Magical Memories

by Donna Fletcher

  “Marcus’s power is a formidable force. Be careful.”

  He gave her a strange look. “If his power is a formidable force, and he was searching for someone with equal skills, then your power must be just as formidable.”

  “I can impress,” she said with a smile, feeling now was not the time for him to recall the true extent of her skills or remember that she was called the Ancient One.

  He brought his head down to kiss her slow and easy before saying, “Show me how you impress.”

  She turned around in his arms. “I love a challenge,” she said and licked her lips slowly while her hand began to tease his body.

  o0o

  Michael tossed restlessly in his sleep. He fought the darkness that suddenly wrapped around him and pulled at him. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to know. He wanted to remain Michael and only Michael. He wanted Marcus to go away, but he wouldn’t go away, and they struggled until the darkness swallowed him.

  The door to the castle blew open in a rush of whirling wind, sending Marcus crashing back against the stone wall. He watched as the swirling funnel came to an abrupt halt only a few feet in front of him and settled to reveal Tempest in all her glorious anger.

  He smiled. “I have heard about that temper of yours but never realized the power it manifests. Magnificent, absolutely magnificent.”

  She wore white, the power of light, and her reddish blond hair raged in fiery splendor, matching her ignited temper.

  She pointed an accusing finger at him, its force keeping him locked against the stone wall. “How dare you hurt those less fortunate because you were angry with me.”

  His temper surfaced, though it remained useless against her immense power. “Release me, Tempest,” he warned in a voice that chilled to the bone.

  “When I am ready.”

  “Release me,” he bellowed at her.

  “Silence, Marcus, or I will take your voice.”

  This time his raging bellow reverberated off the stone walls. “Release me now!”

  “You dictate to the Ancient One?” she said, her fury sending a whirl of wind wrapping around her. “Your power is nothing compared to mine.”

  “It equals yours,” he insisted.

  “It is menial in its use and substance.”

  He smiled slowly. “Care to prove that?”

  “You issue me a challenge?” she glared at him as if he were a witless child

  Marcus grew irritated and spoke foolishly. “Afraid to accept?”

  His release was so instant that he fell to the floor on his hands and knees.

  “I expected better of you, Marcus,” she said and turned her back on him to walk a few steps away, making it clear that she considered him no threat.

  The insult had its desired effect and he flew at her.

  She turned and simply raised her hand. He slammed to a dead stop.

  He took several steps back and sent a forceful spew of energy from his hand. It bounced off the protective shield Tempest had erected.

  “You’re wasting your time and energy, Marcus.”

  He used the force of his anger to combat her, but it did little good. She deflected his power time after time until Marcus dropped to his knees, drained.

  She stood over him, her chin high; her power strong. “I give you a choice. You behave or I will have no alternative but to send you away.”

  He raised himself slowly, his breath labored, his knees barely able to hold him. “Behave? You tell me I must behave? How dare you dictate to me!”

  “How dare you force my hand!”

  “You brought us to this point,” he accused.

  “Your arrogance brought us here. Now tell me your choice. Do you cease your hurtful behavior? Or do I send you away? “

  He spoke with arrogance. “You are powerful, Tempest, but not that powerful.”

  “Don’t underestimate my abilities. You will regret it.”

  “I am well aware of your abilities, Tempest,” he said, his arrogance mounting. “But I am also well aware of your love for me. And that love will not allow you to send me away.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “No, my love will not allow me to send you away forever. My love for you will give you another chance.”

  His eyes widened. “Think of what you say, Tempest.”

  “I have thought,” she said sadly. “And you give me no other choice.” She lowered the protective field and as he stepped forward she extended a pointed finger at him and along with her words a mist rose up from his feet and began encircling him.

  “With my love I send you away; for you to return on a future day; your life will be yours to create; choose wisely and repeat no mistakes; cherish life and hold it dear; fill no hearts and souls with fear; surround yourself with magic and light; and seek not to return to the dark night; if by chance you should lose your way; remember all these words I say; magical memories you will recall; and the choice will be yours to stand or to fall!”

  Michael bolted out of bed in a fury. His dark, angry eyes swept the room to find it empty. He grabbed for his jeans, slipped them on and went in search of Tempest.

  Tempest waited in the kitchen. She had woken early, had known Michael was in the throes of a dream that would seal their fate. She had left him alone, needing her own time to reflect on the possibilities. Would she actually be able to cast him away when she had fallen so deeply in love with Michael? And how did she explain Michael’s words of love?

  Then, now and forever.

  He had made it sound as if Marcus had loved her and yet Marcus had never once declared his love for her. What was she to think?

  Rain viciously pelted the windows and the dark gray skies made it seem closer to dusk than to dawn.

  Tempest hugged herself. The moment was at hand; she could feel his anger fill the house, feel his heartbeat thunder in his chest and feel his power rush down to descend over her.

  Marcus was here.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Michael rushed into the kitchen and though he looked as he always did—dark hair, dark, penetrating eyes and lingering scars—he wasn’t the Michael she had come to know and love.

  She saw Marcus in all his arrogant splendor. She raised her head high and stood with confidence. She had known she would one day face the man she had loved and had banished. And she would face him with strength—and with a love that had never died.

  Michael circled her slowly, glaring at her with accusing eyes. “You banished me for centuries.”

  “You gave me no choice.”

  “And you gave me this,” he said bitterly, pounding his chest with angry fists. “You gave me this miserable existence, and expected what?”

  “I expected you to grow and to learn,” she said, her own temper increasing. “And I did not give you this life. You chose it yourself, and it was a wise choice.”

  “This pitiful existence I chose, and wisely?” he asked with his familiar chilling laugh. “Never. You forced it on me.”

  “If you recall the spell then you know that you created your own life.”

  He laughed again, harshly this time. “The spell, to think all this time the spell was right in front of me. Tell me, did you purposely place me in that bedroom where the spell surrounds the wall to torment me?”

  “The spell was meant to protect,” she said, her voice filling with anger.

  “Protect who?” he shouted. “Certainly not me; or perhaps this was for your amusement.”

  “You still speak foolishly after all this time,” she said. “You know I am incapable of harming anyone.”

  He pointed an accusing finger at her. “You don’t look at what you did to me as harm; you yourself called it growth.”

  “Growth was necessary for you,” she argued. “Necessary for your continuation.”

  His chilled laughter turned the room cold. “You call this foolishness continuation?”

  “Have you learned nothing?” she all but screamed at him.

  “I have learned th
at your precious love for me meant nothing.”

  His words pierced her heart and she spoke what she knew to be the truth. “My love saved you.”

  He threw his hands up in the air and lightning flashed and struck the ground outside the window. “Your love robbed me of my true existence.”

  Ever the wise one, she spoke. “Your true existence is within you. Find it and you find the truth.”

  “Within me,” he said with a fist to his chest, “resides my power that is my truth.”

  She shook her head. “Will you forever remain a fool?”

  Thunder cracked overhead and lightning pierced the earth with a blinding light. Michael drew the power down within him and smiled. “No, I will never be a fool again.”

  “You never stopped,” she accused, feeling hurt and disappointed for him.

  “You took everything from me,” he shouted with a fury.

  “I gave you everything,” she cried, her heart feeling as if it were being torn in two.

  “You banished me.” Anger, resentment and bitterness filled his voice and swelled within him. The combined emotions joining with his power rocked the foundation of the small cottage.

  Tempest’s own fury mounted and she knew the power raging between them was a formidable force and must be contained. And yet her own disappointment fueled the fury, giving it greater life.

  Tempest, therefore, was not surprised to see Dagon and Sebastian materialize in the kitchen. They immediately walked to position themselves protectively beside her.

  “Reinforcements, Tempest?” Michael asked snidely. “Has your power diminished that much over the years that you need assistance?”

  Dagon spoke with a force of his own. “Tempest is returning with us.”

  Michael laughed and shook his head. “Tempest is staying here and finishing this with me once and for all.”

  Sebastian made his presence known. “Don’t think so, pal. She’s coming back to Rasmus Castle with us.”

  An eerie silence filled the room, causing the hair on the back of everyone’s neck to stand up and a chilling shiver to race down their spines.

  “She goes nowhere,” Michael warned with a strength that rattled the windowpanes.

  Dagon bravely made an attempt to step forward, but a touch from Tempest cautioned him against such a rash action.

  “Time apart might serve us well,” Tempest said.

  Michael’s laughter sent goose bumps racing over everyone. “We have already had too much time apart. Parting again would serve no purpose and only postpone the inevitable. You will remain here.”

  Dagon took Tempest’s hand. “We’ll stay.”

  “Not necessary,” Michael said firmly.

  “Necessary,” Sebastian insisted and moved closer to Tempest.

  She appreciated their show of support and protection, but there was nothing they could do. Neither of their powers was sufficient enough to offer any type of defense. “Thank you for your concern, but it’s best you leave.”

  Dagon refused to listen. “Absolutely not. We’re staying.”

  Tempest tried again. “Really, Dagon, it isn’t necessary.”

  “Necessary or not, we’re staying,” he reiterated and Sebastian nodded to confirm his support of the decision.

  “You both will leave now,” Michael ordered.

  Dagon attempted to protest when Michael simply snapped his fingers and sent them on their way. He raised his hand in a circular motion and smiled. “Now no one will be able to disturb us.”

  Tempest felt the thickness of the heavy shield he had wrapped around the cottage and decided not to remove it. It was time they talked and the only person who she could talk with, who would understand, was Michael.

  Michael. Not Marcus.

  Marcus’s past may have surfaced but Michael was who he was here and now and that made a difference, a significant difference. He would need time to deal with past memories, past powers and past desires. In the meantime she had to have patience and help guide him wisely. The spell needed fulfilling and she wanted him prepared no matter how difficult of a task it seemed.

  Bear entered the kitchen at that moment, looked at Michael and hissed. The cat did what she had hoped to do; he touched Michael deeply enough that he responded.

  He scooped up the hissing cat with a tender touch, calmed him with a few strokes and soft words until he had him purring contentedly. Bear had worked his magic, too—he had instantly calmed Michael.

  “Hungry?” she asked, feeling starved herself. They had used an enormous amount of their power and she knew he had to feel drained.

  “Famished,” he said and a hint of a smile, Michael’s smile, touched his lips.

  Michael sat at the kitchen table while Tempest got busy with breakfast.

  “Now I know why I was so interested in the Ancient One,” he said. “I knew her personally for a very long time.”

  “Part of you did, not all of you,” Tempest attempted to explain.

  “Tell me more,” he said with a frustrated sigh. “I need to understand. I feel as though there’s a part of me I don’t understand. I’ve always felt that way.”

  Tempest talked while she prepared pancakes. “You created this life, though hard at times, to help you learn from your past mistakes. In so doing you’ve allowed yourself the opportunity to experience your power at its best.”

  He listened with interest. “You mean I’ve always possessed magical powers?”

  She nodded, pouring the batter on the hot skillet. “You never lost those powers; they simply lay dormant, waiting for you to call them forth.”

  “And I’ve been living this spell you placed on me?” he asked with a hint of anger.

  “Yes, but you need to listen to the spell to make sense of it and to understand its intentions. Every word holds magic.”

  “It repeats and repeats in my head. I feel it is attempting to tell me something.” He shook his head as if shaking out the confusion.

  “Listen to its litany and you will learn.”

  “What will I learn?”

  “The essence of the spell itself.”

  “And will I understand why you placed it on me? Because I must tell you, Tempest, I’m having a hard time with the fact that you sent me—” he shook his head again— “Marcus... away.”

  “You are Marcus,” she reminded him.

  “I don’t know who the hell I am anymore. Michael, Marcus, me. Where the hell is me? I thought I knew me and now I don’t know anything. I don’t even know if my life was my own. You cast the spell, you forced issues.”

  It was Tempest’s turn to shake her head. “I cast the spell, but you created your life. Think on it and examine it and perhaps then you will understand.”

  Marcus placed a sleeping Bear on the cushioned chair and walked over to her. His arms slipped around her waist, his mouth came down on hers and he kissed her as if for the first time.

  Time stood still and souls touched.

  “I love you, Tempest, always remember that,” Michael whispered and kissed her again.

  “I love you,” she murmured against his lips. “I’ve always loved you then, now and forever.”

  “I need time,” he said his forehead pressed to hers. “I need time to understand this and deal with it.”

  “Time is yours, but the spell must be satisfied before long. And you must remember that your power has returned full force. I advise you to feel it, embrace it and practice it before it begins to consume you.”

  “Consume me?”

  “Power is energy and unless focused and restrained it can cause yourself and others damage.”

  “I like the feel of it,” he admitted.

  “It rages and swirls and can make you feel invincible. That is not the best part of your power. The real part, the true essence of it is the calm and peace that penetrate the soul. When that is learned and experienced you move beyond invincible.”

  “And I thought this magic stuff was easy.” He almost laughed but couldn’t
.

  She placed her hand to his cheek. “It is, Michael, it is simple and therein lays its secret.”

  “You possess a rare wisdom.”

  “That comes with a price.”

  He looked at her strangely before realization struck. “Everyone wants from you—even I wanted to join with you for the sake of your power.”

  “People, even witches, don’t realize they possess their own power.”

  “But yours is immense and that’s where the envy comes in.”

  She shook her head. “A senseless waste of energy. It serves no purpose and only manages to blind the truth.”

  “How do I find the truth?”

  She kissed his cheek. “Look within your soul. All the answers you need are there.”

  He sniffed the air with a smile. “Pancakes smell great.”

  She laughed, hugged him and together they hurried to set the table.

  o0o

  Michael spent the afternoon in the small upstairs bedroom, staring at the spell written in an ancient language that he now understood. He wanted to make sense of all this, but most of all he wanted to understand his love for Tempest and her love for him.

  Had it always been there? Is that why he had felt so strongly about her when they first met? Was he remembering what they once had together? He stared at the symbols.

  With my love I send you away.

  She had wrapped him in the spell with her love, never to be alone and never to forget. She had unselfishly sacrificed a part of herself for him. And what had it taught him? She had given freely of her love without any reservations. Was she a fool or wiser for it? More questions, not always answers.

  For you to return on a future day.

  She had given him a second chance. She hadn’t just banished him for all eternity; she’d given him another opportunity at life. To learn and to grow. Why? Love? Love started the spell—would it wind its way through its entirety?

  Your life will be yours to create.

  She had left his life in his hands, had given him an empty canvas to paint as he chose. Had he painted in drab, lifeless colors or vibrant hues that would offer him challenges and growth? His life hadn’t been easy; it had in fact been hard and many times lonely. Had he created this? If so... why? What had he learned? He had seen many harsh things in his travels and had felt disheartened for the misfortune of the oppressed and poor. His eyes had been open to the injustices of the world and the need for hope and love. Love again. Always love.