“What do you mean survive?” It was Jude’s turn to question. “You never said anything about deadly harm.”
“Don’t worry, you are strong. You are used to being a fighter. It is Camille that I have concern for.”
My mind raced. “I thought you simply lost your powers if you chose not to accept a coven.”
“Yes, if you renounce your heritage. If you accept the challenge, you are not guaranteed a position.”
“Anastasia said I was strong.” I straightened my spine, but cut my eyes around the room, not quite sure I meant the words. Yes, I would play the part of unsure trainee until it served me to show my strength. Of course, I had to have it first.
“Do you trust me to make you as strong as you need to be?” Miguel sauntered towards me, hands clasped behind his back.
I raised my chin to look him in the eyes. “Yes. I will become a full witch, and I will find my father.”
“Let us begin then.” He raised his hand, and a leather ball flew across the room, landing in his palm.
Jude followed suit, and within seconds he had several spheres dancing around his head. Looking at the baskets filled with balls, I concentrated my energy. One after another, the rest of the balls floated to me, and I directed them to the floor in front of me. My head ached from the strain, and I stretched my arms up, taking deep breaths.
“You need speed,” Miguel instructed.
“What for?”
Miguel lifted larger and larger items, hurling them to his hand and back to their places. “Our people are always threatened. We lost a handful of our witches to a pack of vampires just weeks ago.”
“Vampires?” Jude interrupted.
“Yes, vampires.” Miguel’s eyes cut to me.
I swallowed hard, grateful Jude had played his part. “So, vampires are real? My visions weren’t just fictitious. Are they magical beings like us?”
Miguel faced me. “Our bible teaches they were formed from the union of Eve and Lilith with a serpent. Technology being what it is, there is now evidence they are just evolved humans.”
“So, a serpent, like in the devil?” I asked.
“If you believe in such things. But we only have this room for a couple of hours. We should return to the intended lesson.”
He continued to levitate each of the items hanging from the walls, performing different tricks with the various weapons. I wondered if he’d mistakenly mentioned the slaughter of the coven members by the vampires. The scene from the clearing in the woods flitted through my brain.
Jude followed Miguel’s lead, testing his magic on different items. He aimed arrows at targets and commanded bows to shoot the arrows at them. He already seemed strong and confident, and I reassured myself, knowing Jude had been practicing a week longer than me. Summoning my will, I focused on the balls at my feet. It’s like a muscle, I told myself. Use it, and it will get stronger.
I pushed through the haze in my brain and started moving the balls, successively pushing more and more power to each of them.
“Who is that? How did you do that?” Jude’s voice brought me out of the trance.
I opened my eyes to see a portrait of my father’s face.
“How long have we been here?” I spun to see Miguel’s and Jude’s eyes glued to my creation.
“Who is it?” Miguel asked.
“My father.”
Exhausted, I slid to the floor, crossing one leg over the other in a yoga pose. Taking in a lung full breath of air and then expelling it, the ache in my brain eased.
Something hit me on the head. I opened my eyes to see dozens of balls flying at me. They pelted my skin, and I looked up to see Miguel directing them.
“What are you doing? She’s going to be black and blue,” Jude yelled, but the balls didn’t stop.
“So, you do care about her?”
“Just out of human decency.” Jude shrugged and walked away.
“She’s got to think like a fighter. She’s too emotional. Her magic is out of control. She’s got to rein in her feelings, or the magic will overwhelm her.”
All the while the leather spheres hit my skin. No matter how I moved, jumped, or ran, they continued to land their mark. I froze and concentrated on forming a barrier around myself. The next ball hit an imaginary wall and fell to the floor.
“Direct me then. You put us in a room and said practice. Give us a goal.” I yelled at Miguel.
“Well, that seemed to work very well. You just achieved a barrier spell.” Miguel smirked.
“It could have been less painful.” I examined my arm, where welts already appeared on my skin.
“I don’t have time to coddle you. If you want to join the family of Michael, you must be a leader.” He walked to the exit. “Fight among yourselves, I’ll be back.”
The doors slammed behind him leaving a silent void.
My eyes cut to Jude.
It’s not safe. We should keep up our ruse. There are cameras. He used his magic to push the words to me.
I know. I saw them. I fought looking to the ceiling.
I’m going to say something offensive, and you throw something at me.
Seriously?
Yes. “I can’t believe you created a picture of your dad. You miss him that much? Didn’t he abandon you?”
Even though he’d warned me, anger welled up inside me. Eyeing the largest ball, I sent it flying over his head.
“Was that a warning shot? Miguel told us to fight.”
“Fine.” I hurled a smaller ball at his chest. I saw his brow crease in focus, and the ball hit an invisible plane and dropped to the floor.
“Hey, it worked,” Jude exclaimed, and a sphere came hurling towards my face. Remembering how Alena seemed to be able to repel items, I sent energy to the ball, reversing its direction.
“Shouldn’t we be practicing on rats or monkeys?” Jude commented.
“How cruel.”
“Better than ending up looking like you.”
I turned my arm over, and a basketball-sized ball hit my calves, sending my feet into the air and my butt to the mat. “Hey.” Gathering all my energy, I flung all the balls in my sight at Jude. I looked up to see every ball frozen in position around him. “Nice. I’m exhausted.”
“Jude, one. Camille, zero,” Jude smiled.
Clapping sounds came from the doorway, and Miguel strode to us. “Nice work, younglings. Your animosity breeds great progress. I thought it was going to be a problem, but now I see your competitive spirits may serve you well.”
“I need a shower.” I stomped past him over being respectful after his assault.
“Lunch first.”
I didn’t wait for him, but Carmen and Alex were in the hall, and I stopped short.
“I have a meeting to attend, so Carmen and Alex will escort you to the meal. Maria will join you in the dining room.” Miguel whisked past.
“What happened to you?” Carmen asked as we got in the elevator.
“Miguel happened. He doesn’t have the gentlest of techniques.”
“Can’t have any princess-and-the-pea stories in this coven.”
“How large is the coven?”
“Only hundreds after the hunts in the middle ages and then in the new world.”
And the eleven lost in Los Angeles, I thought remembering the witches I’d seen descending from the sky in my vision. How far could they fly? I wished I could ask more questions, but I didn’t want to foster suspicion.
“Here you are.” Maria rose as we reached the table. “Oh, my goodness, what happened to you?” She lifted my arm.
“Target practice, I guess.”
“I will speak to Miguel.” She looked back to Carmen and Alex. “Go eat. We’ll be fine.”
This time I didn’t hesitate to pick up the healthy tea concoction sitting on the table. The waiter set plates with grilled chicken salads in front of me and Maria, offering one with raw tuna to Jude. After lunch, we were escorted to our chambers once again.
I miss you, came Jude’s voice in my head as we reached our doors. Open your window. Maybe we can communicate if our windows are open.
Good thinking. I slipped into my room and locked the door.
Even though the air was cold and wet, I swung the pane open wide. I hoped they wouldn’t figure out Jude and I were trying to communicate. Looking down to the water swirling around the large boulders at the bottom of the cliff, I realized the window didn’t offer a viable escape route.
I may make it out this way, but you wouldn’t, Jude pushed to me.
Not without a rope and a boat. But at least one of us could. Miguel made this sound so great before we got here.
Yeah, to capture you.
I don’t want to think about it. I need a hot bath.
You’re going to be sore tomorrow.
Don’t remind me. I closed the window and started the hot water. The tub had a button for water jets, and I turned them on once I settled into the hot liquid. I laid my head on the porcelain, wondering what my next step should be. Again, all I could come up with was to bide my time. Between Jude and I, we would think of something.
“Any word on my dad?” I asked Miguel when he fetched us.
“I said I would tell you.”
Miguel turned to Jude. “I see what you mean by this one. A little OCD maybe.”
“You’re the one who said I was crazy, not me.” I shot him my most evil glare.
“A little respect, please.” Miguel motioned us into the elevator.
“Sorry, I’m frustrated.”
He led us to the training room. It looked similar to the prior one, but the shelves lining the walls held ordinary items like books, glasses, blankets, lamps, and mirrors.
“I don’t want anything broken,” Miguel instructed, and a vase came hurling at us.
Jude froze it and then levitated it back to its place. Suddenly, items flew from the shelves and circled the room as if in a wind tunnel. Jude focused on one and then another, moving them back to their spots. My mind searched for a way to stop them. Remembering the tornados produced by Alena, I called to the air, willing it to stop. Opening my eyes, I saw everything suspended.
“How did you do that?” Jude asked.
“Stopped the air.”
“Very resourceful,” Miguel commented and sent them swirling again. “Jude, use the air.”
Jude’s eyes shut, and I could see him straining to call the elements. The knick-knacks slowed and stopped.
“Okay, put them away.”
One by one, we levitated each thing back to its spot. When finished, Miguel placed his hand on the mat at our feet. The castle shook under us.
“You’re doing that?” Jude asked.
“You try.”
Remembering Thanatos could do the same, I wondered why Miguel would show us magic that could harm him. Figuring he was more powerful than both of us put together, I sat on the floor cross-legged and pushed energy into the plane under me.
“Whoa.” Jude jumped from the mat to the wood floor.
I put my hand to the surface, and it singed with pain. Pulling it away, I saw it already blistering.
“Well, you can heat things,” Miguel said, floating through the air.
“And you can fly?” Jude asked, his voice barely a whisper.
“I need some medicine for this.” I held my fingers in the air.
“Give me your hand.” Miguel held out his palm.
When I placed my hand atop his, he closed his eyes. Within a few seconds, the burning stopped and he opened his eyelids. “Look at it.”
I lifted my finger to see the skin had returned to normal color. “Can you fix my bruises?”
“No, those will remind you of today’s lesson.”
“Right, watch your back,” Jude said under his breath.
“Tremors take a very skilled, powerful, calculated, honed touch,” Miguel instructed.
“Why did you even ask us to try it then?” Jude asked.
“One doesn’t know what one can and can’t do until it is tried. You must learn to think about all the different elements, earth, air, water, fire, and how you can manipulate them. I will leave you two to spar again.” Miguel sauntered out of the room.
“So, he can control a group of things at one time, as if they were one entity.”
“Hopefully not people,” I whispered.
Jude’s eyebrows shot up. “That is an interesting observation.”
“Well, try it, try levitating everything at once.”
Jude closed his eyes, and I studied his face, his brow furrowing. Glancing about the room, each item wiggled in its place. Slowly, they began to rise.
“It’s working,” I whispered, and a smile formed on his face. Then I felt my body become lighter and was lifted off the ground.
“I think I’m flying.”
“You’re floating?” he asked eyes still closed.
“Yes, but if I use the air…” I called to the wind, and I moved forward along with each of the items in the room. I concentrated, and everything started swirling around the room, me included.
Jude’s eyes popped open. “You’re flying!”
“So, what are you standing there for?”
“My head is killing me.”
“Oh.” I stopped the air and everything froze in its place.
“How do we get all this stuff back without breaking anything? I’m out of juice, and I can’t hold this much longer.” Jude’s eyes darted from one side to the other.
“You focus on the small ones, I’ll get the big ones.”
I tried to command a group of items, by pushing the thought that everything should return to their proper shelves, but nothing moved. One by one, I started using the wind to direct each item back to a shelf. Jude worked on the little ones, and within a couple of minutes, we’d completed the task.
The doors opened, and Miguel appeared before us. “So, I see you are equally capable of teamwork. Nice job. Carmen and Alex will escort you to the gym for some free time.”
Thinking scheduled free time defeated the point, I crossed the room to Carmen. “You ready?”
“Sure.” He motioned for me to join him.
“You don’t like Jude?” Carmen asked.
“He’s fine.” I shrugged.
“You have history, I’m guessing?”
“He thinks I’m crazy.”
“Why?”
“Because I am.”
“Why do you say that?” Wondering if I could gain Carmen’s friendship, and perhaps help in the future, I decided to tell him about the visions. “I had these dreams, sometimes during the day, I was hallucinating—”
“You had visions?”
“Maybe. It was before I knew about being a witch. Dr. Antos thinks they were trying to awaken my magic.”
“You mean Miguel?” He pushed the button for the elevator.
I nodded. “But I believed the characters were real and tried to get Jude to help me find them.”
“But you must have had some reason to believe he would.”
“I guess I felt something that wasn’t there.”
“And what do you believe now?” We exited the elevator, and I followed him down a hall.
“About Jude or the visions?”
“Both.” He held the door open for me to enter.
“I’ll tolerate Jude till we’re done with this. I’m grateful to Miguel for having a program that found me. I’d be a mess if I hadn’t figured why I had all those hallucinations.” I stopped in front of the women’s locker room and turned to face him.
“What about your family?” he asked. “Does it bother you being away from them?”
“I miss my mom and brother. My dad hasn’t lived with us since I was three. Still, I’m worried about him. He’s an archeologist, so I’m not sure what kind of trouble he’s gotten into. No one ever told me about my heritage.”
“Oh, sorry.” Carmen’s eyes traced to the floor then back to my face. “Miguel has the tech guy looking fo
r your dad, though. They’ll find him.”
“Yeah.” I looked towards the dressing room and back to him. “It’s okay if I go in there alone, right?”
“Of course.” His cheeks turned pink.
“Thanks.” It was amazing what one simple normal conversation did for my psyche. I avoided the mirrors, not wanted to see how bad my bruising looked, and changed quickly. The room was empty, and I inspected the space. As one of the few rooms with a normal ceiling height and modern finished walls, there had to be an escape route I could use. Several air vents were fitted in the ceiling, and I figured they had to lead outdoors. At least they could serve as a hiding place in a jam.
Exiting the changing room, I noted Carmen had switched his clothes too. “Do you run?”
“I was going to lift some weights.”
“Okay, I’ll be on the track.” I jogged to the lined path. Thinking of hiding, I wondered if the bracelet would keep me hidden inside the compound. With the level of technology, I guessed they might possess heat sensors though. Was there a way to make myself invisible, untraceable by magic, and leave no thermal signature? I’d have to brainstorm with Jude.
Seeing Jude start his run, I practiced evening out my breath. It wouldn’t do to have anyone catch on to my emotional response to him.
Are you okay? I pushed to him as he passed me.
Yeah, I was faking the head pain.
Smart. Glad you weren’t really hurting.
Miguel had me drink another cup of that tea and sent me on my way.
I glanced his way as he rounded the curve opposite me. Guess it’s a catch-all thing.
I’m sick of the stuff already. Jude stuck out his tongue. Hopefully we won’t have it at dinnertime. I could do with some more Champagne or wine.
We need to focus. Do you still have your bracelets?
Planning an escape? He winked at me as he passed.
No, trying to figure out how to sneak around this place without getting caught.
You’d need to be invisible.
We should start working on that spell. I glanced his way.
Do you know if it’s possible?
I have no clue. I caught him out of the corner of my eye, wishing we could run side by side.
We should get in some weight training after this, Jude replied.
I kept my pace, but it was a push as my bruises had me hurting everywhere. When my watch signaled the three-mile mark, I slowed to a walk. Jude trailed me to the weight room, and I fought looking his way. When I laid down on the bench press, Carmen appeared above me.
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 43
