Page 27 of Ensnared
He doesn’t continue the conversation, so I wonder if he noticed my reluctance. While I can’t say he dragged me on this walk without my consent, he’s currently not my favorite person.
We reach a clearing smaller than the one we practiced at the last time. It’s wilder, less of a meadow than a gap in the trees. But it gives us enough space to set out a line of flashlights.
“I’m going to have to buy new ones in Anchorage,” Aiden admits with a smile. He seems more relaxed now, and his eyes are alight with expectation.
“We don’t even know that I’ll be able to take any of them out,” I reply, rolling my shoulders to warm myself up.
He pats his pockets. “Okay, I don’t have anything electronic left on me. Give it your best shot.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I position myself at a distance from the first flashlight. “I don’t want to pass out on my first try.”
He strides back toward me, stopping so close I can smell the faint scent of his soap. “What did you do? On that last try, I mean.”
I think back to our first and only training session. He’d goaded me to annoyance, which is how I’d fried the first couple of flashlights, but then I’d extinguished one through conscious effort.
“I found my well,” I tell him, “and scooped up a handful of magic.”
His eyebrows creep up. “A well?”
It feels weird to talk about this, so I distract myself by removing my bracelets and pocketing them. “Yeah. It’s like…a pool. Inside me. It glows white.” I think for a moment. “Well, actually, I have no idea if that’s true. But you told me to try and access my magic, and that’s what popped into my mind.”
He purses his lips, then nods. “Fine, let’s go with that. How much did you scoop out?”
I cup my hands together and show him. “About this much.” I grin, because this is ridiculous. “I have no idea how magic is measured, Aiden.”
He snorts. “Fine. Can you maybe…I don’t know. Can you take a pinch?” He mimes grabbing hold of air with two fingers and a thumb.
“Hmm.” I close my eyes and try to forget that he’s watching me. “We’ll see.”
I sink into myself, just like I do during meditation. It feels silly, and for a moment, nothing happens. There’s Aiden’s warmth beside me, the chill wind on my cheeks, the rustle of leaves and the chirping of birds.
Then I descend deeper and find a pool of glowing white light. It’s clearer this time, a bright pond filled with the prettiest liquid I’ve ever seen. My first impulse is to dive in headfirst and see if it’s as inviting as it looks. But that might not be a great idea. Can a witch get lost in her magic?
Again, I regret not being allowed to participate in magic theory lessons at home. After it was established that I was a dud with no useful power, my family had pretty much given up on educating me in the magical arts. What little I knew, I gleaned from watching Alice and other members of my family. There were no fancy tutors brought for me, and whenever my grandmother found me in our big library, she shooed me out. I wish I knew how other witches experienced their power.
“Skye?”
A voice floats to me from a distance, and I remember Aiden and the small clearing.Oh, right. I came here with a purpose.
I crouch at the edge of the pool and prod at the shimmery liquid with my finger. It springs back, elastic and viscous, but gives me a pleasant tingle. I giggle and poke it again, this time creating a larger ripple. It laps at my feet but doesn’t make a sound. It’s as though my magic is happy to see me and wants to play.
I dip my fingers into the pool and pinch them together just like Aiden suggested. For a moment, I’m sure it won’t work, it’s liquid, after all. But the magic sticks to my fingers, and I mold the hazelnut-sized chunk into a little ball of light.
It’s so pretty.
I sense a brush against my hand, and I’m suddenly with Aiden in the woods again. I glance down to find the glowing nugget cupped in my hand.
“Look,” I tell him.
Aiden stares at my hands, then up at my face. “What?”
My heart sinks. “You can’t see it? It’s beautiful.”
He shakes his head, his gaze unfathomable. “Can you try to use it?”
I’m almost reluctant to let the magic go. I’m enchanted by it, mesmerized by the soft pulsing it emits. But we’ve come here for a reason. And now that I’ve got this in my hands, I know I can do better than just snuff out the first flashlight.
I focus on the line of beams shining in my direction. They’re feeble in the light of day, but I set my sights on the very last one. Then I flick the magic hazelnut toward it, willing it to fly true.
