Dance of Magic - The Books of Beginning [1]

21. Magic Unleashed

Where did the conscious thought go when a person was unconscious? Did it simply disappear? Sometimes. But other times strange dreams took over the conscious part of the mind, and that was what happened to Kate once she was knocked out.

Her dreamland took the form of a familiar but long dead place - the belfry of the church where she had come to know Rafe. In this dreamland Kate was free of the pain - though she knew that wouldn't last, and that when she woke up she would be suffering again.

As she took it all in, the bells, the sights, a seed of panic grew within her. Her unconscious couldn't be allowed to accidentally raise the Dire Magnus back to life. She had to wake up and take back control.

But for as hard as she focused, she could not exit the dream.

Tears threatened to fall from her face. It was all her own fault that she was in this situation. She had weakened the barriers between life and death based on a wish. She had trusted Robert, only to be betrayed. And now she would doom them all when her magic brought back their most deadly enemy. In utter despair and self loathing, Kate sank to her knees.

For a moment, a heartbeat of a moment, Kate wanted nothing more than to sink into her dreams and finally stop hurting so much all the time.

But then she realized that wouldn't do anything. Indeed, that would only help the Dire Magnus achieve his sinister goals. Kate had to at least try to save her family. It was up to her, as it always was.

She had given up her childhood to raise her siblings. She had risked her life time and time to protect them, as well as her parents and friends. She had sacrificed and fought and been willing to die for those she loved with her while heart. And while it was exhausting, and it led to so much pain, she would do it again and again and again.

She could do it once more today.

Kate knew she had to get control of her magic and stop it from raising the Dire Magnus. But how to do that? As if I'm answer, a memory case to her. Henrietta Burke telling her that she controlled the power of the atlas, that it was her power. The moment one of the very bells hanging above her in the dreamscape came crashing towards Rafe. The way her power unlocked and she stopped time.

The people she loved had always been the most important thing to her, and it was when they needed her that her greatest strength came through. Well, they needed her now more than ever.

So Kate thought of them then, the ones in her heart. She thought of her awkward, kind father, and her strong, confused mother. Both of them just trying their best and not always succeeding, but never giving up. She thought of her dearest friends, wise Dr. Pym, loyal Gabriel, and carefree Wilamena. She thought of humorous Jake and Beetles, and Abigail, who had grown up to be a leader. She thought of Henrietta Burke who was gone but not forgotten.

Most of all, Kate thought of three people. She thought of Michael, her organized, studious and shy brother who was growing into a leader and learning how to handle his emotions. She thought of her brave and protective, and honest sister, Emma, who was slowly but surely growing into a mature young woman. And she thought of Rafe. Rafe, who had sacrificed everything for her, who saw her flaws and did not care, who loved her unconditionally.

They were her strength, her will, her heart. They were the people she loved, and had to get back to. They were real and no dream would ever compare to them.

The church began to crumble and disappear around her as she broke free of the dream. She was beginning to feel pain in her body once more and while it was awful, she welcomed it as a sign of her success.

Kate could feel something else too. Her magic, a wildfire of power that felt warm and good and infinite coming from her soul. It soothed the pain, but that was not a comfort to Kate. Her magic had already been unlocked. She had no time to waste, she had to get control before the Dire Magnus returned to life.

Finally, she slipped back into consciousness, but instead of wasting time by opening her eyes, she focused on her soul, the magic within. It was so overwhelming and no one had ever taught her how to use it before. For a second, doubt flickered within her.

Michael, Emma, and Rafe. Do it for them. That thought chased the doubt away and Kate took a shuddering breath. This was her power and she controlled it. Not her unconscious, not the power itself, her. Her will and her heart. 

She felt her magic within her grasp and then suddenly her heart jolted, but not in the painful way caused by the electric chair. It was instead a sign, the unlocking of her magic, the fact that she had taken control. Her power was truly her power now.

Feeling confident, Kate tried to instruct her magic to stop what had begun, to not raise the Dire Magnus and instead return to being dormant and passive, waiting for her to call on it. But too much power had been gathered on the brink of her soul. It was explosive and it had to be used, it couldn't go back to simply existing. Kate could not stop it.

But perhaps she could redirect it, she realized frantically, knowing she didn't have much time. So Kate focused her mind and will, her great magic and her soul, her very heart on one person, one person who would cross the barriers of life and death. One person that no matter what happened next, she would be glad to see alive again.

She felt the connection, felt his familiar soul, his magic. It was working, she was pulling it all from death and too life. Her magic had been unleashed!

Kate's eyes fluttered open and she smiled through the pain into the darkness even as she heard the Dire Magnus yell when he realized what she had done, that she had thwarted his plans. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw flames, but didn't know if it was just a trick of her mind. And frankly, Kate didn't care as the sheer overwhelmingness of what she had just done hit her and she slipped willingly this time into sleep.

...................

Something very odd was happening to Rafe. One moment, he had been rushing towards the mansion, trying to get to Kate as the fire raged. Then he felt dizzy and overwhelmed with magic. It was like his heart was beating, but that was impossible, wasn't it? He was dead.

Rafe fell to his hands and knees as magic - Kate's magic - he realized, tugged at his own, at his soul. He felt the earth under his hands and realized that he could feel. He took shuddering breaths and realized he could breath. As the disorientation wore off and the magic began to fade, he realized his ghostly form had become a body. A living body.

Rafe was alive.

This was Kate's doing, he realized as he got to his feet. Somehow she had brought him back to life.

She really was his miracle,

Rafe knew his allies and enemies were staring, shocked by the transformation that had just occurred. But he didn't take any time to address the crowd. Kate was still in that mansion of monsters and horrors and it was still burning down. Rafe was going to get her out of there. It was the least he could do after everything she had done to save his life and now give him life.

That, and he loved her, of course.

A/N: Kate realizing her power and will is great, I love it when scenes like that happen. Also, Rafe is alive again which is great (I know, good things happening to our heroes, it's so strange).