Chapter 13 #2
Maybe it was a little harsh, but Nadia was right.
Even if Meadow had received almost no training after her powers had manifested at eighteen, one of the core fae witch tenets was that emotions had a big influence over magic.
She’d kind of forgotten that over the years, but after several days of being reunited with her siblings and not having the constant fear of weaving magic over strangers, she’d started to recall some of her lessons.
Even the books Nadia had lent her had briefly touched on the topic.
It would take time, of course, to not be constantly afraid of messing up. However, this was a controlled circumstance. If she couldn’t seize this opportunity to learn, she might as well give up now.
No. She might’ve lost hope for a few years—when she’d thought her siblings were dead—but she’d never fully given up.
Somewhere, deep inside her, she wanted to prove her father wrong.
He’d repeatedly called her a failure, stupid, and a million other insults, and it’d affected her more than she’d thought.
But she would never have to see her father again.
Plus, she had her siblings, as well as two vampires who made her feel at least a little attractive.
Ones she secretly dreamed would want her past the claiming, and who would find her magic useful, meaning she’d feel less reliant on them or anyone else.
All she had to do was focus, and then maybe she’d become a badass fae witch, one with strong magic she could use on her terms. She just had to take this first step.
After taking a deep breath, Meadow nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll do as you ask. Just please don’t let me cause any chaos or harm.”
Nadia patted her hand and stood upright. “I won’t. Now, before you take off your training bracelet, let me fetch our volunteer.”
Meadow’s heart thundered in her chest as she watched Nadia open the door and a man in his thirties walked in. He was of medium height, with blond hair and brown eyes, and wore the usual suit, tie, and waistcoat of this time period.
Since his hair was short, she could see the faintest points of his ears—far too subtle for any full fae witch, but definitely not round enough to be human.
As she wondered about his backstory, he bowed and spoke in the same British accent everyone else did around here.
“Hello, Miss Vale. My name is Giles Dawson—please call me Giles—and thank you for allowing me to volunteer. I assume Mrs. Ahmed told you I’ll be taking notes for my research?
” Meadow nodded, and he continued, “Then let me just assure you that I will never use your true name and everything is kept confidential. My only goal is to better understand the intricacies of fae witch magic.”
She blurted, “Did you inherit any?”
It wasn’t common for a half-human to do so, but it wasn’t impossible.
He smiled. “The only thing I can do is light candles, fireplaces, or stoves. I have fire magic, but only a fraction of what full-blooded fae witches can manage.”
Meadow hesitated before asking, “And you know I control lust and desire? And there’s a risk it might affect you?”
“Yes, I’m aware. However, as I’m sure Mrs. Ahmed has explained, very few magical powers actually affect me.
And if things get out of control, Mrs. Ahmed will take charge.
I’ve worked with her before, so I trust her.
Now, shall we get started? I don’t wish to be rude, but I have some other appointments today and I want to make sure you have enough time to try out a few of Mrs. Ahmed’s exercises. ”
“Um, okay. We can start.”
With a nod, Giles went over to the fireplace and waited.
Nadia sat next to Meadow on the small sofa and said, “For this exercise, look at me, Meadow.” She met her gaze, and the other female continued, “Before you remove the bracelet, tell me: have you learned any channeling exercises? Ones to help calm your mind and gather your magical power together, to draw on when needed?”
“Yes, when my magic first manifested. However, it’s been a long time since I tried using them. Usually I just tried to contain my powers and only let them out when I was hired for a job. And in that case, I’d just let everything go and hope for the best.”
“Well, let’s start there, then. Imagine channeling and containing magical energy in your chest area, and then keep it there. While the bracelet won’t allow the magic to flow out of you, you can still gather it together. So try that now, and let me know when you’re done.”
After a quick glance at Giles—who nodded in encouragement—Meadow closed her eyes.
In the past, she’d gathered magic as quickly as possible, just wanting to get it over with.
However, this time, with the bracelet on to stop it from escaping, she imagined it coming from her fingertips, toes, and head into her body, little by little, as the heat gathered in the center of her chest. Her magic had always glowed a slight red in the past, and so she imagined a ball of red energy swirling round and round.
Once she had it contained and stable, she opened her eyes. “I’ve finished.”
Nadia nodded. “Good. I’m going to remove the bracelet now, and I want you to reach out to Giles and try weaving it over him.”
Her gaze moved to the male. “Are you sure?”
He replied, “Yes. If I feel anything, I’ll let you know.”
Nadia spoke again. “Since you have the secondary power of persuasion, today I want you to silently weave your magical net over him. We just want to judge your main power for today, and we can address the persuasion later.” She placed her fingers over the bracelet. “Ready?”
She wanted to scream no, she wasn’t. However, Meadow had been a coward for far too long, out of necessity, and she was determined to be braver about her magic going forward. “Yes.”
“Right, then let’s see what happens.”
Nadia quickly removed her bracelet, and Meadow focused on Giles.
In the past, she’d just roughly aimed her magic at the individuals who’d paid her.
However, she wanted to try using more skill and finesse this time.
So she slowly imagined threads of her magic flowing over to Giles, laying down over him, bit by bit, in a crosshatch pattern.
However, she’d barely gotten halfway through the task when Giles’s eyes changed, zeroing in on her and then Nadia. He took a step forward before closing his eyes and putting his hands to his head. His voice was strained as he said, “Stop. You must stop, or I’ll do something horrible.”
As he took another step toward them, Nadia slid Meadow’s bracelet on, and Giles dropped to his knees on the floor. Bracing his hands on the carpet, he breathed heavily.
Meadow stared in horror as Nadia rushed to his side and asked, “Are you okay, Giles? What happened?”
But before he said anything, Meadow understood. Her magic had been strong enough to influence one of the most magic-resistant beings on the planet.
She was not merely a fae witch with magic; she held one of the highest tiers—a Wielder.
A Wielder of Lust and Desire.
How could she ever learn to contain it?
Maybe she never would.
Her eyes heated with tears. It’d been foolish to hope she could be normal.
After placing a hand over her training bracelet, she stood. “I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”
And then she rushed out of the room. Because no doubt, Giles and Nadia would look at her differently, say she couldn’t be trained, and that she was a freak.
Just like her father had always said, when she’d hidden away rather than use her magic as he’d asked her to do.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she rushed up the stairs to her room. Once inside, she shut and locked the door before sitting on the floor. She placed her head on her knees and cried.
Most fae witches would be ecstatic to have magic strong enough to influence anyone.
But to Meadow, it was her worst nightmare.
Because if she couldn’t control it, she could be locked away. No doubt this time period had similar magical prisons for those with powerful-yet-unrestrained magic.
Yes, a bracelet could contain it. However, it was easy enough to slip off or be stolen.
Maybe this had been her chance, and now Dark Lord Khan would deem her too much work and lock her away.
She played out every worst-case scenario, and even though River and Nora tried to talk to her at some point, she told them to leave her alone.
For now, at least, she wanted to be by herself, wearing the training bracelet, and not worrying that she’d influence anyone to do something they didn’t want to.