Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
The voice cuts Magister Orion off again, but I can’t hear what she’s saying.
Marcus’ brows lower into a fierce look that sends shivers down my back, and Vanessa’s jaw is tight enough to crack her teeth. Whatever they’re hearing, it isn’t good.
Magister Orion’s voice continues to climb the decibel ladder.
“I refuse to be constrained by arbitrary regulations, Florice. Should you wish to summon me, do so with the proper backing. Your misuse of authority holds no sway here. This is a battle you cannot hope to win.”
The argument between Magister Orion and Florice continues to
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Her nose is too long and slim.
Her face is round, with plump cheeks and narrow lips. She’s not even conventionally pretty, with a pinched look to her face that seems permanent, as though everyone around her is lacking in every way.
Mom always looked elegant. Beautiful.
This woman is harried, old despite the lack of wrinkles in her skin, and altogether unpleasant.
Nothing like Mom at all, except in her hair and eyes.
Her voice is too shrill, despite being cold and level. It stings my ears to listen to it.
“Magister Orion,” she says, her voice dripping with disdain as she maintains eye contact with me, “housing diseased animals will only work against you.”
My stomach churns, and fury bursts from my belly, up my spine, and into my head with a rush of heat. The way she looks at us, like we’re something foul she’s stepped in, makes me want to launch myself at her haughty face and claw her eyes out.
Maybe it’s because I saw her as my mother, even just for a moment.
Magister Orion’s response is swift and shocking. With a flick of his wrist, a burst of orange energy surges towards Florice, shoving her towards the exit. She stumbles and nearly falls to her knees, her eyes wide.
“This is unacceptable!” she protests, her composure finally cracking. “You cannot-“
But her words are cut off as the door slams shut behind her, leaving blessed silence.
The rage within me simmers, having nowhere to go now for relief, but there’s a sick feeling of satisfaction as I think about that shocked look on her face.
Magister Orion turns to us, his face a mix of frustration and regret.
“I apologize for allowing you to witness such a disgusting display,” he says, his voice softer now. “That creature does not represent the best of our kind.”
The loud noise in my head, I realize, is Selene’s growling.
She’s furious, too.
“Did we bring you trouble, Magister?” Marcus asks.
Magister Orion shakes his head. “The trouble you see predates your arrival by quite some time.” He pauses, his eyes landing on me, studying me intently. “How are you feeling after accessing your magic? Your body, I mean.”
Before I can answer, Vanessa chimes in. “She seems unusually clumsy and slow,” she says, concern evident in her voice. “She almost fell down the stairs just now, and I had to hold her up.”
“That’s because I was startled-” I protest, but Magister Orion cuts me off with a forced laugh, trying to change the mood of the moment.
“The first few times one uses magic, it typically drains all the energy from their body. It’s quite normal to feel as if you’ve run a marathon.” His lips quirk up in a small smile. “Though, I suppose it’s usually without the burning lungs.”
It’s as though my muscles just got the memo, because they suddenly feel fifty pounds too heavy. I’m exhausted, too, like every ounce of energy has been sapped from my body.
I guess I felt that way before, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it.
Like mentioning it made it worse.
“So this is normal?*
Magister Orion nods, his expression softening further. “Perfectly normal, and a good sign, actually. It means your body is adapting to channeling magical energy. With practice, this fatigue will lessen. You’re lucky, child. Most do not experience this for weeks after their first lesson.”
He pauses, looking thoughtful. “Though, I suppose they are quite a few years younger. In that respect, you’ve been quite delayed in your education.”
It’s one thing to know, intellectually, that I have magic. It’s another entirely to feel its effects coursing through my body.
“Perhaps we should continue this discussion seated,” Marcus suggests, eyeing me with concern. “Ava looks like she might topple over at any moment.”
Things
I want to protest, to insist that I’m fine, but the truth is, I’m grateful for the suggestion. My legs feel like jelly, and the idea of sitting down is appealing.
Very appealing.
I want to sit down.
Right now.
Magister Orion agrees, leading us to the familiar sitting area nearby. As I sink into a plush armchair, relief washes over me. I hadn’t realized just how much effort it was taking to remain upright.
“Now,” Magister Orion says, settling into his own chair, “let’s discuss what happened during your practice session. I’d like to hear about your experience accessing your magic for the first time.”
My thoughts are jumbled now that the moment’s arrived. How do I even describe the rush of power, the vivid memories, the feeling of connection to something greater than myself?
“It was intense,” I begin, searching for the right words. “Like I was drowning in dreams, or maybe memories. They were awful ones, where I died in a fire. It was horrible and painful. I felt a surge of energy and then, before I knew it, the rune paper was on fire.”
Magister Orion leans forward, his eyes sparkling with interest. “For the wizards of the past, past life memories were not uncommon when first accessing one’s magical core. It’s as if the magic itself carries the echoes of its previous incarnations. While it isn’t normal, it isn’t unheard of. Usually, it comes with a great level of power.”
Relieved that he doesn’t think I’m crazy, I admit, “It felt so real. Like I was there, experiencing it all over again.”
“That’s because, in a sense, you were,” he explains. “Magic is timeless, Ava. It exists beyond our mortal understanding of past, present, and future. On a different plane, as it were. When we tap into it, we sometimes glimpse the vast tapestry of existence.”
His words are both awesome and terrifying.
Rubbing goosebumps from my arms, I ask, “So, what does this mean? Is it going to happen all the time? Am
I going to remember my past life now?”
“No, no.” He shakes a hand between us with a laugh. “Nothing like that. It’s a glimpse, a window, but nothing more than that. It’s similar to clairvoyants, who can see or predict future events. Cloudy and uncertain, and sometimes things change before things come to pass. Or, you see an alternate history that was never written in your story books.”
“Clairvoyants,” I murmur, thinking back. “Like Sister Miriam?”
“Ah, Sister Miriam.”
Magister Orion leans back, his thick fingers steepling as he considers his words. “Sister Miriam is unique among vampires.”
My ears perk up, and I can even feel Selene focusing more on what she can hear through my head.
“Vampires have their own brand of magic, you see,” he continues, his voice taking on the cadence of a lecturer. “It’s tied to their very natureblood magic, some call it, but it isn’t necessarily accurate. Even so,
Sister Miriam is different.”
I lean forward. hanging on every word. The fatigue in my muscles seems to fade as curiosity takes over.
“We believe she’s of partial Fae descent,” Magister Orion says, his eyes distant as if recalling some ancient lore. “Though the truth of her parentage remains a mystery to most. There isn’t much known about the dhampir and what powers they inherit from their nonvampire parent, but Sister Miriam’s clairvoyant abilities must come from a Fae bloodline. There has never been a human wizard with the ability of prophecy.”
“Does everything come true, if she sees it?”
This is something that’s been bothering me for a long time. The prophecy she gave, the one my mother heard.
“No. It doesn’t work that way. What a clairvoyant can see is merely a possibility in your life. Sometimes, it works out exactly as they’ve foreseen. Sometimes, you make choices that change such a future. And other times, knowing pushes you to make choices to avoid that futureyet brings it to fruition instead, in a prophetic paradox. Many consider it a useless ability, but some become addicted to the visions, unable to make decisions without them.”
“So even if she said something…”