Page 21 of The Discovered
He shrugged. “I more so use it as an escape from my life. I come here when I need to be alone.”
That seemed like a waste of architecture. “So your life is… stressful?” I probed.
He glanced at me, pausing for a moment before nodding. “Life in Aradia is stressful for most witches these days. I’m just… happy to be here with you, away from it all.” The rare flash of vulnerability floated up in his eyes.
I offered a small smile, though we both knew he’d said far too little. There were just too many unanswered questions, and I had only my imagination to fill in the gaps. Was he embarrassed about his past? Ashamed? He’d said his life was parallel to my own, orphaned just like me. I had to assume it was by the same force that my mothers ran from—that they said was destroying the realm—and that Daelon wanted to tell me aboutafterI’d gained control of my power. Maybe where he came from was simply depressing, and that was why he was so eager to leave it all behind to help me.
If only I could read his energy.
I pushed away my wandering thoughts, choosing to instead focus on the present moment. It was all we had, and my focus was necessary if I ever wanted to progress to actually being able to use my magick.
I followed Daelon down the steps, careful not to falter in order to prove him wrong about my shoes. Maybe they weren’t the best choice, but they did complete the outfit.
The air was crisp and smelled of wood, dampened leaves, and pine. The energy was palpable, much stronger out here than in the house. The witch realm felt more comfortable than Earth’s, and particularly New York City’s, stifling and more viscous ebbs and flows. I was more in tune with myself and the world here.
We made it to the bottom, and he led me down a beaten path, our feet crunching on pine cones and fallen leaves. I could sense magick all around us, carried through the wind as it whipped through my long hair and whistled through tree branches. When we got to a fallen log, Daelon boosted himself over it effortlessly. I held out my hand and looked at him expectantly.
“You puzzle me,” he muttered, holding out his arm for leverage to help me over.
“How so?” I batted my eyelashes at him. “And where exactly are we going?”
Daelon just shook his head, and I shivered as he put his hand on the small of my back to guide me off the path into a small clearing. The trees around us created a perfect circle. He spread out the plaid blanket he had tucked under his arm in the center of the area as I spun around to take in its beauty. There was a lot of magick in this area; I could feel it woven into the soil and coursing through the air.
He gestured for me to sit with him on the blanket. “This is where I cast major spells, like to use my shielding gift to neutralize your energy imprint, as well as to establish a perimeter to keep wayward witches from stumbling onto the property. We’re in our own little microclimate of magick here, so that your outbursts aren’t felt by the whole realm.”
I nodded. “How does the shielding thing really work? Or my clairsentience? Like where do they come from?”
“That’s a question for the mystics. Where do human talents come from? There’s not a clear-cut answer really. Although it’s generally believed that witch talents come from a place of need—the Universe’s need for balance and symmetry,” Daelon explained. “As a shield, I can tap into protective magick in a way that comes naturally. I’m just attuned to that frequency. It’s useful when it comes to practicing covert magick that I don’t want others to become aware of, since I can mask its energetic makeup. Then, of course, it can be useful in countering aggression and making tangible, energetic shields in the face of attack.”
“Do you believe then that it’s your gift that led you to take on this mission to help me? Like maybe gifts influence our purpose?” I asked, thinking about my own gift as an energy reader.
It was strange to think the Universe, cosmos, or whatever else was conspiring for Daelon and me to meet. I yearned to see the bigger picture. I was just starting to feel bits and pieces wafting through my vast ocean of magick, whispered in so many voices and so many languages that it humbled me. Somehow, I was at the center of it all, and it was far more daunting than my first thoughts of revenge. There was something bigger—much bigger—at play, and sometimes I felt its weight bearing down as if I were Atlas holding up the whole world.
Maybe I wasn’t ready to face it all.
“Among other things, yes,” he finally answered.
“Other things like revenge,” I ventured. “Because you’ve lost people like I have.”
Daelon shot me a warning look. “Yes.” He looked away, almost as if he was searching for something among the trees.
“What are we doing today?” I asked, quickly changing the subject.
Daelon looked back at me, relief etched in his features. Whatever horrors we faced, he was clearly terrified of them.
“You’re going to help me cast a spell.”
I grinned, but Daelon’s features were grave.
“A spell for more time.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
His gaze unfocused as if he was looking right through me, deep in thought. “That the power I’m protecting you from is growing craftier. I need to cast a spell to distract him—it.”
So, that thing was ahe.Interesting. It would seem all of my nightmares and premonitions weren’t all in my imagination, after all.
“This is going to require a lot of trust, Áine. I will take care of establishing intent, and with your consent, I will channel energy through you. You can harness more power than I ever could, so I know it will give us our best chance.”
