Chapter 16
Amethyst sat alone in her small apartment above the store worrying about what was to come. Shayla and Soren were both unconcious in a room downstairs, Dillan was asleep in a chair next to Shayla. He had refused to leave her side from the moment she passed out.
Amethyst let out a loud sigh and retrieved her address book from it's home on her roll-top desk. The whisper of paper echoed through the room as she thumbed through the pages, looking for a particular number. "McCloud, McCloud. Where is it?"
Once the number was found and dialed she listened to the electronic ringing in frustrated silence. "Hello? Amber?" She paused while the woman on the other end confirmed that she was indeed Amber McCloud.
"Are you busy right now? No? Well could you head to my store? We have a small situation and we'll need you here, one way or another." Another pause, this one shorter.
"I'm not sure if I'll need your binding skills, or your divination skills. Perhaps even your ability to speak through the veil." Amethyst squeezed her eyes shut in a silent prayer to the goddess as the other woman agreed to make the trip.
"Thank you, Amber. I'll see you tomorrow." The click of the phone settling back into it's cradle seemed ominous to her. She hoped beyond hoping that she wouldn't need Amber's binding skills.
Shaking herself to stave off the terrible imaginings that made their way into her head she retreated across the hall into her private ritual space. Settling herself at a short table she retrieved a small, intricately carved wooden box from below the small table in the center of the room. Inside the velvet lined case were many crystals of varying shapes, sizes and colors. In another container, this one long and thin were several chains, mostly silver in different sizes, and tools to attach the stones to the chains.
)O(
"Amethyst? You up here?" Dillan called just loud enough to be heard.
"In here, Dillan." Her voice was soft but carried into the hallway and beckoned him towards a door to his left.
The door opened on silent hinges and Dillan found her kneeling on a soft pillow in front of her altar. She was stringing stones on a bracelet length chain.
"Amber to purify the spirit, Amethyst for stability and strength." She whispered as several of each stone settled into place. In the exact center a small square of wood hung, etched with the rune Laguz, for cleansing, on one side and the rune Mannaz, for humanity or the soul. Together with the stones they wove a powerful soul and aura cleansing spell.
"What is that for?" Curiousity colored his tone.
"For Shayla. The necklaces with aquamarine are for us and Soren. They are for protection and courage." She explained while holding out one of the necklaces for him and placing another around her neck.
"Do you really think she'll be like Lawrence when she wakes up?"
"There's a strong chance. And if she does, he won't even need to kill her and take her power. She'll be a weapon, able to be aimed and fired at his will." Both of their faces were grim with that thought before she shook herself and took his hand.
"What are you doing?" He asked as she placed their hands over the crystals on Shayla's bracelet.
"The crystals need to be powered. I could do it alone, but it'll leave me drained for a while, and we can't afford that. If we both do it, we'll be fine." She explained in a voice of quiet concentration.
"I've actually never powered a crystal. What do I do?" He asked timidly when she began to glow with her power. Her power called to his and he needed no answer. She pushed a tendril of her power into the crystal backed with the intent to charge the stone. A tendril of his own power followed eagerly and his skin began to glow.
The combined glow of their bodies cast dancing shadows on the walls and ceiling, at the same time their united magic gave the air a thick, staticy feel which caused their hair to dance about their heads as if on a breeze. Their heartbeats slowed to match one another's, their breathing the same. This was magic at it's best. When worked together magic was always stronger, more alive.
Suddenly both heads tilted back and two sets of eyes closed. Their voices combined seamlessly as they spoke. Where the words came from neither knew. Nor did they know who the answering spark of power that flitted across theirs for mere seconds belonged to.
"God and Goddess lend us your aid. May these stones keep her safe and good, Bound with the runes upon the wood."
Several silent moments passed while the glow from their bodies leaked into the bracelet. The bracelet flashed brighter the moment their skin was back to normal, then dimmed until it lay dark, quiescent. They sat quietly, both trying to adjust to the dim light of the candles after the bright light of their magic.
Amethyst's eyes met Dillan's in surprise. The static their magic caused still floated lazily in the air, giving the room a hazy feel. The flame of her magic was beginning to subside, but the fact that it was still coursing through her was the only excuse for what she did next.
She leaned forward at the same moment Dillan did. They met in a flurry of lips and tongue. Her arms snaked around his neck and his wrapped around and pulled her closer. The kiss didn't last long however. They jerked apart so quickly that they ended up on opposite ends of the room.
"What?"
"Why?"
Dillan stammered an apology and fled the room, leaving Amethyst against the wall reeling from the passion that bloomed at his touch. There was only one person in the world that could cause such a reaction, and he was dead. Had been for a long time. That only came once in a lifetime. Didn't it? She turned confused but hopeful eyes to the closed door as if she could still see him where he was standing in the hall, just as confused as she.
)O(
In the darkened room just behind the main part of the shop the single candle that lit the room sputtered for a moment and went out, extinguised by an unseen wind. Two beds were sitting against adjacent walls each holding a prone form. Soren shifted uneasily in his magic induced coma, but fell still and quiet after a second. The other form stiffened. Shayla's eyes glinted in the moonlight as they flew open and a she sucked in air in a gasp.
Gently, she pushed herself into a sitting position and then to her feet. With shuffling steps she walked to Soren's bedside. She placed her hand to his cheek and a kiss on his lips. Her mouth moved to his ear and whispered softly causing her hand to glow brightly with each word. Leaning back, she watched him for a moment as he turned to his side and smiled when a soft snore escaped him.
The unseen wind blew through the room again which elicited a shiver from her and wiped the smile from her face. With a few shuffling footsteps she walked over to the open window. A grim shadow passed over her face as she looked out at the dark world beyond, feeling an unseen call tug her towards an unknown destination.
She spoke in a hoarse but determined voice.
"I'm coming."
)O(
Dillan pushed off the wall across from her ritual space and made his way back to the stairs. His hand kept travelling to his lips of their own accord. He was astonished at what had occurred in that room. He knew what he felt for Shayla was real, but it paled in comparison to the emotions that danced across his heart while he and Amethyst had been connected. With a shake to clear his head he made it to the bottom of the narrow stairway. The hall he then stood in was lit brighter than it should have been, which drew his eyes to the sleeping witches' room. The door glowed a sickly yellow color. The color of a persuasion spell at work.
"Amethyst!" He shouted as loudly as he could. His feet pounded the wooden floor as he raced towards the door. He could hear the other witch coming down the stairs behind him. The moment he was close enough he reached out to jerk the doorknob and fell to the floor in agony. It was as if every nerve in his body was aflame, every bone broken. He couldn't break the hold his hand had on the knob.
The pale, blond witch was beside him in an instant.
"Take my hand, Dillan."
He took her hand and held tightly, as though it were his life preserver. Amethystclosed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the pain that flowed to her through Dillan. She shared his pain, took some of it for herself, and began mumbling under her breath. It took time because the spell was fighting her at every turn, but still she forced the spell of freeing in Dillan, and beyond him, the door. Dillan caught on and began to shove his own spell at the door. The twin counter-charms beat at the spell laid on the door until the yellow light flickered and faded completely. They clung to each other through the sweating and shivers that followed. Dillan knew they needed to get up and check on the others, but neither could move after coming into contact with such a charm.
So they stayed on the floor, holding onto each other as the magic from their necklaces began to replenish their strength.
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Another chapter! As an apology for my being MIA for so long, I decided to go ahead and post another one!