Reality Check

The Soul-Connecting Spell

Fire N Gold (by Bea Miller)

"Baby, we were born with fire and gold in our eyes, eyes . . ."

___

There was a lot on Kiel's mind.

For instance, the spell. Despite how incredible Kiel was at magic, he had to admit that this wouldn't be easy. He had only heard of it being cast once, and that was by the Magister. And Kiel wasn't about to ask his old master about it, because even the thought of having a conversation with him made Kiel shudder.

Since the Magister had tried taking over the nonfictional world, Kiel had tried to forgive him. He was a pretty forgiving person, but something like that just wasn't easy to forgive. He knew he could never hate the Magister, because that man had raised him, taken him in, when Kiel was living on the streets. For years, the Magister had been his only family. It was amazing how the events of one day could damage their relationship!

Not to mention, Kiel was pretty sure the Magister was working with Nobody. That didn't sit well with him, even if he didn't know if it was true. He had hoped that if he saw the Magister again, things would've been different. Better. But Kiel didn't think the Magister was willing to ever turn over a new leaf, so asking him about the spell was officially off the list.

He'd have to figure out this spell on his own, but that was no problem! Kiel could perform the spell easily. He didn't remember the exact phrasing, but his spell book had been very clear about how to cast the spell, and what would happen. Back when he was relearning magic, Kiel remembered skimming across that page. It was a good thing he remembered it, or he might've never come up with the idea.

From what he knew about the spell, it would temporarily cause his soul to leave his body. Then it would go into Bethany's. He wasn't sure of all the details, like if he'd be able to see what she was thinking. Unless Kiel was purposely trying to be obnoxious or funny, he wasn't one to invade others' privacy. Especially since he knew Bethany liked keeping things to herself. But if he could see her thoughts, that would really help for finding out what had happened to their missing friends.

As far as he knew, though, he'd still get a sense of what she was going through. He'd be able to feel her emotions as if they were his own. He wondered what she was feeling now. Scared? Worried? Maybe both. Kiel wished he'd gone with her. He should've been there for her. Maybe if he was, he could've prevented the danger they were in. Whatever that danger was.

He always wanted to protect her, and now that she was missing, it was just like last time. When Fowen had tried to drown her, and had given Kiel and Owen only two hours to find out where she was. Kiel had gone out of his mind with worry — and he'd never felt that scared before. When it came to Bethany, Kiel would risk anything so that she'd be okay. Anything.

In a few minutes, he would have all the answers. With his magic, he'd be able to do something about this. That's what kept him hopeful. Not all was lost, not yet. After casting this spell, he'd be able to see where Bethany, Gwen, and Orion were. It was a solid plan, the perfect one to find their friends!

But a part of him couldn't help being unsure about this. He was growing worried, though he didn't dare show it to anyone, forcing himself to stay confident and composed. If his friends knew just how scared he really was, they wouldn't let him go through with this. Kiel knew the risks. He just cared about his friends' safety more.

It wasn't the connecting-his-soul-with-Bethany part that he was worried about; he was pretty excited about that, honestly. It was the side effect of the spell that bothered him.

Losing his memories.

Of course, Kiel knew he could get out there before he lost a single memory. Everything usually worked out in his favor, and this would too. He was sure of it. He also had his friends to help him, but . . . what if he forgot Beth— no, that wouldn't happen! He wouldn't ever let it come to that. He was confident he could handle anything, and he could handle this. It wasn't a big deal.