetic. “But I could feel his fury when you were trying to read him. I don’t know if it’s safe to allow him to remain here.”

  CHAPTER 4

  With Brianna in Alexis’s room, I had been unable to talk privately with her last night, but I wouldn’t let another day go by with this cloud of doubt over my head. I felt groggy and irritable from lack of sleep, which made me even more determined to confront Alexis.

  Knowing Alexis took a long time in the bathroom, I waited for everyone else to go downstairs, and posted myself right outside the door. As soon as she stepped out, I grabbed her hand, and led her down the back stairwell.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed at me, jerking her hand out of my grip, and headed back upstairs.

  Stunned by her anger, and the furious tears in her eyes, I watched her walk away from me. With every step she took, my heart squeezed; I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran up, grasped her wrist, and walked back down again. “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you right now, Christian,” she shot back, coming to a dead stop that almost jerked me off my feet.

  We were almost to the back door, and if I had to carry her out I would. “I want you to te
ll me what you saw.” I tugged on her hand again, when suddenly she shoved me against the wall with her power.

  “I said no!” Without another word, she stormed back up the stairs.

  “Alexis stop!”

  No response.

  “Alexis!” I yelled louder, and struggled ineffectually against her power. Anger and fear crashed over me, and that dark stranger inside of me, woke up. I felt like an outsider in my own mind, as my powers reached out, infiltrated her mind, and blocked off her own. Immediately I fell away from the wall, and relief flooded me as I regained control over my body. It wasn’t until I heard her pained gasps, that I came to my senses.

  I released Alexis’s mind, and ran back up the stairs to find her crouching against the wall, I reached out to help her up, but she slapped my hand away. She used the wall for support as she stood. Shame filled me, and I wished I could see her better in the dark stairwell. “I am so sorry Alexis. I didn’t mean to. I swear I will never do that again.” I tried to step closer, but I could see the palm of her hand swing up, her power spiking, ready to defend.

  I stepped back down. “Alexis--”

  “You want to know what I saw?” she flung at me. “It was this. You struck out at Ciara, and now me?” The tears in her voice shook me, and I moved to take her in my arms, but she darted away. “I don’t even know you anymore,” she choked out, and ran away from me.

  I leaned against the stairwell, bent over with pain. Unwelcome tears stung my eyes. She was right, how could I reassure her, when I couldn’t reassure myself. I stumbled back down the stairs, and out into the morning mist.

  I headed south, walking for hours on autopilot. At first I tortured myself with the images and thoughts of the last couple days, but eventually everything faded to an abject numbness. Night fell by the time I reached Dublin. Exhausted, I staggered into the first pub I came across, and collapsed on the closest bench with a table. Locals filled the pub with boisterous laughter, but my own thoughts were so loud I barely noticed. I laid my head on the cool wood surface; it reeked of alcohol, but I didn’t care.