“Do you need me any more for this?”
Frank shook his head, “I got this. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
“Thanks Frank! Oh, I almost forgot. We already have proof, here is an offshore account in that agents name. It has a ton of money in it.”
I put the battery in my phone as I got out. I texted Diana, saying I was going to Tara’s shop. Hopefully she would meet me there, if not I would have to deal. I needed the training before getting in any trouble again, and working for the council made it a foregone conclusion it would happen soon.
I grabbed lunch quick first but no answer from Diana. She was either avoiding me or caught up in something. I tried to read which but came up blank. It was obvious to me now I was screwed if I felt close to someone, the power stubbornly denying me the littlest information.
After lunch I walked the few blocks to Tara’s small store and went in. There was no one in there so I called out, “Hello?”
Tara called out from the back, “Just a second!”
When she came out she was wearing pink cut off shorts and a tight shirt. When she saw me she gave me a hungry look and asked, “Did you get your memories?”
I just nodded. The woman made me nervous.
She walked to the door and turned around the back soon sign and locked it.
She winked at me, “Come in back, I’ll teach you what I know about sorcery.”
I sent, “Aitheria, do you have any idea what she wants from me, besides the obvious?”
She snickered in my mind and sent, “I would guess a baby. You are rather powerful as a sorcerer, your air magic unusually powerful, even the weak fire magic you have would make you at least an average sorcerer. She can feel it, and she wants a powerful child to carry on the line. With you she would be guaranteed either a powerful witch or sorcerer.”
I sent as I followed Tara back, “Not both?”
She sent to me, “No, that’s not possible. But if it was a witch they would have an easier time accessing the power through tools. Maybe only have to do a short spell instead of 15 minutes of chanting. So yeah, not interested in you, just what you can give her.”
I sent, “Thanks.”
At least I knew what she wanted now, the hunted feeling made sense in light of that. Not that she was getting it though. Call me old fashioned but… Shouldn’t we be friends at least first, if not a lot more than that? The focus was creepy.
She directed me to sit on a mat across from her. She took my hands and I wondered if that was necessary or just another part of her obvious seduction. At least when she began speaking it was with an instructive voice, not the outrageous purr from the other day.
Tara said, “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
I did so and she continued, “Try to reach out with yourself, feel the air around you. It shouldn’t be a fight, or a struggle. Like hugging a friend.”
Not so easy. Maybe I was trying to hard like she said. I took another deep breath and reached out. I felt a small particle of air. It was a lot like the feeling from the other night as it became a part of my senses. But it was just a small piece.
I said, “I have one small piece of it. It feels like an extension of my body.”
She breathed out in a whisper, “Good, now try and incorporate more until you have a good sized area, maybe half the room.”
As soon as I tried to get another one, I lost the first. I went back and did it again and the same thing happened. What I was doing wasn’t working for more than one. Instead of going out and joining it I tried to switch it around. I sort of sent the particles a message, like I would Aitheria. I studied the feel of the air in the room, then concentrated on it and sent the intention to join with me.
Suddenly the air in the room felt like part of my body. I had been mistaken the other night in my perceptions with the magic acting independently. This was taking no energy at all. In fact I felt like I could draw energy from it. That magic I felt reaching out from my center was quiet, quiescent and not even in use. This confused me.
“How come I can do this without using the magic in the center of my body?”
She giggled at me annoyingly, “Sorcerer’s don’t have magic inside them. They channel the magic of the air around them.”
What? Then why do I have magic in my center? What did it mean? Or was she as a witch just not as knowledgeable as she thought? It’s possible there are sorcerer secrets not shared with others, so I would let this subject drop and think on it later.
“Ok, so I am touching the air,” I decided not to tell her the invite approach, just in case she shouldn’t know, “what now?”
I could hear a smile in her voice as she said, “Now you need to pull the power of air from what surrounds you, draw it into you.”
I felt the air and sort of pulled at all the air I was connected to. A sharp breeze knocked us over and my eyes shot open.
“Sorry, what did I do wrong?”
We got back into position and she took my hands again, “You pulled on the air itself, just pull on the energy only. It should rush to your center.”
I sighed, “Okay I will try again.”
I closed my eyes and invited the air to join with me, it clicked with no problem. I thought about it for a minute then pulled just on the magic that was present in the air all around me, felt through the connection. It filled the core of my being, adding itself to what was already there. I thought that strange, she didn’t know about that core and I wasn’t telling either.
I could also feel the area replenish almost immediately. As if what I called caused a vacuum pulling in the energy from surrounding air.
“Ok, I pulled in some air magic or power, whatever it’s called.”
She said, “Either one works actually. Tell the air to thicken around your body with your thoughts while channeling the energy from your center.”
Umm, right. I tried that, thinking compressed air surrounding me while I reached into my core. Surprisingly I felt the air surrounding me thicken as the energy I took from the air dissipated from my core. I could feel it start feeding on what was there in my core so I stopped and the shield went away.
She smiled and said, “As you can see the magic in this small area you are holding isn’t enough to do it for long. To do anything long term you need to feed your core as you create something. So try again, this time keep pulling energy from the air while making the air shield through your focus.”
I sighed. This wasn’t easy it took a lot of concentration to do three things at once, but eventually I managed it. I was pulling Air power in to my core and at the same time reaching into my core and channeling it through my will to thicken the air. After about two minutes I had to let go. I could still feel the room though, and again, that took no energy, it was actually what provided energy.
She smiled and said, “Good. You will need to practice controlling the air. You can do a lot more than is apparent. Levitate things. Even lift yourself in the air and fly, although I wouldn’t recommend that until you have the measure of yourself. Losing the ability to control it at 400 feet and you would be in trouble.
“You could push someone or hold them still by thickening the air around them. If things get desperate you can thicken the air a few molecules deep to make a blade of air that would cut through most things. The softer ones anyway, you won’t be splitting metal with that.
“The other things are for the inside of your body. If you concentrate the magic inside you can run or move very fast, you can also do some limited types of healing. Remember though, outside manipulations all you get is mental fatigue, if you use air power inside your body it will make your body fatigue as well. For instance you could run home in a couple of seconds, but it would feel like you ran a marathon, not just a few blocks.”
I said, “And fire, how does that work?”
She said patiently, “Close your eyes and try to find heat instead of air. Fire is all about heat. You can create fire by drawing heat out of the air, or put
a fire out by dispersing the heat. You can reheat your coffee or suck all the heat out of tepid water for a cool drink. If you have enough collected in your center you can even create and direct fire in the air, not just start a fire on wood or a candle.
“Internally fire can revitalize you, but you will pay for it later with more sleep. You can even burn off disease or poisons in your body. It depends on how strong you are what you can do.”
I reached out and touched the heat surrounding us. Using the same technique I invited it to join with me, and it did. It was amazing, I now not only could feel everything in this room as if it were cradled inside my body I could feel the heat of it, how warm or cold it was.
I was able to draw a little heat to my center, but not nearly as much as I could air power. I released it, not wanting to play with fire inside Tara’s store. I also knew air increased fire. Maybe I could do more if I figured out how to use them in tandem, but honestly just holding three thoughts at once was hard. Pull in, channel, and what I wanted to happen. I couldn’t imagine doing it with six.
I think I needed somewhere safer to experiment with my weaker power. It may be weaker but a small spark could burn down the store, a strong breeze could only cause a mess after all. I needed to get out of here now though. She was making me nervous and it just occurred to me she had a good idea where I lived based on her running comparison a minute ago.
I am ashamed to admit it but sensing Tara’s body through my connection with air and fire was fairly… Distracting. She was an attractive woman after all just counting looks. Just a bit creepy with the sperm donor goal on the day we met. I needed to get out of there before her overtures started sounding like a good idea.
“Thanks Tara for the help, I don’t know if I could have ever figured that out without your help,” I said honestly.
Now that training time was over her instructor voice disappeared on me.
Tara smiled at me and purred, “Anytime you need my expertise just come on by.”
I shivered on the way to the door. I don’t think I could have dealt with that the whole time. At least she is a focused and good teacher. I got out of there and went back to my apartment. I practiced on the way home, flavoring the energy in the air and inviting it to connect. I knew I would need to do this quickly as it would be my source of energy. I wasn’t sure what the energy was within me though, but I knew who I could trust with the question.
I sent “Aitheria is the energy in the center of my body normal for sorcerers? Tara seemed to think not.”
She sent back, “No, but this is part of what I am forbidden to discuss. Except maybe to say it is a part of you, no one put it there.”
I sent, “So I can assume it had to do with why my mother died and who did it?”
She compressed her lips at me.
I sent, “Right, can’t talk about it. Sorry.”
I started dinner on the stove, cooking for once. My phone rang and I looked, it was almost 5 and it was Frank.
“Hello.”
Frank said, “Good news, we got both of them. Agent Kilmer is pissed at you, but on the other hand he says you were right, he wouldn’t have believed you. He grudgingly said he owes you one too. His mole is in custody and his partner Nick is spilling it all. Add that to the account you gave me and they are both screwed.”
“Great! Did you ask when he’d come remove all the bugs?”
Frank just laughed at me. Then I heard the door.
“Hey, I got to run, front door is banging. I’ll talk to you later.”
He said goodbye and I hung up and moved went to open the door. My smile froze as I saw Diana. I gestured her inside.
“You need anything to drink? Did we get information to go after Darrick?”
She said, “Coffee works, and no, that’s not why I’m here, we haven’t learned anything useful yet,” she sounded tentative, not her usual confident self.
I brought her a cup and sat down with her. I looked into her eyes and my longing heart made me try again to gain knowledge. I smiled softly as my powers denied me. I guess I decided it was better this way. I could only catch a lie.
“So what brings you by then? I can’t read you at all you know, so you have to talk.”
She smiled, “I think I like that. I came because I believe I owe you an explanation. To offer you some insight into how I got to this place, and why I can’t.”
I shook my head, “You don’t owe me anything, but I’ll gladly listen.”
She took a deep breath and just started talking.
“350 years ago, in London. It was both a terrible and wonderful time. The city almost doubled in size at the end of the 1800’s. Printing presses, coffee houses, the first vaccines, art and many other wonderful advances for civilization. The city was exploding with opportunity and the population poured in. But there was also death, starvation, poor sanitation. In effect a dream playground for a rogue vampire.
“I was a fairly young woman by today’s standards at 23. I was on my way home from a play when I was taken by a rogue. He thought I was beautiful and made me what I am, against my will. I couldn’t fight or get away or get away although I tried. He was much older than I, as just a newborn. That is enough of that part for you to get some small idea of what I went through at the hands of a rogue.”
I was fascinated almost holding my breath as she told me part of her story. She smiled with a tinge of bitterness as she told the next part.
“That was when Ceara showed up. She killed my creator like you or I would step on a bug. I could feel her power and I was less than insignificant. I was in awe. She taught me what I needed to know, what the rules were, and she let me go. I was extremely grateful. I went out and made myself a life.
“30 years later. I met Brian. I really think you would have liked him Ben, he was an amazing man. Of course we were ageless vampires. We spent the next 170 years travelling the world. We were always careful not to get caught, or hurt our donors. We never had a problem, until we hunted on a rogue’s private reserve.”
She snorted, “Or at least that’s what he called it. He ambushed us and Brian was killed, decapitated with a sword.”
She was silent for a minute. I could see her reliving that pain for a moment. I almost asked her to stop, but I wanted to know, so I waited silently for her to continue.
She said in a soft voice full of passion, “I know you can’t imagine it, but 170 years, every single day with your mate. He was my life, my reason for being. I was 200, about the same age as the rogue, but trust me. He had no chance at all in the face of my revenge.
“Shortly after that I was listlessly roaming around. I missed him so much. I even considered ending my life. After all what woman gets that much life and over two lifetimes with her mate, hadn’t I had enough? That is when Ceara found me, she had been tracking that rogue, and when she found him beheaded she started to track me. She took in my countenance and made me an offer.”
She sighed, “The council would give me purpose, and I in turn would pledge my life to that purpose for the remainder of my life. She even made me go away and think about it, not accepting my immediate word that I would, stressing that it was a serious commitment. Lifelong is nothing to sneeze at when you’re immortal. Still, it gave me reason to live, to hunt rogues, like the one that killed who I loved. Maybe I could save the next happy couple from the same fate.”
She looked up into my eyes and said, “My heart was a stone for the last 150 years. I never once questioned that it would remain that way. Until you ran around a corner and saved my life. Tackling a rogue vampire and passing out of all things. You didn’t even question putting your life on the line for me did you? And of course, everything you have done and been since.
“There is a crack in the stone and you put it there. I care for you Ben, but I am not my own. I belong to the council and always will. They will not release me or allow any sort of dual loyalties.”
She looked down and said, “I already asked.”
I reach
ed out to comfort her but she leaned away from me.
She said, “I just can’t, if you touch me I’ll break. I have to get back to Vivian, we need to find Darrick and end this. I am sorry.”
I watched as she sped from my apartment, running away from me. I briefly considered talking to the council but that was a bad idea. An even worse one was that she couldn’t have an oath to someone dead, but that wasn’t fair, just my emotions talking. What’s worse is I didn’t just like her anymore. I was pretty damn sure I was in love.
Chapter 10
Saturday, August 1st, 2015 07:34 pm
I was so emotional over dreams and the women in my life I knew I needed to hide my man card really well. They would be coming for it soon. Seriously, one wants me to be a donor, one I wish I was more than physically attracted to but wasn’t, and of course Diana who I was crazy about and pretty sure she felt the same way, but who was enslaved to some ancient oath bullshit.
I was eating dinner wondering at how my life had so changed this past week when I was struck with a vision. I saw Tressa, Darrick’s witch, at my office in a half hour. This is one of those times my gift didn’t tell me why, or what led up to it. But I figured I ought to go check it out. I sent a text to Diana about it so she would know. After all it is her case.
I finish bolting down dinner and went up to the office. I thought it could be a trap so I connected to as much air as I could, which was nowhere near the 100 yards my internal core magic managed. It was more like 50 feet. I also created a shield with the intent that the air should block other magic, I wasn’t sure if this would work, but it did do something.
It was also tiring, so I stopped doing it. I can start again when the witch gets here maybe. It was still my first day with magic and I had no idea really what I was doing outside of the very basic instructions and use I got from Tara.
I heard my phone go off and looked, it was a text from Diana. She thought it was a trap too. That I wouldn’t just see Tressa going to my office unless that’s what she wanted me to see. I thought about leaving but then realized it was too late as she entered the air I had control of. She opened the door without knocking and I went to start pulling Air power to start up the shield.
Just a Psychic?: Power of Air Book 1 Page 9