by Stella Snow
Esther lifted her glass, everyone followed suit. “From Gaea, unto Gaea!”
Everyone returned her toast and drank deeply. The table emptied quickly after that. Esther went back to the study and everyone that couldn’t fit in the study was waiting in the hallway for their chance to talk to her.
Melodie hovered near the edge of the group, wanting her own turn. Her stomach was a knot of nerves and the special kind of discomfort that comes from knowing someone hates you. People were still staring and whispering. Surely she didn’t look that much different from any of them, even with the weird burn marks on her face. She patted at her hair to make sure her ears weren’t sticking out.
Gavriel was standing on the opposite side of the living room and had a small circle of people gathered around him, including Rachel who had found several reasons in the last minute to put her hand on his arm.
Ethan came up behind her and slung an arm around her shoulders.
“You look a little tense,” he said with a smirk.
“Gee, I wonder why.”
Ethan’s face twisted down for a moment and he tightened his grip on her shoulders. “So, are you, you know, doing okay? That was kind of rough.”
Melodie looked down and twisted her finger in the hem of her shirt. “I’m doing okay. I’m going to tell Esther I want to help with the research, it’s about all I can do since I can’t fight or anything. And I need to be able to help somehow.”
“How is the training going by the way? You looked pretty upset when you came inside earlier.”
“It didn’t go very well. I didn’t lose control or anything, I just—” she paused. “No one thinks I can do this. And failure isn’t really an option. I can’t wander around like some kind of magical ticking time bomb.”
“You can totally do this,” Ethan said, dropping his arm and looking at her, aghast. “And don’t let anyone tell you different.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She smiled.
A few people walked out of Esther’s office, but those nearer to the door were distracted with a heated conversation.
“I’m gonna—” Melodie pointed to the study door.
“Good luck,” Ethan said, giving her two thumbs up.
She hovered on the doorway for a moment, not stepping inside until she confirmed Ms. Nancy was the only person in the study with Esther.
Esther looked up and waved her forward. “I’m sure you have some questions.” She stood and walked around to the front of her desk, leaning back against it and crossing her arms.
“I really only have one question, for right now. I want to help with the research,” Melodie said, clenching her hands tightly together to keep them from shaking. “I can’t really do anything else to help, but I want to…be useful.”
Esther appraised her for a moment, pursing her lips.
“Oh, let her help,” Ms. Nancy said. “Another pair of eyes will be good.”
“I was going to,” Esther said to Ms. Nancy in exasperation. “Melodie, I just need you to continue working on your control.”
“Of course, I want to get my magic under control as soon as possible.”
“Did you need anything else?” Esther asked.
“No, just, um, thank you for what you said at dinner,” Melodie said, forcing herself to look Esther in the eye.
“You’re welcome,” Esther said. “If you need anything, or need to tell me anything, my door is always open.”
Esther held Melodie’s gaze and she was worried for the first time that Esther might already know about the Stone somehow, or at least suspect. She had an impulse to blurt out the secret, but she wanted to know what exactly she was risking if she told Esther.
“Good to know,” she said instead.
“Keep your chin up, girlie,” Ms. Nancy said with a broad smile.
Melodie nodded and hurried out of the door. She nearly collided with Mark as she rounded the corner since he was leaning against the wall right next to the door. She muttered an apology and kept going, looking for Ethan.
She spotted him through the window walking across the backyard with Sierra. She tried to walk straight to the backdoor, but one of the people she had met earlier stopped her, wanting to tell her personally that they supported her. She thanked them, but everyone was staring again and straining to hear what they were saying. The attention was sandpaper on her skin. She slipped away as soon as was polite and finally made it outside.
The door shut behind her and she let out a breath of relief. She adjusted her hair again, then looked around for Ethan. Joy and the other younger kids were splashing around in the pool, but Ethan was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged and walked toward the garden. She was pretty sure she had permission to be in there now. Either way she really didn’t want to go back inside and make awkward small talk with people she didn’t know.
The door to the garden opened easily. She kicked off her shoes near the door and dug her toes into the cool grass on the side of the pathway. It was refreshing to be alone.
She wandered for a few minutes, humming to herself as she followed a winding path that was covered by a canopy of wisteria. The canopy ended abruptly in the middle of a turn and opened up into the same area she and Salathia had trained in earlier that day.
She walked up to the statue and inspected it. The people kneeling had pointed ears just like her own. She reached out and tapped her finger against one.
“Don’t touch that,” a voice growled behind her. Her heart jumped and she jerked away from the statue. Mark advanced on her, his face red and his jaw clenched tight. She had a moment to really regret being alone before he was inches away, his finger jabbed accusingly in her face. “You shouldn’t be in here, you have no right.”
She resisted the urge to take a step back and crossed her arms. Her hands shook and she could feel the magic responding to her fear and irritation already. “I have permission to be in here from Esther.”
“You shouldn’t be anywhere near this place you stupid, Sidhe-bred bitch.” Mark shoved her hard.
She flung out her arms as she hit the ground, gravel biting into her hands as she just barely caught herself.
“Melodie!” someone shouted, but she could hardly hear them over the ringing in her ears. Her magic responded with a force she had no hope of holding back. In that moment, as the magic ripped out of her, she didn’t want to hold it back.
She screamed as a fireball exploded outwards, the fire burning just as hot as her anger. The force of it hurled her backward and she rolled off the path and into a bush. Bits of moss and stone fell with dull thunks onto the soft dirt. The surrounding air was filled with smoke, she couldn’t see anything, but she could hear someone screaming. High pitched and terrified.
Chapter 11
Mark’s shouting hammered inside Melodie’s skull and amplified her pounding headache. “I’m going to kill you, you stupid—”
Rachel appeared between them, covered in dirt and ash. “Take one more step and I’ll put you on your ass, Mark!”
Melodie pressed her hands over her ears to tune them both out and try to calm down. Whatever happened next, she couldn’t lose control like that again. She didn’t want to hurt Rachel, and she had a feeling Rachel was more than capable of keeping Mark from hurting her.
Clenching her eyes shut, she focused on the sound of her breathing, in and out. She wrapped her hand around her mother’s necklace. The gem bit into her palm and grounded her. She forced herself to inhale for two seconds, exhale, then three seconds, until she was no longer gasping for the next breath.
There was a gentle touch on her shoulder and Melodie opened her eyes. Rachel was crouched in front of her, still watching Mark, but with one hand on her shoulder. “Melodie, you okay?”
“Mostly,” she croaked. Her ears were still ringing a bit and she wanted to cry, but she wasn’t panicking. She sat up and looked around at the damage and immediately rethought the not panicking.
The statue had been demolished. The top half o
f Gaea had broken off backward, her arms were just gone, and the Founders were headless. The bench hadn’t survived either, or the path that led between the two. The plants that had grown along the path were blackened and uprooted.
Melodie’s gaze finally landed on Ethan, who had an arm wrapped around a weeping Sierra. She was bleeding from her shoulder and Ethan looked a little singed around the edges. His eyes were wide and scared, but he still managed a tremulous smile.
Melodie looked down at her knees and pressed her palms into her eyes to hold back the tears. She hoped Sierra wasn’t hurt too badly.
Finally, she worked up the courage to look at Mark. His lip was bleeding and parts of his shirt had been burned through completely. The front of his hair had been singed. He was staring at her with clenched fists and bared teeth as he paced like he was a wild animal.
“Melodie? Ethan?” someone shouted across the garden.
“We’re by the statue!” Rachel shouted back.
A group, including a frantic blonde woman that Melodie remembered as Sierra’s mother, burst out into the clearing.
“Sierra!” she cried, running to her daughter who met her halfway.
Esther pushed her way to the front of the crowd, taking in the damage with a blank face. The only shift in her demeanor came in the form of a tiny sigh of relief when she saw Ethan was unharmed.
“What happened?” Esther demanded with a voice full of steel.
“She tried to kill me!” Mark pointed at Melodie. “She is out of control and can’t be trusted to be around our children.”
“That is a complete lie and you know it,” Rachel snapped. “You called her a ‘stupid, Sidhe-bred bitch’ and shoved her! I saw the whole conversation; I just couldn’t get to you in time to intervene. I saw you follow her out of the house. You came out here to hurt her.”
“Melodie?” Esther waited until Melodie looked up at her to continue. “What happened?”
“What Rachel said. I was just wandering around and he said I had no right to be here. He shoved me and I––” Melodie cursed her voice for shaking. She sounded so helpless. She didn’t want to be this pathetic. “My magic just reacted to defend me.”
“Ethan, what did you see?”
“What Rachel and Melodie said. He shoved her.” Ethan straightened his shoulders as he spoke and throwing a glare at Mark.
“Get inside with Sierra,” Esther said to him.
Ethan nodded and followed Sierra and her mother.
Melodie spotted Gavriel and Salathia on the edge of the group. She wasn’t sure when they had arrived. Salathia was looking around at the damage, her face twisted in a mix of shock and disappointment. Gavriel was looking at Melodie.
“Mark, what were you thinking?” Esther asked, her voice eerily calm.
“She is dangerous!” Mark shouted. “You are blind if you can’t see that. She hurt your own son!”
“Enough,” Esther snapped. “Ethan and Sierra would not have been hurt if you hadn’t followed her out here and made her lose control.” Mark huffed and tried to speak but Esther held up her hand and his mouth clicked shut. “I have been patient, and lenient, considering the demands and threats you have made since they arrived. I will not tolerate it any further. You are not welcome back among the Forgotten until after this situation is resolved.”
“You cannot banish me!” Mark’s face turned even redder.
“It is temporary, though it probably should be permanent considering what you risked today. Get out before I change my mind.”
Everyone behind Esther began whispering. Melodie could hear the shock in their voices. Mark glared at Melodie one last time, then stormed past Esther. The group parted, giving him a wide berth as he stomped away.
Esther’s shoulders slumped after he left and John walked up behind her, putting an arm around her and whispering in her ear. She nodded and turned to face everyone. “I will not tolerate violence against a member of the Forgotten, or anyone under our protection. If you have a problem with that, you can leave with Mark.” No one spoke up or left, so Esther nodded.
Gavriel broke away from the group and came to kneel next to Melodie. He picked up her hands, which were dirty and littered with scrapes, and inspected them. “Are you hurt at all?”
“Just some bruises and scrapes.” She spotted Salathia talking to Esther, gesturing sharply. Melodie knit her brows together, she couldn’t tell if Salathia was angry or defending her.
“Thank you for watching out for me,” Melodie said to Rachel.
Rachel smirked. “No problem, Mark is such an ass. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get a chance to beat him up before Esther showed up.”
Melodie laughed, but it turned into a cough.
“Come with me, there is a first aid kit in the guest house,” Gavriel said as he pulled Melodie to her feet.
“Rachel, do you have a minute?” Esther asked.
“See you two later,” Rachel said with a nod before she jogged over to Esther.
Melodie looked around, a lump forming in her throat when she realized that Salathia had vanished. “Where is Salathia?”
“I’m not sure, I didn’t see her leave. Do you want me to go find her for you?” Gavriel asked.
“No, let’s just go,” Melodie said.
Gavriel kept his hand on her elbow. The walk to the guest house took them along the entire back of the main house. Everyone inside stared at them as they passed by. Ms. Nancy was standing on the back porch. She caught Melodie’s eye and winked. Melodie lifted her chin and kept her eyes straight ahead until they got to the guest house. Everyone could stare if they wanted, but she didn’t have to acknowledge them.
As soon as they walked into the air conditioning, Melodie let out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t even realized how hot she had been.
The guest house wasn’t large. The living room was open to the kitchen with a square, four-person table separating the two. It was cozier than the main house. The walls were cream instead of white and plush, cream carpet covered the floor. There were paintings on the walls of places that could have been straight out of a fantasy novel.
Melodie walked over to the one closest to her. In the painting, a city stood proud at the base of a mountain, its tall black spires glinting in the sunlight. The city looked massive; it was nearly as wide as the mountain itself.
“That’s your home,” Gavriel said, walking up behind her. “The capital city of Arsadia.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Here.” Gavriel held out a glass of ice water. “Come sit down, I’ll get the first aid kit.”
Melodie took the water and sat down reluctantly, her gaze straying back to the painting. She wanted to see that city in person. She wanted to find the tallest spire, climb to the top, and look out over the Sidhe. She wanted to eat dinner with her family instead of a table full of strangers that hated her.
Gavriel set a bowl of water on the table, then went back for the first aid kit and a rag. He was still wearing his formal clothes and looked completely out of place in this little house carrying around such mundane things.
“It’s interesting how powerful your magic is on this side of the Veil.” Gavriel dipped the rag in the water, then rung out the excess.
“It shouldn’t be so strong?”
Gavriel shrugged and lifted her left arm. He brushed his thumb across the inside of her wrist and the motion sent a shiver down her spine. She swallowed and glanced up, only to find he was already staring at her. “There is less magic here, so bursts of magic like what happened in the garden should be impossible. I wonder if whatever bound your powers also somehow stored magic inside of you.”
She was surprised when the rag touched her skin, she had been expecting it to be cold, but Gavriel must have filled the tub with warm water. He wiped away the dirt with methodical swipes of the rag. It seemed like he had done this before.
“Could that be part of why it’s so hard for me to control? It always feels like it’s trying to claw its way
out.”
“It could be.” Gavriel nodded. “Using your magic more often might help with that.”
Melodie bit her lip, Salathia had insisted on suppressing the magic and didn’t want to teach her how to use it except for glamour. Gavriel had offered to help her, and after the disaster today, she wasn’t sure she trusted Salathia to give her the training she needed. It was her magic, not Salathia’s. She should be able to decide what to do with it.
“I can bandage these, or I can try to heal them with magic,” Gavriel said, inspecting one scrape on the underside of her arm that was still oozing blood.
“Magic can heal?” Her eyes widened.
“To a certain extent. I can get it started, then it will be up to your magic to take over. The magic can only work with what is there as well, it couldn’t regrow your thumb.” Gavriel wiggled her thumb. “However, it could stop the bleeding if your thumb was cut off. It could seal the wound to prevent infection and take away the pain. And it can certainly heal something like a scrape.”
“Could it make me lose control? You said my magic has to take over?” She wrapped her free hand around her necklace.
“No, I don’t think there is a chance of that,” Gavriel said running his finger near the scrape. “Are you alright with me trying?”
She nodded.
Gavriel pulled her arm a little closer and pressed his finger into the base of the scrape. His magic rolled off his finger and onto her skin. It was weighty and warm, more like a blanket than the electric shock she was used to from her own magic. The rush of her magic to the site of the wound took her breath away. It was overeager as usual.
Gavriel grabbed her shoulder with his free hand and shook her slightly. “Melodie, breathe, it’s okay.”
She sucked in a deep breath. He held her gaze as she calmed back down. Their magic mingled as the scrape slowly knit back together from one end to the other. It was intimate. His magic was calming and smooth, more like an emotion than a physical sensation.
“Am I feeling your emotions somehow?” she asked quietly.
“In a sense,” Gavriel whispered. “Not every emotion I am feeling right now, but the ones that help this kind of magic. I’m focusing on what is helpful. That’s one of the keys to magic use. Balance and control.”
