By Samantha Cook
Chapter Twelve Inverse Spell
Moving as quickly as possible, Nikkitah organised the five beings to stand at the corners of the pentagram. "Focus on your inner magic," Nikkitah told them as she connected their stances together on the cold stone basement floor with chalk; when it was completed the line lit up, illuminating the room with an amber glow. "This is a heightened Inverse spell, which uses the earth as a placeholder for your magic. Hopefully, it will do much more than that tonight." The Embers held their breaths while the Demons presented poker faces of steel.
The next step of the Inverse spell was summoning all elements to return to where they came from. Nikkitah quickly recalled all of her knowledge of the spell while manically running around them, placing an object in each of their hands. "Earth for a Protector," she told Feya, handing her a potted plant. "Water for the ever flowing, everlasting." She handed Tristan a small bowl with a tiny dash of water. "Don't spill that, its tears," she said with a look that told him exactly who would be crying more out if his fingers slipped.
"Fire for the strong spirited Ember. " She turned to Kelsey and handed her an orange candle. "Light the wick - it can only be done by you."
"Air, for the one who poisons it." She handed Melaina the jar as if she were no different from an Ember. "Let us begin."
"What about Alastor?" Feya asked panicked at the thought of a mistake - her nerves did not take kindly to being bottled up.
"We never did figure out what the fifth element was. You should remember that from Oliana's teachings. Were you not listening?" Her voice was sarcastic. Feya wanted to explain and say, "Well, she drones on," but it was not the right time. In a few moments there was a chance that it wouldn't even matter anymore. Instead she watched as Nikkitah took a deep breath and centred herself inside the pentagon.
Her lips were moving, but only faint hisses of whispers could be heard from Nikkitah as she raised her atheme above her head. Then she pulled back her sleeve and sliced with a subtle wince. Blood filled the line as the glowing chalk pulsed. A bead slowly pulled away and drizzled down her arm under her careful coaxing, before dripping to the ground. "Blood of a neutral soul," she said. In unison, they all closed their eyes...
...And then opened them again. It was hard to tell if they could sense the energy flow from their bodies, or if it just the anticlimax dulling the moment. The miscellaneous group began exchanging expressions: Tristan confused, Feya worried, Alastor glaring; Melaina stressed - it was only when Feya looked at Kelsey's relieved expression did hope return.
Gulping drily, Kelsey thought back to yesterday, a recent day where she would almost certainly remember anyone and anything down to any twitch or even the flicker of a candle if she put her mind to it. Although something was definitely wrong, as despite her mind trying to curl and entwine itself to the previous conversation, she could not remember the four main signs listed under chapter...maybe eight about how to detect if a spell had worked or not. Still, part of her felt it could easily been a fluke, seeming her mind wasn't in the mood to read when she scanned the book. She could have easily not taken the information in.
"Kelsey, I can't hear you," Feya repeated, bringing her friend back to reality.
"Huh, what? I didn't say anything, did I?" After she blurted these words, her mind clicked. "What - telepathically?" she asked to a blank mental station. The words echoed around her hollow head for she was sure no one could 'hear' her anymore.
Immediately Feya held her hands up in the way she did when summoning her strongest shield. Of course nothing happened. 'Vulnerable' echoed round her head at the sight of the air before her. 'Tristan is vulnerable now'.
