The Opal Witch: Prophecy (Book Two)

Chapter Ten

Declan

Since his first days back at the Institute, Declan had fallen into a routine. Long days spent honing his skills as a sorcerer and warrior, and longer nights sitting atop the hills just outside of the keep. His eyes went to the heavens, searching for familiar stars, but this world existed on a different plane, and what his eyes took in were not the same stars glimmering over Mississippi. Over Lux.

He missed her with an ache so intense he wondered how he drew breath. But it also made him wonder how she'd survived for so long without her stone because he knew the pain he felt was minimal compared to the agony she'd endured for months. Today's session with the Guardians made him come to the realization that his time at the Institute was coming to an end, regardless of what the Council had decreed. It was time to get back to her.

"I thought I sensed someone out here."

Declan shifted his weight slightly, just enough so that he could defend himself with ease but not enough to give away his intent. The casual observer would think he was making himself comfortable. Calum wasn't a casual observer.

"Impressive," the older man said as he settled himself on the ground beside the sorcerer. "There are those of us back in Camelot who thought the Institute's best days were behind them. After the First Circle fell, leadership grew weaker, and many of the boys in the program found spots because of nepotism rather than skill."

It angered Declan to hear these things. Once, the Institute had been his life. All his hopes and dreams were born in this building, but that was over a hundred years ago.

"Your presence here has been good. I meant what I said before about you being key to victory. I feel better knowing you will be at my side." Calum dropped his gaze to the stone around Declan's neck. "Her as well."

He lifted the stone and studied it in the evening's violet light. It pulsed steadily, assuring him that Lux was fine, but he would much rather feel her beating heart beneath his hand.

"I'm guessing all the rumors are true?"

"I didn't realize Guardians were such gossips."

Calum chuckled. "You call it gossiping. I call it being well informed, and a sorcerer being permitted to love his witch is almost bigger news than one waking up from a hundred year coma."

"Fear was what drove them to keep sorcerers and witches separated for all of these years. Lux and I are blessed that our bond is greater than that."

He waited for Calum to speak, but his response was a long time coming. Briefly, he suspected it was because the Guardian was searching for a polite way to chastise him. Old ways died hard, and it wasn't just the witch community who feared Declan and Lux's pairing. The belief that sorcerers and witches were forbidden was seeded deeply in the supernatural community. But something whispered at him to wait for the man to speak.

"I know all about that type of bond. Adrienne."

"Excuse me?"

"The name I thought you said earlier, Alina- she was Adrienne's twin sister, and I've not heard her name mentioned in centuries. I lived in Camelot for many years after the war, but after awhile, I grew disillusioned with the Guardians. The Fae Queens chose the Knights for their honor and bravery, but those are not genetic traits that can be passed down from father to child. And after all, the strength for which we were chosen is the one thing that makes us weaker than all others: our humanity."

Calum straightened his long legs out across the grass and tipped his head back to look at the sky. Declan studied the man's profile, noting the weight of years sitting heavily on him- not physically but spiritually.

"Guardians like my father viewed marriages as a way to breed more power into our bloodlines. Every Knight was blessed with strength, near immortality, and speed, but each one received unique Talents that have manifested differently in each person."

This was new information, and it was valuable. "Like how witches are tied to the elements?"

"Yes and no. Gawain was able to control and create fire. He was its master in every way, but his children do not show complete control. My friend Thomas pulls heat energy from a room to create fire, and his sister can only control a flame once it's created. Yet, their cousin, Freya, can control fire and water because her mother is descended from Palamedes. Crossing bloodlines appears to strengthen our Talents and gives some access to more than one."

"I can see where this is going."

"You'd have to be blind not to. Lancelot was my paternal great-grandfather, and Gareth my maternal grandfather. Telekinesis is the least of my Talents. I don't tell you this to gloat. I was nothing to my father but the perfect example of what could be accomplished through careful breeding. When he introduced me to his choice for the perfect wife, I bolted. Decided to live among the humans I'd sworn to protect."

"And that's how you met Adrienne?"

"Eventually, yes. She was everything my father would've hated. Mild mannered and sweet. Fragile. So, so fragile." He said the last as a whisper so quiet the breeze nearly carried it off.

"What happened?" Declan wanted him to say they lived together until she grew old and passed, but losing a human loved one to time wouldn't cause nearly as much sorrow as Calum possessed.

"I learned a hard lesson. You can't escape this life. She died to prove someone's point, and I wasn't there to protect her. I wasn't there because I let others direct my steps. Don't let them do that with Lux."

"Calum-" Declan drew in a shuddering breath. "It's a little different. Lux is not fragile or human. She may be the strongest person I've ever met."

The Guardian stood and brushed off his pants. "Be that as it may, if you feel you should be at her side, don't let anyone stop you."

His advice rattled around inside his head, and it mirrored his earlier thoughts so perfectly, he wondered if mind reading was one of Calum's Talents. As they approached the Institute, he spotted the burly redhead from the sparring match.

"That man looks so familiar."

Calum frowned. "Percy? I don't know that you would've met him. To my knowledge he hasn't been in Mississippi since... well since I was in the early 1800's."

It clicked then, and he stumbled. "Percy isn't short for Percival is it?"

"It is. Why?"

Declan said nothing as he marched over to Percy. The Guardian gave him a lazy smile and kept his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Can I help y-"

A fist to his face stopped him from finishing his asinine question, and Declan couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied by the sound of bone crunching and the sight of blood dripping down his chin. Calum jumped in between the men just as Percy recovered and prepared to fight.

"What the hell was that for?" Calum demanded, his eyes hard and calculating as he looked at Declan.

"That," Declan replied, stepping back with a grimace. "Was for Travis."