Chapter 14 #2
“Good try,” Felicity said, giving me a comforting clap on the back that almost sent me to my knees.
I muttered a weak “thank you” and stepped away to watch the next match between Jax and Cannon.
My body felt sore already. I rubbed my neck in discomfort. As I noticed Daegal smirking at the sight, I quickly dropped my hand.
“You okay with a bit of moon magic?” I heard Jax ask, and I perked up, watching intently.
Cannon shrugged and got ready. Jax bent down low, flexing his darkened fingers.
As he channeled his powers, the blue of his skin seemed to shine with anticipation. He would surely use the water from the big barrel right next to the ring.
“Fight!” Felix yelled again, then stepped back to stand next to me. “Taking notes?” he joked, but I shushed him.
I didn’t want to miss a second of this fight if Jax was going to use his powers.
Before Cannon had the chance to strike, Jax did something, and a slight shimmer appeared between them. I looked around at the rest, but nobody but me seemed to pay attention to this detail.
Jax caught my stare and winked. Cannon charged but was instantly thrown back when he ran face-first into what I realized was a shield. He clutched his nose, which was now bleeding freely.
“Bastard,” he mumbled but smiled, nonetheless. The blood dripped from his nose, coating his white teeth crimson.
The shield vanished, but Cannon still seemed weary of closing the distance. He didn’t realize in time that the barrier between them was gone.
Jax launched and caught his middle to imbalance him. Cannon barely managed to stay on his feet, flailing his long arms around before grabbing Jax for support.
They broke apart to circle each other again, a silent agreement that the first round went to Jax.
They nodded at each other, signaling the start of a new round.
A clouded version of Jax went to the right as the more solid figure went to the left. My lips parted in confusion as I watched Cannon decide which Jax to focus on and pick the wrong one.
“To him, both Jax’s look equally fuzzy,” Felicity explained, noticing my confusion. I nodded silently, not daring to take my eyes off either one of them.
He swung a fist that would’ve hit him on the jaw had it been the real Jax and not thin air. The real one bent down and swept his opponent’s feet clean off the ground.
With a thud that sent his glasses flying, Cannon landed on his back. “Fucking hallucinations,” he mumbled and took the hand offered to him by Jax. They patted each other on the back and stepped away from the sandy mat.
“That’s enough for today,” Felix said, thanking us for joining him. Disappointment settled in my stomach. Jax hadn’t used the water at his disposal.
The group started to disassemble. This was as good a time as any to ask him for lessons.
He was wiping his sweaty skin dry with a towel, chatting with Cannon when I approached. “Can I ask you something?”
Jax lifted his brows and looked over my head, no doubt to see if Daegal was looking.
“Sure,” he said, and I led him a little away from the remaining group.
“I was wondering…” I began, but the words seemed hard to come by.
He was his friend. Could I really trust him? Would he even want to help me? I almost walked away, but Jax’s reassuring smile eased my worries slightly.
“Spit it out,” he laughed.
“I was wondering if you could teach me dark, uh. Moon magic?” I said quickly, afraid that if I stopped mid-sentence again, I’d never say it. “What you just did was amazing.”
He studied me for a moment, cocking his head. “I’m not sure I’m better than you. You escaped Orken, after all.”
My cheeks brightened at the mention of my now-famous escape.
“Well, my moon powers didn’t help me much there,” I stammered, rubbing the back of my neck to stop my hand from trembling.
“Right,” he said. I was sure Daegal had shared his suspicions about me with his friend. More doubts swam around my mind when he said: “Sure, why not? I’m always looking for a chance to piss Dae off.”
My face broke into a smile. “Thank you, Jax!”
“Just promise me you won’t try to bring down another one of our precious locations during training,” he laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. “We don’t want another incident.”
My face burned bright at the memory. “I’ll do my best. Why didn’t you use the water in your fight?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He gave me a confused glance and rubbed his neck. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Oh,” I said, trailing off. Could Erebos’ book be wrong?
Daegal caught my eye. He was watching us with his arms crossed so tightly over his chest that his shirt sleeves looked in danger of ripping. The scowl on his face indicated his displeasure at our friendly conversation only too well.
Good. Not even your friends believe your conspiracies.
“So, when do you want to start?” He asked, drawing my attention back to him.
“As soon as possible,” I said, actually excited to learn more moon magic.
My skin was buzzing from the success of getting Jax to teach me. We’d agreed to meet once a week at sundown. It didn’t really matter that you could see the moon, but Jax figured it might help me connect better to the power within me.
I was still with Felix and Felicity, but we were at the armory. Felix was hammering at a piece of metal, working it into the shape he desired. Felicity and I worked on the handles for the daggers. Though my work was still nowhere near the precise curved edges of hers, I’d gotten better.
“Did you know they’d asked us to produce weapons faster?” Felix said, turning the metal to inspect it.
“What?” I asked, confused. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Probably preparing for war.”
“It’s a sharp pain in the butt,” Felicity groaned and perched her perfect handle on the table in front of us. “I barely have time for anything else.”
“And what other matters could be as important as this one, sister?” Felix grinned, placing the metal on his anvil to let it cool.
I didn’t miss the reddening of her cheeks before she grabbed a piece of wood and hurled it at her brother’s grinning face. It hit him squarely on the forehead with such force that his head snapped back into the stone oven behind him.
I snorted with laughter, as did Felicity. Even Felix cracked a smile, though he was unhappily rubbing the back of his skull.
I let his words mull inside me. Preparing for war.
The thought both thrilled and frightened me and sent me into another wave of self-loathing despair.
I could wreck their entire plan if I succeeded in my secret mission to steal the crown.
Though I still didn’t understand the exact power the jewel held, I knew it would play a fatal part in the inevitable battle.
“On a happier note,” Felix said, eyeing me worriedly. “There’s a bonfire party tonight to celebrate everyone who has their birthday in the first half of the year.”
I gave him a questioning look that made him continue his explanation.
“That’s how we make sure everyone is celebrated. It’s a way to keep up morale. And a great excuse to get drunk and eat too much food.”
He grinned at me as he placed the half-finished sword on the anvil and walked towards me.
“Sounds fun,” I smiled. But how could I celebrate with these people, only to stab them in the back when I got the chance?
“Prue, you have to come!” Felicity exclaimed, her entire face lightening up at the idea.
“Please tell me you’ll come,” Felix pleaded, reinforcing his plea by holding his hands out in front of me. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”