Force of Nature

by Shawna Logue

  I looked up. He was seated beside me now. How had he gotten to me so silently? How long had he been sitting here?

  “She’s safe as long as she’s here, Alex. Don’t worry. My father has notified the Council about the attack, and they are looking into it. Trust me, she’s safe.”

  And for some strange reason, I knew she was. I knew that this place was safe, magical, a haven. There was no other place I could imagine her to be.

  “Would you like to stay as well, or shall I take you home?” he asked again.

  I wanted to stay. Every part of me wanted to experience the magical place surrounding me. But I knew I had to get back. I had to talk to Connor about everything. I had to go home.

  I looked around one last time, and slowly picked up my backpack. He understood my response, escorting me out of the castle. He did not try to lead the way this time, keeping pace with my slow, human steps. Neither of us spoke. I watched his bare feet glide effortlessly over the forest floor, never once hesitating over a sharp rock or a fallen tree branch. We reached the gazebo after about fifteen minutes, and he led me past it, to a ring of small, purple stones which glistened in the dewy morning light.

  I had been aware of several force lines while we walked, but I felt such a reverence for this place I hadn’t thought twice about taking from any of them. On top of that, they all were the strange greenish colour I had seen around the castle, and it made me wary. I wasn’t sure what that would do to me. But this small clearing seemed to be the centre of the magic, with all the lines meeting in an intricate web nearly fifteen feet above me. The centre of the web was directly above the centre of the stone circle.

  I must have been staring at it, because Jack’s voice interrupted my delude.

  “Alex?”

  “Do you mind if I sit for a minute?” I asked, the awe in my voice answering his question. He nodded, seemingly amused, and I lay back on to the grass, ignoring the cold dew that soaked into my clothes.

  The emerald lines appeared to be liquid, and were unlike anything I had seen before. The seemed so much more natural, like they belonged here. There was nothing electric about them, instead, they seemed to be full of life.

  “Tell me something, Alex,” Jack’s voice said quietly from above me. He was still standing, but also looking up at the web. “What do you see?”

  Though I had just finished describing it in my head, I found it nearly impossible to describe it in words. “It’s so… green,” I finally managed. I blushed, knowing this description was not doing it justice.

  He laughed. “It’s Elven magic. Ever since I met you yesterday, I have been wondering if you could see it. Your eyes often dart away, only for a second, glancing at things unseen. I thought you might be able to see what I can only feel.”

  “You can’t see that?” I asked, shocked. I felt sad that he couldn’t revel in the magical web flowing above us. It was nearly impossible to look away.

  “No, I can’t, but I have a fairly good idea that it’s there. It’s one of two magical epicentres in the woods. The other is the castle.” I nodded, remembering the vines that protected the petrified structure.

  I continued to look up, my eyes dancing with the pattern. It was almost kaleidoscopic to watch.

  “Would you like to help me with an experiment?”

  I looked away from the web and up at him. His hand was outstretched to help me to my feet. My hands were still bandaged, and upon remembering this, he lifted me effortlessly by my elbow.

  I looked at him warily, unsure how to answer his question.

  “I have a theory,” he said, noting my expression, “that you are a mana well.”

  “A man what?”

  “A mana well. A storehouse for magical energy.”

  “There’s a name for people like me?” I asked excitedly.

  “So I’m right?”

  “Well, I guess. I seem to be a battery for magic I suppose.”

  He looked at me again, carefully studying my face. “To answer your question, there is a name for things like you; I have never known a person to be a mana well.”

  “Oh.” I tried to hide my disappointment in the fact that I was still a freak, as I was the only person who could do what I could do. He caught my frustration, and as I didn’t want to get into it, I quickly added, “What’s the experiment?”

  He smiled at me, warily at first before breaking into a wider grin. “Well, I’m not sure how it- how you work. You gave me most of your energy yesterday, and I was wondering how you, um, refilled?” He seemed to have thought out each word carefully, trying not to offend me with his question.

  I laughed. “Oh! I guess I just pull on them.” No one had ever asked to explain it before, so I wasn’t prepared to get into more detail than that. Luckily, he seemed to be satisfied with that response.

  “Fascinating!” His expression reminded me of an eccentric physicist who had just made the discovery of his life. How any of this could be interesting to him amazed me. Especially considering how interesting he was. Everything about him, his family, his home, his culture, was so intricately detailed, and yet, seemingly simple. And I had only been here one night. I couldn’t imagine how enthralled I would be if I spent more time here, learning all about the elves.

  “Will you show me?” he asked, his voice trying to disguise his excitement.

  For a brief moment I thought of Casper, and how he had tricked me in to giving him some of my power, and how it had almost killed me. It made my sides hurt to remember. I looked at Jack carefully, trying to discern his intentions. He seemed genuinely curious, and I couldn’t imagine him to have any ulterior motive. Plus, he had saved us from the gargoyle, so he couldn’t be bad, right? “Sure,” I replied, hoping my hesitation hadn’t offended him.

  He waited expectantly.

  “Now?”

  He nodded, but then quickly backtracked. “Only if you want to. I hadn’t meant to put you on the spot. I mean, you can-”

  “Now is fine, Jack,” I chuckled as he stammered away. I hadn’t expected that kind of response from him, and it was amusing to watch him flounder.

  He was silent then, and watched me intently. I looked up at the web above me, embedding the picture in my mind before closing my eyes. I wondered what the green force lines would feel like, and though some of that wondering was worry that they might not feel the same, that they might hurt or something, more of my speculating was merely rippling curiousity.

  I reached out slowly, gently tugging on the line flowing directly above my head. It felt different, flowing into me like water instead of electricity. My body calmed with this energy, every muscle relaxing; knots I didn’t know I had slowly began to untie themselves. I heard myself let out a deep sigh.

  Ever so carefully, I tugged harder, more curious now. The taste followed swiftly afterward. This had been what I was most interested in discovering. It was sweet at first, almost honey tasting, but it quickly grew bitter and dry.

  “Blech!” I gasped, breaking concentration as I spat involuntarily. “That tastes awful!”

  Behind me, Jack chuckled. I ignored him, as well as the taste, focusing instead on how my body felt. It felt different, but good. I was calm and relaxed, like I just had a deep massage. Around me, the bright colours of the forest softened, and though I wasn’t tired, I knew I could easily fall asleep if I tried.

  “Amazing!” Jack said, clapping his hands once. “I can feel you glowing with energy! May I?” He held one hand up. I hesitated. “I won’t take much,” he promised.

  Slowly, I held one hand up. My fingers peeked out from my bandaged palm like little fat worms. Jack studied my face for moment, before pressing his fingers gently into mine. I felt the energy flow out quicker than it had yesterday, and I sensed it being drawn out of me to him, as though it was meant to be there.

  We were only connected for a second, but it was long enough for him to break into a toothy grin.

  “It would seem it’s easier for me to receive Elven magic, than ar
cane magic,” he said, more to himself than to me. When I didn’t respond, (as I wasn’t sure how to), he looked at me again. “Thank you. That was truly, enlightening.”

  “No problem,” I muttered, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

  “Shall we go?” he asked, offering both hands, then changing his mind and offering his sleeved arm. I wasn’t sure, but I guessed he was trying not to take any more power from me. I appreciated the gesture, not wanting to be drained to the point of passing out.

  I took a deep breath, not looking forward to this part, and carefully wrapped my sore hands around his forearms. Exhaling, we descended into nothingness.

  Chapter Eight

  Not existing isn’t such a shock when you’ve done it before, but I still couldn’t help but gasp when my feet found solid ground again.

  “How can you like travelling like that?” my voice squeaked as my body wavered slightly. My hands were still around his arms, though barely gripping them. He twisted his hands so that they held me up now, supporting me in my dizziness. I had no choice but to lean into him to keep from falling over.

  “You get used to it after a century or so,” he smirked.

  We were back in Victoria, in a park not too far from my apartment. I was grateful there was no one around to see us materialize out of thin air, but I assumed that Jack had either planned on that, or that even if there were people here, they wouldn’t have seen us anyway. Magic has a funny way of disguising itself from people who aren’t in the know.

  “Um, thanks,” I said, regaining my balance enough to stand on my own. I suddenly felt awkward. Should I ask him to come over for tea or something? What was I supposed to say next?

  “No problem, Alex. Anytime. I guess I’ll see you at the wedding?”

  “For sure!” I replied, a little too enthusiastically.

  “If you’re ever up by Cathedral Grove, look me up,” he smiled.

  I looked at him incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

  “Just walk west about five kilometres from the end of the main trail. You’ll find us. Or, rather, we’ll find you.”

  “Okay,” I laughed. He made it sound so simple. I had no plans of heading up to Cathedral Grove anytime soon, especially because I didn’t drive. But I nodded politely and made a mental note of his directions.

  And then he was gone. I was sure I hadn’t blinked, but he disappeared as fast as though I had. Even though I was expecting it, it still was startling. Once I recovered, I turned, walking through the park to the street, and turning for home.

  Home was empty, and I was glad. Though part of me wanted Connor to be there, so I could lay into him about the whole glasses thing, but another part of me felt so relaxed I didn’t want to deal with him or any other drama. I didn’t bother checking my mailbox, or even my voicemail, I didn’t care. I had the place to myself, and I was going to enjoy it.

  As I popped some popcorn, I changed into pajamas, despite it being barely after lunch. Then, sliding in my favourite movie, The Princess Bride, (which I have seen hundreds of times and can quote from memory), I flopped onto the couch, and chilled.

  By the time the movie reached the Battle of Wits, I felt my eyes droop, not out of sleepiness though, out of serenity. Shortly after, I was asleep and dreaming of the magical forest I had walked through earlier that morning.

  As I walked, the trees responded to my presence as though they knew I was there. Animals walked beside me, and magic swirled around me. Everything was at peace.

  I vaguely heard Connor come in and greet me, not knowing I was sleeping. The movie was still playing; I could hear the priest giving his “Mawwaige” speech. Connor tried to be quiet as he made his way through the apartment, but he was less than stealthy. I never opened my eyes though, content and comfortable in my dozing.

  So when Connor lifted me up, still swaddled in my blanket, a small part of me was miffed he had disturbed me. I opened my eyes and saw he was carrying me to my bed. I guess that’s not so bad, I thought, as my body sank into the mattress.

  He caught my drowsy expression and whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “That’s okay,” I muttered, and he bent down and gently kissed me.

  But his kiss lasted only a fraction of a second before he pulled away; his eyes widened first with fear and then anger as he felt the slightest transfer of power between us. Carefully, his hand reached out, gently brushing my lips. The energy trickled to his fingertips, flowing stronger as he pushed harder onto my lips, abruptly stopping as he pulled them away.

  I was awake now, alert. I sat upright, automatically feeling defensive.

  “What… is that?” he growled, pointing at me with disgust.

  “Magic?” I mumbled, not sure if I should feel embarrassed or hurt at his reaction.

  “That is not magic,” he said, his voice low and rough. His eyes burned into mine with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.

  “It’s Elven magic,” I said, then remembering he didn’t know about what had happened, I added, “Maria and I stayed with the elves last night. She was-”

  He cut me off, not at all listening to my explanation. “Elf magic? Alex, we talked about this. We talked about you and your ability. We had a deal.”

  That did it. Any trace of calm disappeared as my mind boiled over with anger. “We did not have a deal, Connor,” I spat. “You had an opinion. I never agreed to anything!” As my voice grew louder and more upset, I remembered my backpack, still sitting on the floor from when I had first come home.

  I nearly tripped on the tangle of blankets as I leapt out of bed and made a beeline for the pack. Digging into the pocket, I immediately found what I was looking for, thrusting it into Connor’s chest with as much force as I could muster. “If you want to talk deals, how about the one where you promised to never use magic on me?”

  His mouth fell open in shock as he recognized the glasses in his hand.

  “I just wanted to keep you safe,” he said, his voice still low, but much calmer now.

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Connor! According to you, I will never be safe! Merlin knows who I am! It’s only a matter of time before he sends someone to find me, and I’ve got news for you, he’ll find me whether I’m using my power or not! So I’m choosing to use it.”

  Connor seemed visibly shaken. “I don’t-” he began, his voice cracking slightly, “I can’t have you near magic. I can’t lose you.” I could see he was hurt, but I didn’t care.

  “News flash: you’re more magical than me.”

  He nodded, not looking up. This wasn’t the reaction I expected. I still felt furious, but I didn’t know what else to say.

  After what felt like an eternity of silence, he looked up at me and spoke, his voice a hoarse whisper. “You’re right.”

  This caught me off guard. “About?”

  “I am more magical than you.”

  I didn’t respond, unsure of what he was getting at.

  “My power,” he shuddered at the word, “puts you in danger. I could drain you unconscious if I wanted to. If I wasn’t careful, I could kill you.” He looked at me, and I could see a deep pain in his normally sparkling eyes. He closed them for a long moment before continuing. “I think I have to remove myself from the equation.”

  “What?” I practically shouted, as I reflexively fell back against the bed. My knees couldn’t hold me now. This wasn’t the way this conversation was supposed to go.

  “I can’t put you in danger, Alex. I love you too much.”

  “You love me so much that you are breaking up with me?” My voice choked, and I could feel the hot tears streaming down my face.

  His hand reached out to brush the tears away, but he pulled it away, aware of the power that still flowed through me.

  “I can’t watch you get hurt, Alex.”

  “What do you call this?” I gasped hoarsely.

  “You know what I mean. I can’t put you in harm’s way. I can’t…” his voice trailed off.
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  I wanted to fight for him. I wanted to shout at him. I wanted to react, somehow. But my body was frozen, only shuddering with sobs at the realization of the situation.

  He turned the glasses over in his hands slowly. “I’m so sorry, Alex,” he murmured, taking one last look at me, his eyes reflecting my pain, before turning to head out of my room. I heard the faint click as he closed and then locked my front door, and almost in reaction to the noise, I sobbed harder.

  After soaking my pillow with tears, I flipped it over, soaking the other side. My body ached from convulsing. How had this all gone so badly? Wasn’t I the one who was supposed to be mad at him? Was his life really so dangerous that he couldn’t be around me?

  Two hours of uncontrollable crying later, my rational side tried to tell me that this was for the better, that I really shouldn’t be so upset. I hadn’t been dating Connor that long, and so it really shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

  But it was a big deal. Connor was more important to me that anyone I had ever known. When I was with him, I felt whole, like I found the missing piece of my life. He was my soul mate, a concept I had never given much thought to until I met him.

  And now he was gone. I was alone.

  This was all because I decided to use magic. Not even use it, just store it. What was the point, really? I mean, it wasn’t like I could do anything with it. And Connor was right, he could drain it out of me to the point of unconsciousness. It had happened before, at Botanical Beach when we fought Casper and Merlin.

  It was foolish to think that this decision was worth it.

  It took another hour for that thought to register with the rest of my body, but eventually it did and I stopped crying.

  I got up slowly, pulled off my pillowcase with as much strength as I could muster (which wasn’t very much at all) and tossed the damp fabric into the hamper. With as much speed as a snail, I found another pillowcase in my linen closet, and fit it over the pillow. It took a lot of effort.