by J. M. Briggs
The itching and tingling increased rapidly as the light around Nicki grew brighter, losing some of it blue color and shifting towards white with sparks of blue floating around her.
Gritting her teeth, Alex fought to keep her hand still and ignored the instinct to pull her hand away from the aggravation. Dropping her eyes away from Nicki concentrating face, Alex looked down at the wound in her hand.
A sharp stinging pain made Alex flinch and gasp for air as the stinging spread through the center of the wound. Her eyes widened in astonishment as the dark red tissue began to ooze blood slowly, but the bright red color quickly faded into a soft bluish color. Panting, Alex fought to breath as the sting grew stronger, but the urge to pull away was gone. Seeping through the wound, the bluish blood began to slowly reattach and connect the sliced tissue fibers before her eyes. Blue sparks of magic danced through the wound, sending tiny jolts of hot and cold up Alex's arm.
The rough edges of the torn skin were changing color now, taking on the soft blue of Nicki magic as they were seeped in her energy. Swallowing thickly, Alex struggled to breathe as the stinging sensation faded and the itching sensation became almost unbearable, but the feeling was lost as the skin began to shift and stretch before her eyes. The blue color around her hand intensified and two pieces of skin that were shifting, stretched out across the wound and fused together in a spark of blue magic. More skin unrolled itself from around the wound, shifting and stretching to link with other bits of skin, growing and glowing softly.
“Wow,” Aiden breathed nearby, but Alex couldn't look away as the small blue sparks of magic danced over her palm.
“Is it working?” she heard Merlin's voice ask, sounding far away.
“Yeah,” Aiden answered, sounding out of breath. “It's working.”
Gasping in pain, Alex fought to stay as quiet as possible, watching as the skin finished reforming. It took her a moment to hear the soft pained noises that were escaping Nicki. Looking up in alarm, Alex saw Nicki was gritting her teeth, her eyes clenched closer and her body shaking.
“Nicki!” Aiden called, moving over to them quickly.
“Aiden!” Merlin shouted through the phone, “Be careful. Nicole is connected to Alex's life force. Pulling her away is dangerous.”
The words caused panic to rush through Alex as she stared at Nicki, unsure of what to do. The energy field surrounding Nicki was starting to swirl tighter around her, no longer focused on her hand. Sparks of blue and white, jumped around them both and Alex opened her mouth to call to Nicki, but found herself unable to speak. Closing her eyes, Alex forced herself to take a deep breath. She could feel the energy creeping over her skin, seeking other injuries to heal and slipping away from Nicki. Alex tried to visualize the blue tinted energy being pushed away from her skin, being pushed back at Nicki. She imagined a force field around her skin, protecting her from any more of the energy and pushed the idea as hard as she could towards Nicki.
There was a sharp gasp, the sound of something large falling to the ground and the energy stopped. Alex groaned, falling forward onto the bed, catching herself on her hands and gasping for air. Around her, she heard sounds of someone moving and voices, but couldn't understand the words. Someone touched her back and guided her back into a seated position, leaning her back against some pillows.
Slowly, she reopened her eyes, fighting back a haze that was tangled with her thoughts. Aiden was leaning over her, a look on worry and relief mixed together on his face.
“Hi,” Alex greeted softly, confused by the expression even while knowing that she shouldn't be.
“Hey,” Aiden replied, the corners of his lips tilting up slightly. “Welcome back. Nicki's okay.”
“Nicki?” Alex repeated in confusion.
“Nicki healed your hand,” Aiden reminded her and she felt him take her hand. He raised it up and turned it so that Alex could see her palm. There was a thin white line across her palm and another line running across the insides of her fingers.
“And she's okay?” Alex questioned, the haze beginning to lift slightly. She could remember the pain in her hand and the light around Nicki.
“Yes,” Aiden answered patiently. He leaned back and stepped back from the bed so that Alex could see Nicki sitting on the floor, her back against the bed and sipping some water.
The other girl looked over her shoulder at Alex and gave her a tired smile. “Hi Alex,” she greeted in a weak voice. “Thanks for the push.”
“Push?” Alex questioned, frowning again.
“I felt you push me away,” Nicki explained with a growing smile.
Merlin's voice broke into Alex's confused thoughts. “You should be grateful that Alex managed to stop you,” Merlin told them. “That is the danger with healing magic. Once you start to give your energy to another it is difficult to stop. It requires perfect control.”
“Could that have killed Nicki?” Aiden demanded as he knelt at Nicki's side, placing a protective hand on her shoulder.
“No,” Morgana informed him. “We would not have risked it. At your current magical level, your bodies will shut off the flow of energy before it kills you as magic hasn't become an encompassing part of your being yet.”
“Yet,” Bran repeated making Alex look over at him. He has a thoughtful expression on his face that she thought might be important, but couldn't decipher.
“The more you use magic, the more it becomes a part of you,” Morgana explained calmly. “Once you reach that point, giving its energy to another is more and more of a risk as your body won't cut you off automatically.”
“So it could kill you,” Nicki murmured from her place on the floor. “I understand.”
“It should not be used lightly,” Merlin told them all firmly. “I trust that none of you will attempt it on your own.”
“No,” Aiden agreed with a sad expression. “I don't think you have to worry about that.”
“Good,” Merlin replied and Alex could hear the satisfied nod in his voice. “Try to get some rest. You all have classes in the morning.”
The line went dead and Nicki groaned softly. Aiden helped her to her feet and led her over to the chair. He looked back at Alex and frowned before walking over to her.
“Come on,” he muttered, holding out a hand to her. “I'll help you up to your room and then take Nicki home.”
Nodding, Alex crawled off the bed and let Aiden support her. He glanced at Bran who nodded in understanding and shifted on the bed to be closer to Nicki. Alex flexed her hand, looking down at it with a sense of bemusement as Aiden collected her coat and bag from the floor.
“This was a bad night,” Alex muttered to herself. “And my head feels like it was dumped in clouds.”
“Dumped in clouds,” Aiden repeated as they moved out into the hallway and towards the elevator. “That's a new one. I'll have to remember that.”
“I really hate those Hounds,” Alex told him with a huff. “I mean really, really hate them.”
“I completely agree,” Aiden replied as he helped her inside. “Come on Alex.”
Alex leaned against Aiden and tried to connect the stray thoughts in her head together, but they were prancing around with no regard for her wishes. The elevator stopped and Aiden walked her out into the hallway, ignoring the looks they were getting. She barely managed to get her keys out of her bag, nearly dropping them twice before Aiden took them.
Her dorm room was dark and empty. It was probably a good thing that Jenny wasn't home. Aiden helped Alex to the bed and let her collapse on it. She heard him chuckle softly before she felt him tugging off her shoes.
“Nicki looked really pretty,” Alex declared as she looked up at the ceiling, noticing an old hole where someone had hung a plant. “Surrounded by blue and glowing. Really pretty.”
“She was glowing?” Aiden asked, giving her a confused look as he hung up her coat. “Really?”
“Yeah, glowing blue,” Alex told him with a sigh as she settled back against her very soft pillows
. “Then the blue sparks made my hand feel better, but it hurt too.”
Aiden made a thoughtful noise and looked at Alex for a moment before he nodded in understanding. “You must have been able to see her magic when she connected to you,” he observed with a smile as he picked up Alex's phone and pressed a few buttons on it.
“But I don't have magic,” Alex reminded him, a frown taking over her features.
“Yeah you do,” Aiden told her as he moved to the doorway. He flicked off the lights and stood in the light of the open door. “I set your alarm just in case. Let us know how you feel in the morning Alex.” Then in a softer voice he added, “And you do have magic, you'll find it Alex. I promise.”
29
Revelry
The music wasn't particularly interesting, a constant heavy percussion beat with barely audible vocals and the room was starting to stink of sweat along with the thick smell of beer. Holding back a sigh, Alex took a sip of her bottle of water that she'd settled on for the evening and glanced around the room. This weekend's frat party hosts had pushed back all the furniture and turned off the regular lights in favor of a few black lights and colored bulb lamps scattered throughout the room making looking around a headache. She spotted Jenny and Arthur on the makeshift dance floor across the large living room and a couple of girls she knew from elementary Spanish on one the sofas up against the wall. Turning her attention back to the guy she had been talking to, Alex did sigh when she saw that his attention was already elsewhere as he shouted to another guy coming out of the kitchen. As the second man came up, Alex quickly stepped away and moved closer to the wall, feeling very hot and claustrophobic. With a practiced movement, she pulled out her phone and checked the time just to make sure that she hadn't missed her alarm in the noise, but was only 10:13, less than ten minutes since the last time that she'd checked.
“Something wrong?” A familiar male voice asked behind Alex. Turning quickly, Alex relaxed when Lance walked up to her with a small smile. “You keep checking your phone? Are you expecting a call or watching the time Cinderella?”
“Guilty of the second,” Alex admitted with a sheepish smile and a small shrug. “I've got to leave early tonight by eleven so Cinderella isn't too far off.”
“Any reason in particular?” Lance questioned casually as he leaned against the wall and looked around the room. His eyes settled over Alex's shoulders, watching Jenny and Arthur as he sipped his beer.
“I've got to be up early,” Alex offered smoothly, making a mental note to do just that. Even if she didn't want to be out before morning on Imbolc, she could maybe go and stay in Bran's room for a few hours. Do some studying and put out the iron horseshoes that Merlin had given her around herself.
“Too bad,” Lance replied with a shrug, sounded distracted before he shook his head a little and looked back at Alex. “You don't seem to be having much fun.”
Shrugging, Alex took another sip of her water and let her foot tap lightly to the music. She had to concede that letting Jenny talk her into coming hadn't been her best idea. February 1st began in just a few hours with the potential of not only Hounds attacking, but the mysterious warrior Rides of the Sídhe as well. Alex took another sip to moisten her suddenly dry mouth and looked over to where Arthur was spinning Jenny around. They were both laughing and grinning like fools. The tension in her shoulders eased a tiny bit. Things had seemed tense between them lately, it was nice to see they having fun together.
She watched for a short length of time and pulled out her phone, making Lance snort behind her. It was only 10:21 and her shoulders slumped slightly. Behind her, Lance placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
“Hey,” he called, “You're not having fun Alex. Just head home and get some sleep.” Alex turned to face him, trying to think up an excuse, but unable to. She had so little normal time anymore that didn't have to be spent on college work that it seemed wrong to ditch her friends. “Do you need a ride home?” Lance asked her, pressing the issue.
“No,” Alex replied with a shake of her head. “I drove my own car, I'm parked up around the corner.”
“I'll walk you,” Lance said, taking her arm and steering her towards the front door.
Alex wanted to argue, to insist that she could stay another forty minutes, but it didn't seem worth the effort. Her mind was on the Hounds, the Riders and the potential havoc that would break out come February 1st. Then there was also the strange sense that she had forgotten something. She hadn't spoken with the mages since Friday when a stern warning had been given by Merlin to take care not to be out on Imbolc and Alex couldn't put her finger on what she was forgetting.
Stepping outside brought a rush of fresh air into Alex's lungs, and the chill in the late evening air caused her to perk up a little. Lance paused and waited for her to gesture in the direction of her car. He released his gentle grip on her elbow and they started moving up the shoveled sidewalk. Alex's hand dropped to her bag, ready to pull her dagger automatically. There had been only a couple of attacks since her return from winter break, all of which Morgana and Merlin had handled before they reached the school, but Alex's paranoia remained high.
“So, if you didn't really feel like a party tonight why did you come?” Lance asked, breaking the silence in a low voice.
Shrugging, Alex glanced around for anything out of place, but it was a Saturday on Greek row so the kids dashing in between houses and the loud noise filling the street wasn't unusual.
“Jenny asked me,” Alex answered calmly, relaxing as they turned the corner and she spotted her car parked up the street by a large snow berm. “We haven't had much time to hang out lately except meals. When I agreed on Monday, I thought I'd be more upbeat.”
“I get that,” Lance replied with a small shrug of his own. “I didn't feel like coming, but Arthur was looking forward to it.”
“Yeah,” Alex muttered as a response. They reached her car and Alex carefully stepped over the bank of snow between the sidewalk and the road. She gave Lance a wide smile and small wave. “Thanks Lance, I'll see you Monday for breakfast.”
Lance nodded in agreement, but stood on the sidewalk waiting calmly. Smiling, Alex pulled out her car keys and unlocked the door. She was about to climb in when a high pitched howl tore through the night and a painful ice cold shiver ran up her spine. Looking around with wide eyes, Alex struggled to control her breathing.
“Shit,” Lance growled. “Not more of those wild dogs. My mom freaked out when she heard about the first time.”
“Maybe they won't come into town,” Alex managed in a weak voice that made Lance frown and give her a concerned look.
“Alex? Are you okay?” He asked as he took a step towards her. “I can drive you-”
“No,” Alex snapped quickly before she forced herself to calm down. “No thank you Lance, I guess I'm just a little freaked out by those dogs. The report about them running across campus was kind of scary. I'll just get home and settle in. I'll be fine.”
Lance looked torn, but he nodded and stepped back onto the sidewalk. Forcing a smile and giving him a small wave, Alex climbed into her car. She turned the key with more force than necessary and locked the driver's side door. Propping up her bag, Alex didn't remove it, but adjusted the dagger so that she could reach it if necessary. Lance was still watching as Alex pulled away from the curb. Glancing into her rearview mirror, Alex sighed in relief as he turned and started walking back to the party.
“Just get home and settle in,” Alex told herself. “It's not February 1st just yet.” Her grip on the steering wheel tightened and she swallowed as another cold shudder racked her body. “Maybe one of the others wouldn't mind a temporary roommate,” Alex muttered softly as she made the turn to the north onto Meadow Street, hoping to avoid having to stop for wandering students.
It was a quiet night Alex observed, glancing at the mostly dark residential houses that were lined up neatly on the driver’s side. The athletic fields and stadiums were dark with empty parking lo
ts. Another shiver went up Alex's spine and she swallowed thickly. Her fingers tapped nervously on the steering wheel as another howl resounded through the night. She couldn't tell if it was closer, not fully trusting her senses. Taking a slow breath, Alex resisted the urge to speed up as the bridge intersection came into view ahead of her with a green light beckoning to her before turning to yellow and then red. She was nearly home, with the Kelly Apartments just a right turn away and her parking lot just beyond.
With a sigh, Alex came to a stop and glanced around the intersection carefully for any signs of traffic. There wasn't anyone else out at the moment and she was about to make the right turn when sudden movement off to the left caught her eye. It was gone in a moment, but Alex could vaguely see several shapes moving in the darkness beyond the intersection.
She turned left before she thought better of it as fear of the Sídhe and worry for someone out too late warred in her stomach. At first there was nothing and Alex was ready to dismiss the movement as a dog that had gotten out. Peering out the passenger window, Alex could only see the slope of the riverside park that went down to the water and the vague shape of trees in the low light of lampposts. Then a woman rushed under one of the lights, grasping the hand of a child while carrying another smaller one in her arms. Even with the low light of the lamp and the distance, Alex clearly saw terror on the woman's face.
