42. Declan

Chapter forty-two

Declan

K els? and I met for breakfast in the early hours of the morning. As she dropped bacon into the hot iron pan, I stepped back and smiled. I would turn twenty years old in a week, and this was the first time in my life that I felt at peace— really at peace. There was something about a mother's love, the way she looked at me, her smile, her gentle touch on my cheek; I couldn't quite understand its power, but I knew it to be a magic all its own.

She turned and caught me staring.

"Care to share?" She flipped the sizzling bacon.

When I didn't immediately answer, she turned and faced me. "What is it?"

I smiled and stared at my boots as I spoke. "It's still hard to believe you're real sometimes. I mean, I always thought you were dead, that I'd never get a chance to know you, but here we are, and it feels so . . . I don't know . . . normal. Okay, that's not right. You're teaching me magic to defend the world from destruction, while I'm hounded by a talking owl. There's nothing normal about that, but you're my mother . . . and that feels . . . right . And we're here, making breakfast, and that seems just so mundanely normal compared to all the rest."

She reached up and brushed a curl from my forehead, then cupped my cheek. "I love you so much, Declan. I never thought we'd have this time together either, but I thank the Spirits every day that you were brought into my life."

"I wish Keelan could be here, could know you, too. He needs this. We both do."

"We all need this." She turned away quickly as a tear escaped. "But, when you've lived as long as I have, you learn not to say the words never or impossible . Maybe one day we can all be together."

A loud pop made us both jump.

"For now, the bacon needs me more than you do. Go get the table ready." She swatted me playfully with her spatula.

A short while later, when the table was cleared and dishes washed, I sat sipping wine by the stone circles. Kels? joined me with órla perched on her shoulder.

"I've enlisted a little help for your lessons this morning." My mother gave órla an affectionate scratch as she walked to the middle of the stones. The owl hopped off and began splashing about the bowl on the center pillar .

"You planning to teach me how to turn órla into something big and scary?" I grinned as I stood and set my glass on the table.

"Careful, Dec. Those boots look very inviting this morning," órla chirped before ducking her head under the water.

I chuckled and turned back to Kels?. "It's never boring here. I'll give you that."

"This morning, we will learn if you can cast illusions. If you can, we will spend the next month, perhaps longer, working on that skill."

"Why so long? I mean, I know you said it was hard, but is it that important?"

She raised a brow. "Of course, it is. Just think about your time in the mountains before you came here. You said there were scouts searching through the forest, right? What if you could've made them believe there were tens—or hundreds —of Rangers in those woods?"

I nodded. "We might've scared them off, made them report misinformation. I see where you're going."

"Let's figure out if you can even cast an illusion, then we can worry about applications." She took my hand. "All right, close your eyes and touch your Light."

"Got it."

"Now, think of something very familiar to you. Hmm . . . picture órla in your mind. See every feather, every tiny detail. Do not let go of your Light while you are doing this," she instructed.

"All right. I see her."

"This is the hardest part. Hold both her image and your Light, then reach forward and find the Light in my mind. If it helps, imagine yourself walking toward me and then search my mind."

My brow furrowed, and sweat trickled down my forehead. "I . . . think I see a glow. I'm reaching out to it."

"Good. Don't touch it. Take the image of órla and ‘push' it onto the glow, onto my Light."

I let out a breath and opened my eyes. "That's so hard. It feels like juggling balls that have a mind of their own. You have to focus on so many things all at once. Did I do it?"

Kels? opened her eyes. "I saw something, but it wasn't clear, and it disappeared quickly. Go take a few sips of your wine, and we'll try again. This time, órla, whisper something Declan should make me see, but don't tell me what it is. That should be a better way to know if you are projecting the image into my mind, or if I am creating the image on my own."

I was more than happy to comply, stumbling to the table and downing another glass of wine in a few gulps.

"Show her me again," órla whispered in my mind.

I grinned at my clever little friend. "Ready when you are."

The second time, Kels? could make out the silhouette of an owl, but the image shimmered and failed before she could identify it as órla.

I slumped back against one of the stones, my shirt drenched in sweat and my chest heaving with each breath. "Spirits, I thought I had it that time."

"Illusion is extremely difficult. I am surprised you were able to conjure much of anything. What we did prove is that you have the Illusion Gift. We just have to help you master it." I thought I saw a hint of pride in Kels?'s smile. "Try again. This time I'm going to raise my mental wards so you know how a shield looks and feels."

"All right, but I need a break. It's crazy how drained I feel from just a few minutes." I hobbled back to the table and filled yet another glass.

"Tomorrow we will test for Healing aptitude, but the rest of our time will be spent building up your magical endurance. Get used to that tired feeling."

I wasn't sure I liked the glint in her eye. "You might be enjoying this a little too much, dear mother."

órla shook the water off her wings and glided to the table. "Not as much as I'm enjoying it. You're kinda cute when you're tired."

"Thanks for the support, little one."

"Of course. Always happy to help."

After a few minutes of rest, we made our way back into the center circle. My mother and I held hands and closed our eyes. This time, when I tried to reach out to her Light, my mental presence bogged down before reaching it.

"Ack! That feels like I'm trying to shove my way through syrup."

"That's my shield." Kels? squeezed my hands. "Try pushing through."

I drew in a breath and added a magical shove, only to be swallowed by the gooey barrier. Frustrated, I pulled my presence back and tried a different tactic. I waited a few seconds, then magically sprinted as fast as I could, trying to catch Kels? off guard. The shield gripped me even tighter than before.

"Don't get frustrated. Keep trying." Kels? gave my hands another squeeze.

So, going fast just got me tangled up faster. Hmm . . .

For my next attempt, I moved as slowly as possible, trudging my way into the spongy wall. I barely broke the surface of the shield this time, as my forward momentum halted the moment I made contact.

I tried spinning into the wall. This time, the sticky web wrapped itself around me with every turn until I was completely enveloped and immobilized.

Kels? released me, and I stumbled backward.

"I take it you need help?" órla chirped in my head. "Be a hummingbird, not a horse."

"That's supposed to be helpful?"

"I can't just give you the answer, silly. At some point, you have to use your brain and figure things out. Besides, my clue is obvious."

I glanced at the bowl where órla bathed, wondering at her definition of "obvious."

Hummingbirds versus horses? What's the difference?

Hummingbirds are tiny. Horses are big. Hummingbirds fly. Their wings go fast, but flapping my arms doesn't sound like a good idea. They suck nectar. They . . . buzz? That didn't sound right either, but maybe sound was the answer. What do hummingbirds even sound like?

Be the hummingbird.

Be . . . the hummingbird.

Hummingbird.

Spirits, this is stupid!

I was about to break contact and head for the wine again when an idea struck.

Hummingbirds are tiny and fast and have a sharp beak! At least, I think they do .

I imagined my magical presence as a hair-thin arrow, honing its tip into a sharp point, then I stepped back as far from Kels?'s barrier as I could without losing contact and sprinted forward. The arrow flew true and struck the barrier, piercing it with its tip. Its momentum slowed but didn't stop as the arrow poked through the other side and tumbled into Kels?'s Light.

"Got you!" I hooted, squeezing Kels?'s hands before raising my own in victory. In the excitement, my concentration failed, and everything winked out.

Kels? laughed at my happy dance, then shook her head. "You were supposed to use Illusion once you got inside my shield. Remember?"

"Oh, come on! I just made it through the Mighty, Mushy Wall of Doom. Give me a little credit." I beamed as I bounded to the table to pour more wine.

"You sure he's not hopeless? I think he's hopeless," órla said.

"órla, be nice." Kels? snorted and joined me at the table. "You did well. Next time, though, I was to see something."

"Yes, ma'am." I grinned boyishly between gulps.

"Declan Rea, the Badass Hummingbird. The Hummingbird Heartthrob. The Hummingbird Hero. Oh, yeah. That's it. Hummingbird Hero! Although, heartthrob isn't bad either, if ya know what I mean." I flicked my hair dramatically. "Ayden sure agrees with that one."

Kels? tilted her head in confusion as órla landed on her shoulder. "Sorry. I think I started something. You don't want to know!"

Weeks stretched into months, then years.

Crafting illusions became the bane of my existence.

We worked on Illusion so long I thought my mind might grow permanently numb. My mother then decided each day would rotate between other skills as she pushed me to grow in strength and endurance. Aside from giving my mind a break from the grueling demands of Illusion, she wanted to stretch my creativity by applying my other Gifts to different situations.

Then, one morning, she walked onto the ledge carrying a massive leather-bound tome whose flowing script had long since faded. I yelped when she dropped the book on the table with a loud thud .

"What's that?" I edged away as if the book had fangs.

She chuckled. "It is a book on human anatomy."

I groaned. "A whole book about body parts? Please, Spirits, save me—or kill me, whichever's easier."

"We still have a lot of work to do with your endurance, but you have learned most of what I can teach in the other areas. Now it is time to work on Healing, the most important ability you may ever possess."

I leaned forward, intrigue replacing dread. "How do we test for it?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small knife. Before I could say anything, she winced as she scored a deep line across her palm. Blood rushed to the surface and dribbled onto the table.

"Mother! What are you doing? "

"Quickly, don't think. Place your palm over mine and call your Light."

I grabbed her hand and held my other palm above hers.

Nothing happened.

"Now what?"

"Focus your Light. Narrow it, shaping its tip into a point, like a quill. Then use it to seal the cut. Visualize using your quill to ‘write' a line of magic along the wound. Do not rush. Healing takes time." Blood pooled under her hand.

My heart pounded faster as I watched the angry cut weep.

In my mind, I formed the image of a quill, then pointed it at the wound and trickled magic into its tip. My palm began to glow, and I almost lost concentration as it flared.

"Focus. Hold your Light." Kels?'s voice was calm and reassuring. "Now, seal the wound."

A thin stream of translucent azure flowed through the quill and out the tip onto Kels?'s palm. It took a moment to figure out how to guide the flow, to aim the quill, but a short time later, the wound was Healed. Kels?'s skin bore only a faded pink line of new flesh.

I slumped in my chair and wiped the sweat from my face.

Kels? smiled as she examined her hand. "Very nice. Tell me what you just learned."

"That took more concentration than anything we've done so far." I poured a glass of wine and took a long sip. "I made the quill in my mind, like you said, but it was hard to direct it at first."

"Oh, I know. I felt you tickling all around the cut."

"Sorry about that. Once I got the hang of pointing the quill, the rest was easy. I just had to stay focused and keep the magic flowing into the wound."

"Perfect. That is exactly how it should work." Kels? poured herself a glass. "But that was a simple, superficial cut. Imagine someone seriously wounded with internal bleeding and multiple damaged organs. Speed would be critical to save their life. How do you think you would Heal that person?"

I thought a moment. "I wouldn't even know where to start, how to identify everything that was wrong, or which problem to attack first. I'm trying to visualize that person on the table and think through what to do, but all I see is blood and a dying man."

She nodded. "In that case, you would never see the damaged organs unless the man's belly was split open. And then, you might have more on your table than magic could handle. Do you understand the need for that book now?" She looked entirely too pleased with herself. "Unless you are content possessing only the most basic Healing skills, you will need to be able to identify internal parts of the body, their functions, and how they interact with all the other parts. Only then could you begin to Heal someone with internal injuries. I am afraid this is only the first of many books you will need to study before your Healing lessons even begin."

I groaned again. "Great. I was never very good in classes at the Academy. The Mages always told me I wasn't applying myself."

"It is time to change that." Kels? stood. "I have a few things to take care of. Get started on the first chapter, and I will quiz you later."

As she strode away, I pulled the book toward me and dusted off the cover. It crackled when I opened it, and I had to pry some of the ancient pages apart. I flipped past the first few pages until I reached the first chapter: "Levels of Organization."

"This is going to be awesome ," I deadpanned as I leaned back and stared at the chapter title.

órla made her first appearance of the morning, landing on the table and dunking her head into a wine glass. When I glanced up again, she had settled by the pitcher and was staring at me. I couldn't believe how much she'd changed. She still stood less than ten inches in height, but her plumes had matured into something breathtaking. The brown-speckled feathers of her wings and body were now snowy white, not a spot of color remaining, while those of her breast shimmered in brilliant gold, as if someone had painted the polished metal onto each feather.

"What are you staring at?" Her voice had also deepened from a perky, high-pitched little girl to the husky notes of a fully-grown woman who might've smoked a bit too much in her early years.

"Honestly? Anything but this book." I grunted. "I was just admiring how you've grown. You were always cute, but now you're . . . majestic . I've never seen an owl with your markings or color."

She cocked her head. "You come from the mainland and are surprised the Daughter of Magic wears gold?"

"I suppose that makes sense. Still, you're stunning, and you're the best friend I've ever had. Thank you for bonding with me, for taking a chance on me before . . . before I even knew I was worth taking a chance on."

She tottered toward me and hopped onto the open book. "Listen to me, Declan Rea. You were never a chance. There has never been a more worthy heir, and I count myself lucky to have you in my life."

I was stunned by the sincerity and ferocity in her voice. My eyes misted as I reached over to stroke her feathers.

"C'mon, dude. Don't make this weirder than it just was," she squawked.

I laughed and shook my head, then stroked her feathers anyway.

She pressed into my palm.

"Love you, too, Dec."