Southern Secrets: Book 2 in Southern Charms Series

Chapter Seventeen: Siphon

Rose 

Over and over and over and over again. Water poured into the container, forcing me to swim with the rising flood until we reached the top. One deep breath and then all the air was gone, and finally, just when my lungs urged me to draw in air, the level dropped.

Then, I would rest on the damp floor, shivering as I curled into the fetal position to preserve warmth. A few times, I drifted off to sleep only to startle awake with a groan as the first drips of water struck my face.

By the seventh time, I debated giving up. There was no way I could survive this for days, and my new grandfather didn't appear impressed enough with me to be in any rush to release me from this prison. Harmony would make an excellent marriage match. What need did he have of a spare? A spare, spare at that?

"What the heck is it with these people and marrying off teenage witches?" I muttered, spitting out a mouthful of water when a particularly enormous wave crashed into my face while I talked to myself.

I was so tired. It felt as though weights had been strapped to my ankles, and my shoulders were stiff from treading water. Up and up we went. The seal at the top taunted me, making my lungs ache in advance. Like each time before, I searched for my newly released magic, and again, I was met with nothing but a sputtering response. As if they designed this room to suppress abilities.

What could you do anyway, Rose?

The surrounding saltwater washed the saltwater falling from my eyes. The universe laughed at me. "Poor little impoten witch girl. Now you have magic, and you're still useless. Still worthless."

My arms stopped moving. Then my legs. It felt good to just give up, and I dropped below the waves with a sigh.

But that peace didn't last long. Something inside of me twisted and grew until my eyes popped open and my hands floated to the center of my chest. Malphas. He was angry. Furious. At someone else? Or at me? It was hard to tell, but slowly, his emotions bled into mine, fueling my body.

Clawing for the surface, I searched again for the magic inside of me, but no matter how mad I grew, I couldn't find anything other than a tiny ember. But... there was something else. Something outside that called to me.

My head broke the surface. Only a few inches remained before the water reached the top, and I knew once that happened, I would be too panicked to think straight. I closed my eyes and studied my connection to my magic.

It was like a golden knot in my center, and from its surface extended a thousand threads that ran through my arms and down my legs, connecting every part of me to the power. Yet- there was more. Maintaining my focus, I opened my eyes and followed the strings as they left my body, attaching to the water and the walls. To the stone floor and particles of glowing sand. All of it feeding back into me, directly into the knot.

Siphon.

And with that single thought, I pulled hard, casting on instinct, not knowing exactly how to wield the magic, only knowing what I needed from it. A booming sound filled my ears, light blinded me, and then I dropped to my knees in the middle of a familiar room, the water from my prison following.

"Close the portal," Okea shouted frantically, and I twisted my stiff neck to find her sitting against the glass wall, her body covered in a weird green goo. "Close it before you drown us all."

"Us all?" Weakly, I looked around, gasping when I saw Willow fighting to stay above the rapidly rising water.

"Rose," Willow shouted.

Closing the portal seemed a simple task, except for the part about not knowing how I created it. And being so tired, I wanted to sink into the depths and sleep forever. But my friends were here- if Willow was here, then so was Ash- and I couldn't drag them down with me.