Siphoning Magic

Chapter 2

I drug the tarp behind me, exhausted. After another half an hour of beating around the bush I had left Kazamir, Ali and Alik to circle jerk it around the room while I found myself something productive to do. Instead of going straight home and sleeping I fought the urge to collapse in a pile of weeping goo by coming out to the compound, not wanting to give up the chance to make whatever contribution I could to Muhammad's recovery. It hadn't taken long but I had reinforced the wards across the compound, making sure to place some extra healing sigils around the med-area for healing. The magic pulsing through the grass as I made the trek uphill to my car throbbed like a heartbeat underground matching that of mine and Muhammad's. I could feel his lifeforce was heavy, tired from healing itself, but strong. Sometimes, even when he wasn't in trouble I could sit very still and feel his breathing change to match mine. It was doing that now, exchanging his ragged breaths for my strong and controlled, if not drained, in and outs. I had to concentrate and move slowly to keep it at that pace, but I was acutely aware of the fact that my own body would dictate how his reacted to his change. I couldn't afford to take any of his energy, not right now while he was fighting for his life. Dr. Vauighn had come outside to update me while I adjusted the wards around the grounds. She gave Muhammad a glowing review so far, but she had given me a realistic outlook of the traditional change rate in modern times. Our biggest two unknown factors were his flavor of change being lion and his witch blood. No one was certain about the effects of either, but she said so far it looked like he was doing better than even she had expected.

A towering figure leaned up against the driver's side door slowed me down as I neared the car. If the thick neck and shoulders didn't clue me in then the piercing gaze leisurely watching me walk up would have. Kazimir's wide, square jaw looked relaxed but his eyes told an entirely different story.

"Worried I'm going to curse the compound?"

He regarded me intently, "Should I be?"

I stopped short. I didn't know if he was serious, but he didn't exactly strike me as a joking fellow so I opted for the truth, "Not tonight."

He raised an eyebrow to me and I clarified, "I'm too tired."

He nodded, a small 'Ah' reaching the amused quirk of his lips, "I'll check in again tomorrow, then."

A strangled little giggle slipped past my lips. He pushed off the side of the car as I came closer and he gestured to the tarp I was dragging along the grass. I gave a small nod and smiled my thanks at him. Kazamir looked inside of the tarp but didn't touch anything.

"Black candles?"

I nodded, "For protection."

He nodded but whatever he might have said was stopped by another skitter of the remaining sparks that flowed between us. They didn't typically reach out to others unless I knew them very well, but I wasn't too surprised and chocked it up to lack of control. He didn't jump at the closeness to his own sensible shiny black dress shoes but he certainly took another look at me.

"Do you share your energy with your brother?"

His hand flicked to the remaining sparks that were pooling beneath me burrowing down through the earth like little worms. I had thought I had expended all that I was able to tonight, but it seemed I hadn't yet reached the capacity I had originally thought.

I thought for a moment on my mental checklist: body sore? A little, but less so than it seemed a moment ago. Mind numb? Not particularly, just...sluggish? The tell tale aching soreness under my skin had faded to a dull throb of blood pulsing.

In a rare moment of utter honesty I bit back my snarky retort and answered as best as I could without feeling like an idiot, "I think so. I'm not sure how it works, not exactly. But I know that if I go home soon I'll be able to get up early enough for work without it draining both of us, if that makes sense."