I don’t think I will ever truly be used to magic and all it can do. I’m aware that we’ve only just scratched the surface.
“Don’t fear. Are you ready?” Nicole asks me and I take one last glance around.
All of my men nod sincerely and Kai sticks his tongue out at me whilst becoming cross eyed. Making me chuckle and releasing some of my tension. Which he looks incredibly pleased with himself about. My gaze switches to Erin and her men who have taken up positions in the outer ring between the giant plinths and the black stone boulders. Each of them standing behind each one of my guys and the boulders about two metres away.
Nicole nods in approval when she notices what they’ve done and I can’t help but feel that there’s some significance in the way they’ve chosen to place themselves. Whatever that significance may be its clear that they will always have our backs.
I frown as I my eyes land on the Director who is pacing the far edge of the circle right by the stone plinths. Clearly agitated and looking somewhat nervous as well. I decide to ignore her for now. Something inside me settles at seeing her further away from us and what’s about to happenthough.
“Ready.” I say proud that my voice comes out strong and sure.
“Very well,” Nicole smiles and turns her attention to the book. “Nyx dea,” her voice deepens as she begins the spell.
The elements that were making themselves known, seconds ago suddenly fall silent. Nicole’s eyes widen slightly, the effect clearly unexpected. Her eyes fill with fierce determination as she comes to some sort of realisation and continues repeating the first words now she’s over her initial shock. Her voice now magnified with power.
“Nyx dea, exaudi orationem meam, et dimittere deserant circumda illam, et posuit in ea tenetur, et filiae tuae dona coniuges liberos. Hac iter periculosum inveniuntur proteget eos et honores.”
As she speaks she draws symbols in the air, like the Director did to get past the plinths but instead of it being in a pale blue like the Directors and there only being one, the symbols that Nicole draws are the same pale green as the burst of light that they arrived in and my brain makes the connection that it’s the colour of their magic.
Nicole draws one symbol after another and I study them as they hang glowing and suspended in the air. The power is coming off of Nicole in waves and makes me want to fidget but I feel like I’m rooted to the spot.
My nerves build and my heartbeat increases as I start to let my panic overwhelm me.
“Shhh now daughter, all will be well.”A soothing and otherworldly voice whispers in my ear sounding vaguely familiar.
My body relaxes as I instinctively trust the voice.
Just in time too as Nicole finishes the sixth and last symbol. Just like the Director, Nicole blows them towards me one by one in rapid succession. As soon as the first symbol hits me it absorbs into my skin and the still quiet of the night dissipates with a vengeance.
My feet lift off of the floor as a storm rages around me the wind swirling and whipping my hair and clothes into a frenzy. Rain soaks me to the bone and thunder booms overhead. My feet have to be at least four feet off of the ground at this point and I’m helpless to move as more of the symbols hit me, their magic being absorbed and the pressure slowly building with each one. I’m vaguely aware of the guys shouting my name and Nicole trying to reassure them that everything will be ok. All of them are pinned in place by the elements just like me.
When the forth symbol hits me ribbons of different coloured magic stream out of me and hit each of the guys. Despite the intense feeling of my magic straining against the seal I am aware enough to realise that each magic stream is the same colour as the guys parts of the Soulmate tattoo.
Dark purplish black connecting to Hunter.
Bright sunshine yellow connecting to Kai.
Deep forest green connecting to Levi.
Rich royal blue connecting to Maverick.
And finally, the calming sky blue connecting to Jax.
The ribbons of magic wrap around the guys and spread until they are encompassing them completely, obscuring them from my view. Before I can panic my focus is drawn upwards as Knot materialises above me in her raven form and a flash of dark purple and gold magic. She flies above my suspended form in tight circles, cawing loudly.
Her presence soothes me further as the last two symbols hit me simultaneously. The lock on my gifts starts to open. The storm around us increases as my magic starts to feed it. Vines start to grow from the ground reaching up towards me and wrapping around up my legs as flowers that have no business sprouting on vines appear. They ground me and soothe my raging emotions. The vines never release me as a ring of flames suddenly burst to life around me reaching way above my head and instead of the usual red and orange flames these flames are mixed with the purple and gold that I’m starting to recognise as my magic.
My fire feels different than my earth gift.
Whereas my earth feels like coming home. Powerful but steady and sure my fire is wild, hard to control and almost double the strength of the my earth gift. Which is not weak in the slightest. My fire wants to play and I can feel a tug of joy from the ribbon that’s connected to Kai. I can’t respond to it in any way, even though I try. I get the feeling that I was right and whatever supernatural Kai has turned into is indeed linked with fire in some way.
My eyesight disappears and I panic for a split second until it clears and I see Kai in a barren and unfamiliar landscape. The terrain barely holds my attention though as I gape at Kai in all of his full demon glory. His red hair dances with the same flames as his eyes and I instinctively know that the bright red colour of his hair is no longer a dye job but all natural. He’s taller and broader than he was but not as wide as Levi is in his partial demon form. Kai is built for speed. The most fascinating thing about his transformation are the giant bat like wings spread out behind him and the two black as night horns curving out from the top of his skull. He is truly majestic and terrifying and I can’t wait to see him in person. I can’t help but notice that he seems older, closer to his thirties than his early twenties.
I’m almost certain that this is a vision and my certainty is cemented when Kai is joined in the barren landscape by a person in the same purple armour as the Order assholes in my vision of the swords. Kai smiles wickedly and flicks his wrist shooting a stream of white hot flames towards the purple asshole incinerating him on the spot. Like it was no effort at all.
My vision fades to black again and I’m in my body and dealing with the next gift escaping before I can process exactly what that vision was about and if I need to remember it or do something about it. My head explodeswith a cacophony of thoughts none of them mine and just when I think I can’t take any more they abruptly stop giving me instant relief before my final gift makes its appearance as rocks the size of my head start to lift off the floor and join the swirling wind and rain around me.
The speed of the orbiting rocks, wind and rain increase as thunder booms and lightening flashes everything becoming more violent until finally an explosion of power in gold and purple bursts free of me when the final lock on my magic snaps.
