Daughters of Creation

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Advesperascit (Part One)

"The approaching dark"
—Advesperascit

October 29

Nervous energy thrummed and howled through the apartment; chaotic and quiet and entirely untouchable. No one was willing to say anything about Dana or the Five, afraid their words would bring truth to the universe.

"Emerson, stop moving!" Millicent snapped, twitching as Bird nearly slapped her cheek. The familiar was following the Crystal Witch around like a concerned mother, which meant that wherever Emerson went so did Bird—and that meant barely missing Millicent's face as Emerson moved around the Dreamwalker, tailoring the dress she was meant to wear to the All Hallows Eve Ball.

"How am I supposed to do this if I can't move?" Emerson smarted back. "It's not like tulle is the easiest material to work with."

Vela chewed the skin around her thumb, watching, eyes flickering back and forth between the two. Emrie Michele held back a sigh, rubbing one side of her temple instead. It was becoming blatantly obvious the coven did not like waiting. Rosalyn ... Rosalyn on the other had had become unnaturally still. Emrie Michele hadn't seen her move since Dana and the Five walked out the apartment.

She walked over to Rosalyn, who sat in the living room surrounded by plants. The moment she was arm's distance from her, Emrie Michele nearly got swept away by a vision. Rosalyn's powers were amplifying again. Sucking in a sharp breath, she pushed the temptation of Rosalyn's magic away and focused on controlling her own. Things were too precarious to accidentally slip into a vision containing Casimir. She didn't think he could read her mind in these visions but now was not the time to test that theory.

"Ri?"

Emrie Michele huffed, smiling affectionately. "It's me. Do you know you're amplifying again? I nearly ended up in another vision."

Eyes slowly opening, green pools, duller than their normal brightness, stared up at her as Rosalyn returned Emrie Michele's smile. "Sorry."

She waved her off, but scooted closer, being careful of the leaves and vines that had begun to wrap themselves around Rosalyn. "I know you don't know how to control it—I don't think we'll ever know now with the Elders gone—but, Lys, eventually we'll have to figure something out to help you learn to control this." She waved vaguely between them.

Rosalyn reached out and Emrie Michele took her offered hand, entwining their fingers together. "I know, Emrie Michele, I know. At least it only seems to happen when I'm distressed or too far in my magic."

"Yes, but at this point you're constantly distressed."

Rosalyn snorted. "I wonder if I only amplify the coven's magic or if this 'amplifying' effect impacts others?"

She stopped herself from pinching the bridge of her nose, from screwing her face up. She hadn't even considered, with everything going on, Rosalyn's surfacing amplifying abilities could affect others not within the coven. If the Council gained knowledge of this there's no telling what they would consider doing ...

"Let's pretend that didn't occur to us and focus on the first problem at hand."

"Like how to keep the last descent of the Eight away from Casimir?"

Emrie Michele flopped backwards, knowing full well she wouldn't land on any plant. She pulled Rosalyn down with her. "The very same."

"Well, on one hand we know it's one of us, so we don't have to worry about finding the next potential victim who could be anyone and anywhere in the Veil."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it."

"I think it's the only positive way we can look at it." Vela muttered from the kitchen, overhearing.