Revolution (The Risen Series Book 2)

Chapter 3 ~ Death Sentence

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Chapter 3: Death Sentence
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"Magic comes from within us, but it's connected to everything around us too. From nature, water, the earth, fire, the very air we breathe," Una lectured slowly. "You need to learn to constantly be aware of that thrum of energy so you can tap into it. Only after you can sense it at all times will you truly be able to wield it."

I sighed, trying to do as she said but there was no thrum of energy that I could feel, no buzz of magic like I felt when my hands lit up like fairy lights. Frustrated, I zoned out the drone of her voice.

We were in one of the small sitting rooms that we had mostly to ourselves, a fire burning in the massive fireplace. Una was attempting a quick first lesson before the meeting was called with Atanas, his generals and the visiting Principes but I was finding her attitude hard to bear. She stood tall with her hands folded behind her back, cat-like green eyes looking down at me. She was good at making me feel inferior and she definitely didn't have the friendliness of Zena.

"How do you know my magic is anything like yours? I'm not a witch, nor am I Ailill. Who says my magic comes from the same place yours does?" I inquired, stretching my legs out in front of me.

I got a little satisfaction from the irritation that flared in her eyes. Her lips thinned in impatience, her aura darkening. "It doesn't matter if you're a witch, an elf, a vampire, laoch or even one of the Gods themselves. All magic comes from the same source. That's why spells, good or bad, all require something from nature. It requires balance. Black magic is frowned upon because it threatens that balance, it causes chaos. Blood magic is so powerful because it's from a living being with a power of its own."

I nodded to show that I really was paying attention and trying to learn and she relaxed a little. Still, I couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary. It took the strong presence of someone elses magic to draw mine out. A protective instinct, Una had said, like a defense mechanism. My magic had been locked away and kept dormant for so long, it only appeared when my subconscious decided I was in danger. Whether my magic had been buried deep inside me simply because I was never taught it was there, or because of trauma I endured, or because someone had purposefully hidden it from me in my childhood was a question yet to be answered. 

I knew Zena and Una knew more about it than they were telling. The words unlocked had been used to much when talking about it, I was beginning to believe someone had indeed hidden it. But why and how? My fingers drummed along the table, my face scrunching in thought. Had my parents somehow hidden it from me? Did they know what I was?

A faint memory flickered through my thoughts; my mother and father arguing in hushed whispers in our cottage. They'd been angry when they realised I was awake and listening but I hadn't been able to make out what they'd said.

"Try and remember how you felt when it first showed itself. Recreate that feeling, let it fill you," Una said loudly, making me jump back to attention.

Pushing my unanswered question out of my thoughts, I did as she asked. I closed my eyes, letting out a slow, steady breath. The first time I'd felt the presence of something other in me had been in Airell's dungeons when he'd almost killed Anna. I tried to grasp the fear I'd felt, the overwhelming panic, the burning anger that had caused something to snap inside me. I pictured Anna's terror filled gaze, the way Airell had torn into her throat and the scent of copper had filled the air, the pain that throbbed through my own body from exhaustion. 

Nothing.

"You're not trying hard enough."

I growled, glaring up at Una who shook her head at me as I bore angry fangs at her impatience. "I am."