Nothing At All

3.2

"Like I said," I grumbled, snatching up the bracelet, "this thing has been in my family since my great-grandmother. Mom kept it locked up for years. I had no clue she brought it on the trip with us." I frowned at the troublemaking bracelet.

She turned her face towards me, and I knew she was watching me from under the shadows of the hood. Her unseen gaze sent shivers down my spine; I waited desperately for her to speak.

"I do not have the time nor the desire to tell you the entire history of wielders, so I shall tell you enough to abate some of your confusion." She lifted her feet onto the bed and leaned back against the footboard. "Magic is something that runs in the veins of certain individuals. You must be born with it, and even then everyone has different amounts. I am a wielder, but my powers are weak. My grandfather was one of the most powerful men to ever live. Magic runs in my family, and long ago it used to get us into a position of power. This is normal, as most rulers have some drop of magic in their family tree. My grandfather got in too deep with some other powerful wielders, and they introduced him to the Order. Grandfather always claimed that his intentions were pure and he only wished to help others. Upon making that bracelet of yours, he realized that his fellow Order members were not as pure of heart. Long story short, things fell apart and he disappeared with the two bracelets, never to be seen again."

Individually, I understood every word she was saying. When combined, however, the meaning was baffling. What the fuck did wielders have to do with my current situation? And what was the Order? This had to be some vivid hallucination; it was the only explanation. Either that or I was dead.

Mircalla studied my expression. "Do you doubt the words I speak?" There was a hint of incredulity to her voice.

I held up my hand with my palm turned to her. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to do a lot more than this to convince me that magic exists."

"If you wish." She sighed and removed the glove on her right hand. The exposed skin was so pale it glowed. "Just please refrain from screaming."

I watched in disbelief as a thin blue flame sprung up from the lines of her palm. Starting at an inch tall, it quickly grew in strength until it went higher than her head. No smoke emitted from the flickering column.

"What the fuck?"

She closed her hand and the flame disappeared. "Your choice of words is rather vulgar, if I must say so." She put the gloves back on.

"You just told me that magic is real and you expect me not to cuss?" I ran a hand through my hair, though it didn't go very far before getting caught in knots.

"I have never heard someone spew profanities so casually."

Her poshness and high-falutin way of speaking was really starting to get on my nerves. I crossed my arms and leaned back. "Well, you're in for a fucking ride. How the hell is magic real?"

She mimicked my defensive position; I could feel the intense glare coming my way from under the hood. "I have already explained it."

"No, you said some people are born with it and then you made a flame. That doesn't explain the how aspect."

She shook her head and got off the bed. Remaining in the shadows, she began pacing along the far wall. "I unfortunately have no answer for you. If you still do not believe me, I can show you more proof."

"No, no," I said, holding up my hands, "that won't be necessary. You just have to give me some time to process all of this info."

She nodded. "I understand. I feel the need to tell you that I did have to cast a sleeping spell on you last when night when you tried to run from me. I try not to use magic on unwilling participants, but I was afraid you would hurt yourself. Please forgive me."