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“Don’t mind me,” I said softly. “I’m just here to watch.”
Hazel’s eyes tracked me as I crossed the room and took a seat in a far corner where I would be out of the way.
Zita’s eyes followed me, too, but where Hazel’s eyes had warmth in them, Zita looked suspicious.
I didn’t blame her. She was here to look after the two healers, and I was a Conjurite. My magic clashed directly with theirs. I just had to prove that I didn’t mean any harm. I was only here to watch, to learn, so that I knew how I could help.
“You can send in the first group,” Vanya said.
“Group?” I asked when Zita disappeared.
Hazel nodded. “We’re trying something new. We become exhausted so quickly, we want to try doing more at one time to see if we can cover more ground before we’re too tired.”
She looked like she wanted to say more, but a group of Conjurites walked into the room, single file, and Vanya and Hazel turned their attention to them. They welcomed them with such warmth, it was hard to tell that they were against the Conjurite magic. They treated each and every one of the six people who walked in as if they were guests of honor, as if they were friends.
I watched as they offered seats to the group and started a casual conversation. They asked after their family members, their livelihood, finding out if they were happy and what the Conjurites truly wanted in life.
I watched my people begin to relax in the presence of the Fae. Healing Fae had a stigma around them in these parts—a lot of the Conjurites believed that the Fae were wholly against them, viewing them as abominations. I watched as the two healers wiped away that misconception and made the Conjurites feel at home.
“Let’s get to the reason you’re all here,” Hazel said gently. “We’re going to address the darkness directly, and we’re going to show you how to find your way back to the light. Ultimately, it’s your decision, we’re just here to guide you. It also means that it’s not only our power, but yours, too. If you decide, at any point, it’s not what you want, that’s okay. No one is forcing you to do anything you don’t want, and no one will be upset if you change your mind.”
The Conjurites all nodded, looking happy with what was said. I couldn’t take my eyes off Hazel and how beautiful and kind she was, how she treated each and every one of the Conjurites with compassion and respect.
It was a strange concept in a world where it was every man for himself. Out here, not being the first to kill and destroy meant you ran the risk of being killed or destroyed, and no one was willing to take that risk.
Except Hazel, who seemed to care more about others than she cared about herself. It made no sense, and it made her ridiculously attractive.
Vanya took over and said a couple of words, explaining the process, before she and Hazel took hands. They told the Conjurites to take hands, too, closing a circle between the eight of them, and Vanya and Hazel closed their eyes.
I was aware of their power immediately. It rose to the surface, and it burned hot, scalding on my skin. Vanya’s and Hazel’s expressions became ethereal, their skins shimmering and glowing as the power within them grew.
I became aware of the darkness when it started to crawl across the floor and push in through the windows. The light in the room dimmed more and more. My power became so strong, it wrestled with the light.
Hazel opened her eyes and frowned at me.
“What are you doing?” she asked softly.
“Nothing,” I answered.
It was true. I wasn’t in control of what was happening. My magic grew thicker still, until it pushed into all four corners of the room. It reached into every Conjurite, found the darkness within them, and drew it to the surface. They’d moved closer to the light, but the darkness wrapped around their wrists and ankles and drew them back, dragging them away from the light they sought.
“Erol!” Hazel cried. “Stop it!”
“I’m not doing anything!” I snapped, but that wasn’t entirely true. I was doingsomething. It wasn’t by choice, but my magic let the Conjurite magic in each of the group flare up, and I yanked them away from Terra, away from the light they’d reached for. I grabbed them hard and pulled them back.
“You belong here!” I shouted.
They opened their eyes, and the whites of their eyes had turned black. The Conjurite magic was strong in the room now, and in the background, I heard Cyrene laugh.
She was doing this. She’d pulled them back, and she had used me to do it.
“Get out!” Zita demanded, stepping forward. She was in battle mode, ready to take me on, magically or physically.
I was ready for her. When she approached, I sank into battle stance. It was a reflex. The darkness had drowned out my rational mind, and my body acted on what it was trained to do.
When she lunged toward me, making the first move, I twisted out of her way so that she missed her blow. I knocked her off balance, and when she fell past me, I used her weight and momentum against her, slamming her into the floor.
My dark magic wrapped itself around her throat like two giant metaphysical hands and started to squeeze.
