Page 9 of The Discovered
Daelon’s shoulders relaxed, seemingly satisfied. “Aradia isn’t exactly in a different place than Earth. It’s more like layers. They exist in the same space, at the same time, but the witch realm is on a higher frequency that humans simply can’t access. The human realm is made up of denser metaphysical matter than us. That’s why you probably feel like the energy of this world is lighter and more fluid. It’s where we belong and where we are most powerful. Witches have learned ways to go between, but it’s unnatural, and it requires a great deal of power.”
I swallowed my mouthful of food and took a sip of water, still bursting with questions.
Daelon ate standing up at the counter. He seemed to always be alert, scanning the room occasionally, as if looking for someone to appear out of thin air. The silence between us should have been awkward, but it wasn’t.
I let my mind wander, stealing a glance at the painting to the right again, where the sand seemed to shimmer and glow in multifaceted iridescence. My mothers’ fairytales were coming to life before my eyes.
“I can take you there sometime,” Daelon said quietly. “If you want.”
I blinked out of my daze and turned my head to find Daelon staring intently at me. A flicker of vulnerability flashed in his eyes, but it was soon gone. I swallowed, surprised at the rush of emotions bubbling up. I felt closer to my mothers here in this place—more than I had in years.
“Who am I? Why am I so powerful?” I asked quietly. I felt the pull of a rising tide, and shivers ran down the length of my spine. In my mind, faint voices joined in a song that rang painfully familiar. I braced myself, straining against the current of power threatening to overtake me.
Daelon sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “You’re special, to put it mildly. I don’t knowexactlywhy, but I know that you’re here to help the witches of this realm. I can just feel it—just as I know that I’m here to helpyou.”
I heard my mothers’ voices echo in my mind as he spoke those words, telling me I was special and loved—so loved that people feared me—so loved that bad people were chasing us, unrelenting, until they burst into our home and—
“Hey, deep breaths,” Daelon said. He reached out for the hand I was balling into a fist so tightly that my knuckles were white, but he stopped, seeming to remember my reaction to him touching me before. The wind howled outside, and the candle’s flame in front of me grew taller and violent.
I relaxed my fist and took a deep breath, hesitating before slowly inching my hand closer to his in a silent granting of permission. He looked at me then closed the gap, placing his hand over mine and giving me a slight squeeze. The shielded nature of his energy was soothing, and it distracted me from my traumatic flashbacks and ruminations. Its stability was a comfort to the turbulent nature of my own.
“I will never lie to you, Áine. There is a lot you need to understand about this realm and the darkness that has overtaken it, but right now you’re completely untrained, uncontrolled, and unpredictable. I need to focus on teaching you how to control and harness this power before all else. Otherwise, your emotions will let the power consume you,” Daelon explained, his hand still on mine.
I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. I knew that there was a terrifying amount of power available to me, and I sensed that it was completely dependent on my emotionality. I couldn’t avenge my mothers without some semblance of control.
However, Daelon’s arrogance in acting like I couldn’t handle something when he didn’t even know me was frustrating.
He’d now spoken both of common enemies and a darkness that had overtaken the realm, which meant he might know exactly who had been responsible for my mothers’ constant fear and eventual murder.
“Fine,” I said finally, pulling my hand away from his. “We’ll do this your way.” I paused, narrowing my eyes to indicate I wasn’t just merely falling in line. “For now.”
Daelon chuckled, yet again infuriatingly unaffected by my intimidation attempts. He looked bemused, but his lips tilted upward. “Are you threatening me?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, exasperated. He said I had enough power to end him, easily. What wasn’t clicking? I couldn’t tell if he was being arrogant, just putting on a good poker face, or maybe something far more sinister.
“You’re very endearing,” he said. “Did you have a human boyfriend or two back on earth?” He searched my eyes, waiting for me to answer.
I scoffed, my eyes widening. Then I blinked at him, incredulous. “Are you flirting with me?”
“No, just curious.” He shook his head slightly, almost as if he was scolding himself, and just like that, his features returned to stoic. The muscles around his sharp jawline tightened, and he picked up my plate to take to the sink.
I sat helplessly in my seat, wishing my ankle was healed enough to retreat to my room without any help. If only I could read his energy and figure out what the hell he was playing at. Rena always said that my gift was cheating, but with so many people in the world with concealed bad intentions, I saw it more as a necessary line of defense. I usually knew who was up to no good. But all I felt from Daelon was only what he wanted me to perceive, or what he let slip in his body language. It was maddening.
I regained my composure as Daelon turned back around to me after cleaning up. The witchy painkillers were working a little too well, and I was suddenly exhausted again. My eyelids began to droop. At least it was dark outside now.
“I’m tired. I’d like to go to bed.”
“Okay.” Daelon was impassive. “I’m surprised you lasted this long, honestly. You obliterated one of the most powerful protection spells ever cast in order to channel an extreme amount of energy impulsively… without any sort of invocation or preparation.” He sighed. “Just unbelievable. That had to leave you pretty drained.”
“My mothers’ bracelet,” I murmured to myself. And what did he mean by invocation? I opened my mouth to speak but Daelon cut me off.
“Okay, time for bed,” he said curtly. Then in one swift motion he scooped me up.
“Daelon, enough! Stop doing that,” I squealed, brushing my long copper hair out of my face. “You don’t need to—”
“It’s just easier.” He strode into the bedroom I awoke in earlier and set me down gently on the bed’s plush comforter.
“Are you going to tuck me in too?” I mocked.
