Isolation Read online

  I yanked into the present as he pulled his hand out of my grasp and stood in front of me calling my name. “Everleigh! What is going on with you? Are you okay?”

  I blinked a couple times, refocusing on his face. Almost at a loss for words, I tried desperately to get my brain to cooperate with my mouth, so that I could at least respond. My secondary problem, however, came from the fact I wasn’t exactly sure how much information I was willing to impart to him that second. It seemed awfully intimate considering we had just met. What if he became upset, or thought I had done it on purpose? So, I settled on a half-truth.

  “If I use my sight, I can see your soul.” I waited for some response to gauge how much further to go.

  He said nothing, just raised his eyebrows. After another moment of silence, he prompted, “And?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m very new to this. While I’ve known that I had some sort of magic my whole life, I kept it hidden. I just began discovering who and what I am when I arrived here at the cabin. Sometimes it overwhelms me. Sometimes I’m not actually sure what is going on, or why, or even what I should be doing about it.

  “So far, my best bet has just been to ride it out and see where it takes me. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it gets a little hairy. Sometimes it’s the most amazing thing, and sometimes I am certain the fates were wrong, and there is absolutely no way I am the one who can be what this universe needs. It’s a little scary.”

  I took control over my mouth and shut up by biting the inside of my cheek so hard, I could taste blood. Just what I needed—to make him think I was a child and he was stuck babysitting instead of being here to train someone worth his time.

  He grabbed my face between his hands gently. “Listen to me. Listen very carefully. Everyone struggles with their magic from time to time. Even those of us who have been working with it since birth. Not only is it new to you, but you are so powerful that your magic almost has a life of its own.

  “Needing help is nothing to be ashamed of. I will help you in any way I can. Those sparks that we created, they came from our magic recognizing each other. In some instances, there are two souls who are meant to work together for a purpose. A bond is formed between their magics to help both parties in their purpose, like a partnership.”

  He knew about the bond. I wondered if he could see it, or feel it, like I could. I felt eternally grateful that he had described it as a partnership. I had been terrified he would tell me it meant more than that. He seemed to be waiting for my response, so I smiled a small smile, just to let him know I had been listening. “Shall we get on with it then?”

  He smiled back at me and grabbed my hand again. “Give me just a minute, and I will see what I can glean from reading your magic to give us an idea.”

  He closed his eyes, and I took the opportunity to gaze at him, just taking him in. While he had described the bond as a partnership, which put me at ease, a tiny part of me couldn't help but be excited at the potential for us to be more.

  Could you blame me? At twenty years old, I had never been on a date or had my first kiss. Keeping to myself had slowed my growth in the romance area, and I had always kept the possibility of a normal relationship in the back of my head.

  He opened his eyes but didn't let go of my hand. We stared at each other for another minute, and then I saw him giving himself a mental shake. “You have so much magic coiling around in you. We could work on just about any skills, and I think you’d master them. But since we have time constraints, I suggest we choose a few things to focus on at first; the things that will give us the most bang for our buck, so to speak, will be the best choice.”

  “I can shield. Xavier and I discovered that, and I’ve been working on it, but only against physical assaults, not magical. And I have been able to move things with my mind since I was a child.”

  “That's a good start. I want to see what you can do for shielding first. I'll start with physical and then work up to magical, all right?”

  He began lobbing items at me from random angles. It took me a minute to get the shield to hold, and once I did, he threw with more force. He smiled at me encouragingly, almost causing me to lose my concentration. Damn it, I needed to watch that.

  The next I knew, a bright blue orb raced my way, exploding into my shield. He had barely put any force behind it but defending magic required a different effort than I was accustomed to, and the shield came crashing down, knocking me on my rear end.

  He was by my side instantly, helping me to my feet. “You're not hurt, are you?”

  “Only my pride.” I grinned at him. “Obviously, I need to practice that more.”

  Once I was on my feet, he backed away. “I'm going to lob a few more easy ones your way, so you can get the feel for the difference. Once you have that figured out, we'll move on to more serious kinds of magics.”

  Having barely finished the sentence, he sent another orb. Woefully unprepared since I hadn't been focused on what I should’ve been focusing on, I ended up right back on the floor. Pulling my concentration in, I didn't try to stand. I just focused on my shield, and the next orb collided with it harmlessly. It didn't necessarily require more effort, just a different kind.

  We worked through my magical skills ceaselessly. He finally suggested we stop for a break when my stomach growled so loudly, he could hear it from across the room. He laughed, and I just shrugged. I was always hungry, and there wasn't much I could do to change that, except eat when it told me to.

  As we headed up the hallway to the study, he congratulated me on doing so well. “Very few people could even begin to hold up under those drills for as long as you did. I'm actually very surprised at your endurance.”

  “Ha! So am I, really. And I'm exhausted. I need some food and a rest before we try the physical training. Celeste said the magic in the daggers will help me in learning to use them, so hopefully that won't go too badly.”

  Passing by my mother reading in one of the chairs, I said we were going to make something to eat. She smiled and agreed to join us shortly.

  Xavier eyed the two of us suspiciously. “I hope he is being a gentleman back there.”

  I glared at him, glad I was the only one who could hear him. “Of course, he was. I'd say it's awfully gentlemanly of him to teach me to stay alive, wouldn't you?”

  Not waiting for an answer, I turned my back and rummaged through the cupboards. I heard him snort out loud but ignored him.

  I enjoyed working in the kitchen with Taryk, and we had dinner on the table just as Mom returned from her reading in the study. Sitting around the table, we discussed our plans for the next steps in my training. I wanted to attempt tying my magics together, because I believed I would be more powerful if I could work them as a team, instead of trying to make the two halves cooperate while working separately.

  “I think you are right, but do you have any ideas how?” My mom had been researching that very subject while she was in the study.

  “Trial and error?” I had been operating by following my instincts on a lot of my magical abilities, and I was hoping if I tried hard enough, they would kick in and point me in the right direction for this lesson too.”

  “Well, I don't suppose it's very likely you'll damage yourself in a way that none of us can fix, so we might as well give it a try.” She could heal just about anything I injured, so as long she stayed with me, we both figured it would turn out all right.

  “I know we don't have much time, but I need a short nap, at least, before I can do anything more. I am falling asleep as we sit here, and that isn't going to help me concentrate.”

  Everyone shooed me off to bed for a rest, and I went, feeling guilty every step of the way. But I knew I needed to concentrate fully on what I was attempting if I wanted it to work.

  Chapter Twelve

  For the first time since I arrived at the cabin, I had difficulties falling asleep in spite of my exhaustion. I lay in bed staring out the window at the falls, trying to reconcile what had become of my lif
e.

  I had always known I was different. This took it beyond the scope of any of my prior imaginings though. Like, way out there.

  Having spent my first twenty years hiding my magic and attempting to push it deep inside me, the attempts I made now to bring it forth and conquer it were at odds with my subconscious mind.

  Despite the fact that I had been working with it and training hard, a disconnect still existed in my brain that said this all wasn’t really real. I half expected to wake up and discover I had been in a coma and this had all been one very strange dream.

  I longed to get outside and take a hike or sit next to the waterfall. I wanted to stare at the moon, not through the glass of a window. I wanted to end my isolation and go forth to do something. To use this magic, I had been gifted.

  Until I gained control of my magic, I wouldn’t be capable of doing much, but the desire existed just the same. A minuscule part of me also wished I could go back to being a nobody who happened to have a little magic, living in my little house, and feeding my hummingbirds every day. I missed the little creatures something fierce.

  Long after the cabin quieted, I lay pondering. Unable to sleep, I headed from my room to the study, thinking I’d spend time either there or in the training room until I felt sleepy. The study door opened silently for me, and I was surprised to find Taryk sitting in one of the armchairs with a book. He glanced up and smiled, then gestured to the other chair and invited me to join him.

  “You can enter the study?” I asked quietly.

  He shook his head. “Your mom and I were looking up some things, and she left me to go to bed. Once I go out, I can't get back in without one of you.”

  “Oh. What were you guys researching?”

  Smiling, he shrugged and said, “You, basically. Your mom obviously only knows her Soul Scribe magic. And while I am part Fae, I don't know everything about it by a long shot. Xavier's magic is tied up, and that hinders his ability to help us. Never before has this combination of magic existed in a Soul Scribe, so we can't exactly look up protocol. We have to cobble together bits and pieces to help you where we can.”

  As I stared down at him, and realized how much I appreciated him, even though I barely knew him. From the first minute I saw him, I'd felt drawn to him, and while I had been initially shocked at the bond that had formed itself, I believed now that it meant good things for my magic. We worked well together, and we got better every minute we trained with each other.

  He had basically given up his own freedom to join and train with me, knowing he couldn't easily leave until we were ready for the world to know I existed. Even as the rest of us were sleeping, or trying to in my case, he searched for ways to help me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered softly, fiddling with my hands. “You don't have to help me. You don't owe me anything at all, yet here you are. I've learned so much from you already, and I feel terrible that you are stuck here with me until my mom says you can go.”

  “It's not such a hardship” was his response. “Believe it or not, I'm learning from you too. And I would do anything for anyone if it means getting that poor excuse for a mage into a prison she can't escape.”

  Shaking my head vehemently, I immediately contradicted him. “Oh, no. Prison isn't cutting it this time around. I will see her dead. . .or die trying. She cannot be allowed to continue to poison this universe. She's done enough damage already.”

  “And if we can't kill her?”

  “Then we will imprison her only until I can find a way to kill her. At the very least, I will strip her of all magic, and maybe even of the ability to wield magic at all, if such a thing is possible. If we could do that, she would be practically harmless, and as good as dead, as long as she stayed in prison.”

  He nodded, seemingly deep in thought. After a minute, he looked at me. “You give me new hope. I hadn't thought I would ever have that again. When I watched what my father went through to put her in that prison, when I saw him give everything he had to make sure she could no longer be a threat, I died a little with him.

  “I knew the necessity, and he had made his choice. He would have done anything so the good guys would win. Then, it killed me to know she escaped after his sacrifice had been made. Like he had died for nothing. In this moment, you just reminded me so much of him, and I promise I won't let the same thing happen to you. We will best her, and the cost will not be your life. Not while I still live and breathe.”

  Ugh, I hated to cry in front of people, and here I was doing it again. Silent tears welled up and spilled over, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. I’d gone from being completely and utterly alone to having a brother and a mother and now, my first true friend. The kind that knew your secrets and accepted you anyway. I found it overwhelming, the thought that my future might bring something other than stark loneliness.

  Smiling through my tears, I grabbed his hand to try to convey a little of what I felt. The electricity where our skin touched was instantaneous and almost painful. Separating didn’t seem to be an option, as we both yanked in our respective directions, and the only change to our positions ended up with me practically in his lap since he was the stronger of the two.

  Our soul tapestries exploded into view around me. It reminded me of a fireworks display. The colors were so bright, I had to shield my eyes, which shocked me into realizing I was seeing this without using my inner sight. I looked at him quickly, and he had his eyes shielded as well, meaning he could see it too, or part of it, at least.

  As I watched from under the cover of my palm, I noted our tapestries were wound around us at the same time. They lay overlapped in a way that made it hard to tell which was his, and which was my own. Threads from each unraveled and joined into a weave so tight, there was almost no separation between his and mine. Knots didn’t even begin to describe how intricately they were joining us. It noticed strands in the same color that we shared connected. If it matched, it mated.

  Magic greater than us was at work here, and all we could do was watch. The intensity gradually died as the work continued, and as the last few matching strands were ferreted out and woven together, we watched in awe. Slowly, the vision faded, until it winked out of sight altogether.

  Both of us startled to hear my mother give a little cough. I looked over to see her and Xavier standing there. Seeing as how we were still holding hands and I knelt on the floor at his feet, I could only imagine what they might be thinking.

  “Could you see it too?” I queried. “I know I did not just imagine that. What in the hell just happened?”

  My mom and Xavier looked at each other, then at Taryk, and finally, at me. I had let go of his hand and stood by this point, my legs trembling either from the force of the magic, or the ache of sitting on the stone floor for so long in an awkward position. Everybody else seemed reluctant to voice their thoughts, so I broke the ice for them.

  “Okay, since everybody apparently has some idea of what the hell just happened but me, I’m going to get a snack. At least one of you had better follow me and cough up an explanation in real short order.”

  Turning on my heel, I headed down the hallway to the living room as best as I could on weak legs, and from there went into the kitchen. By the time I began rooting in the cupboards for something to tide me over until breakfast, my mom had taken a seat on the couch to wait for me.

  “Everleigh…” My mother seemed awfully hesitant to begin this conversation, so I looked right at her and gave her a helping hand.

  “Look, whatever just happened was nobody’s fault,” I began. “I just tried to thank him for helping me and all of a sudden we were frozen and watching the whole thing play out in front of us.” I waited expectantly for her to explain what it all meant.

  She sighed and gently shook her head. “Fae magic is a funny thing. While there are many characteristics that are common, it is also almost like it has a mind of its own. I’m not an expert, by any means, and Taryk may be able to answer more of your questions when w
e are finished here, but I want to have this talk with you first.”

  Great, this sounded like the conversation was going in a direction I would find just dandy. I couldn’t wait to hear what I had just gotten myself into when all I had been trying to do was express a heartfelt thank you. Note to self, from now on, just use words, no touching.

  “Everleigh, the half that is your Fae magic has chosen its mate.”

  “WHAT?” I yelped. “You have got to be kidding me. No. No way. It doesn’t get to make those kinds of decisions for me. What about my scribe magic, doesn’t it get a say? Don’t I get a say?”

  Before I knew it, I was pacing the rug in front of the fireplace, and the flames were roaring. Panic had taken over, and it took me close to being out of control. I couldn’t seem to get hold of myself.

  There was no way magic got to choose who I would be mated to. That cannot possibly be how this was supposed to work. What about getting to know someone and falling in love? And growing up? I was only twenty and hadn’t even been on a date yet. Hadn’t gotten my first kiss. Holy hell. As I paced, the windows began to rattle in their frames, and the flames in the fireplace roared higher.

  “Everleigh, get control of yourself!” my mom snapped. “It’s not a death sentence for crying out loud!”

  She grabbed my arm and pulled me down beside her. Before I knew it, she had both of my hands wrapped around my medallion and was staring me straight in the eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to look away, even though I wanted to, ashamed of the tantrum I had just thrown. I was absolutely frozen in place. Which didn’t help matters as soon as I realized that was the case.

  “Everleigh, you calm down and listen to me right now.” She had both her hands cupping my cheeks, staring straight into my eyes. “I’m going to relax my hold, and you are going to sit still and take a couple of deep breaths, agreed?”