Page 11 of The Divines

Halley’s eyes widened at my statement and then something shifted and understanding passed through her gaze, as if puzzle pieces were coming together inside her brain. I wasn’t sure what my words could have connected in that brain of hers, but I also didn’t care. Continuing with my lecture, I spoke for the next hour without any more interruption from the girl.

Delving into the intense history of the Hunters and Divines always got me worked up. More so than other Divines, I had experienced the ruthlessness of the Hunters. The fight between Hunters and Divines had started almost 200 years ago. For 300 years, Divines and humans had lived in harmony, peacefully coexisting. However, a large group began forming who thought that it was unfair the Divines had powers and the humans didn’t. They began spouting propaganda about how one day Divines would wipe out the humans with our powers. They said that we viewed humans as inferior and wanted to kill them. The few evil Divines were shown as examples of how vicious we could be. Often, the Shifters and Drax were shown, considering our physical abilities. Although the whole world didn’t turn against our kind, enough did. The group grew and grew over the years, creating the stronghold that was the Hunters. In their minds, it was their job to cleanse the world of the Divines before we could do the same to humans. Of course, the whole thing was built on fear and inaccurate information. Yes, humans were technically inferior to us given their lack of powers, but we had no plans to wipe them out. In fact, our people came to the human realm for salvation from the destruction of our home, but it was never our intention to stay here forever. Supposedly, there was a prophecy from the ruling Seer on Agrum Di Vinum on how to return to our realm, but it had been lost for centuries, leaving us stuck with people that wanted to destroy us, just as our own land had.

Unfortunately, the hate groups continued to spread false information and the Hunters became our enemy. Families were brutally murdered in their own homes, peaceful Divines walking the streets were coldly taken out and no Divine was safe from the Hunters wrath. So much blood was shed by the Hunters, that eventually Divines started attacking back. We did have abilities they would never possess. But fighting back only gave the Hunters more ammo in their hate tactics. They showed videos of their men being slaughtered by Divines, even though it was in self-defense, and more humans turned on us. After realizing it wasn’t a war we could win and losing over half of our population, the Enchanters had erected the shields that hid our communities. Although we were hidden, our communities weren’t completely developed yet, and Divines still had to enter human cities. Each time a Divine went into the city, they didn’t come back. The Hunters were strong and stealthy and took every chance to kill us off. To this day, Hunters were still trying to track us down and with new technology, they found ways past our shields into our communities. Those always ended in death. Now, no one was allowed outside of the Divine communities unless on Academy or Council business, or if they were in the Guard, the ones who protected us from the Hunters. The Guard was strong, made up of the most ruthless Divines, but Hunters were a force to be reckoned with. Too many Guards were killed protecting our people. I would know.

Shaking my head from that train of thought, I finally looked to Halley to see if she had any questions. However, no words came out of her mouth. Instead, only wide eyes and a pulsing heartbeat met me. Apparently, the story of the Hunters instilled fear within her. Good. She should be scared. Being a Divine wasn’t easy. We had enemies. Enemies that would do anything to see us all dead. Her pulse paced at a quickened beat and licking my lips, I knew it was time to end our lesson. I hadn’t fed yet today and the idea of a new source, one that was ridiculously strong, appealed to me. Part of me played with the idea of sinking my fangs into her pale skin, but the other part reminded me that one taste from a strong source and I would never want the weak sources again. And I had no intention of wanting anything from the girl sitting before me.

As quickly as I started the lesson, I flashed out of the study room, leaving her to do whatever she pleased, needing space from the tempting girl and needing to find someone strong to feed from. I wondered if I could find Knox or Madden. Those two motherfuckers were stronger than every other Divine here, discounting myself. And I guess now Halley was here too. And shit, I really needed to stop thinking about her, before I got myself into trouble.

Chapter Seventeen

Halley

My two lessons this week couldn’t have been more opposite. If Eli was a ray of sunshine, Wilder was an angry storm cloud. I’m not sure why he seemed to hate me, but I tried to not let it affect me. His lesson today though, that did affect me. Multiple people had spoken about the Hunters since I arrived at Willow Grove, but Wilder was the first to explain them to me. And after hearing the horrid history, I understood everyone’s fear about the human cities. I also thought I finally understood what Mom was running from all these years. Wilder has insisted that the Hunters were who killed off all the Enchanters. If that was the truth, then it would stand to assume that Mom had been trying to hide us from Hunters. However, it didn’t explain why Mom had never told me we were Divine or why we hadn’t grown up in one of the communities everyone implied were super safe. Unfortunately, unless someone could see into her past, I had a feeling I would never have answers to a lot of these questions. So, instead of focusing on a past I couldn’t change, in the evenings I had delved deep into exploring my abilities. Zachariah had said that learning what I was capable of was of utmost important and therefore in my free time I should try to practice. Without any guidance, I admit it was quite hard to figure out what I could do but sifting through the history books and reading about what other Enchanters could do gave me a starting place.

Thankfully, I had plenty of space to practice. After defining my blood as Enchantress, I was moved out of the Ethos dorm room I had been occupying and into the Enchanters Dorm. And since I was the only Enchanter, I was the only occupant. I had to admit, I loved it. Being surrounded by so many people after a life alone was hard. Plus, I could definitely do without the stares constantly following me. Here, I was able to have all the space I wanted. Currently, I was seated in a large area that I assumed used to be a common room. There were intricate paintings dotting the walls, three large lounging sofas, two coffee tables, and my favorite part, a large bookcase next to an ornate fireplace. The fireplace was a work of art in itself. Made with squares of stone, there were detailed carvings in each individual square. When I had first noticed the carvings, I took the time to study each one. It seemed each detailed an Enchanter performing magic. I couldn’t interpret every single one, but I hoped one day I would be able to perform each skill adorning the fireplace. Lounging on one of the couches in my pajamas, I was flipping through a book solely about Enchanters and their powers. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to try next when a loud knock sounded on the door. Knowing no one would willingly visit me out here except for one person, I yelled for them to come in. Petite footsteps rounded the corner, and I took in Kalani’s wide smile with a grin.

After our first lunch together, we had formed a solid companionship. We ate each meal together and since I moved into my dorm, Kalani had been visiting me in our downtime. Unlike the other Shifters, Kalani didn’t seem to enjoy the constant group get togethers. At lunch yesterday she had explained that most Shifters, no matter their animals, enjoyed the pack mentality that many animals had. However, she had grown up in a large family and enjoyed the opportunity of not being surrounded by so many people. That was one of the many things we had in common, as we had learned the past week. Besides interests in music, books, and other menial things, the biggest thing we had in common was our minimal understanding of our abilities. Sure, Kalani knew all about Shifters, considering each of her family members had the ability, but Kalani had two creatures and she had no clue what one of them was. In her first class when she was to manifest her creatures, only one had come out. It was a beautiful black wolf with brown eyes like her own. She had shown it to me in this common room the night it manifested. However, when the professor had urged her to show her other creature, she had told me it was like something was holding it back. So far, she had no luck in getting her other creature out. So, together we spent our nights alone in here, away from prying eyes, trying to figure ourselves out.

Kalani sat down on the couch with me, running her hands through her dark brown, cropped hair. Kalani was like a Barbie doll come to life. With a petite figure, barely taller than five-foot, clear bronze skin and sparkling bronze eyes, she was absolutely stunning.

Huffing, Kalani began venting about her day. “I swear, I may drop out. I know it’s not allowed but fuck it. All my Professor cares about is my second creature. As if half the students don’t only have one. Why can’t my wolf be good enough? And to make it worse, apparently, since I’m a wolf, I have to do pack runs with the stupid Alpha. I swear he hates everyone. Besides his strength, I have no clue why he’s the Alpha. He’s not charming enough to be a leader.”

The situation seemed to really be bothering her and I knew how frustrating it could be to have expectations put on you that you felt you couldn’t meet. All the staff kept asking about my Enchantress powers but seriously? It had been barely any time since I manifested my power. I wasn’t going to be performing insane feats of magic anytime soon. Instead of focusing on both our shortcomings, I decided to ask about the pack instead.

“A pack seems cool though. Very urban fantasy. Who’s the Alpha?”

Kalani rolled her eyes and reached for the glass of water I had been sipping from. “That broody motherfucker Madden. The one who’s in charge of Recruitment? I swear he never smiles. Or talks. I don’t get it.”

Realizing who she was talking about, the man who had brought me here, I couldn’t help but agree.

“Yeah, I spent eight hours in the car with him and I think he spoke five words. How does he even run the pack?”

“Imagine over twenty hours in the car with even less words. I swear, if I didn’t enjoy the quiet so much, I would have lost it. And well, with our wolves, we obviously can’t speak. A lot of it is instinctual so since he’s so powerful, our wolves know he’s the boss. I get it, but it still sucks.” Noticing the book in my lap, Kalani raised her eyebrows at me. “How’s the Enchantress magic going?”

Groaning externally, I explained my current situation. Although Eli had been helpful with unlocking my ability, no one could help when it came to using it. Experimentation was my only source of knowledge, and it wasn’t the safest option. Too bad for me, there werezeroother options. Unless there was an Enchantment to raise the dead. And hell at this point, there really could be. I was clueless.

Kalani took the book from my lap and flipped through a couple pages. I had only just begun reading it before she arrived, the book had been hidden behind multiple others in the dorm’s library. Although the pages and spine looked brand new, it was clear from the etchings on the cover that the book was ridiculously old. I assumed some sort of Enchantment had been placed on these books to preserve them. As Kalani focused on a specific page, I thought about the few things I had seen so far. It was definitely the most informative book when it came to casting Enchantments, but the few I had seen so far were either too complex or irrelevant. Considering the book seemed to be scribed at the beginning of time, there were millions of Enchantments dating through the millennium. I had no clue which ones I should be trying or how to even accomplish them. Thinking about the thunderclouds I had conjured when my powers arose, I considered trying that again, when Kalani squealed.

“Alright, I found the one you need to try next.” I followed the line of Kalani’s pointed finger, taking in the page. Unlike some of the other enchantments listed in the book, this one seemed simple enough. Reading through the rest of the page, I looked up at Kalani’s wide smile and couldn’t help to return it.

“Let’s do this.”

This idea seemed better in theory. After agreeing to try the enchantment, Kalani and I moved the furniture in the common room out of the way, allowing us space. Kalani began stripping her clothing and I politely looked away. The first time she had changed into her wolf for me, I was shocked when she shed her clothing. Realistically it made sense, wolves didn’t wear clothing, but I hadn’t seen many naked people in my lifetime, and I was taken aback by her comfort. She had explained that growing up in a Shifter household, modesty had taken up zero residency in their home. They shifted when they wanted which meant they got naked when they wanted. Still, my internal monologue told me to give her some privacy. With a ripple in the air, Kalani swiftly changed before me, and her wolf took her place. I couldn’t help but admire the form. Her fur was a shimmery deep brown, almost black, and looked soft to the touch. Muscles bunched beneath the fur, clearly strong and agile, just like her human form. Intrigue ran through me as I witnessed the similarities between the wolf and human form. It made me want to read more about Shifters and if their creatures always resembled their human forms. Kalani huffed out a breath and I took that as my cue to get a move on. And although not seconds ago I thought this was the best idea, now I was nervous. I was new to the whole thing and wasn’t sure if I could do it properly. What if something went wrong and I hurt Kalani? I could never forgive myself. Scratching at the floor, Kalani nudged her wet nose against my chest, urging me on.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, and focused on the power within me. All the books I had read on Divines and Enchanters described that all we could do with our abilities stemmed from the internal power. After lots of practice, using the power would come easier, but for now I needed the utmost concentration. The enchantment Kalani had found detailed the experience of Enchanters across the world who used their ability to communicate with animals, specifically the Divine shifters. The book explained that when an Enchanter first communicated with an animal, they must focus on the living being that was the animal. Channeling thoughts of Kalani in my mind and mixing them with mental images of her wolf, I grabbed onto the power thrumming in my chest and pushed it out. Immediately, I felt the same swirling as I had when my power first manifested. Opening my eyes, I looked into Kalani’s dark brown ones, and spoke out loud.

“How do we test if this works?”

Obviously, we’ll know if it worked if you could understand me, Halley.

I stumbled aback, taken off guard by the voice in my head. The sarcastic voice inexplicably sounded like Kalani’s real voice and somehow, I knew it was her thoughts being projected to me. Not able to contain my excited smile, Kalani caught on.

Holy shit! Holy shit! You can hear me?

Wondering if the thought process could work both ways, instead of speaking out loud, I focused on pushing my thoughts towards Kalani.

I can hear you. Can you hear me?

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