She let go of my face and released her hold on the rest of me at the same time. “I’m sorry,” I started.
“No. Listen to me.” She held her hands up. “I understand this is a lot for you to take in, and I will help you in any way I can. But,” she looked at me sternly, “you must maintain control of yourself at all times. As secure as this cabin is, your powers are immense. We cannot have you calling attention to us before we are ready.”
I nodded, feeling guilty. But it was hard to remember to control abilities you weren’t even aware you had, damn it.
“Now, I will give you what little information I have about magical mates. As I said earlier, Taryk may be able to answer more questions for you since his mother maintained much of her Fae heritage even after mating his father. It is a fairly uncommon thing for magic to claim its true mate. The powers must fit perfectly, and even if the “other half” is out there, they don’t always cross paths. The universe is a big place. They must be in close proximity, if not physical contact, for the magics to connect.
“Now, this isn’t like some arranged marriage, and nobody is going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. However, most magical pairings mean you need to stay near each other, and only be separated for short periods, simply because your magics will now feed off each other. I think your best course of action at this time is to talk to Taryk, get to know him. The more you two work together, the more we will be able to see what this means for you.”
All I could do was stare at her. There really were no words at the moment. I stared out the window, noticing the first streaks of dawn subtly appearing in the sky. I had been up all damn night.
“I need some sleep. Please tell the others I said goodnight. Maybe after I sleep on it for a while, I will wake up feeling a little more like I know what to do with myself.”
She wrapped me in a hug, and held me, whispering in my ear. “I know this is foreign and strange. And while it isn’t precisely the same thing I went through, I remember what it’s like to feel like you have no control over your own life. I’m here for you when you need to talk about it. It will be okay.”
She kissed my cheek and nudged me gently toward the hall and my room. In spite of the fact I feared I would do nothing but lay awake and panic internally, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell dead to the world.
I awoke facing the window and staring out into the sky. The sun had both risen and set while I slept, and all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, my bloody appetite vetoed that thought, and my bladder seconded the motion to rise and shine. Or rise and use the restroom, at least.
Determined to avoid it for as long as I could manage, I replayed last night’s event in my head. Magically mated? Seriously? I discovered that as soon as I began to think about Taryk, I knew almost exactly where he sat in the house. Weird. And while my head wanted to avoid him a little while longer, some other part of me desperately wanted to see him.
Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to war with myself; my bladder called the shots, and if I didn’t crawl my butt out of bed within the next few minutes, I would be lying in a puddle. Ugh. Time to cross the hall.
The thing about the inevitable was you could only delay it for so long. I couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever. Or even in my room. My rumbling stomach was going to eat me from the inside out if I didn’t get some food into it. Throwing my hair into a bun to be dealt with later, I somewhat reluctantly left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen and food.
Xavier looked my way as I entered, then at Taryk. Although he spoke directly to Taryk, I could hear him in my head as well. What the hell. “I win. Told you so.”
“Told him so what?” I asked suspiciously. They both looked at me in surprise. “Don’t ask me how I could hear you when you were talking to him, but I did. Now out with it.”
Taryk at least had the good grace to look a little chagrined, but Xavier looked pleased as punch with himself. “He said you would probably sleep all night. I told him you’d never make it to morning without eating.”
Lifting my hand, I mimed throwing the couch pillow at him, and sure enough, it flew right off its place on the couch and into the back of his head. The look of shock on his face was absolutely priceless. Even knowing I was capable, he didn't expect me to use my magic at random moments.
I laughed so hard, I had to sit, and even Taryk smirked, although he was making a minimal attempt to hide it by turning his face downward. “Great,” Xavier broadcast his comment so all of us could hear him, “now she thinks she’s hot shit. What the hell are we going to do with her?”
At this point, I was howling with laughter, and they both stared at me like I had lost my mind. I fell out of the chair I was sitting in, smacking the side of my cheek on the table, and still I laughed. Tears poured down my face, and I couldn’t even breathe, much less form a sentence. The two of them looked at each other, then back at me. Taryk shrugged and Xavier continued to stare.
I made such a racket that I woke my mother, who came out to see what was going on. They tried to explain the situation to her, which just made me laugh harder, although I had no idea why. Maybe I was losing my mind. The sudden fear that I was going to wet my pants in front of everybody gave me just enough incentive to attempt to get myself under control, although I was largely unsuccessful at first try.
Finally, I managed to stop laughing, although I was still prone on the kitchen floor, panting for air. My ribs hurt, my eyes felt like sandpaper, and now that things were not so funny, the side of my face ached where I had smacked it on the edge of the table.
For the second time since coming here, I had lost myself in laughter. Joyful, uncontrollable, laughter. There were very few times in my life this had happened, and there had been no laughter at all since the day of my parents’ car crash. While a little embarrassing, I had to admit if felt great.
Gingerly, I attempted to sit up. Taryk held out his hand as an offer to help. I stared at it for a brief second, contemplating the consequences, but in the end decided it couldn’t get any worse. He gently lifted me off the floor and situated me in the chair.
“Sorry to wake you, Mom. I’m not sure what came over me.” She smiled at me, shook her head, and headed back to her room, presumably to go back to sleep.
I hadn’t laughed like that very often in my life, but I knew I felt immeasurably better because of it. Looking around, I said I was starving, and Taryk smiled. From the counter, he produced a plate piled high with biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs, still warm. One of my favorites. After taking the first bite, I sighed with pleasure. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
As tempted as I was to go back to bed and sleep a little more, I knew that we didn't have the time for me to be wasting away my hours in bed. We needed me to get as much training in as I could. Time was running out, and I couldn't be much help the way things currently stood.
By the time Taryk and I had finished eating, my mom had come out of her room and told us she was going to pop through the portals to see how things were going in the other realms and make sure her presence was noted. She didn’t want the dark mage to get any sinister ideas, thinking she wasn’t paying attention. They had beat her back pretty good, she said, but still didn’t want to let up on the pressure. They had been keeping her contained as best they could for now, but she knew we were running out of time until she needed our undivided attention.
I promised I would do everything I could to advance my skills and get ready in as little time possible. She hugged me tightly and looked me in the eyes. No words were needed, and we shared a moment of peace between us, which strengthened my resolve.
At some point, we would live a normal life together without the threat of chaos and destruction hanging over our heads.
Chapter Thirteen
As my mom headed out to the portals in the falls, Xavier said he would be keeping watch out front, in case the mysterious mist returned, or we had any other unwanted visitors show
up while Taryk and I were focused on my training.
“I'd like to spend a little time answering whatever questions you may have.” Taryk began the conversation as we headed back to the training room.
“Thank you. For everything, but especially your patience with me.” I could have handled things a little better, but I was doing the best I could.
He just smiled and sighed. “I can barely imagine how odd this must be, having all this thrown at you suddenly.”
“Odd is one word for it.” I laughed, thinking of all the “odd” things I'd been exposed to recently. I gave him a brief overview of my life before I came to the cabin, about the skills I had discovered while I was growing up, and always trying to push down.
“I did my best to hide everything about myself that I didn't feel would be viewed as normal. I never wanted anyone to know what I could do, and I never met anyone else who had the same traits. Maybe if I had, I would have tried practicing with them earlier. But for my whole life, they were just things that separated me from everyone else. I never had what would be considered a normal life here on Earth.”
“Are you sad about it? Do you wish you were different? Would you change it if you could?”
“I don't know.” Being honest with him was easy. “Growing up, I always imagined what it would be like to not have to hide. That I could go to school, date, grow up and have a family someday... I suppose, that for now, it is what it is. I can't change, and I know that. So I need to do what I can to make the best of it. Right now, I am trying to take one day at a time.”
I knew that being magically paired with Taryk meant I would never be free to fall in love with or marry another. It also meant he would most likely be the father to my heiress, and it felt strange to see him in that light. I’d been attracted to him when I first saw him, but I hadn’t envisioned it going this far, this fast. Then again, I hadn’t imagined most of this happening, so there was that.
As we approached the study door, he moved to make way for me to pass him, and the door swung open on its own. I looked at him in surprise, backing away a bit. The study door swung closed. I nodded for him to approach the door with me standing far enough back that there would be no way it would react to me.
Sure enough, the door swung open for him and allowed him access without me. He shrugged, I shrugged, and we carried on our way. The study made its own decisions apparently, and he had been granted permission to enter. Whether due to the fact that we were magically paired, or some other reason we had no clue about—perhaps Celeste’s influence—it looked like the decision had been made.
We headed down the previously hidden hallway to the training room. Now that I knew it existed, the bookshelves no longer hid it, and the room seemed to have been rearranged just enough to fit that shelf along the wall. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to a seemingly solid room that could reconfigure itself, but I had to admit, I found it pretty neat.
Taryk pulled a training mat to the center of the room and we took a seat facing each other. I asked him if he had seen the whole thing as I had, and he shook his head. His view had consisted of very bright lights in every color of the rainbow, but no solid vision. I gave him the brief version of what I had seen, explaining how both of our souls had superimposed over each other and surrounded us both at the same time.
I told him about the strands weaving together, and how the bond was actually formed. I explained that I believed that every strand of my Fae magic had been woven with his, to create an incredibly strong bond. The pairing of our magics had also united both individual halves of my magic, and it behaved as a single, cohesive, unit now. That made one less worry for me to check off the to-do list, at least.
He seemed in awe of the whole process and smiled. “That is incredible,” he breathed. “What an amazing sight to see.”
I had to agree. I admit that I had thought my own soul beautiful before, but with the two of us bonded, the sight was breathtaking.
“Everleigh, before we go any further there are some things I want to say to you. Please just listen, and then you can ask questions, okay?” I nodded. I could at least give him that, and I knew he would be honest with me.
“First and foremost, I will never, ever, ask anything more of you than you are comfortable with. There are some intimacies that just come along with being so closely bound to one another, but I do not expect anything from you. We will take this day by day. Learn to work with each other first and get to know each other. We are partners, and, I hope, friends.”
The relief on my face probably made my feelings obvious enough that I didn’t have to say a word, but I voiced my thanks for his understanding. I could feel that this was easier for him, quite probably because he had been raised knowing such things were possible. Either way, I appreciated his willingness to be patient with me as I learned.
“I don’t know how much your mom told you, but true magical pairings are rare. Very few beings find their one true mate. They are out there for many, but scattered across the realms and hard to find. It requires very close proximity, at the least, and usually physical contact, before the souls recognize each other. However, once the bond is formed, the magics of each are tied together. They blend and skills are shared. They feed off each other, in a way.”
It was pretty neat to hear how all of this worked, even more so now that it actually pertained to me and my situation. I hoped that the bond would help me learn to use my magic faster.
“Pairs can separate with no ill physical effects, however the magic will begin to behave differently. The longer we are apart, you will lose the ability to perform my magic, and vice versa. Magical pairs are usually drawn to each other, though, and want to be close to each other. Also, I am pretty sure that your scribe magic is still yours alone. I cannot access it or use it in any way. Any questions so far?”
At this point, I still felt way too embarrassed to start asking about love and marriage, so I just shook my head, and waited for him to continue. Hopefully he would cover that for me without my having to actually voice my concerns.
He smiled, gently, and continued. “My parents were a true magical pair. They told stories of feeling drawn to each other long before making the physical contact that created their bond.” You could tell by the look on his face while he told their story that he had loved them dearly, and I wondered about his mother. “As you know, both the Fae and mages have very long lives. Once they had formed their bond, they almost never spent time apart. I am the youngest of seven children, three brothers and three sisters.”
“You have six brothers and sisters?” Holy wow. I imagined what it must have been like to grow up in a family with that many kids. It seemed apparent that his childhood was filled with love, and he had fond memories.
His laugh was contagious, and I giggled little at my own outburst. “Yep. Six. Crazy times. I hope you will get to meet them some day. They all still live in the realm of Syntor. My mother was from the same realm that your and Xavier’s father ruled. When she and my dad became a pair, she joined him in his realm. This happened not long before the black mage attacked Amarys and took it over.”
I thought sadly of how the entire family, save Xavier, had been wiped out. The anger that had been so in danger of exploding before had simmered to a slow burn. It bubbled just below the surface, and gave me the fuel I needed to take her down. Xavier would reclaim the throne and take his rightful place as king. After I had returned him to his Fae form, of course.
“Syntor had, and still has, some of the best protections of any realm, second only to Earth. And for a while, it seemed the black mage was content to rule over the realm of Amarys only. It is the largest of the nine, and she made no advances toward any of the other realms for many years. However, it became apparent that she had only been biding her time and building her army. She had somehow discovered or created a way to siphon the magic from other beings.”
He paused, and I imagined he was thinking of his father. “That is how she had become powerful enou
gh to best your father. While a mage with that much magic is one of the few creatures that can kill a Fae as powerful as the king, it is not easy. And the king was supremely powerful.
“When she began advancing on other territories, something needed to happen. She could not be allowed to take over the entire universe. We believe that she didn’t begin to look to other territories until she had used up all of the magical sources in Amarys.”
“My father and your grandmother, along with some other very powerful beings, hatched a plan to imprison her, for what they hoped would be forever. You pretty much know how that turned out. So, here we are today.”
His posture alone told me he didn’t want to talk about his father’s death, and I certainly wasn’t going to push it. I could find out how she managed to escape from my mother later. Again, I couldn’t believe how one singular being could create so much misery. That anyone would be willing to steal magic from others, that she would do the terrible things she had done to Xavier and most likely others.
The more I thought about it, the more eager I became to give her a taste of her own medicine. We would see how she liked it when someone came along and stole her magic. Tit for tat, so to speak. Bullies only stayed bullies until someone bigger and badder came along to stand up to them. Well, guess what bitch. I would soon be on my way.
After our long-winded conversation, we began feeling out the extent of my new magical skills. I had seemed to have inherited, for lack of a better term, some of Taryk’s knowledge on how to use magic. So many new skills cropped up that I was able to perform effortlessly when I hadn’t even known I could do them the day before.
My shielding had become rock solid, and I learned to how to attack from behind it without endangering myself. I zapped myself more than once while attempting to perfect the skill, and quickly learned to begin with the small stuff and not try anything painful until I had positively mastered what I was trying to accomplish.
Isolation Page 10
