Discord

by E A Foley

  “Is practicing here a good idea?”

  “Why don’t we go to Gemina Terra?”

  “Have you made any progress with concealment magic?”

  “Any other questions?”

  “What’s on the docket for today?”

  Iris scanned the eleven faces looking back at her. She gave them a few more seconds to ask questions before answering those previously asked. “Yes, it’s safe to practice here as a whole group,” she emphasized the last four words. “Worst-case scenario, Nimbus and I are strong enough to form barriers around everyone to keep attacks at bay while you all form doorways and leave. Like we’d planned the day we got back to Earth.” Iris grimaced at the memory. Her eyes unfocused for a few seconds before she gave herself a quick shake and continued.

  “We can’t go to Gemina Terra because the more times we form a link there, the more opportunities someone else has of copying the magic and traveling there themselves. Which would cause the destruction of the creatures on Gemina Terra or the whole planet. We’ve made some progress with concealing power from another magic user which Nimbus will teach you all today.”

  “Why Nimbus? Why not you?” Thorin asked before Iris could continue.

  “Because I haven’t managed the skill. And no,” she held up a hand before the four opening mouths asked follow-up questions. “I don’t know why I can’t.”

  “Any theories?” Sienna called.

  Iris spread her hands out and shrugged her shoulders. “The only thing I can come up with is my being an Oculus Prismatic. I’m not positive, but I don’t think Mr. Moreno has ever concealed his magic from me. Now, that might be a coincidence as I rarely run into the guy or have reason to search out his location, but it may explain why other people do his dirty work.”

  “Or he could just be a jerk,” Kyxy added.

  “Pretty sure that’s already evident,” Kylee scoffed. “And we haven’t even met the guy.”

  “I’d like to keep it that way. Any final questions? No? Good. Nimbus?”

  “All right. Everyone ready?”

  The surrounding group nodded. Iris took a few steps back, closed her eyes, and focused on searching out Jaden, Zarina, Morrigan, and Brett. Even though she wasn’t concerned about them showing up, she figured there was no reason to tempt fate. The tiniest of blips told her Morrigan was at home for once. She wondered if her once-friend’s classes had started yet.

  Power flared in Davis. It belonged to Jaden. She concentrated on the magic he used. He was searching for her while she searched for him. She wondered if her magic tipped him off to what she was doing—like it used to with Brett. Iris maintained her magical connection with Jaden for several minutes. His power faded but didn’t disappear. She tripled the amount she funneled into her request to maintain her connection to him. Wondered if he’d drained himself much like she had a habit of doing. She thought about switching her request to see what he saw.

  “Iris? Sweetheart?” Nimbus rubbed her shoulder.

  “Sorry, what?” She opened her eyes.

  “You’re using a ton of power. Is everything all right?”

  Iris looked past Nimbus. All ten of her friends stared at her. “Sorry.” She apologized to the group. “I wanted to make sure no one followed us here.” Their looks told her to continue her explanation. “I think Jaden tried to determine where I am but he used too much power. I had to increase the amount of flows I expelled to make sure he remained in Davis.”

  “And?” Rowen called.

  “Still at Zarina’s.”

  “You can pinpoint our locations that accurately?” Rozlynd asked in astonishment.

  “I can. Can you?” Iris asked Nimbus.

  “No,” he shook his head. “I get a more broad sense. I’d be able to tell that he was in Davis and perhaps the region, but not the exact location. I wonder if that has something to do with your inability to conceal yourself.”

  “That’s an interesting thought. We’ll have to discuss it later. Sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to disturb your practice. Or scare you,” she added.

  Iris took a seat in the shade of a few palm trees and watched Nimbus teach the lesson. Though Iris tried and tried, she couldn’t conceal her magic for even a second. Even so, elation filled her at the end of the two-hour practice session. Violet, Aerianna, Sienna, and Gavin were all able to conceal their abilities as magic users for at least three minutes. Sometimes longer. The other six managed anywhere from a few seconds to thirty seconds.

  When Iris took a moment to analyze who fell into what category, she realized it was more difficult for the natural magic users to conceal their magic than those who had to practice vigilantly to master skills. This more than anything shed light on her own inabilities. Since most of her friends were mentally exhausted and magically drained by the end of practice, Iris formed her doorway home. It was a big mistake.

  Black rectangles appeared around them. They obscured the pristine skies of their practice island. Iris dismissed her doorway before anyone took more than a few steps toward it. She pulled more flows into her being. Requested a barrier surround her and her friends. A few of Jaden’s followers were caught inside as they exited their bridges. Before the one next to him released any magic, Rowen punched the guy so hard he knocked him out cold.

  “Ow. Fuck! Mother . . . Ow! I think I broke my hand. That looks way easier in the movies,” Rowen exclaimed. He held his right hand in his left and walked in a small circle as he tried to control the pain.

  Cirrus filled with power. He contained the other two unwanted guests in individual barriers. Though they tried, any magic they expelled remained trapped inside their small barriers. “I can’t keep this up for long,” Cirrus called. Strain filled his voice. Sweat beaded on his forehead from effort, not the sun.

  Iris drew in more flows and made a second request. Her double doors appeared a few feet in front of her. “After you guys.”

  “Thank you, my lady.” Thorin gave Iris a mock bow and stepped through first. He waved jovially at their unwanted guests on his way off the island.

  Everyone else filed through quickly. The twelve minions outside the barriers Iris and Cirrus maintained stopped hurling attacks at them. Iris decreased the barrier’s size as more of her friends left the island.

  “You can release them now,” she told Cirrus. “They’re outside my barrier.”

  “Whew! Thanks! I’m not sure how much longer I could have maintained those. With how drained I already was, I’m not sure how I created those barriers in the first place.” He smiled at her and stepped into her living room.

  “Rowen, you all right?” Iris asked as he approached her.

  “Just fine. Kylee healed me up in no time. Can I go punch another one?”

  “I’m good to heal him at least a dozen more times,” Kylee interjected before Iris responded.

  “As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, the answer is no.”

  “Way to take all the fun out of life,” Rowen said with a huge smile that showed he only joked.

  “Next time. I promise,” Iris grinned back.

  Nimbus waited for her on the threshold of her doors.

  “Go ahead. I’ll be right being you.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret,” he told her.

  “I won’t. Don’t worry,” she promised. His ability to read her was uncanny.

  She waited a few more seconds for him to step through before closing her doors behind him. She kept the doorway in place as she remained on the island. She didn’t want her friends to hear what she said.

  “I hope every one of you reports what happened here back to Jaden. I am not inclined to hurt you, but if you try to attack my friends and me a third time, I will not hesitate to kill every one of you.”

  Iris glared at the fourteen cronies still standing. She tried to commit each one’s face to memory. A few looked vaguely familiar. Either she’d seen them in the castle or on one of the occasions Jaden attacked her. None of th
em were ones she’d seen in the glade with Brett and Mr. Moreno. Perhaps they each had their own followers. She’d have to figure that one out at some point.

  “Have a lovely rest of your day,” Iris waved. She opened her doorway, altered her barrier into a shield that protected the opening of her doors, and stepped through. A dozen blasts hit her shield and dissipated. She shook her head. Closed her door. Dismissed her requests but held onto a significant amount of power.

  Iris searched out Jaden. Found him at Zarina’s. She altered her request. Demanded to see what he saw. The asshole sat on the couch, Zarina curled up next to him, watching TV. He’d sent his cronies to do his dirty work. Before she stopped to think about what she did, Iris formed her doorway into Zarina’s living room.

  Chapter 20

  Iris pulled her doorway open. She kept her hand on the handle as she took a step forward. Anger flooded her at the sight of Jaden and Zarina sitting on the couch like they had no cares in the world. Like they hadn’t just ordered over a dozen people to attack her and her friends. Iris’s eyes flared.

  “At least have the decency to attack me yourself,” she yelled and slammed her door shut. This time she released all flows before stalking down the hall to her room.

  “Don’t,” someone said behind her.

  “Why not?” Nimbus asked.

  “She wants to be alone,” Cirrus said. “Trust me on this one. We should respect that.”

  Iris slammed her bedroom door shut. The knock fifteen seconds later wasn’t unexpected.

  “Want to get dinner and see a movie?” Nimbus asked as he opened the door.

  “Yes. I do,” Iris said rather than yelling at him to get out like she’d planned. “Let me change.”

  “Okay. I’ll be in the living room.”

  Iris nodded. Nimbus backed out of her room and closed the door behind him. A soft murmuring of words filtered down the hall. She assumed Nimbus told them what she said. Magic filled the apartment a few moments later. Several people formed doorways. When Iris reentered her living room, only Nimbus remained.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Ready,” Iris agreed.

  She took his outstretched hand and let him lead her outside. Iris locked the front door behind her and wrapped an arm around Nimbus’s waist on the way to her car. He rubbed her hip, pulled her closer, and kissed the top of her head. Iris allowed the stress of a few minutes earlier to fade away.

  “What’s good around here?” Nimbus asked as he took the car keys from her and climbed into the 4Runner’s driver’s seat.

  “How do you feel about Thai?”

  “Sounds delicious.”

  “And a few drinks?”

  “No problem.” He smiled at her and leaned over to give her a kiss before stepping on the clutch and turning the key in the ignition.

  Iris fussed with the radio until she found a song that suited her mood. She ignored Nimbus’s glance. Was glad he didn’t tell her to change the station. She agreed with the lyrics. There was something inside her that wasn’t right. If only she could figure it out and remake herself into something better. Before she brought destruction down on top of all her friends.

  A night out was precisely what Iris needed. Though her anger at Jaden still permeated her being, she had a good time. It took her until half-way through her second drink to realize this was their first official date out. When she told Nimbus as much, he just smiled a perfect half-smile at her and caressed her cheek.

  They skipped the movie in favor of dessert and another round of drinks. Nimbus drove a tipsy Iris home and spent the night. The twinges of normalcy crept into her being as she used his arm as a pillow and listened to his breathing as he sank deeper into the comforting arms of sleep.

  Nimbus left before Iris got up the following morning. He left her a note saying he had an early appointment that morning and he’d see her that afternoon. Iris hummed as she got ready for her ten am class. She decided it was past time to do something about Jaden. Now she had to figure out what.

  No brilliant ideas came to her as she showered or while she rode the bus to campus. Unlike the rest of her friends, she ignored the calendar and offers for rides to and from campus. She wanted Jaden to know she didn’t feel threatened by him. Even hoped he’d attack her.

  Iris had to shut the magic-focused side of her brain down so she could concentrate on class. Somehow she managed it with little trouble. Perhaps taking the night off to do something normal had been the best thing for her. If she could keep some aspects of normalcy in her life, everything else would be more manageable.

  After class, Iris headed to her shift at the lab. She maintained her focus and got twice as much done as she had the last few weeks combined. She hummed a recent band song as she locked up and headed to the bus terminal at the back of campus. It took several minutes for Iris to realize the prickling sensation at the back of her neck was back.

  With a grimace and a clenched jaw, Iris pulled a trickle of power into her being. She searched for Jaden but couldn’t locate him. She drew in more flows. Extended her search radius. A whoosh of air ruffled her hair. The magic hadn’t come from Jaden. It came from Brett. Iris lessened the power she drew into her being and switched her focus from Jaden to Brett.

  He was following her. She kept heading toward the bus. Brett sent a second whoosh of air at her. A little stronger than the first one. Iris looked over her shoulder. Brett stopped, turned away from her, and started walking. Iris hesitated. It seemed like he wanted her to follow him, but she wasn’t sure she should. Curiosity won.

  Brett headed toward the center of campus. Iris trailed behind him a few dozen steps. He didn’t alter his pace. She maintained her following distance. He clearly wanted to talk to her. Iris used the power she still held to search out any other magic users nearby. She didn’t need her friends or enemies knowing she’d followed Brett at his insistence.

  Iris knew Brett was heading to the library. She extended her search and checked for any magic users in the building before following him in. He was halfway up the stairs leading to the second floor as Iris entered the building. She trailed him but sped up to see where he went.

  He continued up to the fourth floor. Walked to the back of the building and stepped into the men’s bathroom. A few seconds later, he formed a doorway. Iris rushed to the women’s bathroom and made sure it was empty before entering a stall and pulling more power into her being. She needed to follow him.

  Iris concentrated on the residual magic linking her to Brett’s new location. She formed and requested her doorway open wherever he’d gone. Before walking through, she placed a barrier around herself. Iris stepped out of her doorway and into a quiet, snow-covered glade—her private practice glade. She wondered why he came here of all places.

  Her feet sank a few feet into the soft powder as she stepped forward. She stopped. The terrain was too difficult to navigate. Iris focused on Brett. He angled his body away from her. Had his arms crossed high on his chest. His shoulders hunched forward. His posture was nothing like it’d been the last few times she’d seen him. He seemed different. Less defeated and more . . . upset.

  “Brett?” she called in concern.

  He turned his head to face her. Glowered at her and let a snort of air out of his nose.

  Iris furrowed her brows. She searched out his aura. Could only describe it as conflicted. But it wasn’t the same type of conflicted she’d felt a few days previous. Something had changed. He felt more angry than confused. Looked it too. Iris released her barrier. If she had any chance of figuring out what was going on, she’d have to show she trusted him. She tried to take another step forward. The snow kept her movements small.

  Brett tightened his grip and hunched his shoulders further. His aura flashed toward baffled. He didn’t know what to make of her actions. He refused to look at her for several long moments. Iris opened her mouth to ask if he was all right but he spoke over her.

  “Who is he?” Brett demanded.

  “W
ho is who?” Iris hadn’t a clue what he was on about.

  “The man you were out with last night.”

  Iris grimaced. Most of her concerns for Brett winked out in an instant. “So you’re back to stalking me again I see.”

  Brett threw his arms to his side. Brought his right hand up and pointed at Iris. Tilted toward her. “Tell me who he is!” he shouted.

  “Why do you care?”

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “Does it matter?”

  He shot a blast of air that swirled snow around Iris’s body before she stilled its movements.

  “Do not toy with me. Answer the question!” Brett turned toward her. Leaned forward with his chest. Pulled his hands into fists.

  “He is,” Iris said. She surprised herself with how calm she sounded.

  Brett’s entire body vibrated. He shook his head. “You are supposed to be mine.”

  Anger built in the pit of Iris’s stomach. “Am I now? With the way you’ve treated me?”

  “How is it even possible? You left for winter break with no love interests in your life and have only been back in Davis for three weeks.”

  “That’s a despicable level of stalking. Even for you.” Iris’s nostrils flared with her deep breaths. She tried to keep her emotions under control. Didn’t think she’d manage the feat with the warmth surging through her body.

  “How long have you known him?”

  “We met New Year’s Eve.” She wasn’t about to tell him what Eireann told her about their past lives.

  “You seemed much closer than . . . He was on Gemina Terra with you, wasn’t he? Figures,” he scoffed. “I’ve waited for you—loved you—since I can remember. You are mine. I will not let anyone else have you!”

  Brett took several struggling steps forward. Closed the fifteen-foot gap between them to ten.

  “You think with the way you’ve treated me I’d ever go out with you? You’ve caused me nothing but pain and suffering in more ways than I care to remember. Since I was seven, Brett. Seven!” Iris stopped trying to contain her anger.