Page 46 of The Discovered
“Sent out a bit of a broadcast,” he said, and my stomach dropped. “Only to some local lowlifes. Remember when I told you about energy vampires? Witches who syphon energy and magick from unwilling victims?”
He said they were like moths to a flame, and that my flame burned brighter than most.
“You want me tofightthem?” I asked, incredulous. “What if I don’t want to?”
He sighed, exasperated. “They’re terrible witches, Áine. They abuse other witches and humans, often killing them, eventually, for power or fleeting pleasure. They are probably abusing people right now in order to syphon enough energy to make the jump to us. When they sense your power, they will want to do the same to you.” His features were stony, his voice commanding. “I need you to be able to defend yourself.”
I gaped, a million thoughts racing through my mind. I knew this was one of the moments Daelon wanted my submission. He wanted me to blindly accept that he knew what was best for me. I wasn’t sure if his methods were as solid as his intentions, or if I was ready to give over so much control.
“Daelon, I—” I paused. “You said you wanted my consent for all things.”
“I do,” Daelon scoffed, his face contorting as if I’d offended him. “You agreed to learning offensive magick. You say you want to hurt people who hurt others—to avenge the downtrodden. This is your first opportunity. We can’t stay in that cabin forever, and you need to be able to fight off even greater evils.”
A flash of Lucius masked as the Devil entered my mind. I shuddered, pressing my lips together. Daelon was right, mostly, but he still hadn’t adequately prepared me for this. He’d made the decision for me, and I didn’t agree to that kind of power exchange.
“You can be angry at me. We can discuss it in detail later, but we don’t have much time now.”
“How long?” I asked curtly, barely looking at him.
“A couple minutes, probably. You’ll do fine. I’ll be here for backup in case something goes wrong. I’ll coach you through it.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No.”
I took a deep breath, blowing the air out slowly from my mouth. Daelon seemed to ignore my displeasure. He’d been hellbent on pushing my limits all day long.
“A few things to remember: Focus on reining in your emotions, like we’ve been practicing. Be very direct and intentional. You have a lot more power than they will ever taste, which obviously gives you the upper hand. But, as we’ve seen, you can get lost in its depth and forget how to channel it into more simple, practical moves. This is what you will need to fight them.”
“How many?” I refused to meet his eyes.
“Whoever was in about a thirty-mile radius. There’s a camp of them near here. I wouldn’t guess more than a handful would show up. I didn’t let them sense all of what you are.”
My pulse quickened. Ireallydidn’t want to do this. It was one thing to defend myself from attack, but this felt different. We were luring these people into a deathtrap. Did their crimes fit the punishment? Daelon seemed to think so, but who was he to decide? I didn’t think he understood why I took issue with this at all. What did that say about him? Or did it say something about me? Maybe I was just scared to face reality and leave our bubble, like he insinuated.
The time for careful analysis was over as a series of whooshing sounds erupted in the distance. I counted as a group of witches appeared, dressed in ratty, tattered clothing with haggard features and grown out facial hair. There were seven of them as of now.
Daelon grasped the back of my neck in a move of dominance, whispering,“You were made for this. Let them approach us, and then give them hell.”
I closed my eyes and took one last deep breath as they approached, excited as they eyed us with wild curiosity. They stopped about ten yards in front of us, some cocking their heads to the side, looking at each other in mild confusion.
They were close enough now that I could read their auras, and as Daelon warned, the energy they emanated was disturbing. It was devoid of color, light, or warmth, its hunger overwhelming, like an addict in the depths of withdrawals. It hit me like a foul smell in a dark alley, and I could sense the remnants of their victims hanging on to their auras like ghosts. I could feel their pain and desperation as these witches had drained them, used them, or even killed them.
My blood boiled at what I gleaned, and my palms began to tingle. My nostrils flared as I watched the energy vamps huddle together. I sensed how badly they wanted me to be their next victim.
A man with a red beard and a scar below his left eye spoke up. “The power comes from the girl,” he spoke, his tone as if he was answering a question. One of his eyes was unfocused, the other darting between Daelon and me.
“It does,” Daelon answered.
“What is this? Does she belong to you?” another hissed, his eyes narrowing as he shivered in the cold.
I glanced at Daelon, who smiled slightly in a way that was deadly.
“You’re outnumbered. I think we can take her off your hands and all get back to our business, okay?” the red-haired man said, his strange accent lilting.
Daelon stiffened, but an easy grin spread across his face. “You may try.”
It only took a couple seconds before the red-haired man’s hand made the slightest of movements at his side, and I felt a pull on my body like an invisible riptide. I smiled coolly, which seemed to unnerve him. I could tell he thought this move would be enough to send me flying toward him, but to me it felt like a small child’s attempt at magick.
