Ellora's Sun

Chapter Twenty One

After another terribly painful spell, one completed closed wound, and a three hour long nap, Adelaide was ready to learn magic. The spell had put her through hell, and soon after Stefan finished, she fell asleep on his bed. They let her sleep for a couple hours before waking her up and making her eat something.

Once she woke up, Adelaide forced down a turkey sandwich, and Stefan and Christoph started to teach her some basic spells. She practiced lighting some more candles, moving objects from one spot to another, and turning on lights in the apartment.

Most things, like lighting a candle, didn't require a spell with words. If it was simple enough, you could just picture it and wave your hand and it would happen. Other more complicated things required spells or rituals that needed to be recited in certain ways - like the healing spells that Stefan did.

They told her that powerful witches could speak spells in their mind, and that was enough. That's part of what made fighting Gisela and Morgen so hard. With other witches, you could follow their movements and anticipate their attacks. With the Ellora siblings, you were at the unpredictable liberty of their mind.

"Okay, I think I get the basic spells," Adelaide announced after several hours of turning lights on and off and moving every object in existence around Stefan's apartment, "I want to learn how to fight."

She liked to think she was a quick learner, and magic seemed to be no different. Once Stefan helped her figure out what motivated her magic, everything else made more sense. The more she used it the easier it was to recall emotions and use them to her advantage.

She found that more negative emotions were more powerful, but also more unpredictable. Adelaide learned this the hard way, after sending a coffee cup hurtling toward Lorenzo's head. But she knew these negative emotions are also what powered her magic when she saved James or Stefan, and that's what she was going to need to fight Gisela and Morgen.

"Slow down," Christoph laughed, throwing an arm over her shoulder as they stood in the living room. They had moved the furniture out to give them a more open space to practice, "I don't think you're quite ready for that."

Adelaide rolled her eyes, pushing his arm off of her and putting her hands on her hips. She raised her eyebrows, daring him to doubt her again.

"I'm ready," She challenged, taking a step away from him, "come on, let's fight."

"I'm not going to fight you, Adelaide." Christoph scoffed, looking at her like she was crazy. He crossed his arms stubbornly and chuckled at her fighting stance. Adelaide rolled her eyes at his unwillingness.

"I have to learn somehow, and this is the fastest way."

Before he could respond, Adelaide heard the rustling of pages to her left. She whipped her head around, just in time to see three, large leather-back books flying towards her in the air. She had no time to think or focus on an emotion, but she threw her hand in the air instinctually. The books stopped dead in their tracks and fell to the floor.

Her heart was racing in her chest, but she smiled at her accomplishment. Adelaide looked up in the direction the books came from and saw Stefan, leaning up against the wall and watching her.

"You've got good instincts." He told her with his typical indifferent stare. Adelaide was sure she made it up, but she could've sworn she saw an impressed look in his eyes. She couldn't help but grin.

"Are you mad? You could've killed her?" Christoph protested, his face turning a slight shade of red as he yelled at Stefan.

"I knew she was going to stop it," Stefan shrugged, taking a couple of steps towards them, "she's right. The only way to learn how to protect herself quickly is to challenge her magic so she can get comfortable using it. That can't happen it we just keep learning theory."