Talent

  Chapter 6

  Seeing the handprint on the glass and the shadows pull themselves in to the darkened corner of the bathroom, Keterlyn’s body became ridged. This time, she knew she wasn’t mistaken.

  “Lor? Lor? Show yourself.” she called out managing somehow to make her voice steady.

  Lormorian appeared behind her ear, though she did not yet realize it. He stood just over her, powerful features, well framed face and a mouth that had commanded the darkest of armies. Keterlyn jumped backwards into a defensive stance.

  “Don’t stop undressing on account of me, it’s been a while you know.” Came his breathy voice.

  She whipped around, shocked and Keterlyn only just caught a glance of Lormorian before he disappeared in to thin air.

  “How did you find me?” she asked horrified.

  Lormorian corporealised partially, chest upwards a true reflection of his strength and menacing, but from below the waist he remained immaterialized, hovering. “You shouldn’t have used your magic – I might not exactly have found you yet, this place is well hidden, and not by your magic. Interesting twist. I like that you keep the game lively, but I can sense you, and I can come say hello.” He extended a hand meaning to capture one of Keterlyn’s falling locks of hair, but she instinctively pulled away. The smug grin on his face straightened.

  “So you think teasing me like this is going to achieve anything?” Keterlyn was angered and had to watch out that she didn’t fall in to the trap of using too much of her magic too soon. If he was tracking her through the little she used so far, anything could be a risk to her. “You still can’t touch me can you? Can’t pin point where I am to send your minions for me.”

  “After the trouble you’ve caused me, I won’t be sending underlings. I’m coming for you myself.” an incensed Lormorian responded.

  Keterlyn stuck her neck out bringing her face to face with Lormorian. “Then come for me already.” she taunted.

  Enraged, Lormorian’s eyes grew black, darkness bleeding into the whites until they resembled oil slick spheres in his head. “Impudence.” He sputtered, barely holding his rage together. Then he smiled sinisterly. “Didn’t I beat that out of you already sweet…”

  Keterlyn glowered at him and there was a shared few seconds of silence before Lormorian regained control, his eyes returning to normal. “I burned her you know.” Lormorian said so sweetly.

  “What?” Keterlyn responded off kilter.

  “I burned her, for showing you how to get away from me. How to take my power and use it for yourself to hide, like a rat in the shadows.” Lormorian was referring to her only true friend in his captivity. Eerie was something not unlike Keterlyn, only she had long lost her physical body, and so was stuck forever in a plain of sadness, brutality and torture. How Eerie had survived was beyond Keterlyn, but then she never had a choice. When Keterlyn had first met her, she had thought Eerie to be as fierce and as twisted as Lormorian, and in a way, he called her sister. Decades had passed before Eerie called Keterlyn to her and shivering, apprehensive, Keterlyn had attended her side only to find Eerie was helping her. Eerie had been the one who had helped her escape, taking a century to teach Keterlyn everything she knew, knowing she could never do the same. Never be free. She had done it, just to help Keterlyn, and maybe to spite Lormorian as well. He had taken her physical body and had it destroyed before Eerie could reclaim it. And now it seemed, he had thrown her spirit in to the fire as well.

  “Eerie!” whispered Keterlyn, the name easing past her lips in mutual respect and fear.

  As Keterlyn stood in shock, in guilt, and tears stinging her eyes Lormorian twisted the proverbial knife. “You know what they say, Eerie one day, gone the next.” He laughed as he said it, and there was the desired effect.

  Keterlyn roared in anger and let a ring of purple light blast out from her dissipating Lormorian and shattering the mirrors, tiles and lights in the bathroom.

  In the dark, Keterlyn hunched down against the broken tiles and stared ahead, breathing hard. Although she tried not to, she couldn’t help but recall Lormorian and her bargain. Had she known the consequences, she would have died happily, poisoned by the berries she mistakenly ate.

  (836)

  At first, when Keterlyn had seen Lormorian, she had been entranced. He had watched her patiently at dusk from behind the tree line next to her village. Strangers were rare to her town, and rarely would they travel out for more than the odd marriage or irregular trade. He had seemed so mysterious, his black hair and eyes burning her skin warmly as he watched her about her chores. The first night she woke to him calling her she hadn’t been brave enough to venture out of her warm bed and safe house. The next day though, he had left her a gift on a rock near where she would take the washing. It had seemed a gift for a queen. Gems glinting in a gold chain. When she saw it, she had looked around for the owner only to see Lormorian smiling down at her from across the river. Knowing better, Keterlyn had hidden it, only to wear it when she ventured in to the woods to meet him. They would sit and talk. He would hold her hand, and only once stole a kiss.

  Once an offer for her hand had been made, she had protested, but as Lormorian had told her to keep him a secret she waited until she saw him next and cried into his shoulder that she wanted no one else, just him. He had comforted her, rocked her and said not to worry, and she had trusted him. A few days later the boy she was due to be married with was struck down by lightning, not once, but twice, taking his life. She had never connected the man she met in the woods with the death of her betrothed. Lormorian after all was simply the love of a young girl, and she was taught very little of the dark things that lived in the night. Magical, things of myth and faery tales her parents never subscribed to. Her aunt had been the only connection to the old ways, and even that had been tempered.

  That fateful afternoon, Keterlyn had carried her bog carvings, her berries and her mushrooms home from that meeting with her aunt. How she wished she had paid closer attention. By the time she made it back to the village she was delusional and in agony. The time from when she collapsed and saw the neighbor’s boy run for help, to the time she found herself in her mother’s church seemed both impossibly short and painfully long. Pleading for her life, her requests were unheard, until she saw her sweet saviour’s face. Lormorian swept her away, took her to the edge of the lake that lay far in the woods. Keterlyn recalled it had felt like flying to be in his arms as he brought her there.

  Keterlyn could barely breath as he lay her down, moonlight reflected on the crisp water.

  “Do you want to live?” he had asked her as though there had been a choice.

  “Please don't let me die.”

  “Marry me and live.” he gave her the ultimatum to which she had simply choked. “Say yes and live Keterlyn.”

  Keterlyn had managed to use her last breath to form a word. “Yes.” And the deal was done.

  Immediately Lormorian had sat up, clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Then live.” he announced. As Lormorian leaned back on his heels, he had raised one palm up to the sky, and one facing the ground, bowing his head to chant. “Breathe my life, share my source, forever stronger grow. Dealer of strife, maker of course, hear my call of sorrow.” Though how she managed she could not recall, for the next thing Keterlyn had seen was the rising of darkness from the ground, the swirl of leaves, dirt and dust that funneled up to his left palm, energy coursing through his body, blackening his eyes and his face. Lormorian pressed his right hand to Keterlyn’s chest and with a burst, she sprung upwards, eyes open in shock. That had been the beginning of Keterlyn’s new life.

  Present

  It was nearing 8:00PM at Connell Park. Though remaining calm outside, it was getting hard for Keterlyn to conceal her growing agitation that the final number of people she wanted were not there yet. The park was a good choice. Surprisingly close to the town itself, it was isolated, with only one solitary willow tree which overhung a flat area of grass at t
he top of a small hill. Towards the back of the hill ran a small tributary that was little more than a creek. Keterlyn moved about spacing lighted candles in a large circle shape in the grass. Molly helped as Micala, Jake, Ashleigh, Lily, Rebecca, Zara, Abel, Will and Anise milled about talking, a distinct positive nervousness in the air. Keterlyn knew it well. Bringing together people as she did over the years, the positive groups always felt like this. That was the advantage of people with fewer hang ups. The ones that all thought themselves witches and warlocks seemed to have some kind of power trip that interfered with them all getting along.

  When Keterlyn finished spacing out the candles she walked back to the box of items she had brought with her. Diana worried her. The girl had seemed committed when Keterlyn had approached her, but as time went on Keterlyn’s doubts had been growing. Those dark Emo-Goth types tended to be variable in their moods. Now Keterlyn was certain, Diana was not coming. Although as long as the others came, everything would still work, Keterlyn preferred the magic 13 number. The power settled across 13 people better somehow.

  Next Keterlyn set out a bowl of water, a bowl of dirt with a crystal in it, a bowl of sand with incense in it and a bowl which held a small glass hurricane lamp, and within the lamp a purple candle flickered. Each bowl was set down, outside the ring of candles at the relative compass points of the circle. As she set down the last bowl at the southern point, Keterlyn’s lips curved in response to Daniel arriving, though she had not seen him yet.

  As Daniel parked his car he hesitated at seeing all the other cars, and then the people at the top of the hill. Slowly approaching the group he watched Keterlyn and Molly light incense and take another look back at a large circle of candles. Apprehension was clouding his judgment. As much as he wanted to see her again, this was completely unexpected, and frankly, Daniel didn’t play well with others most of the time.

  Recognising one of the players from the last football game, Daniel eased up beside him. “What’s going on?” he asked Abel.

  Abel stood tall, muscular and bore a deep frown across his brow. Unlike what would be expected from such an athletic looking individual though, Abel was nearly jumping out of his skin. He was jittery, fidgeting, and looked borderline scared. Why wouldn’t he be, he reasoned with himself, he had so much to lose and this was a ridiculous last resort. The power of the mind, he reasoned with himself again. That was what was going to work, because he sure as hell didn’t believe in magic.

  Abel was the youngest of four brothers and two sisters. The family grew up shifting from one house to another until eventually the bills pilled up and their credit dried up. References for homes fell through and by the time Abel was 12 he was living in homeless refuges with his parents, three of his brothers had spent time in juvenile detention for petty crimes and his sisters had moved out, shacking up with older guys. Following a bout of self medication through alcohol and pot smoking Abel had cleaned up his act by the time a scout spotted him in a charity game for his local high school. Since then, his father had made it clear that Abel was the family’s ticket out of the mess they had fallen into. Still living in emergency housing, and drifting in between services, Abel’s mother had left, taking two of his brothers and always in the back of his mind, Abel felt that if he could score it big, he might be able to bring them all back together. His father encouraged it, and seeing his mother hit the bottle every night and send him random text messages alternating between being proud of him for being better than them, and urging him to break away to make his life better, and begging for help because she couldn’t take it any more caused unbelievable stress. It was no longer a choice. Abel now had to make it, failure wasn’t an option.

  About the same time Abel made that commitment and realisation, was when he lost his game. Abel was magnificent on the field, a true achiever, a gladiator of the sports arena, until now. Abel, being Abel, had realised of course that it was the pressure playing interference with his skills, but after everything he had been through growing up, caving to pressure had never been an option, for him. So Abel had tried everything to get back on track. He tried training harder, better. He tried a sports psychologist, even though he couldn’t afford it. Besides, once they had started talking about the obvious - stress being the reason Abel was losing his status as golden child over the last few games - Abel had stopped going. Diet changes, meditation, medication - Abel had tried it all up until he heard about this option. He might not believe in magic but he wanted to believe in anything that might give him his edge back.

  In a fit of desperation he had agreed to come with Will to this meeting, but now he was here, he felt awkward, and every bit of the stress he was trying to deny was smacking him in the face. He was twitchy, hated so many people knew why he was here, and he felt like running. Running though, was not an option Abel wanted to take, as much as his limbs willed it to be so. Abel was determined, no matter what, he wasn't going to end up working the jobs his brothers did to support his father, to see his mother drink herself down the drain. He was going to make it, even if it killed him.

  When Daniel had asked Abel what was going on, inside Abel had had a mini panic attack. Outside, he froze. Looking back at Daniel with a fraught expression and anxious eyes, he answered Daniel as though it had only just dawned on him that he was mad. “I have clearly lost my mind.” Abel said, stilted, emotionless. “That’s what’s going on.”

  Will and Anise, who were standing next to Abel, intervened. Anise squeezed Will’s hand tight as she spoke excitedly. “It’s like a Wiccan circle, but not. Caitlin explained it. Anyway it’s a full moon ritual.”

  “Like witches?” Daniel asked incredulously.

  Molly stalked past the group and muttered with distain as she did. “Yes, but why you guys are here is beyond me. This is all serious stuff.”

  Anise made a fake pouty face as Zara and Lily came forward to join them. Zara smiled as she approached, though everyone instinctually stiffened at the presence of their lecturer. “Well I’m here as research.” Zara explained. “I’m interested in contemporary expressions of ancient traditions. This will make the 20th different circle I have been to. A nice round figure to finish off my paper.” Zara knew they were apprehensive at her inclusion, but maturity had also taught her that it never mattered what status you held, who you were or what you did, everyone had their frailties and strengths. That was one of the reasons she had become fascinated with social group interactions in the first place. Zara also knew how to work the social group well. Her tone of voice, submissive body language, all aiming to compensate for her perceived social standing which set her apart from the others gathered here tonight. A little more time and she would be on more equal footing. A few personal stories and they would let her mould with them, as best as possible anyhow. Zara also recognized her age would limit her interactions and group cohesion here. That having been considered though, this was a short term group meeting. Once Zara had the contextual details for inclusion in her paper, she could finish the re-write, submit the study, and hopefully earn herself a more stable position on the academic board listing before the next financial year was through. Then she could have a position to haggle for extra funding, and if they didn’t give it to her for next semester, she could even threaten to go elsewhere.

  Before Zara had a chance to start her personal story exchanges though, her strategically designed execution of personal stories designed to engage and bond her within the group Lily spoke up. Lily had been fidgeting almost as much as Abel. She also wore a singlet shirt that barely shielded her from the cold. She sucked on a cigarette as she paced and made faint attempts to warm her upper arms by rubbing them. “I’m here for my wish. That’s all.” she announced.

  “Your wish?” Daniel repeated as Abel peeled off his jacket to offer her.

  At Abel’s offer Lily simply gave him a scolding almost disgusted look. She paused holding her cigarette out and her accusing open mouthed and offensive manner threw him. Abel raised his eyebrows in dis
belief and put his jacket back on.

  “Okay!” Abel responded cynically, as across the clearing Keterlyn chimed out a bell.

  Keterlyn took an authoritative stance at the head of the circle. “If everyone would like to join me, standing in a circle – don’t be shy.” As Keterlyn spoke, everyone gathered as instructed, renewed nervousness in the air. “We are waiting for one more person, but while we wait, I thought we might share a bit about why we are here tonight, what you hope to gain. I advertised this circle as a chance to make your greatest wish come true. To do that, we have to have an idea of what it is you want. So let’s have it.” Keterlyn nodded to her left, towards Ashleigh.

  Sucking in a deep breath, Ashleigh smiled. “I’m Ashleigh, I’m 21 and I’m studying political science. When I was little, I always wanted to be a lawyer but couldn’t get the grades…”

  Molly, who was standing next to Ashleigh, rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a dating service, just get to the point.”

  Through gritted teeth Ashleigh continued. “I want to find a way to live my dream.”

  Molly was next. “I’m here tonight, to recharge myself, reconnect with the earth, and centre myself.” A few doubtful looks were exchanged along with a few stifled smiles. Molly remained unphased, aloof and wearing a look of entitlement.

  Micala picked up from Molly. “I decided to come tonight, because I want to find a way to open a herbalist/naturopathy shop of my own instead of just working at one. Oh – and read cards on the side.”

  Jake was next, and hesitated, feeling unprepared even though he knew exactly why he was there. For Ashleigh, though he tried not to stare at her, or even look in her direction as he started to speak. “I’m here for..”

  “We all know who you’re here for.” Will couldn’t help himself, and Anise kicked him. She loved a hopeless love story and had been following with interest Jake’s admiring of Ashleigh from afar. Ashleigh gave Jake a shy smile as he made panicked eye contact and blushed deeply in response.

  Jake became defensive. “I want to gain the confidence to be who I am and who I want to be.” Zara watched, curious at the level of tension within this group. All newcomers, most not used to magic and ritual. Conflict evident. She took mental notes and couldn’t wait to see how this was going to pan out. Of all the full moon rituals she had attended, this was by far the strangest set up.

  Anise had her turn next. “I just thought it would be cool to try this out. But I do wish I could get enough money, so I wouldn’t have to rely on my family, so I can do whatever I want.”

  “I want to travel.” announced Will before Lily, stern faced, stuck out her chin and took her cue.

  “My mother’s sick.” Lily said. “I had to skip school this year. I want to find a way to make things better for both of us.” A hush took over the group. Lily had been the only one with a legitimate reason to want a wish. The others were all there for personal gain, and the fickle kind.

  Through the pause, Zara cleared her throat. “I am here purely for the experience for a paper I’m writing, anything else is a bonus.”

  Rebecca took a step forward. “I want to harness my psychic powers.” she proclaimed. Groans cropped up from the rest of the group and promptly died away.

  Daniel waited for a moment, thinking hard about what to say. Unlike the others gathered here, he hadn’t known what the point of the group was until he arrived, and he certainly hadn’t prepared anything. All he had come for was to see his Caitlin. And that was why he stayed, so he was honest. “I’m here for a girl, but if I get a wish, it’s for a new life.” Keterlyn tried hard not to smile at the compliment, but found Daniel’s stare oddly unnerving to her.

  Anise sighed again. “Aww!”

  Abel piped up, a welcome distraction in attention for Keterlyn. “I don’t know why I’m here.” he half mumbled sheepishly looking at the ground. “I can’t play like I used to. I have some kind of block…I need to get my head back in the game.” Abel looked up almost apologetic before resuming his downwards stare. “I don’t believe in magic.” he added apologetically.

  Keterlyn regarded him with pleasure. Before the night was through, everything would be different. For Abel, for everyone. “Even if you don’t believe, you might be surprised what this can offer you. Thank you everyone for coming.”

  Just as Keterlyn was preparing to make do without Diana, an unexpected addition arrived. Tempest arrived in his car, parking across the street and walking over with a quizzical look on his face, clearly surprised at what he was seeing.

  Will looked horrified. “Oh no! He said he’d come by later, not now.” Will looked away from Tempest, who was striding, with purpose towards him, all six foot of him bearing down on his younger brother.

  “Who is he?” asked Lily, clearly interested.

  “My brother.” Will groaned.

  Tempest slowed as he reached the circle. “Hey. What’s going on?” There was cautious amusement in his tone.

  Not one to miss an opportunity, Keterlyn seized the moment. “Come join us, we are creating a circle, fulfilling our wishes.”

  Tempest gave her a snide look before looking over towards Will as though he was expecting it was some kind of joke. “Nah. I’m here to pick up Will.”

  An embarrassed Will hissed at Tempest. “Not now, you were supposed to be here in like an hour.”

  “Shit man,” Tempest exclaimed, with no attempt to disguise his frustration. “If you lose your license for drag racing, and have to ask your big brother to pick you up, you don’t freaking’ complain, OK.”

  “You don’t look like you’re brothers.” commented Ashleigh.

  Re-directing his anger, Tempest swung around to face her. “You didn't just say that.”

  Trying to appease and diffuse the moment, Will extended an explanation. “We used to live in the same foster home, now we live together. It’s the same thing as brothers.”

  Trying to contain the added dynamic, Keterlyn prompted Tempest confidently. “It doesn’t matter. You will have to do.”

  “Do as what?” Tempest asked dubiously.

  “Our thirteenth. Seeing as Diana didn't show. We need one more to make the ceremony.” Keterlyn added.

  “No. I don't do this...whatever this is.” Tempest waved his hands around dismissively.

  “It’s better with thirteen people, otherwise I don’t know that it will work properly.” Keterlyn knew it would work, but thought the added pressure might help. 13 was perfect. The ploy worked perfectly.

  “Oh! Oh no! I was really looking forward to this.” whined Anise.

  Not wanting to see Anise upset, Will pleaded for his brother’s cooperation. “C’mon man. What’s the harm for a few minutes.”

  “No.” insisted Tempest.

  “Please T-Man.” Will pushed again.

  Tempest took on an irritated big-brother tone. “No – I have to be places. I have other things to do than help you get laid.”

  Then Anise gave Tempest an over the top sad look and stuck her bottom lip out.

  Tempest groaned. Reluctantly, he rolled his head and agreed. “OK, but I'm not holding anyone’s hand.” Tempest moved to the circle’s edge and a few shuffled to make room to accommodate him edging in next to Daniel.

  Smugly, Keterlyn commanded the next move. She liked Tempest, his inner strength, his self confident nature. “Everyone, take the hand of the person next to you.”

  Looking exasperated Tempest protested. “Maybe you didn’t hear me, I'm not holding anyone’s hand.” Everyone else took the hand of those next to them. Tempest looked around and pursed his lips. “O.K. I’m not holding anyone’s man hands.” he clarified.

  Micala huffed out loud. “Can anyone say homophobe, geeze, I'll swap with you Daniel.”

  Daniel smirked and swapped places with Micala. Tempest took Micala’s hand, and Anise moved to take his other.

  “Hope my hands aren't too manly for you ‘T-man’.” Micala snuck in as a jibe.

&nbs
p; Molly even managed a smile. “T-man. Seriously, I expect gold chains and a Mohawk from a man who calls himself T-man.”

  “His real name is Tempest. Like the Shakespeare play.” offered Will.

  Clearly angered, Tempest almost stomped his foot. “See. What do you have to do that for all the time? It don’t help.”

  “I like Tempest.” Rebecca said trying to be helpful.

  “Enough.” Interjected Keterlyn. “We are ready.”

  “Aren't you supposed to do this naked?” enquired Abel.

  Molly took the lead in responding, another attempt to re-assert herself as knowledgeable in the area. “Sky clad is optional. Were you in a hurry to get naked for us were you?”

  Jake was the first to state what everyone was thinking. “It is a bit cold man, might ruin your reputation.”

  Defensively, Abel bit back. “You interested in my reputation? Besides I wasn't thinking so much about me being the one getting undressed.” An immediate undercurrent of outrage passed across the women in the group.

  Being smart, Will grinned and tried to remain serious. “Dude, if you want to see me in my birthday suit, you ask nicely, but I should warn you, I'm still going to say no.”

  “Thank heavens for small mercies.” Rebecca said, tongue in cheek.

  Keterlyn drew out a blade which silenced everyone.

  “I’m good with clothes on.” Abel advised.

  “Great, let’s begin.” Keterlyn re-enforced. “I’m going to call the quarters, create a circle, and after I finish each sentence, I want everyone to say ‘Hail’ in unison.”

  Keterlyn elevated her blade and called out in a loud voice. “Hail to the Northern Quarter, spirits of earth and stability. Protect our circle from all peril approaching from the north.”

  “Hail!” everyone responded except Tempest.

  Anise and Will snickered, Molly and Micala gave them a warning look.

  Keterlyn continued on. “Hail to the Eastern Quarter, spirits of air and intellect. Protect our circle from all peril approaching from the East.”

  “Hail!” everyone repeated. A few giggles erupted from Anise and Ashleigh this time followed by swift apologies.

  “Hail to the Southern Quarter, spirits of fire and passion. Protect our circle from all peril approaching from the South.”

  “Hail!”

  Keterlyn moved to the western compass point. “Hail to the Western Quarter, spirits of water and fluidity. Protect our circle from all peril approaching from the West.”

  “Hail!”

  “Hail to the guardians of that which is above, and that which is below, spirit of the eternal. Protect our circle from all peril approaching from without, and from within.”

  “Hail!” came the unified response.

  Keterlyn took the blade, extended it outwards, and walked around the circle. “The circle is cast, we stand between worlds.” Keterlyn held the blade in her hands, feeling the energy build. “Hold in your minds your wish.” she instructed. “The desire that you have for it. Summon that power in you, and focus on seeing your wish.”

  Keterlyn walked the perimeter of the circle again, and then took a place in the middle. Holding the blade to her forehead, and closing her eyes, she started to mumble quietly. Molly and Zara regarded her curiously. Neither had experienced this in their last coven gatherings.

  Keterlyn grew louder and raised the blade above her. “Blessed spirit, I bequeath the power, without which my life would be deceased, to those within this circle. I plead the source of the essence of the unknown, the unseen and the innate, be dispersed amongst us, always to return to me. This I beg. As I wish, so mote it be.”

  A rush of wind and light encircled them, the candles flames spiraling upwards. As the light gushed around, each person was infused by it, causing them to gasp in surprise and stumble, momentarily disoriented. Ashleigh, Molly and Abel fell to the ground. Jake broke the line to help Ashleigh up, but Keterlyn remained unphased by the circle being broken by him walking away.

  As he helped Ashleigh up, Jake snapped around angrily. “What was that?” he demanded of Keterlyn.

  Keterlyn ignored him, instead opting to walk counter clockwise around the circle with her hand holding the blade outstretched. “Guardians of the North, the East, the South, the West, and the Eternal. Hail and farewell. The circle is closed, but never broken.”

  “I never felt anything like that.” Molly added, recognizing the fact Keterlyn hadn’t answered Jake was an indication of something not being entirely transparent.

  “I was kind of expecting something else.” admitted Anise. “I thought the ritual would be longer, I’d stick a pin in something, or burn something.”

  “Usually there is more to the ritual, I just haven’t been knocked off my feet before.” Zara offered in support.

  Keterlyn chewed her bottom lip. Here it came, the awkward explanation, the inevitable reactions. She stole a gaze over at Daniel. He looked calmer than she expected, though his expression reflected deep thought. Keterlyn took a breath, lifted her chin, and charged in. The quicker this was done, the faster she could move forward, and they could do the same. “I gave you something.” Keterlyn looked around at her new comrades. “An immense power, though it will take a while to harness. You can use the magic to your advantage but, harm none, or karmic payback is a bitch you don't want to have gnawing on your heels.”

  Abel was the first to break out in frustration. “This is bull shit.” he cried out. “What was I expecting? What a waste of time!” He kicked at a rock on the ground and it bounced off in to the night.

  Keterlyn hardened her tone. “I want to make something clear. This is my power. I can take it back whenever I want. I will teach you how to use it over the next month or so, but there is a lot to explain. Protection spells, banishment, immobilizing, healing… but forgetting everything else, you cannot reveal yourself to others. To do so means you will lose what I have given you, and worse. Now you understand the rules, are there any questions?”

  “Are you completely mad?” Rebecca’s voice sounded out. The least likeliest to protest something so fantastic.

  Keterlyn addressed Rebecca, though her statements reflected what she knew of them all. “I know from experience what is about to happen. Most, in anger or disbelief will walk away, some will curse me, brush off what has happened.”

  “But nothing happened.” Jake reasoned. “A few of us got knocked over, but I don’t feel different.”

  “It will take a little while, but not long.” Keterlyn explained. “Trust me, I have been doing this a very long time. Every few years I need to recruit others to share my power with. This time I have chosen you.

  “Every few years?” Anise asked.

  “I was born over a thousand years ago.” Keterlyn said, feeling detached. She had made this speech so many times before. “I have had many names: Katie, Kitti, Teri, Lynne, Lyn, Kat, Therlyn, but my original name was Keterlyn.

  “This is bull shit.” Abel voiced as he stormed off leaving Tempest standing and nodding in agreement behind him.

  Tempest was the next to leave. “I'm out of here. It’s now or never little brother.” A reluctant Will and disappointed looking Anise left with him, trudging off in to the night towards the car. As if on cue, everyone else except Daniel, Micala, and Molly, grumbling various complaints, started to disperse and walk away. Lily looked back over her shoulder, a sadness showing on her face before she looked away again.

  “Remember not to show anyone. Don't reveal yourself. I'll be here in two nights. We’ll meet back here.” Keterlyn called after them.

  “What happens now?” Molly said stepping forward.

  “We start practicing tomorrow.” Keterlyn replied before walking away from them. Daniel, Molly and Micala stared after her.