Chapter 16 #2
"Imbolc, huh? Care to enlighten this uninitiated Word Wizard about what that entails?"
Brianna smiled, her eyes twinkling. "It's a celebration of the returning light, traditionally held on February 1st or 2nd. It marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. For witches, it's a time of purification, renewal, and preparation for the coming spring."
Chad nodded, absorbing the information. "Sounds nice. I wish I could join you."
Brianna's smile widened. "Actually, I would rather you wait until I have the chance to ask Bas. The L.A.W. has always practiced the Sabbats alone. Eight witches in all. Some of our familiars prowl the perimeter.”
Chad’s brows rose. “Oookaaay.”
Brianna laughed. “I don’t think you’re quite ready for the full immersion experience, but you’ll meet our familiars as soon as you are.”
She winked and walked out the door. When he heard the front door open, he noticed her scarf on the floor.
“Wait!” he called out. Only his voice was lower, louder and seemed to reverberate in the room. He picked up her scarf, knowing it was cold outside, and she’d probably need it on the ride to Long Island.
He charged down the stairs and saw her frozen, mid-step, her hand on the doorknob.
“What the… Did I do that?” He panicked for only a moment.
Quickly he realized he could try to undo what he had just done.
“Turn around,” he said in his normal voice.
Nothing happened. Brianna was still frozen in place.
Then he remembered she’d said something about using words with intention.
He’d intended to give her the warm scarf before she went out into the cold.
He still wanted that, but he wasn’t sure he wanted her to leave.
Maybe that’s why his voice didn’t pack the punch it had before.
He dashed up the stairs to get the pen and parchment.
When he got to the bottom of the stairs again, he leaned on the small table in the entrance hall and wrote, “Brianna, please unfreeze and get the scarf you almost forgot.”
Chad watched anxiously as Brianna slowly stirred, her movements jerky at first, as if she were a wind-up doll coming to life. She blinked rapidly, looking disoriented.
"Chad? What...? What just happened?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.
Chad held out her scarf, trying to keep his own hand from trembling. "You, uh, forgot this. And I may have accidentally frozen you in time for a minute there."
Brianna's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "You used your Word Wizard abilities to manipulate me? That's... that's incredible, Chad! But also, a little terrifying."
Chad nodded, feeling a mix of pride and fear at what he'd just done. "Yeah, tell me about it. I didn't mean to, it just... happened. I called out to you, and suddenly my voice was different, more ominous. Deeper and louder with some kind of vibration.”
“Wait? You didn’t even use the pen? Just your voice?”
He nodded.
“Holy shit!” She threw her arms around him and hugged him hard.
He let out a relieved chuckle. “I thought you’d be angry. I made you do something against your will.”
“It wasn’t really against my will. I had just remembered my scarf, but I hadn’t stopped and turned around yet.”
“Oh. Well, I guess that makes it a little better.”
“Do you realize what this means? You could be a Word Warrior, not just a Wizard. You’re way ahead of where we thought you were. Your powers are growing faster than anyone expected.”
He smiled shyly. “Well, I’ve always been a quick study.”
“I’ll say.” She grabbed her scarf, wound it around her neck, gave him a quick kiss, and headed to the front door again. Just before she left, she grinned at him. “I can’t wait to tell Bas!”
Brianna burst into the L.A.W. mansion after a harrowing, snowy drive to Long Island. Nothing could dampen her enthusiasm. “Bas! Bas! I have something to tell you! Something important!”
Bas exited the library. “What’s all the shouting for?”
Brianna rushed over to Bas, her eyes shining with excitement. "It's Chad! He's progressed far beyond what we thought possible at this stage. He froze me in time using just his voice!"
Bas's eyebrows shot up. "Without the pen? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely," Brianna nodded vigorously. "He called out to stop me as I was leaving, and suddenly I couldn't move. It only lasted a minute, but it was real."
Bas frowned, her expression a mix of concern and intrigue. "This is... unexpected. And potentially dangerous. We need to monitor this development closely."
"Dangerous?" Brianna's excitement dimmed slightly. "But isn't this good news? It means he's becoming more powerful, right? And isn’t that what we want? What we need?"
Bas sighed, rubbing her temples. "Power without control is a recipe for disaster, Brianna. We've seen it before with other gifted individuals. The faster their powers grow, the harder they can be to manage."
Brianna's shoulders slumped. "I hadn't thought of it that way. But Chad's different. He's responsible, level-headed."
"I hope you're right," Bas said, her tone softening. "But we can't take any chances. I want you to bring him in tomorrow for an evaluation. We need to assess the full extent of his abilities and start implementing stricter training protocols."
Brianna nodded reluctantly. "I'll let him know. He won't like it, though. He's been enjoying the freedom of studying at home."
"This isn't negotiable," Bas said firmly. "The safety of everyone, including Chad, has to be our top priority."
Brianna nodded.
As she turned to leave, Bas called out, "Wait. There's something else you should know."
"What is it?"
Bas hesitated, her usually confident demeanor faltering for a moment. "We've detected... anomalies. Temporal disturbances that don't match Chad's known abilities or training schedule."
Brianna's eyes widened. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that either Chad has been practicing without our knowledge, which would be concerning enough, or..." Bas trailed off, her gaze distant.
"Or what?" Brianna pressed, a knot forming in her stomach.
Bas met her eyes, her expression grave. "Or there's someone else out there with similar abilities. Someone we don't know about."
Brianna felt the blood drain from her face.
The cold chill that ran down her spine had nothing to do with the weather outside.
Her mind raced, trying to process this new information.
"But how is that possible? You've been monitoring temporal anomalies for years.
How could someone slip under our radar?"
Bas shook her head, frustration evident in her furrowed brow. "I don't know. We're looking into it, but so far, we've come up empty. The disturbances are erratic and unpredictable. It's like trying to catch fog with your bare hands."
Brianna paced the room, her earlier concerns about Chad now overshadowed by this new threat. "Could it be connected to Chad somehow? Maybe his increasing powers are somehow... I don't know, resonating with someone else?"
"It's a possibility we're considering," Bas admitted. "Which is another reason why we need him here for evaluation. We need to rule out any connection."
“Okay. I get it. He actually wanted to come to the Imbolc ritual. Could we possibly say you permitted me to invite him? Then you can evaluate him without his being on the defensive.”
Bas considered this for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"That could work. Usually, we go to the Tennessee mountains for a week during the sabbats, but I’m reluctant to go so far away right now.
It would give us a chance to observe him in a more relaxed setting.
But Brianna," she added, her voice taking on a note of caution, "be careful.
If Chad is involved with these anomalies, knowingly or not, he could be dangerous. "
Brianna felt a pang of defensiveness on Chad's behalf, but she pushed it aside. "I understand. I'll be on my guard."
As she left the mansion’s foyer, Brianna's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Was he a time manipulator? When he told her to wait, she felt frozen, and not just physically. It was as if time itself had stopped.
The possibility of another time manipulator out there was terrifying, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Chad was innocent in all this. She'd known him for years. Now she was watching him grow into his powers. The idea that he could be hiding something so significant seemed impossible.