by Hadena James
“You dreamed you cast The Double Soul?” Magnus’s tone was disapproving.
“Yes.”
“That explains why you have a soul in the kitchen. He didn’t have a body to enter, which is good news because it means you get to live, and you didn’t resurrect a soul. You merely brought it into our realm. That I can work with.”
“I tried to force this soul in Chiron and it didn’t work.” That news was kind of hard to take. I started to cry.
“It didn’t work and you can’t be responsible for casting spells as you die. They are usually done in a vain attempt at survival. The Great Houses would not have put you to death for it. It is rather unusual to pull the soul of an Elder into it, but then, if you were dreaming of doing it to Chiron, it might make sense. With a Human, Chiron would have the stronger soul.”
“What do we do about it?” I sobbed.
“We send it back.” Magnus put a hand on my shoulder. “Were you touching anyone when you cast it?”
“I don’t know, I was dying.”
“Anubis, did you feel anything or see anything?”
“I felt something, but I thought it was her soul. It touched Levi, but Levi’s own soul repelled it.”
“Did it touch anyone else?”
“No,” Anubis answered.
“Good thing Levi is strong.” Magnus looked around. “Without a body, he can’t hurt you. He can only glare at you and make you feel uncomfortable, possibly ill. Luckily, he had a room full of beings with incredibly strong souls to contend with. I can’t imagine what would have happened if he had managed to enter one of the Overlords.”
“Okay, Magnus,” I was still sobbing. I was actually pretty sure I was on the verge of hysterics.
“Brenna, I need you to focus for me,” Magnus’s voice was soothing. “You are going to have to help me send him back to the ethereal plane. Can you do that?”
“Probably not,” I shook my head, “I’m a walking disaster.”
“No, just a little out of control at the moment. It happens to all of us from time to time,” Magnus assured me. “However, I know you are very capable of regaining control and forcing magic to do interesting things.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Treat it like a curse, push magic into it. It is going to take a lot of magic though. Both of us will need to do the pushing. I’m hoping your untamed magic has the extra kick that we are going to need. An Elder soul is a hell of a lot more determined than a mortal soul.”
Fenrir rubbed against my leg. I looked down into his yellow eyes and had a thought.
“What if we could use the power of the Overlords?” I asked.
“Overlords can’t push magic like we can. It seems to have a purpose, a solitary reason to exist. It isn’t free roaming. It doesn’t change and that’s why they can’t break curses.”
“Right, but if a Witch could tap into their magic, in some way lay claim on it, it could be used?”
“In theory, yes,” Magnus gave me a puzzled look, “but I don’t think there is a Witch today that can do such a thing, unless you know something I don’t.”
“Well, I’m not convinced I could do it, but I’ve channeled Gabriel’s power before. Of course, it remained Angelic, but I was still using it.”
“Are you strong enough?”
“Possibly.” I frowned. “Possibly not.”
“Try pushing the soul back without channeling anyone first,” Anubis said, taking hold of my arm lightly. “We’ve already brought you back from the dead once today. I’m not sure we can do it a second time.”
“Good point.” I looked at Magnus. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I opened up and let the magic begin to build. It ebbed and flowed like water, moving in and out of me like the tide. I pushed a little, felt the magic push back and gave in. It built stronger. In my mind, I could see it. It was shimmery, like heat coming off asphalt, but had a slightly pink tinge to it. Magnus’s power became visible. It was green, stronger in color than my own. I took more in, drawing it from the air. My own became darker in color. I could see all the magic in the house. It engulfed each of the Overlords in their own unique color. Even the soul in front of me had magic in it. I pulled more in, felt as Magnus’s power began to combine with my own.
However, there was still more in the room, more to draw from. My mother’s residual magic, was wafting about trying to join in. My brothers’ as well, Daniel’s the strongest of them. I took it, mingled it with Magnus’s green and my pink. It moved faster now, no longer just drifting, it was racing towards the both of us. Filling both of us up, going in and out with our breathing.
A black cloud came in through the open door. It pushed through the soul. The soul jerked. Lucifer’s magic joining our own. Magnus tried to stop it, but it began to assimilate into the rainbow. There was no stopping it. It seemed to have a mind of its own.
Magnus said a few unintelligible words and we both shoved magic outward. It slammed into the soul and staggered backwards from the force. Magnus and I pushed again, forcing more magic out. Again, it hit the soul square in the chest. The soul didn’t move this time. Magnus began gathering power again. I followed his lead and began calling on the magic from around us. The room was now churning with it. Swirls of shimmering color bounced off the walls, floor, and ceiling. It ran into each and pulled apart like taffy.
Magnus nodded his head just once. I closed my eyes and forced magic into the soul. It didn’t seem to react. Magnus forced magic into it. I watched his dark green powers enter the soul and shoved more magic outward. It was the final bit of magic for the soul. It shook and disappeared from view.
“Well,” Magnus said as he began drawing the magic back into himself, “it worked.”
“Yes, I suppose it did. There is a lot of residual in the house.”
“Tons,” Magnus smiled. “Feel better?”
“Not really.”
“Shit happens,” Magnus shrugged. “My father once sneezed and cursed my lunch box. Everyone does strange things once in a while.”
“Sneezed?” I asked.
“Sneezed,” Magnus smiled at me. “I once turned an entire house to glow in the dark when I tripped over a step and busted my chin open on its porch.”
“No offense, Magnus, but cursing a lunch box or making a house glow in the dark doesn’t seem very significant in comparison.”
“Meh,” he waved his hand at me. “What I’m trying to point out is that the slightest thing can set off a magic tantrum. Having a cold can be a problem for a Witch. Dying is far more significant than a cold.”
“Magnus, how did you know who it was?” Anubis asked.
“He seems to hang close to Witch power. Up until about 50 years ago, no one knew who the Hanged Man was. We just knew that it was a general rule that he could be conjured. He was a bit of the Witches’ Boogey Man. Then, when your mother gave birth the first time, she conjured him and your father nearly had kittens. He recognized him. Went through all the myths and legends about the Hanged Man and the pieces sort of fell into place. Now, we teach Witches not to conjure him, but we still refer to him as the Hanged Man so that no one knows his real identity.”
“Magnus,” I looked around the room, “there is still a lot of magic in this room.”
“Yeah, I was noticing that myself. Not sure why it is hanging around though.” Magnus turned a slow circle. “Don’t know what to do with it either. It isn’t entirely Witch magic.”
“No, the black stuff is my father’s magic. My mother’s is gold. Daniel’s is purple. Nick’s is blue. Plus, there seems to be a cloud of it hanging around each of the Overlords. And…” I pointed to the spot where the soul of Sonnellion had been. There was a cloud of sickly yellow and black magic hanging around there.
“Yeah, but I still don’t know what to do about it. I’m not drawing it all into myself. There’s too much. I don’t think you can handle it either.”
“Can we use it?” I asked.
“Use it how?�
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“Well, some of it is from the Hanged Man.” I looked very pointedly at him.
“Not sure it will work.” He seemed to get my point.
“Not sure it won’t either.”
“Are you sure you can handle taking in that much energy?”
“No, but it’s here and it isn’t going to go away until something is done with it. Might as well try.”
“Can you move it?”
“Yes.” I began the process again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I pulled all the energy I could into myself, regardless of to whom the magic belonged. For a moment, it seemed to fight against me. I touched Magnus, felt the magic give and watched as the plethora of colors began to move into him. Sharing magic is a Witch’s Secret. I continued taking in the magic and forcing it into Magnus. He was now expelling it from every pore of his body. It was pulsing around him, making his aura glow. I stopped pushing and began drawing it into myself. When I felt like I couldn’t take anymore, I gave a little bit of it to Magnus and pulled the last remaining swirls into myself. I was brimming with power. I felt sick with it. It was making my body hurt. My head was aching and throbbing.
Magnus gave me a nod and we both pushed the magic out. We forced it into the Angel. He fell backwards into a chair from the weight of it. It filled him; his entire body became one swirling rainbow. He was lost in the fog of magic. The magic began to dissipate.
“What on earth…” Anubis frowned at me. Fenrir growled.
“I think we might have healed him,” Magnus said. “The magic of the Hanged Man might have been the key.”
“Gabriel?” Ba’al asked him quietly.
His eyes were closed, his chest barely moving. Ba’al moved in closer. He whispered the Angel’s name.
Gabriel awoke with a scream, his arms flailing, his wings flexing into tiny limbs. He stretched and looked at us.
“What the fuck…”
“Can you feel Ba’al touching you?” Magnus asked.
“Who cares, what the hell did you do?” Gabriel shouted.
“Can you feel Ba’al’s hand on you?” Magnus repeated.
“No,” Gabriel stopped, “Yes. I can. His claws are digging into my skin. They hurt.”
“Sorry,” Ba’al pulled away.
“No, by all means, continue. I feel it.” Gabriel stood up and unflexed his wings. “I feel everything around me. Holy hell, you healed me.”
“No, not by a long shot,” I replied. “I don’t have that kind of power. Magnus healed you.”
“Going to lay it all at my feet?” Magnus grinned at me. “I wouldn’t have had nearly enough power without you.”
“Okay, I was the battery. You were the cables and on/off switch that made it work.” I shrugged. “That’s a role I can live with.”
“You drew together all the energy in the house.” Magnus turned to face me full on.
“Yeah, I think that’s kind of what I do, like a lightning rod,” I frowned. “No, that’s not correct. I don’t know what it is, but that doesn’t feel right.”
“Does it matter?” Anubis asked. Gabriel was touching everyone in the room, discovering them through his fingertips.
“Yes, I’m afraid it does.” Magnus took a deep breath. “Have you considered that it’s the Witch that gets powerful and not the Demon?”
“Yes, but I think it has more to do with the magic that has already been cast.” I watched as Gabriel felt Ba’al’s wings. “I think it’s about the binding.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Magnus asked.
“Well, I’m not sure, but I think the only reason I am as capable as I am as a Witch or a Demon is because I’m not using just my magic.”
“True, you used all the magic in the house, even the residual.” Magnus cocked his head to look at me. “Including the magic from the Hanged Man.”
“I think that’s because I’m a Witch, I can use the magic of the men that are bound to me. I think that together, when all of us are together, we can do things that we probably shouldn’t be able to do. I don’t think it’s just me, in other words. I think it’s all of us.”
“You don’t think the prophecy is about a person, you think it’s about the group.” Magnus suddenly smiled. “It’s an interesting theory, but we really can’t test it until after the Maturing.”
“I know, but I’ve been doing it all week. Today isn’t an isolated incident. I’ve started to see magic better since the Maturing began. I’ve always been able to see it, but now, I don’t just see it with my brain, and I can open my eyes and see it in the room. I can find it.”
“So what are you thinking?” Magnus sat down as Gabriel touched his arm.
“I’m thinking I may go mad with this much power.” I responded rather frankly. “I brought trees to life and not just a few of them, a virtual army of them. All I did was push the magic into the ground. I wasn’t paying attention to where it came from, but I believe I was drawing extra magic from these guys. The first attack, when it was over, I channeled Gabriel’s powers, fully channeled them. Didn’t have a clue how to control them, so they did what they wanted to do, but what if it had been Fenrir? And I think they feed off of mine as well. I felt Gabriel drawing strength from them when we were fighting the Chimeras. I know the others can do the same. I also know that if Anubis hadn’t been close enough for me to tap into his energy earlier, I would have died and I imagine his power was what called the Hanged Man into the room. I might have cast the spell, but to make a soul materialize. Well, I’ve never been that good. I can put them into things, but I can’t give them a body, let alone their own body. And they certainly shouldn’t have that much magic in them, even if they are a dead Demon.”
“You think this fivesome you’ve created is making you powerful?” Magnus asked.
“Yes, I do.” I sighed. “I don’t know how to explain it, Magnus. I know I’m a Witch and a Demon and I have magic and power of my own, but I think, with eternity looming just beyond the horizon and the Maturing, I think the binding is coming into power, not me. I think that whatever I did as a child has somehow strengthened all five of us, not just me. I think the Maturing is just a catalyst.”
“If it’s the catalyst, what’s the big show?” Magnus frowned.
“Hopefully, not the death of four Overlords and the second most powerful Witch in the world,” Anubis answered.
“In the world?” Magnus got a smug look. “Not a big enough picture.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Your mother is the third most powerful Witch in the history of the world. I’m first. Your brother is a True Prophet. You are the second most powerful Witch in the history of the World, Brenna. Fate is preparing something.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Magnus stood up. “Bren, whatever Fate or God has in store for us, it’s big. There is no rhyme or reason for all of us to be alive at the same time, even less rhyme to the fact that I have stopped aging. I’m not mated to an Elder. I stopped when I tried to break the binding with your mother. She had already stopped by then. I don’t think it’s an accident and I think it is even less likely to be a coincidence. The Prophecy talks about a Second Elder War, I don’t think you are going to bring it about. I think it is coming though. I think that’s why all of this is happening.”
“Stopped aging?” I asked as if I were slow or something.
“And I’ve gained a bit of power myself,” Magnus looked at me. His eyes pierced into my very soul it seemed. “I stopped aging the day I tried to break the binding and by the time you were a teen, I had discovered that I had some new magic of my own. Some of it, untamed. I’ve never had to deal with it before. It’s… frightening, to say the very least. I can’t imagine how you and your mother deal with it on a daily basis in the quantities that you have. However, if I had continued to age, I’d be dead before Daniel gave his prophecy. I think I’m meant to hear it. I think I’m meant to help.”
“Divine Providence?”
I asked.
“It has crossed my mind,” Magnus shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know the whims and fancies of God any more than anyone else, but it feels right when I think about it.”
“Magnus…” I looked at him and the only line that popped into my head was a line from a book when I was a child. “Something wicked this way comes.”
“Aye,” Magnus nodded once, “something wicked indeed. I think it will be far worse than the first war.”
“Worse?” Anubis asked.
“Much worse, but we will have to wait for Daniel to know for sure. Anything else I can assist you lot with before I go?”
“Can you make my life uncomplicated?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Then, I think that’s all for now, although, I might need you again, Magnus.”
“Brenna, you are going to need all the help you can get. I’m always just a call away.” Magnus left.
“Well that was helpful.” I pursed my lips and tried not to frown.
“Actually, it was. If Magnus is right and he has stopped aging and gained more magic, it is even more important to stay alive. Immortality isn’t granted to Witches, their life force though, that can be prolonged. The Strachan that sat on the Council during the first war lived to be nearly 300 years old.”
“He was a bastard.” Gabriel moved to Anubis and touched his muzzle. “This is really amazing.”
“Who was the Council Member?” I asked.
“Ezra,” Gabriel frowned at me, “for a Witch, sometimes, you seem clueless about your Witch history and then there are times when you blow us all away with your endless knowledge.”
“My spell book?” I grimaced.
“The very same. If we had known he was fighting for the other side, we might have thrown him off the Council and replaced him with Beowulf. Crazy as he might be, he was at least an ally of the Overlords.”
“My family has always been dysfunctional then, it isn’t a new thing that happened when my mother mated with Lucifer?”
“Your family has always been dysfunctional. Sometimes, nuttier than fruitcakes,” Ba’al answered. “How long before Fen turns back do you think?”