Daughter of the Crow

Chapter 10

December 2006

After securing the chocolates in a stasis bubble, Kiara slumped into her compartment. Haley was laid out over two seats very visibly asleep, her soft snores blowing her hair away from her face. Quinn was petting Beatrice while reading on the other bench. Kiara smiled at the scene before sitting next to Quinn. Her hand reached out to pet Beatrice who had seemed to mellow out from her hyper barks to slow nuzzles. The drowsy dog snuggled between the two girls her tail beating in joy. Kiara was secretly glad Quinn was keeping the pet. Beatrice had burrowed into her heart in the past few hours. Her emerald-speckled coat made her even more endearing when combined with her warm presence.

"El went to bother John again. She said she would be back in a little while," Quinn whispered, resting her book down.

Kiara mentally shook her head at Eleanor, "Well I guess we should expect her right before the train stops."

Quinn smirked conspiratorially at Kiara. They were used to Eleanor's excuses, the girl would forget when she said she would be back. Kiara gave Beatrice one last pat before scooting onto the floor. The train ride was the last time she would be able to tap into her magic till the end of the break.

Kiara closed her eyes following the pull of her magic to her core, her heart beating in time with the pulsing of her magic. Slowly all sensations faded away. Her hearing went first. The rumble of the train, quiet huffs of Beatrice, and Quinn's murmurs disappeared. This silence was different than most which were often unnerving. This silence was comfortable like when she was little and hid under her blankets. Only her light breaths and heartbeats reached her ears. Smell and taste were next. Eleanor's perfume which had lingered in the air fizzled away. The fresh laundry smell that clung to all their clothes faded with her next breath. Remnants of sugary confections seeped off her tongue. Her touch was last. The slight shaking of the compartments slipped away along with the soft carpet underneath her. The hard wood against her back vanished into the kind darkness that now surrounded her. The chill of the room faded as her magic swelled up all around her.

Kiara chased the streams of shimmering gold down to her center. The darkness lightened as she raced towards a glowing ball. All of the strands of magic emerged from this. It was big enough for her to wrap her arms around it without her fingers touching. Most of her magic was held within her in this sphere. The trail that she had followed to reach there was one of hundreds. Some were faint, others almost solid. She turned away from the miniature sun its warmth covering her back. She looked over the darkness like a night sky but instead of stars lighting it up threads of magic weaved through the space. Kiara held her breath gracing her fingers over the ever-flowing rivers of life and magic.

Golden strands spun out in all directions but Kiara knew where they led. The tapestry of her life was mixed with others. A warm brown, the same color as her mother's eyes wrapped around another, protecting it. A shimmering purple with the fierceness of Haley tangled through one of Kiara's streams. Quinn's deep green, which happened to be the same color as Beatrice as if they were fated to be, spun around another strand. Eleanor's royal blue glittering like her eyes right before she did something that would get her in trouble merged with a strand. Regulus' silver danced among the gold with his poise and kindness. Streams of every color imaginable intermingled with Kiara's gold. Some were so far she could barely see them, others close enough to touch. Every strand she touched sent a tiny jolt up her arm. The shock brought brief emotions flashing through her mind. Will's excitement and Camille's smile graced her thoughts.

Kiara drew her hand back from the threads, her hands tingling. She turned away from her sprawling connections towards her core. Up close she could see the different shades of yellow and orange mixing into the ball that held her magic. She pushed her hand against the glowing sphere meeting a second of resistance before it welcomed her in. There Kiara was completely encompassed with light. It was like stepping into a ball of yarn, except this one was made out of pure magic. Kiara walked down the sloping floor to the deepest section. She sat down, the ground giving slightly against her crossed legs. She dropped her hands to the ground by her side and dug her fingers through the strands. The shimmering threads slipped over her hands as she let her mind drift.