Concealed (Unbound, Book 4)

Chapter Forty-Two

Fire.

I visualized the flame. Immediately, the fire ignited as a flicker dancing in the air around the pad of my pointer finger to encase both my skin and nail in a ball of shifting light. Smiling, I imagined it growing smaller so as not to melt the entire candle until it was as little as if I had lit a match. That was too artificial, though, and I wanted as many details of this spell as I could to have come from me.

Bringing my finger to the wick of the candle, I imagined the heat transferring as I whispered words of protection and cleansing. The candle lit and the fire on my fingertip extinguished. A billow of grey smoke from the herbs floated up, dispersing in the air throughout the library. The smell was sweet but not too strong.

I sighed and shifted my weight, narrowing my eyes on the candle.

"Air, Earth, Fire and Water,

Come to me,

Fill me with your strength,

And let me see."

"Is it working?" I heard Calin ask Islene from where they stood behind me, but I was already too engrossed in the spell to answer.

"Shh," Islene whispered. "Watch."

I raised my hands to the candle and felt the heat absorb into my skin. As though thrust into an out-of-body experience, I could see the waves exude from the flame, disappearing as they touched my skin. As energy poured out of me, I felt my power rise to fill my body.

"Let me see what's been hidden,

Inside of my kin,

I need to feel their connection,

So that I can discover what they've forsaken."

I closed my eyes and repeated the chant three times, feeling the power leave my body as each rendition was completed. Finally, drained, I opened them and stared into the fire of the candle. I held my breath and concentrated on my intent, feeling how much I wanted to be able to make the connection to Devland and Maible's magical signatures. To know their magic as well as my own.

"This is my will.

Let it be done."

The flame went out, casting a final wisp of smoke into the air, filling my senses with sulfur. I coughed and stepped back until I felt the seat of the chair hit the back of my legs, silently thanking the elements for aiding my efforts. With a sigh, I sat, still staring at the candle. After a moment, I shook my head and leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. I turned and put my head down so that my cheek was against the wood, and I closed my eyes.

"Is she okay?" Calin asked.

"Yes," Islene said. "Just give her a few minutes. It may have seemed simple, but Nora used a lot of energy to complete that spell. Can't you feel it?"

"Yes," he said quietly.

After a couple of minutes, I heard a chair scrape the floor. Calin pulled it beside me and leaned over, rubbing my back in slow, soothing circles. I let his calm seep into me, taking as much as I could without falling asleep. Slow breath in... exhale.

"Are you feeling better now?" he finally asked nearly twenty minutes later.

I sat up and blinked. Looking around the room, I nodded. "Where did your mom go?"

"Uh..." He looked around. "I'm not sure."

"I'm here." Islene's hand stretched into the air from the couch, though we couldn't see the rest of her because the back of the piece of furniture was obscuring her from sight. After some rustling, she stood and walked over to us, her gaze landing on me. "How are you feeling?"