Ignite (Circle of Light Book 2)

by Margeson, April

  She had a look about her that I had never seen. Even when she was feeling something terrible and it scared me.

  “Maggie, what is it?”

  “The Dark Union wants to start the war slowly and to their advantage.”

  “To their advantage? How do you know this?”

  “When my friend changed my powers, she failed to mention that she had given me the gift premonition.” She said looking at me with a sadness in her eyes that was endless.

  Obviously, her friend had known something was going to happen, but the laws of the spirit world had forbidden her to tell me. I understood that in a way, but in a way, I didn’t. I supposed everything is left up to destiny and I knew my fate was to save the Circle of Light. Good had to remain here or else everything will turn into darkness and violence. That was something I wasn’t about to allow.

  I asked her to come to me if she had any other visions. Even if they didn’t seem to be important. I wanted to know about everything she was seeing because it could all be tied in together but coming in the wrong order to her.

  I made sure to speak to each person that was in the house. I did not want them to think that I was ignoring them and worst of all; I didn’t want them to think that I was all high and mighty and not open to any of their suggestions. Because I truly needed every single member. I think that we were going to need all the help that we can get.

  Most of the Vampires offered their help by reaching out to their numerous contacts in the supernatural world. They were working on gathering more of their kind to stand against our enemy. That was great and all, but I needed the town to be protected as well.

  Everyone here was in need of power and muscle to be able to do the tasks ahead of them. They needed to be able to do it with as little distractions as we could manage. Not to mention, the unsuspecting humans that lived here. They were not going to be left to keep themselves out of harm’s way. They couldn’t . They didn’t know what they were up against and I hope to keep it that way.

  The werewolves had the power I was seeking and the muscle to boot. I was told that they were the most powerful and the most willing to help with things like this. Their unexplainable interest in the human world would help as well.

  I spoke to as many of them as I could. Asking each of them if they would agree to help and with no surprise, they did, as well as offering to gather as many of their kind to come here as they could.

  Eric had already spoken with all the witches. They were deeply engaged in their magic, casting protection spells and whatever else they could do to postpone any kind of attack from the Dark Union. “The other members of the Circle are at Eric’s house, my Queen, Maggie said at if trying to get me to go over to them. I did not hesitate for a second. I told Eric where I was going and why, then I left.”

  As soon as I walked out my front door, I noticed a feeling of dread. I could feel several pairs of eyes on me at the same time, giving me the distinct notion that I needed to hurry and get to where I was going, but I thought that coming out here alone was a big mistake on my part, so I turned and went back in my house.

  Eric was busy talking with some of the werewolves. They were discussing the most effective plan to use. From what I was gathering, they had several. I looked around for Silas, even though I knew Eric would probably disagree with my choice of company. He would just have to get over it. This wasn’t the time for him to act all jealous like he had before.

  I knew Silas was here somewhere. I had seen him earlier, but hadn’t had the chance to speak to him.

  Silas, would you please escort Maggie and me to my new house.

  I immediately caught Eric’s eyes. He nodded to me and I knew that he was over all the previous feelings he had for Silas. That was reassuring to me because we all need to get along if we were going to have even a slight chance of ending this war.

  Maggie, being attuned to my thoughts like she was, was at my side in an instant.

  Silas took his sweet time in doing anything. He answered me back after my second call to him.

  Yes, I most certainly will, my Queen.

  I didn’t make a big deal over his delayed response due to the fact that I knew everyone was extremely busy making plans and gathering more members that are willing to join us.

  With the both of them at my side, I made my second attempt to go to Eric’s house. It was easier walking out the door this time because I wasn’t alone anymore. Silas and Maggie gave me a comforting feeling and at the time I really didn’t think anything about Maggie being able to do what she was doing, but I was sure glad she came with us.

  Maggie was walking slowly behind me. I could feel her energy as she felt around for the feelings that were attached to the peering eyes. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for her to find them. Their emotions were so strong, making them easy for her to read.

  Silas stayed close to me and I thought that it was because he might have been expecting something to jump out on us, but that was not the reason at all.

  He whispered to me that he was feeding off my energy in order to make his more powerful. I was confused by that until he had asked me to link with his mind and I did so without questioning him. He linked with Maggie without her permission, but she didn’t seem to mind it at all. I think she was glad to have someone to share her burden with at the time.

  Instantly, I was consumed by the thoughts and feelings of whoever it was that was trying to hide from us. I felt all the hate and disgust they had for us. It was disturbing and I wanted nothing more than to get away from it as soon as I could, but I had to remain calm in order for Silas and Maggie to get as much information as they could on our short walk next door.

  Silas was an avid mind reader and I listened carefully as he read the thoughts of the nasty creatures that moved as we moved. They were unaware that they were giving us extremely vital details of what was to come. I did my best to keep my thoughts empty because I was not sure if the mind link went both ways. Our intrusion could end up being as helpful to them as it was for us.

  Most of their thoughts were about killing us and how they would be rewarded with a place in the Dark Union, but some of them were not so sure of that. Some thought that they were being used. Only needed to start the war that would end them all. I hope the few that thought that were right, but I hated feeling their uncertainty. They did not want to have a big part in this at all. All they wanted was peace.

  The thought crossed my mind about trying to convert the ones that was not sure of the reasoning behind the attack on their side. The more of us that stood against the Dark Union, the better, but getting them to come over to our side would be a very dangerous risk to take and I was certain of it. With the power that we possess, it could be possible. I was going to speak with the other Queens and Kings about it and see what their opinion was on the matter. That is, if we ever made it in the house.

  We came to the front door of Eric’s house and were greeted by Air King. Silas tried to come in the door after us, but was, immediately, stopped as if he had walked into a brick wall.

  “You have not been invited in by the owner of this house?” Air King asked Silas.

  “No my King. This is the first time I have tried to enter this residence.”

  I asked Silas to come in and it was as if whatever was holding him outside the house had disappeared. His first step was a cautious one, nonetheless. After he was inside, Air King closed the door and greeted us in a more appropriate manner.

  Maggie began telling everyone what she had discovered on our way over here. They were not as shocked as I initially thought they would be. I guess I overreact about things a little more than I should. They had more questions for us than they had responses. Every detail was closely interpreted and nothing was left out.

  “The idea of getting the ones that are not as comfortable in their alliance to join us is agreeable. I just wonder how many will be interested in the proposal?” Earth Queen announced.

  Could we actually attempt to do such a drast
ic act right now? There was just so much that we did not know about the other side. We were not sure of how tightly they were bonded with the Dark Union. What if they were just in it to be accepted by something? Is it possible that we could welcome them into the Circle of Light? I wanted to believe that they were not all as evil as they had been described to me.

  They began talking about more of the possible followers of the enemy clan. Maggie was telling us about creatures that I never would have dreamed could exist. Even after I had come to know that, our allies were, in fact, realistic. She described monsters that were as appalling in words as they had to be in real life. Monsters that looked like they were half-human and half animal. Trolls, goblins, and slimy things that I had not quite caught what it was that she called them. Just hearing her talk about them was more nauseating than I had expected. I was for sure going to have some serious nightmares for the rest of my life over this.

  The conversation turned in another direction and I realized that they were talking about much more beautiful things. Things such as unicorns and fairies. It turns out that a unicorn is destined to have a rider and only when they meet that certain person would their power be absolute. The rider would then be unstoppable as long as they remained in physical contact with the magnificent beast, but once they lost contact with it, the rider can be killed since they then wouldn’t be surrounded by its power.

  That was my plan. If a war does break out, I am going to find the first unicorn I can and jump on its back, never letting go.

  “They are rare and do not always show up when needed. Some think that they only appear in times of dire need.” Earth Queen stated.

  Silas had been sitting there listening carefully to each word that was being said. Looking at him, I felt even more protected. He would certainly be at my side. I could tell, even though he had not pledged his loyalty to me. Some invisible bond connected the four of us to each other.

  “We should get you back with Eric before dark, my Queen.” Silas said to me urging me to leave. “It isn't safe for you to be away from your mate at times like these.”

  I took his advice and asked the others if they were going to join us back at my house. They approved of my request and changed into their human forms.

  The same feelings surrounded us as we walked swiftly back to my house. Thankfully, my parents had yet to make it home. Something emerged from down the street. It was a man. He was walking slowly in our direction, but I could tell he was not normal.

  “Beware everyone, the Gin is near!” The words thundered in my head and at that instant I knew that the figure walking toward us was in fact the Gin that I had heard so much about.

  Just act normal, I told myself. Nothing is out of the ordinary. He cannot hurt us unless we make ourselves known to him. That was what I had been told to do. Just keep walking and don’t pay him any attention, I told everyone.

  He called to us before we could reach my front door. Every bit of hope I had for our group sunk to the pavement under my feet. Silas, being the deviant that he is, called back to the Gin. I once again heard a command in my head, Block your power, NOW!

  I sure hoped Silas knew what he was doing. He apparently had a plan because he walked over to meet the man with more confidence than I had ever seen one person have in my life and he did it just like a normal human being would have.

  He was only a few feet away from us and the only thing I could do was greet him. “Hi there, is everything alright?” I asked as sincerely as I could.

  “Oh, yeah I’m fine. I was just taking a walk. I’m new in town and I decided to explore the neighborhood.” He said smiling as if nothing was going on.

  “Welcome.” Silas responded to him before I had the opportunity to say anything else. “We’re going to get inside before the girls catch a cold.” Silas smiled back at him. “It was sure nice to meet you.”

  The Gin seemed pleased by the conversation and extended his hand to Silas. Silas shook his hand and turned, walking back to our group.

  “Merry Christmas!” Silas called back to him as we went in the door. The stranger called back to us, “Same to you guys. Goodnight.”

  When Silas closed the door, he was cautious about his hands. I think that the Gin was trying to make Silas hurt himself, but he was not successful.

  I felt the unrelenting need to look out one of the windows. I had to know if the Gin was still there. The living room window would give me the best view, but as I walked to it, I grew more frightened and couldn’t force myself to look out. Instead, I had Silas to do it.

  He peeked out the blinds and quickly looked away. “He's still out there.”

  “Well, what is he doing?” I asked.

  “He's just standing there looking at the house smiling.” He replied. Chills ran over me. I was glad I had not looked out because I would have screamed and that was the last thing we needed.

  Each one of the Queens and Kings managed to alert everyone here that the Gin was outside. A description of him was given and they were instructed to block their power in order to keep him from noticing they were different .

  But it was too late. Several people had already tripped and fell. Not to mention, one of the witches had cut her hand in the kitchen. She had been washing the dishes, trying to hide all the evidence of a crowd being here when a glass busted in her hand.

  The cut was deep and a large amount of blood was coming out of it. She needed several stitches to close the wound, but she did not think that going to the hospital was the best thing to do at the time. One of the witches from another coven made her way into the kitchen and healed the girl’s hand.

  She was a healer, a very powerful one at that. I watched her as she said a few simple words and rubbed the deep laceration once, closing it. Nothing was left except for the blood that was washed from the girls hand afterward.

  The healer witch stopped in front of me on her way out of the kitchen.

  “Thank you.” I said to her appreciatively.

  “You are very welcome, my Queen. Anything that I can do for you or any member of the Circle will be done.”

  She was exceptionally beautiful and very kind. Her blond hair was tied behind her head in a way that kept any of it from falling down onto her neck. However, the strange vibe I got from her raised my suspicion instantly.

  The healer witch was not evil. She was the purest form of good that I had managed to run across, but I had the feeling that she was hiding something. However, we are all hiding something.

  I didn’t give the healer any more thought. I was certain that everything was all right with her and that I didn’t have anything to worry about. She was a member of the Circle of Light. If she hadn’t have been she wouldn’t be here pledging her loyalty, her life, to us.

  Eric was still in the kitchen and from what I could tell. He had managed to come up with a plan about the positioning of our werewolf army. I went to him and took his hand. I needed his comfort, his security. He felt that from me and held me in a tight embrace. “Everything is going to work out.” He whispered softly in my ear.

  Just then, his phone started ringing. Apparently, his parent s car had managed to have a flat tire. They were about five minutes from home but they wanted to call and let us know where they were. At least the Gin was helping us out on that tiny matter. I wonder if he knew that. Probably not, but I was thankful for it as long as our parents were not harmed in any way other than being inconvenienced.

  “Do you need help changing it?” Eric asked his father.

  “No, I think we've got it son.”

  Eric told him to be careful and that we would see them when they got here.

  We had used the excuse of having some type of mysterious surprise for them to leave the hotel and return home and here they are, almost home, and we do not have any evidence of such a thing.

  “What are we going to do?” I asked Eric when he ended the phone call.

  “I've got it under control.” He replied.

  Out of nowhere, a long wh
ite envelope appeared in his hand. He told me that it held four tickets to a weeklong cruise. He was so good at coming up with ideas at the last minute and I have to say it saved us big time tonight.

  We walked back into the crowd and Eric announced to everyone that our parents were going to be arriving momentarily.

  “But we can’t leave you unprotected!” I heard someone say.

  They were right about that, but there was not anything we could do about it. If our parents came back with this many people here, they were definitely going to start asking questions.

  “What do we need to do?” Another voice said out of the crowd.

  My coven can cast a spell to make everyone here invisible. Would that possibly be an appropriate solution?” One of the witches asked.

  After Eric and the rest of the Circle considered the offer, they all agreed, but before they were given the go ahead on casting the spell, Eric laid down some ground rules. One, no one was to leave the grounds and two, no one was allowed to enter any of the bedrooms without announcing themselves first and then being invited in.

  “We can make sure of that.” One of the members of the coven insisted.

  “Well then, I guess you better get to work.” Eric replied.

  The last guest in the house disappeared right as our parents walked in. Talk about perfect timing. The witches were exceptionally skilled in their powers and I was proud to have them at our sides.

  I noticed that my mother was walking with a limp. I instinctively looked at her shoes. One of her heels had broken as she came in the house. She cursed for a moment under her breath and took her shoes off tossing them in the corner. My father shook his head and smiled. I knew that he would buy her another pair exactly like those.

  “It seems like we have all had a bit of bad luck tonight.” Eric’s father stated.

  “How's that?” I asked already knowing what was responsible for it all.