Share
Chapter 112
She didn’t really like the idea, but thought now that she knew where it was coming from, she might be able to handle things with less stress and worry. At least she would know she wasn’t going crazy—that was something all by itself.
“That is one choice, certainly,” Dominic replied. “And I will go along with it if that is your wish. But leaving you like that is not one of the choices I wish to offer.”
“What, then?” Leesa asked, confused now. She had thought she had but two choices: have Dominic train her, or send him away. She was glad to hear there might be a third option, whatever it was.
“One choice you already know—for me to stay and teach you how to use your powers. That road will be a long and difficult one, and a very dangerous one. Still, it is the path I hope you will choose. But I realize how much I am asking of you. I want to make sure you fully understand the dangers before you decide.&
Related chapters
Leesa's Advent Chapter 113
Southern CanadaThe line of vampires loped single-file through the dark woods, weaving its way south and east among the snow-draped pines like a snake slithering through tall grass. A six-inch carpet of freshly fallen snow did not impede their progress in the least, nor did the bitter cold. There were a dozen of the creatures, spaced evenly about five feet apart, all clothed in black and shades of dark gray. Only the leader, a vampire of African descent named Jarubu, displayed any color at all in his outfit: a dark crimson oval that covered most of the top half of his black hooded sweatshirt. Above the oval, Jarubu’s coal black skin reflected so little of the pale moonlight that the inside of his hood appeared almost empty. A tiny gold ring that pierced his right nostril seemed to float within the darkness. The crimson swatch on his chest signified nothing, other than that Jarubu liked to be different.The faces of his fellows—seven males and four
Leesa's Advent Chapter 114
Leesa Nyland stood with her arms hanging loosely at her sides, her blue eyes closed, her breathing soft, slow and rhythmic. As the wizard Dominic had instructed, she tried to empty her mind of all thoughts, but she was failing miserably. The tiniest things intruded into her awareness—the low hum of the mini fridge behind her, the way her shoe pinched the inside of her bad right foot just below her ankle, even the weight of her long blond ponytail against her neck and back. The harder she tried to push these intruding thoughts away, the more of them she seemed to notice.She wondered if Dominic’s magic enabled him to sense how much trouble she was having fulfilling her task. Dominic was the last of a race of wizards known as waziri—the last, at least, that had not given themselves over to the black arts. Thinking of the renegade wizards brought Leesa’s thoughts to the mysterious figure they had allied themselves with, the Necromancer, who was trying to
Leesa's Advent Chapter 115
Leesa took a deep breath and then started again at the beginning, counting out her inhales and exhales, increasing the length of each by one count until she reached eight, then counting back down to two. She went through the routine twice before turning her attention to her foot, trying to feel every little detail of the sensation. She imagined she was writing a five page paper just on the way her shoe pinched her….“Open your eyes, Leesa,” Dominic said.The wizard’s voice seemed to come from somewhere far away. When Leesa opened her eyes, Dominic was sitting again.“Why did you stop me? I think I was just getting there.”Dominic smiled. “You were more than ‘just getting there,’ believe me. How long do you think that was?”Leesa pursed her lips in thought. “I’m not sure. Two or three minutes, maybe?”“More like ten,” Dominic said.Leesa’s
Leesa's Advent Chapter 116
Dominic’s forecast proved accurate.After a brisk fifteen minute walk, Leesa and Dominic returned to her room to practice what Leesa had taken to calling the “everywhere/nowhere” thing. She had just opened her eyes and was about to describe her most recent experience to Dominic when movement outside her window caught her eye and distracted her. She turned her head and saw snowflakes—huge and numerous—floating down outside the glass. Forgetting everything else, she limped swiftly to the window, almost pressing her nose against the cold glass as she drank in the wondrous sight.At first, the giant flakes floated lazily past on unseen currents of wind, seemingly reluctant to let go of the air and fall upon the ground. As Leesa watched in fascination, the flakes began to fall faster and faster, until they were pouring past her eyes in a great white sheet. To someone who had lived in San Diego since she was a little girl, the scene outside her
Leesa's Advent Chapter 117
As soon as they stepped out into the courtyard, Leesa closed her eyes and turned her face up toward the snow. The air was cold, but the wind had slowed at least a little since her walk and the buildings blocked some of its force. Her layered outfit kept her plenty warm. The giant snowflakes tickled her cheeks and chin as they landed and melted slowly upon her skin. When she opened her eyes, she felt as if she were looking up into some kind of magical fairyland—all she could see was a never ending river of dancing white flakes pouring down at her. A sudden smack against her chest pulled her back to reality. She looked down and saw the remnants of a snowball sliding down the front of her parka. A few feet away, Cali had a big grin on her face. “Earth to Leesa,” she said. “Rule fifty-three: when there’s snow on the ground, pay attention! Now get over here and join in the fun.” Cali had no sooner finished talking when a well-aimed snowball thrown by Caitlin crash
Leesa's Advent Chapter 118
He breathed a silent sigh. He had been planning to go to Middletown tomorrow to see Leesa, but doubted he would be able to do so now. Snow was the one thing that made it impossible for him to conceal his nature—the circle of bare mud around his feet gave ample evidence why. And the longer it snowed, the longer it would take to melt. Rave decided he would be patient to a point, but if his wait grew too long, he promised himself he would figure out some way to be with her. He smiled, picturing Leesa playing in the snow, probably with her friends. She would be loving it, he knew—she’d been complaining about the lack of snow all winter. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her he was hoping it would never snow, because he knew it would keep them apart. He wondered if she had figured that out yet. He breathed another deep sigh and turned back into the cabin. It was out of his hands, for now. At least the wizard Dominic was with Leesa to keep her safe. Rave returned to his
Leesa's Advent Chapter 119
By the time the snow stopped falling on Monday morning more than two feet of the stuff blanketed the Weston campus. Classes were cancelled for the day and the entire region was at a standstill. The governor had declared a state of emergency, closed all the schools in the state, and urged the public to stay home and off the roads, most of which were impassible by anything short of four wheel drive vehicles with snow tires. Even those risked becoming stuck in the five and six foot drifts which seemed to be everywhere. Many areas of the state were without power, as snow laden tree limbs broke off and fell onto the electrical lines, snapping them. Luckily, the campus had been spared any power outages.The cook for Leesa’s dining hall had been unable to make it to work, despite living barely a mile from campus, so Leesa and her friends had gathered downstairs for a breakfast of toast, cold cereal and hot chocolate heated in the microwave. Leesa thought if the cook had been r
Leesa's Advent Chapter 120
Getting back up onto her feet proved difficult—when she pushed down with her hands to get some leverage, they just sank deeper into the snow. Finally, after much twisting and turning and pushing, she managed to hoist herself back up. She brushed the snow off her parka and looked at her friends. All three had big grins on their faces. Leesa smiled back. She imagined she’d probably looked pretty funny trying to get up.“I wish I had video of that,” Cali said. “I can see it on YouTube now—California girl drowning in the snow.”They all laughed, Leesa included. For a moment there, she had felt almost like she was drowning—or was about to, anyway.“Since you’re so smart,” Leesa said when she finally stopped laughing, “maybe you can explain just how we’re supposed to roll snowballs in snow this deep to build a snowman.”Cali swung her head from side to side, eyeing all the snow.
Latest chapter
