Soothsayer: Magic Is All Around Us (Soothsayer Series Book 1)

by Allison Sipe

  “Sleeping,” I noted with a roll of my eyes and a shake of my head, “and I think that ship has sailed.” I yawned.

  “Why don’t you come by later? We can talk more and maybe catch a movie. I know Aaron would love to see you again,” Becky suggested. She glanced at Robert. “You’re welcome to come along too.”

  “Thank you,” he said. It wasn’t a yes or a no.

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll call you later.” Becky and I exchanged a quick kiss on the cheek and she headed out the door.

  With the door once more locked, I plopped back down on the couch and let my head fall back.

  “She’s something else,” Robert remarked.

  “Yeah, she’s a little high-strung,” I added. I sat up and reached for my cup on the coffee table.

  Everything was still a little awkward between Robert and I and neither one of us knew what to say to each other. I wondered how long I had laid on top of him and how long he’d been aware of it. My heart started to pick up in tempo and I fought a smile as I remembered how warm and relaxing it had been sleeping next to him.

  “So what are your plans for today?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Well, we’re leaving for Yosemite on Friday night so I have today and all day tomorrow to get everything printed for Caltome.” The opening wasn’t for another week and a half, but with how unpredictable my life has been lately I wanted to finish that project sooner rather than later.

  “About Yosemite,” he said, hesitant.

  “You think I shouldn’t go,” I said, not really surprised. Robert liked having me on house arrest. I was surprised when he didn't insist on coming with me for the Caltome shoot, but apparently I’d been with people he knew and trusted.

  “No, you should go. I just want to coordinate with you.”

  “Oh, okay. So you’re going too?” I already knew the answer and honestly I wasn’t opposed to him always being around anymore.

  “Of course I’m going, but I think Brett or Annabel should accompany you since you have no way of protecting yourself against Magic and I won’t be able to stay close to you.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said unsure of how I felt about Brett or Annabel babysitting me. Having Robert around was one thing, but I didn’t know his sister or Annabel.

  “That won’t be a problem will it?” His cocked to the side as he studied the confused expression on my face.

  “No, Not at all. I’ll let Becky know we have one more person coming.” My voice sounded stiff even to my own ears.

  “Great.” His smile was all business and lacked the warmth I’d grown accustomed to.

  “Now if we could just figure out what your vision are all about…” he trailed off.

  “About that,” I said, realizing I hadn’t told him about the rest of my conversation with my Aunt.

  “About what?” he asked.

  “I guess I didn’t tell you because I was so distracted about my parents. My aunt talked to me about the visions and about…” I hesitated, pausing to take a breath. “About my Magic.”

  Robert cocked his head to the side and a small smile caught the corners of his mouth. Admitting I had magic was a big win for him. I could tell he was jumping for joy inside, but he was doing a really good job of keeping his composure.

  “And?” he asked, wanting more details.

  “It’s kinda convoluted. Let me shower and get ready and then we can talk about everything,” I offered.

  “Alright.” He smiled and I saw the relief wash off of him.

  I bounced back to my room with hurried steps and jumped into the shower. In a rush to get to work and get everything done, I didn’t spend as much time under the hot water as I would have liked. While getting dressed, I realized I also hadn’t said anything to Robert about our souls. I wondered if he already knew, and if he knew the story about King Arthur? I was sure he did, but why hadn’t he ever mentioned it before? I brushed my teeth as quick as I could and threw on some foundation before heading back toward the living room forty-five minutes later.

  Robert had also showered and changed into a dark blue button-up shirt and jeans. He sat at the kitchen table writing in his journal again. His hair was still a little damp and he’d shaved. He looked up as I walked over and we both appraised each other for a moment. Damn he was good looking. A small smile played at the corner of my mouth as our eyes met.

  “You don’t mind if I come along with you to the studio, do you?” he asked, standing up. “I know you want to get to work, but I’d like to hear what Bethany told you.”

  “I don’t mind if you want to tag along, but I do need to get things done so you can’t be too much of a distraction.”

  His lips spread into a mischievous smile. “I’ll try my best to behave,” he promised, though didn’t hide his playful grin.

  “Right.” I exhaled. “Let’s go then.” I felt a little taken back by Robert’s good mood. He was always so serious. I wasn’t used to him being playful.

  We walked outside and saw clouds dotting the sky. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the past few days. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I turned the key over and the engine roared to life.

  “About the visions, what did Bethany tell you?” Robert asked as I turned the first corner. He wasn’t wasting any time.

  “Well, you were right. The visions are happening because I’m the same as her.”

  “A Soothsayer?”

  “Yeah.” I mumbled this admission. Just because I was coming around and starting to accept everything didn’t mean I was able to call myself a Soothsayer just yet.

  “What did she say exactly?”

  “She said I could learn to control my visions.”

  “What else did she say? Did she tell you how you were able to come into your magic?”

  “She did, actually.” I paused, taking a slow, nervous breath. I didn’t know how to tell him that when he saved me a piece of his soul infused with mine. What if that was the only reason for the attraction between us?

  “Care to share?” he asked, sounding impatient.

  “Robert, I don’t know if I want to tell you,” I admitted.

  “You can tell me anything, you know that.” He tried his best to make his voice sound soothing.

  “I know but…”

  “It can’t be that bad,” he joked.

  He placed his hand on my leg. The electricity that had been crackling between us since we woke up this morning coursed through me. What I felt, the way Robert looked at me, it couldn't just be because our souls were connected. There had to be more going on between us than some Magical bond, right?

  His touch broke down my walls and I caved. "It happened because of you,” I explained, “because you saved me.” I pulled up to a red light and looked at him.

  “What do you mean, because I saved you?” he asked.

  “You know how you said you were either born with a Magical soul or you weren't?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, because I wasn’t born with a Magical soul, I had to be given Magic by other means. When you saved me, a piece of your soul bonded with mine and vice versa.”

  “Arthur,” Robert whispered and removed his hand from my leg.

  “You know the story about Arthur and Merlin?”

  “Of course.” He shook his head, still lost in his own thoughts.

  “So it’s real then?”

  “Yes, it’s real. This is incredible. Healers have tried countless times to duplicate what happened with Arthur and Merlin but very few have ever been able to.”

  “What do you mean healers have tried to duplicate what happened?”

  “Some healers aren’t as ethical as others. They experiment with humans by trying to pass on their magic to them, but I've only heard of a handful of cases where it actually worked.”

  “Why would healers want to pass on their magic?”

  “There are two reasons. The most noble, but by no means accepted one is when a child is born to a Magical family wit
h no magic.”

  “And the other reason?” I asked, hesitant. If it wasn’t acceptable to try and give a child magic, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what the other reason might be.

  “To create your own army of Magical people.”

  “Why would someone want to do that?”

  “Control, power. The usual reasons people do inhumane things.” He shrugged his shoulders matter-of-factly.

  I shivered at the thought of someone experimenting with human life so callously.

  “My aunt said I was always meant to get my magic from you,” I said bringing the topic back to us as I parked in front of the studio.

  “I suppose she's right.” He exited the car in one swift motion.

  I unlocked the front door to the studio and flipped on the lights as I walked in. I was a little surprised with myself, at how calmly I was talking about all of this. I put my purse on my desk and turned on my computer. Robert had followed me in and sat down in the chair across from me. I looked him over while his eyes wandered the studio.

  Robert had changed my life so much and had become someone I really trusted. I felt safe with him. It had been a long time since I’d really felt safe with someone. My heart swelled and I realized I had fallen for him. I’d been so preoccupied fighting against the Magical world that I couldn’t see him slowly sneaking his way up and over my walls.

  I felt ridiculous, but I had to ask. I had to know if what I was feeling was just because of our soul connection or if it was something more.

  “Robert?” I started.

  “Yes?” he asked, turning his gaze to me.

  “Does the connection between us… I mean, is our souls being connected why I feel…” I paused. I sounded like a mumbling idiot. I felt incredibly self-conscious, more than I’d ever felt in my entire life.

  His expression softened in understanding. “No, we’re not drawn to each other because of our souls being connected. It’s just a way to pass on Magic to someone who doesn’t have a Magical soul.”

  So it wasn’t just me then. He felt drawn to me too. I smiled. “That’s it, then? It’s just a way magic is transferred between two people?”

  “Well, no,” he said, hesitating as he tapped his finger in thought. “That’s not it.”

  “What else is there?”

  “Now don’t quote me on this. I don’t have a lot of information to go on. But it’s been said that Arthur and Merlin were able to wield very powerful magic when the two of them worked together.”

  “Have you felt a difference at all?”

  “No, at least I don’t think so. Let me make a few calls and see if I can get some more information.”

  “Sure, I need to get to work too.”

  We didn't talk much the rest of the day. Robert left me to my task and he made phone call after phone call, taking notes in his journal after every one. I kept glancing over at him, wondering what he was writing about. If he had found something new, I wanted to know. After all, this connection affected me too.

  Around lunchtime he went and got us sandwiches from the deli a couple doors down and told me what little more he knew about Arthur and Merlin.

  So much of what happened back then had been lost or turned into fictitious stories. The only hope was to find a family journal, like Robert’s, that had been passed down through the generations. That was a long shot.

  Jessie showed up a couple hours later in her P.E. clothes and chatted with Robert about school. She clearly had a crush on him and it was cute how she shamelessly flirted with him.

  After finishing a little more than half of the pictures, I went through the messages I’d pushed aside earlier. The elementary school had called me back with a date next month for picture day. I called them back to confirm the date and moved on to the next message. It was from Matthew. He had called yesterday afternoon.

  I dialed the number Jessie had jotted down and Matthew picked up on the second ring.

  “Hello?” he asked.

  “Hey, it’s Violet. You called yesterday but I wasn’t in,” I said.

  “Off playing hooky, huh?”

  I laughed. “No, just working from home. Did you need something?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to be in the area tomorrow and Meredith wanted me to check with you and see if you had anything done I could bring back with me.”

  “I have a little more than half the pictures printed. I should be able to get everything else finished by tomorrow.”

  “Alright, perfect. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good. Talk to you later, Matty,” I said. I couldn’t help myself.

  “Just when I was starting to like you,” he laughed.

  We both hung up and I went through the rest of the messages. I had a few from Becky that made me feel guilty I’d completely forgotten about her the past few days. I dialed her cell to see if she still wanted to do something later tonight.

  “Hey, what's up?” she answered after a few rings.

  “Not much. I’m finishing up here at the studio and wanted to check in with you about dinner and a movie tonight.”

  “Yeah, I’m still going to be a couple hours and I won’t have time to make food but Aaron’s at the house.”

  “No worries. I have a few things I want to do at home first.” I eyed Robert. He was still talking with Jessie but looking in my direction. “I’ll pick up some takeout on my way over.”

  “Alright, see you in a bit.”

  “See ya," I said and hung up.

  “Ready when you are,” I told Robert as I walked over to him and Jessie.

  He nodded and said, “It was good talking to you again, Jessie.”

  “You too,” she said, smiling ear to ear.

  “Why don’t you get out of here,” I suggested to Jessie.

  “Are you sure? Day’s not over yet.”

  “Yeah, but the clouds cleared up and it’s still pretty nice out there. Take the rest of the day on me.”

  “Alright, thanks so much, Violet!” Jessie pulled her phone from her bag and started texting away the moment she was out the door.

  “That was nice of you,” Robert said.

  “She’s young. She should be out enjoying life, not being around what I’m going through.”

  “So we’re heading back to your place?”

  “Yep, there’s something I want to try if you're up for it.” I was determined to learn a little more about my Magic.

  Robert gave me a skeptical look but then a small smile played at his lips. “I’m up for anything.”

  Chapter 15

  We left the studio and got back to my place in a matter of minutes. Robert didn’t ask what it was I wanted to do and I was grateful. I needed the drive home to really think about what I would ask him and wanted to be sure I was ready. If I went through with this, there was no going back.

  I parked the car down the street and we walked up to my complex. The sun hadn’t begun setting but the cool ocean air made it clear that night was fast approaching.

  “So, are you going to tell me what we’ll be doing?” Robert asked. His eyebrows rose innocently.

  “Yes,” I replied and looked him up and down. Two could play this game.

  “Anytime soon?” His lips curled into a smile that would have any girl at his mercy.

  “Yes,” I said, a little breathless. I swung the gate open and headed down the path, trying to stay in control of the emotions bubbling inside me.

  He placed his hand on my lower back as we walked down the shaded path. I could feel the warmth of his hand through my thin, cotton t-shirt and my skin tingled at his touch.

  “Violet, tell me,” he whispered. His breath on the back of my neck sent chills all over my body. I felt like I was overheating despite the cool air. He was good at this, but so was I.

  I turned to face him and placed my hand on his chest. Following my movement his fingers now rested on my hip. Surprise flickered in his eyes and his grip tightened around me.

  “Can we just g
et inside first,” I suggested. I held his gaze as my fingers fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt.

  He hesitated a moment, giving himself away. In that split second of hesitation I could see just how much of an effect I had on him. I smiled, glad it wasn’t just me, and turned away from him, needing to put a little distance between us.

  Unlocking the front door I walked inside and Robert followed a good distance behind me. Tossing my purse on the kitchen table I took a deep breath and turned to face him as he closed the door.

  “I want you to teach me how to use Magic,” I blurted out.

  His eyes still held a hint of desire from our playful banter but the look on his face was pure shock. I waited for him to say something but he just stared at me.

  Uncomfortable with the silence, I took a step toward him and said, “You said yourself I'm not able to protect myself against Magic.”

  “Well yes, but-”

  I cut him off. “No more buts or excuses from either of us. If I’m going to do this, if I’m really going to accept this part of myself, then I have to be all in.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready, though?” he asked, frowning with concern. He looked worried and rightfully so. Only a few days ago I’d been fighting him tooth and nail about all of this.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Robert, my life’s been turned upside down and I need to regain control,” I pleaded. I felt like a child asking permission to go to the school dance. It made me uncomfortable and I crossed my arms to keep the agitation from showing on my face.

  “I don’t want you to move too fast. You need to really believe first.”

  “I do believe. I want…” I faltered. “I need this.”

  “Why the sudden need for control?”

  “Because I’m sick of other people telling me who I am or who I’m supposed to be. I need to know for myself. I need to experience it for myself.”

  He looked at me for a long moment and then smiled. “Alright,” he said, “close your eyes.”

  I took a deep breath and did as he instructed.

  “Clear your mind,” he continued with a soft voice. “Feel the beat of your heart and follow it inward.”