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Chapter 183
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Balin’s cabin was just a short way back up the narrow roadway from Rave’s house. Holding hands, Leesa and Rave strolled unhurriedly through the beautiful night. It looked to Leesa as if there were even more stars twinkling in the sky than before. With her eyes fastened on the jeweled canopy above, she tripped on a ridge in the rutted road and would have fallen had not been for Rave’s strong grip on her hand.
“Sorry,” she said when she regained her balance.
“Don’t worry,” Rave replied, turning to her and smiling. “Lately, I find myself distracted by beauty all the time.”
Leesa felt herself blushing. She hoped Rave wouldn’t see it in the darkness, but with those darn volkaane eyes of his, she was pretty sure he could.
“Maybe so,” she said, “but you don’t stumble like some clumsy oaf because of it.”
Rave draped his hands over Leesa’s shoulders and sta
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“Let’s sit down and you can tell me everything that’s happened,” Balin suggested. He had met Dominic once and knew about Leesa’s nascent magic and about the existence of the black waziri, but he had no idea what had occurred during the last few days. “Does anyone want a drink before we begin? Some mead, perhaps? Telling tales can be thirsty work.”With everything that had happened today, Leesa was definitely tempted by Balin’s offer. His homemade mead was even more delicious than his stew, but it was also very strong, especially for someone who rarely drank. She decided she had better pass.“No, thank you,” she said. “I think I should keep a clear head. I’ll just have water. Rave, you go ahead if you want.”Rave nodded to Balin, who quickly filled two big pewter mugs with golden liquid from a big glass jar. He filled a third mug with water for Leesa.They all sat down on chairs
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“Catch,” she said as the stick did exactly what she wanted.Rave reached out and caught it. “Now you’re just showing off,” he said, smiling as he examined the stick.“Yeah, a little,” Leesa replied with a smile of her own. “But I do have plans for that, so it’s not totally showing off. And the more magic I use, the better I’ll get, so why bend down when I can do it with magic?”“Just don’t get too carried away with yourself, or you are apt to be disappointed when you’re back at Weston and not surrounded by volkaane energy.”Leesa walked closer to Rave. “I know. But I think whatever I do here will carry over at least a little. Success breeds success, as Dominic likes to say.”Feeling very confident, she decided there was no reason to wait until they were inside to try the shield spell.“Wait just a moment, and then try to poke me with t
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This was no train, though—not unless someone had built a subway beneath rural Connecticut when she wasn’t looking.“The Noises,” Rave said calmly. “It’s nothing to worry about. They’ve been occurring here since long before I was born.”Leesa remembered Cali and Stacie talking about the Moodus Noises, an unexplained phenomenon that had been happening in this area for centuries. The explanations for the Noises ranged from the practical—small earthquakes whose sound and vibration were magnified by the peculiar geology of the area—to the more fanciful: ancient Indian spirits stirring deep within the earth.She loosened her grip on Rave’s arm. “Sorry,” she said. She hated showing any kind of weakness to Rave. “It startled me.”Rave smiled and laid his hand over Leesa’s. “Never apologize for anything that makes you touch me.”Leesa smiled back and
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“Go, then,” Leesa said, sensing the urgency in Dominic’s voice. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll have Rave take me home as soon as we hang up. Please be careful.”“I will. Good-bye for now, Leesa. I don’t know when I’ll be able to check in on you again.”“Good-bye,” Leesa said, but Dominic had already hung up. She turned to Rave. “You heard all that?”Rave nodded. “Yes. I’ll take you home as soon as you gather up your things. Then I need to come back here and tell the Council of Elders what Dominic said. I’m not sure if there’s anything we can do about the powers he mentioned, but we need to discuss it, at least.”Leesa didn’t like hearing that Rave would be leaving as soon as he got her back, but she understood why he had to return home.“Okay,” she said as she began stuffing her clothes into her backpack. She was di
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Genevieve lowered her feet from Dara’s lap and sat upright on the couch. “Fair enough.” She turned to Dara. “What do you think, sweetheart? Are you up for a little adventure?” Dara smiled. “Always.” She stood up and crossed to Marcio, linking both her arms around one of his. “Marcio is a very powerful man,” she cooed. “It will be good to have him beholden to us.” Marcio smiled. Of all the vampires in the coven, these were the two he least minded owing a favor. “I will meet you an hour after sunset,” he said. The three vampires glided through the trees, heading south and east from their caverns, dark shadows among the shadows. Marcio was in the lead, guided by the strange force that grew stronger with every mile he covered. Dara and Genevieve followed close behind him, racing side by side, content to go where Marcio led them. Despite their speed, the vampires moved cautiously, making no sound in the darkness. No human eye
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The first thing Leesa did after Rave dropped her off at her dorm was head for the showers. She was anxious to see her friends, especially Cali, but that was going to have to wait for a bit. Getting cleaned up—and washing her hair, especially—was a bigger priority.She had learned a lot about volkaanes staying with Rave for the past three days. One of the things she learned was that volkaanes didn’t bathe. They didn’t need to. Their inner fire kept germs and other bacteria at bay, and their heat dissolved things like mud and grease. If they got dirty with something more stubborn, they simply wet a cloth, warmed it with their inner heat, and wiped the spot clean. Their clothes seldom needed washing, either. She thought about Dominic, who owned only one set of clothes, but they were always fresh and clean. She wondered if that particular wizard’s trick was somewhere in her book of magic—while it wouldn’t be of much use for battling evil
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Back up in her room, Leesa was both anxious to get started practicing her magic and nervous about how it would go, now that she was away from the magical energy in the volkaane settlement that had seemingly enhanced her abilities. She sat on her bed with Dominic’s book unopened on her lap, unable to decide whether to open the book and see what was next or to jump right into practicing something like the illumination spell. The pros and cons of trying the spell were the same thing—she would know immediately how much being back home was affecting her magic. She was afraid of the disappointment that might bring.Finally, she decided to just bite the bullet and try. Delaying wasn’t going to change anything, so she might as well get started. She pushed the book off her lap onto the bed and held her right hand out in front of her, palm up.“Illuminati verdus,” she said softly but forcefully.The familiar glowing sphere appeared immediatel
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It was nearly midnight when Leesa finally closed her magic book. She had read the section on dreams several times and discovered that the dream power was among the most complex and least understood of all waziri powers. Complete control over dreams was beyond even the most skillful of wizards—which she certainly was not.Still, she had shown ability in this area even before she realized she possessed magic, having had four dreams that seemed to have come at least partially true. Those visions had arisen on their own and had been completely beyond her control or understanding at the time, but they certainly demonstrated she possessed some power in the dream realm. Now if she could just learn to harness it a bit.There were lots of details in the book—more than she could possibly digest in just one evening of reading—but she thought she had gotten a good start on the basics.It seemed there were two basic parts to controlling dreams. The first wa
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Serena awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. She rolled over lazily, reaching out for Raphael, but the space was empty. With eyes still closed, she frowned. Where is that man? That man had probably been out of bed since the crack of dawn, beside himself with nerves for today’s big event, she thought regretfully. They were to be married today. Their lives intertwined for all of eternity. What man wouldn’t have cold feet at the prospect? And they’d known each other such a short time, too. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, and frowned again. She had awakened in the safe house. Last night, she’d killed a man in her own home, and knew she could never go back there ever again. She didn’t care how good the Brethren’s cleanup crew could restore her home. It would never erase the vivid memories and horrors of what had happened there. She and Raphael would have to find themselves a new home, together. Until such time, this place would be it, th
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It’s going to be a long day without Raphael, Serena thought, as she washed and dressed. But she carried on. With so many loose ends to tie up, final checks to be made, people and places to coordinate, she scarcely had time to think about anything else. Except for her father. In the quiet moments between the bedlam of planning a wedding, she reflected upon him and her heart ached. She had arranged for a nursing home staffer to drive him and his wheelchair to the Chapel of the Holy Cross for the wedding. They didn’t usually allow weddings there, but somehow, Raphael swayed their decision. Kemuel promised to wheel her father down the aisle beside her, and she loved him instantly for that. But her dream was to have him walk her down that aisle. A sob caught in her throat, and she quickly shook her head to whisk it away. None of that nonsense, Serena. Don’t be greedy. At least he is alive and here to be a part of it all. As the day waxed on to evening, Serena felt unsettled. She hadn’t s
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Raphael spent the next few days cloistered with Serena, away from everyone and everything, like a honeymoon before the wedding. But every morning he made creative excuses to tear himself away from her for a little while and work with Fred. To make sure she didn’t visit her father, he dropped her off at her shop first so she could plan a small wedding with Callie and catch up on the mountains of paperwork.The healing sessions with Serena’s father went spectacularly, and with Raphael’s charisma, he convinced the nursing home staff to keep any improvements secret from her. They thought it romantic that he came to help with his fiancée’s father’s rehabilitation. Everyone there rooted for him, amazed at his miraculous awakening. All of the therapists worked their tails off during his therapy sessions, wanting to see their severely stroke-damaged patient beat the odds and walk his daughter down the aisle.On the morning of the fifth day, Raphael got Fred walking without any assistance.“Co
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Raphael grabbed her hands. “Do it!” he demanded. He placed them on his temples and spoke to her through their bonded connection. She felt every thought he had had of Sirona over the years straight to the present down their threaded connection. She heard every thought he’d had of her, including every word he had spoken while holding her in his arms at Dr. Chappo’s estate. He sent her everything that filled his heart and soul about her, and finally, at last, she knew.She knew. And knowing was everything to her. He gently brought her hands away from his face, kissing her fingertips as he eased them down, and she took a few steps backward, looking at him as if for the first time. No one before had ever felt about her the way he felt about her, let alone express so strongly all he’d expressed when she’d lain dying in his arms.“You’re in love with me.” She gasped, astonished. Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time, for a very different reason.“Yes.” He took a bold step toward her.
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A bundle of nerves, that’s what she’d turned into. Since leaving her father’s, Serena had been nothing but a bundle of nerves, rehearsing over and over again what she would say to Raphael up on the Rock. Looking all around her now, frightening memories kept popping into her mind, making her think that at any moment, Steve or Wheezer were going to jump out and nab her. Unfortunately, she had gotten to the summit way too early, and now paced like a caged bobcat. It had to stop. The bad guys are dead, Serena. Think positive, and let go the past. So, finding a suitable rock to sit on, Serena decided to do a little meditation to soothe her worried heart. “When I see him, I’ll know the right words to say,” she notified the birds. It may sting for a bit, but it’s for the best.****Raphael showed up at the base of the mountain with time to spare, and noticed Serena’s Jeep already parked. Perfect, he thought. He checked his pocket for the millionth time, making sure the ring box hadn’t fallen
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Raphael watched Serena leave the nursing home from behind one of the bushes in the front. She seems in good spirits, he thought. Only when he saw her disappear down the street did he dare to venture out of his hiding place. He walked into the nursing home and headed straight to the reception desk.“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Sikes.” He smiled amiably at the receptionist.“Wow, two visitors in one day. Fred’s a lucky guy. Sign in right here, please. You’ll sign out before you leave. Take this badge so we know you belong here. Room 103 is down the hall, make a left, and he’s at the end on the left.”He looked at her name tag, and winked. “Thanks so much, Judy.”Walking down the hall, he found himself fidgeting with the badge in his hand. Am I actually nervous? Hell yeah! Raphael, the man, is about to meet the father of the woman he loves. Raphael, the man, is about to ask for this guy’s daugh
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Great! Just great! There’s a leak in my bedroom ceiling. Wait a minute, that’s not right. I’m not in my bedroom. I’m locked away in Dr. Chappo’s house. She remembered more. Being bound to a gurney, her body broken and dying. But I’m not lying on a gurney now, and I actually feel great. How could she be dying and still feel great? And what’s with the rain shower on my face? Slowly her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped.It was raining. Angel’s tears. Raphael’s tears, to be exact.She lay in his arms, and from the way he shuddered and sobbed, she thought maybe he didn’t know she lived. To be honest with herself, she’d only realized this fact just a few moments before. Iridescent wings were outstretched and trembling though no breeze made them flutter so.She gently raised her hand to caress his cheek and whispered softly. “Shh…there now, Raphael, shh. It’s all right. I’m ok
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Raphael noticed a knob on the box. It made sense to dial it to its lowest setting. He followed the tubing to its clamp on Serena’s side and decided to completely clamp it off. Now, no more blood could flow. But he still needed to get the needle out of her arm. He found gauze and tape on the tray stand and proceeded to extrude the catheter from her arm carefully so as not to injure her. He replaced it securely with the gauze and tape. His hands shook. I can’t fall apart like this right now! He quickly shrugged off the threat of paralyzing fear.“Hey, Raphael, this guy says his name is Steve. Isn’t that the name of one of guys who assaulted Serena?” Gabriel asked.“Yes, yes it is,” he said through gnashed teeth. Rage filled him and he clenched his fists, trying to gain some semblance of control. “Bind him, tightly. Make sure he can see Dr. Chappo. I’d like him to see what happens to assholes like him when they choose
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Searing hot pain shot like lightning throughout every inch of Serena’s body. Well, every inch she could feel, which left her very disturbed indeed, because she couldn’t feel anything past her waist. She could barely breathe without severe pain ripping through her chest and back. She knew what that meant—broken ribs. But what about her legs? Where were they? And why did her wrists feel shackled? Oh, dear God! What’s become of me? Her shallow breaths quickened. Her heart raced and fought for freedom behind her aching chest. Tears burst through her closed eyes and flowed untapped down the sides of her face.A voice sliced through the whooshing sound in her ears. A voice she knew all too well, and had come to despise with every molecule in her being.“Uh, Doc, I think she’s coming ’round. What do you want me to do?” Steve asked.“Hmm? Oh, nuffin. Nuffin, Seeve. Jus’ keep watchin’,” Dr. Chappo sl
