“So what you’re saying is that some Magicals get along better, not because of their personalities, but because of their magic?”
“Essentially,” he agreed. “It’s almost like you have to work together with your magic to find someone who complements both.”
I cringed. “So your magic could be drawn to someone’s magic even if you want nothing to do with them?”
“It’s possible, but not common.”
“Does being around that person make your magic stronger?” Questions were coming to me faster than I could ask them.
“No, not until the Binding.”
“Has your magic been drawn to another’s magic before?” I leaned so close to him that his breath brushed my face.
His eyes widened, and I slammed myself back and laced my fingers together. Cool it, Emmie. Why did I even ask? I squeezed my hands, fighting off nausea. Had Neil’s magic been touched by another? I wasn’t prepared for this kind of heartbreak.
Indecision danced across his face before he finally spoke. “It’s like a part of you—a part you have no control over—is always yearning for them, even when they’re not around. And when you are around them, your magic dances with joy and energy. Even if you aren’t bound or even dating them, the feelings can be pretty intense.”
“It sounds like you know this from experience.” My voice was tight as my throat closed up. I took a deep breath. “Have you felt this way about a Magical before?”
Neil avoided my eyes, his silence louder than anything he could have said.
Chapter 8
I tried to smother the immediate flash of jealousy at the thought of Neil’s magic being drawn to another girl. Logically, just because his magic reacted that way didn’t mean he had feelings for her. At least, according to what he said.
Did his magic have feelings for her? Did magic have feelings? How separate could he and his magic really be? Without my own magic guiding me, I had no idea what to think.
“Does their magic always reciprocate the match? Or is it like relationships, where one person can have feelings for the other and the other is unaware of it or doesn’t feel the same?” I tried to ask as casually as possible, wishing this was one area I could claim a bit more ignorance about. Unfortunately, unrequited crushes were my specialty.
“They don’t always reciprocate, but in most cases, I think it’s pretty common. If one responds well, most likely, the other Magical’s will also react positively.” He paused. “It’s hard to say, because this isn’t something most Magicals talk about with each other.”
A thrill ran through me at his admission that we were sharing something special.
“The more familiar you are with someone and their magic, the easier it is to get a general feel for it. It’s kind of like how you learn to read someone’s expression when you get to know them, but for a stranger it would be much harder.”
“But you said it’s common for magics to prefer one another?” I was overloaded with information, but I didn’t want to stop asking questions if Neil was willing to part with answers.
“Some types of Magicals have always had a history of Binding with certain Magicals.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm.” He spun his finger in a slow circle, creating a small cyclone of dead leaves and small twigs near his feet. “Are fire and water a good mix?”
“No,” I responded immediately. “Wait, so Fire Magicals and Water Magicals can’t bind?”
“It’s not that they can’t. It’s that they often don’t. When you Bind, you and your magic want to be in sync. Inherently, your magic is drawn toward certain types of magics.”
“So, your magic doesn’t make the choice for you, but it is a big part of the choice?” I asked.
“Definitely.”
“Does your magic influence your personality?”
“No, it’s completely separate from you.”
I gave him an incredulous look. “Except it’s apparently a pretty big part of you, and it also has a say in who you Bind with. So yeah, completely separate,” I agreed sarcastically.
Neil blew out a breath and raked a hand through his hair. “I’m not explaining this very well. Let’s say your magic is kind of like an animal. A whale otter would rather bind with another whale otter than a pegasus, right?”
“Whale otters and pegasi?”
He groaned. “Never mind.”
I cut him some slack and focused on what I did understand. “So, certain pairings must come more naturally.” I put the pieces together. “That’s why it’s so uncommon for people to have more than one magic, like you!” I smiled when the tips of Neil’s ears turned red. His modesty was one of his most endearing qualities. “So, is it weird for you having Earth and Air Magic?”
He chuckled. “No, my magic is a part of me and it feels natural. The fact that I can wield opposite elements doesn’t affect me too much.”
“How did your parents’ Binding work?”
“My dad specialized in two magics: Fire and Earth. And then my mom specialized in Air. My dad’s Fire Magic was stronger than his Earth Magic, so it had more of an influence during the Binding.”
“So where do Light and Dark Magicals come in then?” I leaned forward. Since Gray was a Light magical, he must have considered it before.
“They’re kind of an enigma,” he admitted. “A few of them pop up every generation or so, and no one really knows why. Most of the time, you have a fair idea, not one hundred percent certain, but a decent guess of what kind of magic your kid will have: either your magic or the magic of your bound one. But Light Magicals could come from any Magical pairing.”
“Interesting.” I circled back to the pairings. “So who do Light Magicals feel drawn to?” Even though Ivy had never told me she was interested in Gray, I still secretly hoped they would get together.
In the corner of my heart I reserved for my most unrealistic daydreams, I pictured myself binding with Neil, and Gray binding with Ivy. Even though we were already a family, I wanted the four of us to live happily ever after together. Right next to that dream, I pictured Herb and Lilian telling me how much they loved me and us living like a normal, happy family.
Neil’s brow furrowed. “I’ve never spoken to Gray about it directly.”
“You haven’t?”
Boys were so strange. If this was something I’d known about before, Ivy and I would’ve talked about it ages ago. Then again, maybe Ivy didn’t bring it up to spare my feelings.
“No, but my theory is Light Magicals could be drawn to any type of magic. Maybe it depends on the person.”
Well, that was better than him saying it wasn’t water. “And what about you?” My voice came out a whisper. In my head, I organized his fans by magic types, ready to rule any of them out that I could.
“My magic is…” he hesitated. “I’m not really sure,” he finally muttered.
“You’re not sure?” I repeated. “How are you not sure?” I barely restrained myself from shaking him by the shoulders and yelling, ”Just tell me who your magic is attracted to!”
He fidgeted. “Didn’t you want to hear about the other Exceptional Magics?”
I covered my disappointment with a fake smile. “All right.”
“There’s a boy in the grade below me, I believe his name is Elijah, who is called a Seer. That’s a Magical who can have visions of the future.”
“Wow. What academy is he in?”
“The Air Academy, I believe.”
“That sounds like a really useful ability.” I scuffed my foot against the floor.
He threaded his fingers together. “It is, but there are limitations.”
“Like?”
“From what I hear, he can’t really control when he has them. They just sort of happen. And the more detailed the vision is, the more exhausted he gets after.”
“Sounds dangerous. What if he had a vision that was too detailed, and he couldn’t stop it from taking too much of his energy?”
&n
bsp; “That’s the price of magic,” he said. “It’s a dangerous gift, and you have to learn how to control it. It’s probably rough without any other Seers at the school to teach him.”
A pang of sadness went through me. Thank goodness I had Henry and wasn’t alone like Eli.
“And then there’s you,” Neil continued softly. He turned and faced me so our knees were touching.
My mood plummeted even further. “Yes, the oddity who doesn’t have magic.”
“You know that’s not true, Emmie. You have magic. It just hasn’t manifested yet. Headmistress Elsie wouldn't let you stay otherwise, no matter how much money your parents donate.”
“Which makes me what, a freak? Everyone else's magic manifested at eight years old, Neil. It’s been seven years since then, and I’m no closer to using magic than I was the first time I failed the Inquiry.”
“Just because you can’t use your magic doesn’t mean it isn’t inside of you. You know it’s in there. Even Dad says so. Every time you come to our house, he makes some comment or another about it.”
“Do I?” I countered hotly. “I have no idea what’s inside of me. I don’t know for sure that I have magic in me. I can’t use it like the rest of you. And I’ll never be able to feel what you feel when your magics meet. I’ll never Bind with someone.” By the end, I was almost yelling at Neil, even though he didn’t deserve it. I was actually mad at myself. Why couldn’t I be normal? If I were anyone else, I could at least entertain the hope of binding with Neil.
“Emmie, your magic is in there.” He pulled me toward him and enveloped me in a hug.
His hug unlocked my worries and my feelings spilled out of my mouth. “I don’t belong here, Neil.”
He held me by the shoulders and pushed me away. “Of course you belong. You’re a part of our group.”
I shook my head. “I don’t fit in without magic.”
His mouth fell open. “Don’t be stupid. How could you say that?”
I shrugged off his hands. “It isn’t stupid. You, Gray, and Ivy are amazing Magicals, and then there’s me. Even if I had magic, you three would still be, like, a step up, but I don’t have any magic. I don’t deserve my spot in the group.”
Neil’s eyes narrowed. “Having magic isn’t what makes you one of us.”
I closed my mouth. How could Neil ever understand what it was like?
He leaned closer. “We like you as a person, Emmie. You help me loosen up when I’m too uptight, you accept Gray’s terrible jokes, and you balance out Ivy’s insatiable need for gossip and keep her level-headed.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and I pushed out of his hold. “Thanks, Neil.” I stared at the ground. “Actually, I remembered I needed to...” I hurriedly racked my brain for an excuse. “Clean my room. I gotta go.”
What a terrible excuse. I was a coward. I pretended I didn’t hear him call after me and quickly disappeared into the night.
Two days later, I hurried to the willow tree after class. It was within the campus safety wards, but a far enough walk that most students found it too inconvenient, so it was a good spot to meet.
I skidded to a halt. Some boy had my best friend pinned to the ground.
“What’s going on here?”
Gray stepped forward. “Ivy is getting her butt handed to her by Oliver.”
Neil cuffed the back of his head. “After the last dueling club, they wanted to have a controlled match.”
I turned to Gray. “That’s your friend Oliver?”
Oliver stood and dusted his hands on his pants. “Sorry, Hart. Better luck next time,” he teased before offering his hand to a blushing Ivy.
She allowed him to pull her up. “Finished already?” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was just getting warmed up.”
“I’m up for another round.” Oliver flashed her a smile, and they circled one another.
Without wasting a moment, Ivy flicked her hands out. The ground around him iced over and surged toward him. I’d seen her use that move on Gray and Neil often enough to know her goal was to trap his feet in ice.
Oliver’s expression didn’t change. He stomped his foot, releasing a minor earthquake.
The ground ebbed and flowed like it was the tide and Oliver the moon. With him at the epicenter of destruction, the sheet of ice cracked and shattered.
Ivy took a step closer and swung her arms in a wide arc, flinging a sheet of water toward him.
Quickly, he lifted both palms in the air and summoned a shield. The earth rose to answer his call, and a wall formed between them, harmlessly deflecting her attack.
She gritted her teeth and brought her hands together. When she separated her palms, a tiny marble of ice floated between her hands. She turned and flung it toward the wall of earth. It barely made a dent.
Oliver grinned smugly. “Is that all you’ve got?”
She closed her eyes and put the tips of her fingers together before jerking her hands apart. Oliver’s wall collapsed, filling the air with a cloud of dust. Ivy’s little marble of ice had expanded into a giant ball of water and burst it from the inside. The water shrank to its original size and zoomed back to her open palm. “Not quite.”
Gray’s mouth hung open, but Oliver broadened his stance and crooked a finger at her. “Let’s dance, princess.”
Were they fighting or flirting?
Oliver sent clods of earth the size of her head flying toward Ivy. Oliver focused a lot on using the earth immediately around him and only rarely used its range to his advantage, unlike Henry, who had a deadly blend of melee and ranged attacks mixed into his fights. Henry would wipe the floor with him. Oliver was a natural, but he was clearly a beginner, and Henry had years of experience on him.
Ivy deflected each projectile with a whip of water. But Oliver was on the attack, and it looked like all she could do was deflect. He threw a few more balls of earth toward her, but he shifted his feet. It was the same thing Henry did when he decoyed. Ivy blocked the last ball, looking down too late as her feet got swallowed by the earth.
Her water whip fell to the ground, breaking apart on impact and leaving a trail of soaked earth from his cocky figure to her trapped one.
“Give up?” His voice was laced with amusement.
Next to me, Gray chuckled, and I elbowed him in the side.
“Not quite.” Ivy raised her hands, and her whip sprang from the ground. While Oliver had been gloating, Ivy’s water had inched across the ground until it was right next to him. She wrapped it around his ankles and pulled before he had a chance to react.
He hit the ground with a loud thud that made me wince in sympathy. I was all too familiar with that feeling.
“You’re really something else.” His face was pressed to the ground, but it sounded like he was still smiling.
As he shoved himself up, the earth around Ivy’s feet turned into quicksand. It sucked her down until only her head was visible, sticking out of the ground like a pretty blonde flower.
“Now do you give up?” Oliver got to his feet and dusted himself off.
Ivy’s eyes dropped closed in frustration. “Yes.” The word rang out in the silence of the aftermath of their fight.
Oliver crooked his finger at her again. The earth spit her out into his arms. He leaned close to her ear. “Great fight, though. Very stimulating.” He grinned wickedly, not the least bothered when she pushed away.
I blushed. If Neil whispered in my ear like that, I’d melt.
She stomped toward me, and I helped dust her off.
Unfortunately, Gray spoke first. “And that’s why Earth Magic can beat Water Magic.”
I shot him a warning look and Neil quickly stepped away. It was too late. The air above him filled with water and dropped, drenching his hair and shirt.
“At least Water Magic has no trouble beating you,” Ivy said.
Gray held his hand over his heart dramatically. “You wound me, Ivy.” But then his trademark grin broke through. “Luckily for you, my healin
g magic can take care of any damage you do.” He winked at her before pulling his shirt over his head and wrung it out, grinning despite the slight shivers that wracked his body.
Ivy coughed and looked away from Gray. She still wasn’t accustomed to his antics like me. It didn’t even faze me anymore when he randomly stripped off his shirt.
Neil shook his head and snapped his fingers, and the water on Gray hissed and evaporated.
“Ouch.” Gray hopped from one foot to the other while he patted down his hair. “Too hot, Neil. Too hot!” Gray shot Neil an injured look. “Next time, can you be a bit more careful?”
“Next time can you be a bit more respectful?” Neil’s grin convinced me that any extra heat had definitely been no accident.
Oliver walked over and held out his hand to me. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Oliver Naylor.”
“Emmie Lyland.” Over the oddity of him fighting my best friend, my anxiety returned. A strange tingle went through my hand when we shook.
Oliver pierced me with a probing look. “What Academy are you in again?”
I tried to pull my tingling hand free. “Actually, I’m undeclared.”
“Interesting.”
As refreshing as it was to not be teased like so many other kids did, I was almost equally uncomfortable with his continued inspection.
Neil cleared his throat and stepped forward, shooting Oliver a warning look. Oliver glanced at him and dropped my hand but continued to study me intently.
“Oliver’s the Tracker we talked about the other day—the one who can follow your Magical imprint.” Neil stepped between Oliver and me.
Oliver shot him a wry grin. “He makes it sound more impressive than it is. It’s pretty difficult for me to use my magic sometimes, but the more familiar I am with someone’s magic, the easier it is to find them.” He glanced at the hand I rubbed against my skirt. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. “Oh, sorry if my magic made you uncomfortable. I hear it tends to shock people a little bit the first time we meet.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “W-why does it shock people?”
Unleashed Magic (The Chronicles of Andar Book 1) Page 10
