Chapter 18 #2
“How does it work?” Shawna peers at the cauldron curiously as she creeps forward. “You always just seem to have food magically ready whenever I’m not looking. It never occurred to me to ask how you do it.” She squints at me. “Why is that?”
I shrug my wings as I push away the small niggle of guilt creeping over me.
“The same reason that you ignored much of everything else initially. The spells set on the cabin encourage you to ignore how the cabin works. That includes the activity at the stove. You probably would never have even questioned it if you had not been standing beside me at this moment to see it.”
And I had intentionally revealed it to her. Even though I had no plan to do so, some part of me just cannot help bringing her more and more into my world rather than letting her enjoy the illusions that my other prey enjoyed. I don’t want her to pass through my life as a visitor.
I want her to stay.
I tremble at the revelation, but I push any thoughts of it away to keep my attention on the moment.
“Can you show me how it works?” she asks as she peers over my arm at the now cold cauldron.
I nod wordlessly, not trusting myself with speaking at this moment, and stretch my hand over the cauldron, gathering the energies once more beneath my claws.
They come to life in the form of a spinning spark of flame that is uncomfortably hot to wield.
I ignore the pain because this is just the necessary sacrifice required for the magic that all frost demons take upon themselves to bait their traps.
I swallow and force a whisper from between my lips.
“I just form a picture in my mind of what I want and then I gather the elements of the flame and magic within the air to open a doorway,” I reply hoarsely as I draw my fingers together.
The spinning flame slowly expands until it is a glowing portal of burning light. Biting back my groan of pain, I plunge my hand into the spinning disk of fire and withdraw a large bowl of steaming eggs. and set it aside next to the crepes.
“Some establishment or family will be missing the food, but they will discount it as an error and remake it,” I continue to explain as I focus on the next dish, but I am unable to stop the hiss of pain this time as I reach back into the cauldron.
Shawna’s eyes shift to me in surprise, concern flickering in their depths. “Does that hurt?”
“A small matter. Just a brief pain to accomplish exactly what is needed,” I reply as a platter of bacon joins the other food.
She looks neither convinced nor pleased as I reach into the cauldron a fourth and fifth time.
But then she surprises me by putting her foot down in the bluntest fashion as she grabs me by the tail and yanks it hard enough that I stumble back from the cauldron with a squawk of surprise.
I look back at her in shock and frown to communicate my displeasure, but she scowls back at me, not the least bit intimidated.
“This is more than enough, Jak. Really, all the lavish feasts, as delicious as they may be, are not even necessary.” She gives the cauldron an annoyed look, but then her expression shifts as she peers at it thoughtfully.
“Obviously you have a special skill required for the magic, but do you have to be the one to reach in?”
I am caught off guard by her question. “I do not know,” I admit. “I do not think anyone has ever tried to allow another to reach into their cauldron before. At least no one that is not an offspring being properly taught.”
Shawna’s lips purse, and she nods toward the cauldron. “Go ahead. Conjure up some eclairs. I’m in the mood for something sweet.”
I shoot her an uncertain look, but I do as she asks and I gather the portal flame and expand it beneath my claws.
It widens once more to a glowing disk, but it is Shawna’s hand that suddenly thrusts into the cauldron in front of me.
We both freeze, and I turn to look at her apprehensively.
A funny expression crosses her face, but then she giggles, breaking the tension.
“It tickles like a hundred very warm champagne bubbles breaking all over my skin,” she murmurs. “This is absolutely wild, Jak.” Her head tips as she looks over at me. “Is this what it feels like to you?”
“More like hundreds of tiny flames peeling back my skin,” I reply dryly, “but let’s go with yours.”
She laughs again, a sound of complete wonder that makes my heart speed up in reaction to merriment crashing through her energy, raising its vibration even higher.
I tear my attention away from it, however, to narrow my focus once more on what matters—her.
And it is worth it because her smile lights up my heart entirely when she lifts the plate of eclairs from the cauldron with a jubilant shout.
Not for the energy cultivating within her, but because she is so radiantly happy as she sets that plate among the others and turns toward me triumphantly.
“It worked!” she exclaims and I nod, incapable of doing anything less.
She does not seem to notice how captivated I am, however, because she gives a brisk nod to the other plates before picking up the eclairs and heading to the table with them.
“Grab something and bring it over,” she shouts over her shoulder.
“This was a fun experiment, but let’s hurry up and dig in while everything is hot.
I’m not going to miss out on a warm meal.
.. or those berries... because we were too busy fooling around with magic. ”
I chuckle, the spell breaking, and comply. “I would not even think of causing such a delay,” I assure her as I pick up two plates and follow her.
I am also very eager to see what the next moments hold. This is truly becoming a midwinter of surprises.