Page 48 of Tricky Magic
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Ellea
Ellea left the greenhouse, throwing her fully formed, fully real apple in the air and catching it. With a grin on her face, she looked back at Elias. He had been the one to help her form something real. It had taken a few tries to get her heart to slow and to calm her anxiety. She’d never trusted her magic before, but with Elias there to guide her, it became simple. She felt so free. It had been so simple after she let go. Her powers were still roaring, but maybe a time would come where she could fully let go.
“I can’t believe I did it,” she said with a grin on her face.
“I knew you could.” His grin grew to match hers. “Now take a bite, let’s see if it’s real.”
Ellea brought the shiny red apple to her mouth. Her teeth scraped across the skin, and she bit down. A delicious juicy crunch greeted her, and the taste exploded in her mouth. It was real. She’d actually done it. It wasn’t just an illusion, it was a real apple.
“What. Is. This?” a deep voice asked.
Ellea turned quickly toward the voice that rumbled from the edge of the trees. It was Ros, and he was glaring over her shoulder at Elias.
“What are you doing here, Belias?” he said.
Ellea was confused. Belias? Did they know each other? Quickly swallowing and wiping the juice from her mouth, she tried responding, but Elias—or Belias—beat her to it.
“Hello, cousin.” An oily grin spread across his face. She almost didn’t recognize him.
“Cousin?” Ellea said, looking between them.
“Ellea,” Ros said to her in such a serious voice. “What are you doing with him?”
He looked furious. What was she doing with him?Elias—no, Belias—had a smirk on his face that she had never seen before.
“What do you mean?” she answered. He had no right to come here and ask questions. Gaining her confidence, she stood taller. “What areyoudoing here?”
“What am I doing here?” he roared at her. “I will ask you again. What are you doing with Belias?”
“First of all…” She whipped the apple at him, and he easily dodged it. Finding the angry tone that easily came around Ros, she replied, “I was under the impression that this was Elias.”
“Elias, Belias…” Belias said, looking as if this was the best day ever, “pretty much the same. You can call me whatever your heart desires, but Ellea and Elias had such a sweet ring to it.”
What the fuck?
This was not the same person she had spent almost every day with over the past couple weeks. Ros was fuming where he stood, almost vibrating with anger.
“Wait,” Ellea said with her hands in the air. “You two are related?”
“Yes,” they answered together. Ros’ came out in a growl where Belias came out as gleeful.
“We have been cousins for”—Belias counted on his fingers—“over a millennium.”
The world began to sway.
A millennium.
“You aren’t witches, are you?” Her words were barely audible over the ringing in her ears. “What are you?”
So many scenarios flew through her mind. She didn’t know what kind of supernatural could live over a millennium.
Belias grinned, and Ros’ face dropped. A few moments passed before an answer came.
“Demons,” Belias said while still grinning.
“You’re not witches,” Ellea said, putting her hands on her knees. She was going to lose it. “You’re demons!”
