Magic Hour (DayBreak Book 2)

by Meco Brown

  I turned to face her once again, and halted, realizing she was gone.

  When suddenly, I sensed her up above. She jumped the vast distance between us, aiming her blade for my head! Our blades met again, striking together with such wild fierceness, it actually surprised me that neither blade shattered.

  “Your sword is impressive!” She yelled.

  “Just wait till you actually feel it inside of you!” I screamed and felt a deep form of hatred, more vengeful than the deep ocean that surrounded Mother Earth, building inside of me.

  The general and I traded a vicious flurry of hacks and slashes, never seeming to physically harm one another. When out of nowhere, my sword sliced deep through the armor on her shoulder.

  “That was for Lydia,” I said quickly.

  She let out a devilish laugh,“A year ago, I would have been shocked by all of this; Witches, you wanting me dead, me wanting you dead. Back when I was still a child, blind to what really went bump in the night, when my innocent heart would have been aghast at the sight of my own blood.” She said and cocked her head to one side.“Oh, but wait, it isn't my blood, is it?” She said cockily, and rubbed her finger over the cut in her armor, and showed me.

  No, I thought to myself. Her finger was glowing a sparkling purple. Her armor is infused with the blood of a dead witch. It's how she's just as fast as I am. They really have thought of everything, when it comes to taking down a witch. She's literally, the perfect war machine.

  “Now, however, nothing bothers me. Witches, all over the world need to be stopped, vanquished!”

  She leaped toward me, slicing downward! I ducked, and speedily ran past her and behind a bricked wall. This roof top was large, and there are plenty of places to hide. Perhaps I could take her out by surprise. I knew that I couldn't keep this up, though. I felt my energy wearing down, as the fight went on.

  I needed to think smarter, and finish this before my magic is completely gone.

  “This is normal, you and I. This... is war. It's part of you, just as it's part of me. No longer can we remove ourselves from the field of battle. The Nioeaon had made sure of that, long ago.” She said.

  I kept my back against the wall, slowly peaking around it, my eyes locked on her. She lifted her blade, it glinted, looking every bit as deadly as it actually was. My hand tightened around my own sword, while watching her. The Red Throne Society, are convinced they can save or heal the world, if they eliminate witches everywhere. Their next stop would most likely be Olah, and I couldn't allow that. That is why I must finish this right here. I needed to cut deeper into her armor, down into her flesh if I wanted to get the job done.

  “Come... on... out... little mouse.” she sang in a childlike tone, taunting me, seeing my hiding as a cowardly move.

  “My people and I are known for killing witches; But did you know we kill humans too? Yeah, we tend to kill those who get mixed up in witch business. So, your so-calledmate, will meet the end of my blade, I'll see to that, personally.” She began laughing wickedly.

  I silently leaned against the brick wall, surrounded by enemies, mentally drained, physically drained, and all magic just about depleted. But the anger that rose within my body, consumed me, upon hearing her threaten Taideo. I lost him once, he died and came back, and I'll be damned if someone takes him away from me again. She had clearly struck a chord, one I knew she'd soon regret.

  I stormed towards her, propelling forward with a new level of speed that strangely eluded me.

  “There you are!” She screeched, swinging her blade like a mad-woman, trying to work past my defense, but to no avail, my speed and strength was heavily amplified, and easily blocked each strike, and in retaliation, I delivered numerous blows, that thankfully shattered her electric blade, and that frightened her.

  The general was tiring rather quickly, and the more pieces of armor I shattered, the slower she became.

  “Yes,” She exclaimed,“A-are you the one? The one to finally end me?” She asked with a heavy breath.

  “Only one way to find out,” I said, my voice thriving with darkness.

  “Well come at me, witch!”

  I cast every ounce of telekinetic energy around my sword, charging the ancient weapon. I launched at her, my body drifted upward into a forward somersault. She brought her hand up to protect herself, just as my blade sliced clean through her forearm, piercing armor, flesh and bone!

  A mixture of red and purple blood squirted out of her, as muffled screams emerged from behind her metallic mask. Her entire body went rigid, as she watched her detached limb roll around the ground.

  The general stared up at me for a long minute, as if she couldn't believe what I had just done. As if she thought this were a game.

  “You'll pay for this,” She grunted, sliding backwards, nearing the edge of the building.

  “Don't you even think about it!” I flung my arm, hoping to pull her back with my power, but nothing happened. My energy was gone. The general took this moment and leaped off the building.

  Dammit, I thought to myself. Not wanting her to escape, but knowing full well, it was a good thing, because without any ounce of magic, I'm as good as dead.

  I raised my head wearily, eyeing the robotic limb and grabbed it. Without another word or thought, I placed my sword on my back, feeling it sheathe itself, and turned to head back home.

  12

  INTERROGATION

  I saw the sky, and a deep cover of trees in front of me, as I climbed over a small hillside. The sun kept fading in and out behind huge gray and black thunderheads, that swept in from out of nowhere. Welcome home, I thought to myself. Standing on quivering legs, I held onto the crystallized blood of a dragon. Anger and frustration filled me as I stared up my home.

  Lydia didn't have to die, another name added to the list of death's I could have prevented. I thought. At least, for the moment I was safe- granted, my clothes were frayed, I was heavily fatigued and dirty, but still, for the moment, I was indeed safe.

  I felt as if I were going insane, though. Every so often, Lydia's face wavered in and out of my mind, like a weakened ghost, haunting me for being the reason she died. If only I was stronger, or made a different choice. I wish I possessed the strength and skill to go back in time, but magic of that nature is completely out of my reach.

  The Nioeaon are the only ones who possess such a great control of magic. They wouldn't bestow such power on someone like me, and even if they would, I couldn't even allow myself to ask them of such a thing. Knowing they are the sole reason our kind is being haunted by the Red Throne Society, I want nothing to do with them, and once my coven figures it out, neither will they.

  Moving carefully, I made my way to my bedroom, brought my legs to the side of it and fell on my stomach. My muscles weak, and my magic drained from overuse. I closed my eyes, the memory of Lydia's death still very much vivid, and would leave my mind bruised for the many years to come. But for now, my body needed to recover, my muscles, stamina, and magic needed to return. I closed my eyes, and rested.

  It was extremely hard, the next morning, to argue with the part of me that was positive yesterday really happened. I had a powerful weapon- the sword of Selena, I had the crystallized blood of a dragon, but Lydia was dead. The second death was brought upon her, by the Red Throne Society; And in the back of my head, I feared what would happen once Gregory found out. I did however, have time until he would show. Gregory left me a letter, explaining he would return soon, that he has left Olah, in order to acquire a home for he and Lydia a few states over. Ending the letter with a 'thank you'. Which left me feeling oddly cold.

  By the time I showered, siphoned what energy I could from the sun and arrived downstairs, my coven was all waiting for me in the living room.

  “Hello cousin,” Lillian said,“where have you been?” Her voice nearly inflamed with a huff of anger. I should have known Lillian would have seen everything, her power of premonition is a gift I sometimes wish I had. She can see just about anythin
g, and I'm positive she shared her premonition with everyone else. I stared back at each of them, noticing that Brock wasn't here. I remained silent.

  “Airius, you need to explain yourself. What were you thinking?” Aviva asked me.

  I sighed, reluctant to answer.“Everything I do, is for Taideo. You all know this.”

  “But a fellow witch is dead!” Esmond shouted, and stood to his feet.

  “Do you honestly believe I wanted Lydia to die? I tried to save her.” I barked loudly.

  “Perhaps she would have survived, if you bought us along with you, Airius.” Chloe informed me.

  I shook my head,“No, I wouldn't risk any of you. I had to do this solo. Trust me, with the Red Throne Society and all those demons, one of us would have gotten hurt, or worse.”

  “Do you hear yourself, Airius? We're all stronger together. Separately we're powerful, but it doesn't make us invincible! Together, we have true power. You seem to forget that, cousin.” Lillian said.

  My eyes shifted out into the front yard, spotting Brock and Maria both walking together. My eyes shifting restlessly between them, feeling the burn of jealousy claw its way up my chest.

  “Pay no attention to them, Airius” Lillian said.

  “Let's all just try and calm down, shall we?” Aviva muttered.“Airius, we know that you're willing to do any and everything for Taideo. You've done so much already. Traveled to the Elder Kingdom, retrieved the awakening spell, and found two of the main ingredients, which is a wonderful thing.”

  I crossed my arms, annoyed.“Where are you going with this, Aviva?”

  She stood, and took a half step towards me.“Why don't you let us, take over for right now?”

  “Take over?” I questioned.

  She nodded.“Yes, transfer the light to one of us, we'll see the next piece of the spell, go fetch it and come back home; Where we'll transfer it to someone else.” She finished.

  “That's not such a bad idea,” Esmond let out,“that way you can get some rest.”

  “I'll think about it.” I turned away from them, aiming for the door.

  “Airius!” Lillian yelled, causing me to freeze in my tracks. After a very short moment, I twisted my body and faced her.“You're no use to Taideo dead. So,stop being so hard-headed.” She says to me. I turned again, heading towards the door.“As your creator,” Lillian spat out dramatically, forcing me to stop in my tracks once again, but not out of my own will, but of hers.“I want you, to pass the light to me.” She demanded.

  Being that Lillian is the one who turned me into a witch, she is my creator, my maker, in essence my mother. She is also the head of our coven. Therefore, Lillian has a power over me, that I wish to God she didn't possess. It is a gift that she used on me once before, and promised to never do it again, until now. I rushed over to her, and our hands automatically met, causing the light to flow out of me and into her.

  “So much for keeping promises.” I let out, eyeing Brock and Maria as they walked inside.

  Lillian's palm lit with a powerful bright light, as the next ingredient was revealed.“Fairy dust?” Lillian said.

  “Fairy dust?” Brock questioned,“All we need to do is take some of Airius's blood.” He said, grinning widely.“Too soon?”

  Aviva and Chloe nodded, trying to hold in a smile.

  I saw red for a moment,“If anyone of you do this and fail, you may as well consider me an apostate.” I turned and vanished upstairs in a blur, rushing across my room and landing on my balcony.

  I snarled, swiping my hand across an invisible face. My head fell down, and a deep, lonely sigh escaped my lips.

  “Please don't fail.” I whispered, and felt the sun emerge from the clouds and beat down on the balcony. I turned my face to the sky and basked in the sun like a cat, allowing my thoughts to wonder.

  There's always that sudden spark in life, that defining moment that sets the path of who you're bound to be. Sometimes they're small, subtle moments. Other times they're painful and quite wicked. But it's the strength of your will, that carries you toward your one true destiny. I was born to love Taideo. He is my destiny.

  “Uh, Airius?” A voice called out, pulling me from my thoughts. I blinked, pulling back to myself, and turned, finding Maria looking a tad bit nervous. I followed her line of sight, glancing around, my body jerked with a sudden realization of what I'd unknowingly done. There was so much charged telekinetic energy coursing through my system that it coated the area, lifting nearly everything around. Rocks and boulders, potted plants, the stone bench and litter floated in the air, as did several things in my bedroom.

  “Oh, sorry,” I said, and a second later, it all fell to the ground.

  “That's quite a gift you have there,” Her lips turned up into a friendly smile. I simply nodded.

  “So,are you and Brock a thing now?” I asked, generally curious. She gave a mild chuckle and walked over and leaned on the railing. I peeked over, and caught a brief hint of hesitation.

  “Taideo's my best friend, I know him better than anyone, which means I know how he talks and acts, what he's feeling even when he says nothing, because we've known each other since we were in the second grade. The moment Brock pretended to be Taideo, I knew something was off.” She admitted, causing me to smile. I knew she couldn't have been that slow. Maria's a smart cookie.

  “So that's why you're here? To check on Taideo? You literally left everything you've known just to be here?”

  “Taideo isn't just important to you, he's important to me as well. We've been through a lot, and grown closer over years. So,the fact that someone was pretending to be him, and was trying to get me here, didn't sit well with me.” Maria said and waved her hand thought her dark glossy hair. "I thought Taideo was in some sort of trouble, if I came here, then maybe I could save him." She said, and took a deep breath. "Turns out something was wrong, I just couldn't save him."

  “So, the other day at dinner, you already knew Taideo wasn't Taideo?”

  Maria nodded.“During that explosion, I took shelter inside the bus station, and not long after Taideo showed up, I immediately knew it wasn't him. He walked with this new-foundconfidence, he didn't slouch and not to mention, when I hugged him, it felt like I ran into a brick wall.”

  I grinned and nodded.“I see.”

  “Plus, he didn't have the slightest clue as to what I was talking about, when I brought up Mississippi or our friends.”

  “You know it's dangerous for you to be here, right? Putting yourself in the middle of a coven isn't safe.”

  “I know, Airius. Demons, witches, the Nioeaon, the Red Throne Society and those Skinwalkers, I will be sure to not open my mouth, I promise.”

  “How exactly did you know about all of this?”

  She crossed her arms and faced me.“It's amazing how much a guy is willing to talk when he likes you.” She said happily, and flashed me a smile.

  I couldn't help but think about when Taideo and I first exchanged our secrets. I knew what I felt for him, and knew I told him what I did partly because I really did like him. I felt a smile tugging at my lips, and I glanced over at Maria.“My cousin's a good man, Maria. If he felt strongly enough to want you here, then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to really get to know him. It won't be easy, but love isn't supposed tobe.”

  I turned and headed back inside, crossing the threshold into my bedroom.

  “Hey, Airius,” Maria called out to me. I stood there, waiting for her to say what she needed to say.“Ms. Chestnut didn't mean what she said. You just have to understand what she is going through. But, I can promise you this; If you can find a way to bring Taideo back, wake him up, she'll forgive you.”

  I turned to face her.

  “Thank you,” I said, and offered a friendly grin.

  13

  DECISIONS, DECISIONS

  Time began to trickle along; much quicker than even I would have imagined. Out of nowhere, Christmas was upon us. Today is December 25th, and it was one of the most loneline
ss times of my existence. The best gift, whether it being Christmas or not, are often the things you don't ask for. There was nothing I needed, except one thing, something my family fought tirelessly to give me. I wanted Taideo, and I knew that Ms. Chestnut did as well. Even though she didn't wish to see me, I thought leaving a gift for Ms. Chestnut would at least put her in good spirits. So that night, when she left Taideo's hospital room to stretch her legs, I left a picture of she and Taideo in a corner chair; And before leaving, placed a single kiss on the warm lips of my love, and wished him a Merry Christmas.

  Over the next couple of weeks, my family managed to find a few more ingredients for the spell. Lillian already found the fairy dust.

  Brock and Maria together found griggle root, which is part of a mystical plant, found in the Mediterranean region, as well as the bark from a slippery elm tree.

  Chloe found a patch of aster flowers and Esmond found smaller but much needed items, such as spiritual candles, various blessed oils and blood from Taideo himself.

  Payton, however hasn't come home since her little episode at Ms. Chestnut's home.

  It was just past 10 that morning, when Aviva returned home from gathering another piece of the spell, transferring the light back to me, and taking me down into our alter room. She brought me to the table that held each of the ingredients for the awakening spell, showing me the newly acquired item.

  “A suka plant?” I asked, admiring its unique beauty. It was a strange white and yellow plant, nearly seven inches tall. It's bright oblong leaves and vines curved upward, twisting into the shape of a woman.

  “We're lucky I found this in time Airius, they grow once every four years.” Aviva said, touching my shoulder.

  It is no coincidence, that quite a few plants play an important role in this ritual. Flowers, herbs and various trees possess extremely high healing properties; They have and always will be, intrinsically linked with magic.

  “We're one step closer,” She said, and I nodded in agreement.“I just,” Aviva said and paused.