Pure Magic (Ballad of the Seer, Book One)

Chapter 33 - Life After Death

A weightlessness settled over Lily. It was like swimming, without the water. It was a wonderful feeling. She was calm. There was a clarity in her mind that she never had before, all of her cares gone. She no longer felt the pain of dying, she was not afraid anymore. Death no longer scared her. She supposed dying was a good way to get over that.

In spite of all that, Lily did feel sad. She didn't want to leave Duncan all alone. She could still hear him screaming her name, sobbing over losing her. He still had people that loved and cared for him, friends and family, but that wouldn't ease his loneliness. She knew he would never get over this, just as she would never have gotten over it if something had happened to him.

Suddenly, Lily's calm was lost. She was no longer okay with leaving her life behind. She wouldn't do that to Duncan. She couldn't leave him behind. She wouldn't let anything tear them apart. With that thought in her mind, not even death was strong enough to keep Lily from Duncan.

A beautiful golden white light grew out of the darkness surrounding Lily. At first, she thought it must be heaven. Then, she saw Duncan's face.

Duncan's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. He started backing away from her. Lily wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she couldn't find her voice. That's when a realization struck her. She was not looking up at him from the ground, as she had been, but gazing down upon him from several feet above.

"Lily?" Duncan's voice shook. That one word carried so much uncertainty. In his mind, he wondered if what he was seeing was real. There, Lily saw herself through his eyes. A blazing inferno of white light surrounded her, swallowing up the darkness, maiming the night as bright as day. Her hair shined white as it blew out around her. Even her blue eyes had taken on that light. She was glowing brighter than she ever had before. Like the other times she accessed the power, she knew how to control. The magic told her what to do, how to use it properly. The magic wanted to be used, and it would help her to do just that.

Lily drifted to the ground in front of Duncan; the light around her dimmed until it was nothing more than a dim glow. The moment her bare feet touched the cold pavement, Duncan enveloped her in a tight embrace, smothering her with kisses, telling her how much he loved her and how scared he had been. She tasted salt, when his lips met hers, from the tears that were still falling from his eyes. But these were tears of joy. The glow surrounding Lily lit the planes of Duncan's face, and reflected in his green eyes.

Lackluster clapping sounded from across the way. Lily spun to see Sebastian had returned. The warlock looked her up and down. "That was very impressive." Sebastian said. "There's not even a scratch on you."

Lily looked down at her dress; tattered, dirty, and covered in blood. Sebastian was right. There was a hole in the dress where she had been stabbed, but there was no wound. There wasn't even a mark to show that she had been hurt. Her hand was also healed and her head no longer ached. This strange magic healed her.

Duncan called Lily's name, snapping her back to reality. Sebastian was already forming one of those dark magic energy balls, just like the one he used to turn Jack in the graveyard. With a twist of his wrist he released it at them.

As the black sphere rocketed toward Lily and Duncan, Lily swiped her hands upward, raising a shield of golden light that deflected the blow. After bouncing off Lily's shield, the ball flew straight into the side of the gym, creating a hole in the brick wall. Terrified screams erupted inside the building.

To make sure that everyone was alright, Lily found a mind she could enter. Looking through another's eyes, Lily pushed through their panic to scan her surroundings. There was shouting and pushing as bricks fell from the giant hole in the wall.