Dominions

Chapter 35: Asher

Judah's words hung in the air.

This truly was a moment where it would become all or nothing. Eventually, the group would be found, and they would either have their powers linked or they'd get caught. Asher turned his face down towards the ground and sighed.

How could they trust him? How could they willingly open up their power to him given what he did? He had a good reason. Or at least to him, it was. Chantel was special. She saw him for who he was, and what he could be. For someone who was always labeled and set aside by everyone else, Asher learned to hold onto those people that didn't leave him.

Everyone joined hands, Asher wanted to join, he wanted to grab onto them and pretend that everything was okay, but he knew that he had to do something first.

"I'm sorry," said Asher. "I know that I got us into this mess, but I need to explain, and I need you to let me."

Everyone gave him their attention, and Elle scoffed. Asher had never seen someone's eyes roll into the back of their head as far as Elle's just did. The others he should be able to explain the situation to and get a sympathetic ear. Elle was an entirely different game.

"Before we got the Dominions, or knew of them, I started seeing this girl," Elle muttered something under her breath and Asher pleaded. "Please, let me finish," she nodded her head and he continued to address the group. "She was beautiful and funny. She had a way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room. I think...I think I might have started falling in love with her."

Asher hated being this vulnerable., More than anything he wanted to laugh and make a joke about how he was playing and he was mystified by how hot Deidre was. If the situation wasn't as highly staked as it was right at this moment he probably would have said something like that. Instead, he had to sit here with everything out in the open with his heart on his sleeve. If Asher learned anything from life, it was that this was the point where people left him.

"I found her captivating. For the first time, it wasn't about just getting a hook-up. She accepted me for everything I was. Even the Dominions. I, of course, didn't want to tell her about that, but they attacked me at her apartment. The day I was late for magic training, Deidre showed up at the apartments and threatened her. If I didn't get you to the beach tonight, they were going to do something bad to her-" Asher's voice caught in his throat and tears started to well up. This was it. This was when they told him to get lost. "I couldn't let that happen."

He sat there quietly and closed his eyes as he felt a single tear roll down his cheek. He took a deep breath and was ready to face the music when a pair of arms wrapped around him. They squeezed him tight, and when he opened up his eyes he saw Elle standing in front of him. "I get it," she whispered to him. "People do stupid things when they're in love."

Asher hugged her back and quietly cried. The others came and patted his back before Elle let go and grabbed his hand. "Let's do this."

They joined hands, and suddenly, a power surge flowed through the circle. Asher felt his thin black hair begin to float in the air as a strong wind suddenly burst into the cottage. Tools began to fly all around them. At first, Asher thought Selena was causing a tornado to appear. When she looked just as confused as he did, he realized that this was something unknown to them. Could this be it? Could their magic get linked right now?

Asher closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle.

He felt the whole room begin to spin. When he opened his eyes he saw the world outside the window of the cottage being spun at a lightning-fast place. Balance became impossible as all five of them fell to the ground. The air started to push upward, and Asher realized that the cottage was now falling. He closed his eyes and braced for an impact, but one never came. He opened his eyes to see himself still firmly planted on the floor, but the outside was different.