Page 43 of Within the Flames
"What's the plan for today?" Luc asked, looking around the circle.
"We need to prepare for another attack on the Keep," Macey answered, speaking up for the first time since Amber had joined them. "But not attack until dusk."
Seven heads swivelled in her direction, each of them looking at her with differing levels of disbelief.
"Why dusk?" Flint asked the question they were probably all thinking.
"A feeling," Macey lied. In truth, she was hoping to have had a signal by then and wanted to be sure they didn't waste the opportunity they now had. If they wasted it, there was a chance the woman who was fast becoming her best friend would never speak to her again. Even thinking that didn't sit well with Macey. Just as she didn't want to lose her men, she didn't want to lose her friend either.
"You want us to stake our lives on a feeling?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow in slight disbelief.
"Why not a feeling? Hasn't our whole relationship been based on a gut feeling?"
She watched as Cam spluttered but didn't confirm or deny it. She didn't need him to. She knew as well as he did that he'd taken her to the house because it felt like the right thing to do. She almost laughed. That seemed like so long ago. A completely different time when she really was nothing more than a kelpie princess kidnapped by two wraiths and an incubus.
She sighed. It was true it had been simpler then but she couldn't bring herself to regret the rest of their journey. It had brought her to so many different places and met so many different people. Without it, she wouldn't have found Rónàn. Or Amber. Or Luc. People made this whole thing worth it.
"Okay then," Rónàn said slowly. "What are we going to do until dusk?"
"I could think of a few things," Jared muttered and while Macey was tempted to give in to his desires, she knew there were more important things to do.
"I need to train. The markings are itching and I think I need to see if I can access their magic." She'd been tempted to scratch her back the entire night. Something was happening to the tattoos and while it didn't feel like something bad or threatening, she needed to explore her newfound connection to the other elements. Also, this training would give Izban more time, something he likely needed.
"Amber, do you want to join me? I think lightning will be the hardest element to work with."
The beithir nodded, still a little pale from worry. Macey was going to have to distract her as much as she could. She didn't want her friend to suffer. Although if this went wrong, she might no longer have a friend, but an enemy. She sighed inwardly. Was it worth that? Losing their friendship? She thought of all the pain Amber had gone through at the hands of the Mahoun and decided that it was. As long as the Mahoun was put to justice, it would be worth it. If it all failed though... she didn't want to think about that. It had to work. It just had to.
"Yes, I'll help you," Amber said softly, her usual smile gone.
"Call us if you need any of us as well," Cam offered, nodding at the other Wardens. "Guess we'll do some training ourselves."
Macey took Amber outside, a short distance away from their camp, far enough that they weren't watched by curious onlookers.
"How are we going to do this?" the beithir asked.
"Ehm..." Macey didn't actually know. This was all one big fumble in the dark.
Amber smiled grimly. "Let's try this. I'll charge the air around us with electricity, that will make it easier for you. All you'll have to do is gather that power and discharge it into lightning."
That didn't sound too hard. Still, it took Macey at least ten tries until she managed to create a small, pitiful lightning bolt which barely reached the ground before disintegrating.
Amber laughed. "I don't think this is your strongest element."
Macey joined her laughter, glad the beithir was distracted enough not to think about her missing boyfriend. "No, I doubt that. I just don't feel the magic the same way I feel my own. It's strange, like it's a foreign object in my magic, if that makes sense."
The beithir nodded. "Maybe try combining the lightning with your water magic? That might make it stronger. Water conducts electricity."
Macey hadn't thought of that before, but it made sense.
Amber charged the air again and Macey felt the familiar tickle on her skin. She focused on her tattoos, reaching for the lightning power embedded in one of them. This probably wasn't the actual place her new elemental magic resided, but it made it easier for her to focus on it.
This time, she also pulled some of her normal water magic, and activated both of them at the same time. A lightning bolt tore through the air, strong enough to make her hair stand up.
"Yes!" Amber shouted in delight. "That's it!"
Macey grinned and created another lightning bolt. This time, the air wasn't charged as much, but it ended up being still slightly larger than the very first one she'd made.
"Now you just have to do this another hundred times or so," Amber said with an evil grin. "By then you should have a feeling for the magic."
