by Sharon Coady
“It’s lovely here. Peaceful.” His hands shook slightly from his nervousness.
“It is, especially this time of the morning. Now, on to what we’re really doing out here. I want to test you to see what you know instinctively.” She handed him a long, gnarled staff and began to circle around him slowly. “I want you to watch me closely and try to envision what I am going to do before I do it.”
“What do you mean?” He turned to keep her in his sight. Faster than he could follow, she was by his side. With a quick jerk of her staff, he found himself looking up at her from the ground, the sting of the hard wood still on the back of his knees. He couldn’t believe how quickly she’d moved.
“How did you do that?” He shoved off the ground, picking up his staff.
“You did not see.” She moved swiftly, trying to get out of his line of sight. “Do not watch just with your eyes, watch with your inner eye. Open your mind.”
Easton didn’t understand what she was saying. Again, she struck out, knocking the air from his lungs with a well-placed blow to the back, sending him to his knees. “I need you to explain what you mean, Nalia. I don’t understand.”
She stopped moving and shook her head. “You are thinking too much. Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
Nalia sighed. “This will work much better if you listen and do not question everything I ask of you. How can I train you to protect your son and Tegan if you do not trust me?”
“I’m not used to trusting anyone.” He felt the knot of tension he carried all the time. Damn his father and brothers for bullying and abusing him from the time of his mother’s death.
“I know. I only intend to help you and keep you safe. I cannot do so if you refuse to learn.”
“I’m not refusing to learn, I just don’t understand.” Easton’s fist clenched at his side, and he forced himself to relax it.
Nalia grasped his arm. “Close your eyes and breathe slowly. Block out everything except my movements, the sound of my feet as they whisper through the grass. Feel the change in the movement of the air. Let your mind see what is going to happen next. Feel the change in the pattern of energy that the living earth is putting out below your feet. Your magic is in there.” She touched his chest. “And in here.” She touched his forehead. “We just have to tap into it.”
He closed his eyes and did as she asked. He slowed his breathing and listened for her movements until everything else disappeared. He tilted his head slightly and turned to follow her. He felt the change in the energy beneath his feet and sensed a slight change in her step. He threw his staff up and blocked her. The crash of the staffs made a resounding crack that rang through the forest. Whoa! He forced himself to keep listening. Was he listening and hearing the change? Yeah, he was. The movement shifted, the energy changed slightly again. He threw his right arm up, blocking her quickly before he stuck his staff in front of her, preventing her forward momentum as he reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.
Easton’s eyes flew open, wide with a combination of shock and elation. “What just happened?” His heart was thumping so hard in his chest, he thought for sure she’d hear it.
A smile slid over her lips. “That is your magic I spoke of. If you take away the eyes, you concentrate then you hear, feel, and see more. You did well.” She turned and walked to a small bench carved into the side of one large oak. “Come, sit by me. We will drink and refresh ourselves before we try something a bit harder.”
He sat down and took the tall glass of cold water she handed him. Leaning over to look past her, he couldn’t see where she’d gotten them. He raised a brow.
“When your magic is stronger, you will be able to conjure up many things. You will not want for refreshment or food. It is one of the blessings of our kind.”
“May I ask you something?” He took a long drink of the ice-cold water.
“You may.” Nalia nodded before sipping from her cup, her eyes locked with his.
“Can you see the future? You spoke of danger to us...” He hung his head for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued, “I can’t lose them. I’ve never had anyone I loved before now, and I love her. Hell, I already love my son and he’s not even here.”
“A father’s bond is strong. The bond is strong with your chosen one as well. Such is the way of our kind. I cannot be certain of the future because there are too many variables of what could happen to be assured of the outcome.” She took his hand in hers. “But you can be certain that I will train you and help you with the powers locked inside of you. They are strong. If we can unleash them and you work hard, I feel strongly that we can defeat those who look for you.” She stood and took his glass, setting it on the bench. “Now, let us get back to work. We have much to do.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.” He closed his eyes and shut out everything but the movement of his teacher.
***
Hours later, they made their way back to the tree house. Easton was exhausted but excited about how far his training had come in such a short time.
“Tegan is going to meet us for lunch. I want to discuss with her how everything went today with your training.” Nalia smiled. “You did well.”
“I feel like I learned a lot from you. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. You are an extremely fast learner.” She slipped her hand around his arm. “We will resume your training again tomorrow, but tonight we will start to work on your magical training. Tegan will help and it will be good for both of you. I sense you miss her.”
He felt the heat move up his face. “I do miss her. Even though it has only been a few hours.”
“She misses you as well. Now come. I do believe Tegan has lunch just about ready for us. It will be nice to not have to make it myself.” She laughed as she moved her hand over the tree to open the hidden door.
Easton laughed with her, knowing she probably used her magic to conjure up most of her meals.
When they walked into the kitchen, Tegan turned from the stove. Her eyes lit up and the sweet smile he loved, spread over her face. “I missed you.” She hurried into his arms and snuggled close.
He breathed in the scent of her. “I missed you as well. You feel so good. I missed having you in my arms while I was gone,” he whispered in her ear.
“How did it go?” She tightened her hold on him.
“Nalia said I did well and that I’m a fast learner.” He released her, took the bowl of fresh fruits from Nalia, and set it on the table before going back to get the bowl of stew. “This smells delicious and I’ve worked up one heck of an appetite.”
Tegan smiled as she placed the large bowl of fresh rolls from the oven on the table. “It does look wonderful. The stew is a special recipe my mother used to make.”
Nalia sat down and nodded her approval. She helped herself to a roll as Tegan ladled out bowls of the steaming stew. “I feel so much better since working with him today.” She motioned toward Easton. “He is learning quickly. After lunch, we are going to work on spells.”
Tegan smiled sweetly as she placed her hand over her stomach. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”
“We are going to work hard to do what needs to be done for you, your son, and all the realms.” She picked up her spoon and glanced around the table. “Eat! We have much to do.”
Once they finished their meal, Tegan stood to start putting up the food. “What are you doing, child?” Nalia watched her.
“Putting this away so I can clean up.”
Nalia muttered something about Tegan living too long in the human realm before she waved her hand and mumbled some words under her breath. The kitchen was just as it had been before they’d begun to eat.
“Someone needs to teach me that trick,” Easton exclaimed as his jaw went slack. “It would save me all kinds of time.”
“That is the truth.” Tegan laughed. “I had forgotten about that, Witch Mother. Easton’s uncle preferred that we do the dishes by hand. He loved to talk as we p
ut everything away. He always said it made it feel more natural.” Tegan smiled. “I must confess I enjoy the quiet of cleaning up after a meal. It gives me time to reflect on my day.”
“Time to get started on the next part of the day.” Nalia pushed herself back from the table and started toward the door.
Chapter Fourteen
Easton couldn’t believe how fast the weeks had flown by since they entered this realm. He loved it here and felt more at home than anywhere he’d ever been before. His training was going well, and he felt he was learning quickly. Nalia always seemed to have a smile for him at the end. Today, they were going to do something different. Easton had to admit, even after all he’d learned, it still made him nervous when Nalia said it would be something new.
A chill seeped through Easton’s skin as Nalia lit the candles around the room, giving it an eerie quality. So much so, that it made him half expect some spooky organ music to start playing in the background. He noticed a wall of shelves filled with bottles and jars of various sizes. Large, wooden tables stood a few feet in front of them, holding what looked like bowls and glass beakers. He started to move toward them when Tegan placed her hand on his arm.
“Soon, but not yet. Come this way.” She motioned to a smaller table that held a bowl of chalk, a cellar of salt, and some other interesting items. “First, we need to do this Easton. Speak what I speak. Do you understand?”
He nodded and stepped next to her, watching her closely. He heard something and turned around. A door appeared in a wall to his left, and a petite woman with long platinum hair stepped through. She nodded to Nalia and Tegan.
“Easton, it is so nice to meet you. I am Melissa, one of the witches here in Ebon Forrest. I am on the Council of Elders. We hear you are making wonderful progress.”
Her voice had a sweet melodic tone, and Easton could not help but notice the twinkle in her eyes when he greeted her. “I think so. Nalia seems happy with me after each training session.”
Melissa nodded. “I have been asked by the Council to join you today to watch your progress. I hope it will not distract you?”
Easton glanced over her shoulder at Nalia, who gave a slight nod.
She raised her arms, palms up, and nodded for him to do the same. Her voice soft, she spoke the words for him to follow.
Listen to the words we say
Please help to guide us on our way
We ask for protection and trust
We do this because we must
I cast my circle three times around
To keep evil spirits away and unbound
Tegan cast a circle around herself three times and nodded for him to do the same before she continued.
Bind the spell,
Bind it well
Keep us safe
And hidden well
She turned toward the little table against the wall and took a few steps forward.“This is the sacred altar. The gold candle represents the Lord and the sun, and the silver one standing is for the Lady and the moon. You will also see there is a bowl of water, a bowl of salt, incense,and an essential oil burner and some amulets that protect us from trouble.”
“What is this knife for?” He picked up a black handled, double-edged knife that was blunt.“It doesn’t have any edge on it.”
“It is used to cut energy. It does not need to be sharp. It is called an athame. It helps to direct energy and to open and close the door to the spellcaster’s circle. This one with the white handle and curved blade is a bolline. It is used to cut herbs and plants and other things that need to be cut for making magic. If something has to be cut from a living plant,one should always ask the plant’s permission,and it should be done gently. Always remember to thank the plant afterwards.”
She placed her hand on a thickly carved leather book. “This is my grimoire. It is my journal where I write down my spells and other things. It is what I use for my magic making. We will get you one as well.” She walked to the wall of shelves.“Here you will find many other things we will use. Candles are used in almost every spell and can be dressed with essential oils and loaded with herbs to make them more powerful.”
“There is a lot to learn. My head feels like it’s spinning right now,Tegan.”
“I know. But we will need to learn some things quickly to protect you from harm. For now, we are going to cast a spell to keep you from feeling threatened. It will add more power to the spells I have bound to the house and to each of us. We will take a clear crystal upstairs with us to do the spell. This will be your first one, and we will start your grimoire. Choose a journal from over there. Choose carefully because it will be yours for life.”
Easton walked to the shelf she pointed at and found piles of leather-bound books. As he moved his hands over them, some seemed to repel him before he even touched them. Some thrummed with energy, and one even burned his fingers when he touched it. Finally, there in one of the last stacks, one seemed to pull him in. When his fingers touched the spine, he swore he saw a soft glow from the pages of the book. Grasping it in his hand,he gave a gentle tug and felt the leather grow warm and a peace flowed through him.“I found it.” He spun and saw Tegan smiling.
“Yes, you did. Now,go to the third shelf and carefully pick a crystal that is clear. This will be the one you will learn to use for a special spell later.”
Easton completed the task of finding the perfect crystal. Once it was in his hand, she had him walk to the window.
“Open the window and set the crystal where it will catch the sunshine. The crystal will charge when I place a spell on it to do so. I will ask that you keep this crystal with you at all times.”
“I will. What about this book?” he asked.
“You will want to keep the grimoire with you as well. In it,you will want to write your most powerful spells.” She glanced at Nalia.“I see what you mean about him being powerful. I feel it in the energy within this room.”
“I feel it as well.” Melissa stood.“You are right, Witch Mother. He is more powerful than any other witch or druid I have encountered. I will speak to the Council, and we will help reinforce the spells on the portal as well. Thank you for allowing me to watch tonight. The Councilwill be relieved.” Melissa opened the door, smiled, and vanished.
“One more thing we want you to learn tonight. It is an important part of your training—using your mind to communicate with both of us.”
Easton stood looking from one to the other, wondering if he had heard Tegan correctly. He put a finger in his ear and wiggled it around, blinked, and asked, “What did you say?”
“You are going to learn how to communicate with just your mind. It is part of what we can do, and it makes it easier to always be in touch with each other, if needed. Now,I want you to close your eyes and listen for me to speak to you.”
Easton closed his eyes and waited, and waited. Did he just hear something? He cocked is head to the right and concentrated.
You have not realized yet how many levels we are connected on. If you open your mind’s eye, we will communicate on many levels, and it will keep us both safe. I hope today showed you some of what you can do if you listen to Nalia and I, and let us help you.
“Whoa! Did I just hear you inside my head?”
Yes, you did. See how easy this is? Your mind is opening to mine. Tegan smiled and took his hand. “See how easy that was? Now, try saying something to me without speaking out loud.”
He smirked and sat back. I can think of something else we could discuss, like what I want to be doing to you tonight.
Tegan laughed, shaking her head. Behave yourself before you get us in trouble. This is serious.
“Time to get down to what we are here for.” Nalia cleared her throat. “Young ones.” She chuckled.
Chapter Fifteen
They worked for a few more hours on spells for charms and medicines. “I think we’ve done enough for one day,” Tegan said. “You are learning quickly.”
Nalia raised her arms and began a slow
chant as Tegan’s eyes went round.
What’s wrong? Easton stepped closer to her.
Tegan shook her head, her finger going to her lips to make sure he stayed silent. Tears filled her eyes as the chanting got louder.
Suddenly, Nalia stopped and her arms fell to her sides. “It has begun. I must call upon the others to help us, and I am going to have to let your father know, Easton. Please Tegan, go back upstairs. I will come to you as soon as I can.” She turned, waved her arm, and walked through a mirror on the far wall.
“What was that?” He narrowed his eyes as fear threatened to overtake him. “What’s she talking about?” He grabbed Tegan’s shoulders.
Tegan raised her head as tears shimmered in her eyes. “Something has happened. She was speaking to the witches on the other side. She has asked them to call everyone together to help us. It is going to be bad, I am afraid.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut. “Please, let us go to our room. I have to rest.” She placed her hand on her stomach as her breath hitched.
Easton nodded, feeling somewhat dumbfounded by the sudden change of events. He pulled her against his chest and prayed nothing would happen to her or the baby. He was scared, but he wasn’t going to let her know it.
Back in their room, he undressed her, slid a soft cotton nightgown over her arms, and laid her on the bed. He undressed and slid in next to her, pulling her into his arms.
“Rest now. I’m sure Nalia will return soon.”
Tegan sighed and snuggled close. Easton stared at the ceiling as she relaxed and soon fell asleep as his worry increased. He wondered how long it would be before Nalia returned. He slipped out of bed and crossed the room to glance out the window. A cold chill once again ran down his spine. A sense, that something dark was entering their realm, filled him. He dressed quickly, moved quietly to the door, and opened it just enough to squeeze through, closing it behind him so as not to wake her. He hurried down the stairs and back into the room where he’d last seen Nalia just in time to see her step through the mirror with a tall, dark-haired, very muscular man in tow.
