But I was too late. I could feel sleep overtaking my body. She must have had a spell cast and ready to go. I pushed a pocket of air at her in desperation, hoping it would push her out, knock her down, do something, anything! All it did was blow her hair around.
I blushed in anger and embarrassment as she laughed at my effort and said insultingly, “Night night little sorcerer.”
Oh crap I thought as I lost consciousness.
I woke up with a headache and sat up slowly. My stomach was tight. It was my power in my center, trying to retreat. I couldn’t touch it, it wouldn’t let me. I didn’t belong here. I looked around and I was definitely in a jail type cell but it looked like a basement. For the first time since I woke up on my birthday Aitheria wasn’t with me, I didn’t realize how much her energy played against mine in the background. The loss of it was disorientating, like feeling undressed.
I didn’t see any earth elementals, but then I don’t even know what the look like. I could feel the earth surrounding me though, pushing in. I sent out my will to connect to the air and it wouldn’t connect. There was air here, but underground it was leeched of power. Without power I couldn’t connect or absorb from it.
I admit I was terrified, I felt the touch of panic on my mind and I had no way to leave here. If my brain didn’t adjust I was sure I would go insane. I was also feeling really stupid. I had thought even if it was a trap I could handle it. Obviously not.
I realized even as an exceptionally powerful wielder of air according to others, I was virtually helpless underground. Of course fire was ally of air, but also earth.
Taking a steadying breath I changed tack and started to feel for the warmth around me, it was hot in here. Chicago isn’t the warmest year round but it gets more than hot enough for July and August. I pulled in some heat but I didn’t know what to do with it. I tried to heat the bolt for the cell door, maybe if I could melt the bolt I could get out of here?
Or even if it gets hot enough, break it by kicking the door. I could see it turn a little red, but nowhere near melting. I tried kicking the cell door but the bolt wasn’t in danger of breaking either. Then I had a brilliant thought. I should have texted Sierra too. She might have been able to track me.
Too late for that now, hopefully Diana thinks of it, or gets something out of Vivian. I guess she is immune to being mesmerized? Maybe they need to get someone in to cancel that earth spell on her first? Those questions made me wonder about the origin of vampires. Fast moving, mesmerizing, both things were of air. Is that why I can sense vampires? Because they are empowered by my element?
Embracing the heat in the room did have one beneficial effect however. I no longer felt claustrophobic, and my center felt safe surrounded by the heat of my other magic. I still felt like a fish out of water but I wasn’t worried about losing my mind anymore.
I looked around the cell and saw no way out. Maybe if I knew the internal mechanism for a jail cell lock I could melt the right thing. But I knew if I did something wrong all I would do is get stuck even more. No doubt my hosts wouldn’t be calling a locksmith anytime soon if that happened.
I heard the door upstairs open and for the first time saw Darrick as he walked down the stairs. I watched him come down and I just stayed silent, waiting for him to say what he wanted. I couldn’t quite figure out why I was alive.
He frowned at my silence and said, “Where is the council holding cells, where is Vivian.”
Oh, that’s why I was alive.
“I don’t know?” I stated with uncertainty. I wasn’t sure what would happen if he believed I didn’t know. He might try to ransom me, or he just might kill me and go after Diana next.
He nodded slowly, “I didn’t think you did actually, but it would make things simpler. You’re life lies in Diana’s hands. You might live if she returns Vivian.”
I hated the spark of hope in my stomach. I knew he wouldn’t let me go. The scrape against my mind proved it. It took me a minute to figure out he was just keeping me alive for proof of life if Diana asks for it. If he got his hands on Vivian I was dead. I thought about finding out if he was as combustible as vampires on television, but held back. It wasn’t time for desperation, plus the cell was still locked.
I asked flippantly, “Can I get some cards or something? Maybe some wire to pick the lock?”
He growled at me.
I shrugged, “I’m just bored, I could use a distraction.”
I knew I was pushing it, but I was hoping he would open the cell if I annoyed him enough. Then I would see if fire roasted his ass. But no dice, he just snorted and went back upstairs. He didn’t come back for a long time.
Maybe a day had passed and I really was going nuts between the constant tightness of my stomach and at the same time out of boredom. I tried to melt the bolt a couple of more times, no luck at all. I also tried to connect to Aitheria but the connection wouldn’t come, air wouldn’t work down here at all.
I thought about setting the house on fire, but that would be stupid. Best case scenario I would be alive and buried in rubble. So for lack of anything else to do I practiced with fire. From the heat I could feel everything and know where it was.
Air was like physically touching it as far as shape, sharpness, direction it was moving, all that. Fire was just heat. I could feel all the sizes of the objects but all my touch was only telling me warm, cold, or lukewarm. Finally I heard the door upstairs open and Darrick came down, his face frozen in anger.
He said, “I guess that bitch doesn’t care about you, she tried to ambush us with enforcers from other cities. So here is your last chance to stay alive. Where is Vivian?”
I said, “No idea,” I connected to fire in preparation for him opening the cell, but he didn’t open it, just paced angrily.
He spat, “Maybe this will convince you to talk. Bring her down.”
I gasped as I watched Aiya being dragged down the stairs. The thug threw her a few feet to Darrick who pulled a gun and held it against her head. I was frozen with fear. I think I would have told him if I knew. Her soft and fear filled brown eyes looked at me in apology and sorrow, my fear and panic started to spiral together into anger.
He said, “No? Still not talking?”
He dropped the gun and pulled her against him and she screamed out. I watched as he extended his teeth and bit down into her neck.
I saw red as my anger spiked and I blacked out.
I moaned and came to. I recognized this. I had a vision of this at Frank’s house for my day before birthday party. I was sitting on the floor next to the stairs. Aiya was in my arms sitting sideways on my lap, her head on my shoulder. She was not relaxed in my arms as I had thought, she was not moving. But still alive, only unconscious as I felt her warm breath on my neck.
Not understanding I looked around the basement. My eyes widened in surprise as I took in the cell. Not only had I melted the bolt, but a large chunk of the bars where the bolt would seat. I saw two burned corpses on the ground. I am assuming they would be the thug and Darrick. I don’t remember doing any of it. I was shocked as it became obvious I was more capable than I was showing.
I started to hear chanting at the top of the stairs, it was Tressa and her face was thunderous. I reached out for my fire element thinking to create a blocking shield, nothing at all happened. I must have over reached. I remembered the gun then and frantically looked around on the floor. There it was 6 feet away. I went to move to get it but I heard the loud crack of bone at the top of the stairs.
I looked up and saw Tressa fall to the ground, her eyes open and empty. Behind her was Diana. I was so happy to see her I grinned up and winked.
She snorted, “If she had finished that you’d have been swallowed up by the earth, good thing I have impeccable timing.”
I got up and managed to carry Aiya up the stairs, she wasn’t heavy but it was a cramped place and I needed to be careful not to bump her head. When I got up there I felt my power uncoil from my center, I connected almost instin
ctively for the first time, seeing everything in a 50 foot radius like a second skin. It seemed interesting to me that overextending in fire didn’t hurt my air ability at all.
The other thing I felt, or should say felt and heard, was Aitheria’s mind voice giving me a stern lecture about being captured and put underground while she touched my neck and seemed to be checking me over. Her energy soothing me as it danced with mine. She only got quiet when I sent, “I love you too.”
The third thing I was feeling while doing all that was the most confusing of all. I was in Diana’s embrace, Aiya held between us, as she kissed me. Her lips devouring mine as if she feared they would be taken away. Sadly they would be. I think I was a little senseless for a moment when she finally broke it, trying to regain my emotional equilibrium.
She said, “I was worried about you. It’s about three o’clock Monday morning you know, you were gone for 30 hours.”
Does the letter of the oath matter if she has given her heart in spirit? Yes, sadly it does. Apparently only actions count.
I grinned, “Glad you could make it by,” I winked, “It was almost worth it for that kiss…”
She glared at me then checked out Aiya, taking her pulse and checking her respiration.
Diana said, “She should be fine, she needs a hospital though, she is a little too low on blood. They must have sampled before bringing her down to you.”
I said, “Umm, I told her about me you know. I don’t know how much she knows about vampires now but… Can she get a pass unless she does something stupid before you wipe her mind of it?”
Diana bit her lip, “She may want to forget.”
I nodded sadly, “But it should be offered, not forced.”
Diana shook her head no but said, “Alright.”
Chapter 11
Monday, August 3rd, 2015, 05:34 am
I was in the hospital by Aiya’s bedside. She got some blood and should be fine. I would have some explaining to do when she woke up I was sure. She would have more questions. I had my laptop with me and was typing out some information that I knew I would need shortly.
“Hi Diana,” I said as she walked in without looking up. I finished the last few lines and saved the file to a thumb drive.
“Council?” I asked facetiously, ok so I was showing off a bit.
Diana’s brow arched, “Yes, they want to speak with you about how the case ended up.”
I would have to catch up with Aiya later. I knew I couldn’t be with Diana yet, maybe not ever. But I still took her hand as we walked out of the hospital. I wanted to make sure she had the right idea. I also wondered where the line was, could we be together and leave it unacknowledged with a public declaration? Keep our lips sealed from uttered promises and just let our hearts speak?
If we could, would I be able to trust her intimately when all it would take was a direct order from the council for her to kill me? I had no illusions she would not follow that order, she took an oath. I felt desperate even considering it, but her hand felt so good in mine, and my power caressed hers as we walked to her car. Would she even consider that?
The council building wasn’t that far from the hospital so we were there quickly. Diana led me to the same conference room as last time. I tasted the room and sent a request to the air to join with me. I felt the room and more respond, 50 feet in every direction. Being in the air on the twenty third floor of a high rise I had access to much more power. A full globe of my element with me at its center, ready to feed me power from every direction instead of the usual dome where my power ended at the earth.
I could feel them coming so I stood up. I didn’t like the council much anymore. They were keeping me from Diana. But that didn’t mean they weren’t necessary, that rogues didn’t need to be stopped, or that their society didn’t need to be watched over by them. So I observed the formalities. Respect due for what they accomplished and their place in our world.
I just didn’t have any fear of them when they walked in. I was not the same being they met a week ago, not by half. Diana and I sat after they did.
Alexios said, “To start with we will be paying you half of what you would have earned. We needed Darrick alive to question him and he was not turned in.”
I smiled and that made him stop speaking. I slid the thumb drive across the table.
Charis asked with annoyance, “What is this.”
I said, “That is what you wanted to ask Darrick. It contains all his account numbers, properties, stocks, and known associates. Once the witch died I was able to retrieve the information.”
Ceara laughed which made Charis glare at her. Somehow I kept my serious business face on. It was really hard not to laugh. I wasn’t expecting that at all from Ceara, but I wasn’t foolish enough to believe it made me an equal in their eyes.
Alexios nodded, “Very well, I suggest half payment as I stated. The other half will be paid and noted for research information.”
“Thank you sir,” I said, after all he was being fair about it.
After that they questioned me on what was new with my power. I filled them in on it, not the mechanics, just what I could do. Of course I still kept Aitheria a secret. Only Diana knows that. I also didn’t say anything about underground, others may and probably do know the weakness. It could even be well known common sense. But I wouldn’t be foolish enough to speak of it.
Diana walked me out. I impulsively kissed her softly on the cheek and said, “I’ll be back in a couple of days, I need to go see someone.”
She said, “Be safe, see you soon Ben.”
I booked a flight to California. I probably didn’t need two days but I packed a bag and went.
When I got there I told her all about my last crazy week. I told her of the power, the unknown source of what was inside me. I told her about Diana, Aiya, Frank, Jenna and even Sierra. I told her of my childhood growing up with my Aunt and Uncle, how crazy my younger cousin was. How Aitheria was taking good care of me, that she was my family. How I was working with the authorities of both worlds, both humans and the enforcers for the vampire council.
I told her I would find out what happened and why, when I was five. I told her of the guilt I felt at forgetting everything and that I wouldn’t rest until I found out whom that man worked for and brought them to justice for murder and anything else I could find. I told her it may take time. I didn’t even know where to start, but that I would be helping to stop it happening for anyone else in the meantime.
Then I looked down on my mother’s grave one last time and told her I loved her, and then I said goodbye.
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed the book. As a new author I would appreciate it if you would create a review if you have the time or inclination to do so. Positive or negative please be constructive. You can also give me feedback via email at [email protected]
Just a Psychic?: Power of Air Book 1 Page 10