Burning Star: A Twilight FanFic

Ch 4- Demonstration

"Can we see you use magic?" Renesmee asked.

I was sure the question would come up, so I'd already given some thought to what I would do. Illusion magic seemed appropriate. Without moving, I created the image of several dozen flowers floating in the air around the room. I also included the smell that would accompany them. They all gasped.

"Why don't you touch one?" I prompted Renesmee. She reached out her hand, and grabbed one of the flowers. She held it in her hand for a moment, and then I allowed the illusion to disappear.

"Illusion magic. If you have enough practice, you can create more than just images. Obviously you noticed the smell, and Renesmee can tell you that she felt the flower. In reality though, all I did was create the sensation of touching the flower. A good illusion influences all the senses," I explained.

"Remarkable," Carlisle marveled. "How do you do all of that at once?"

"It's like an equation. Each type of spell has a formula. The specifics of what I want to do with it- time, distance, number of objects created or influenced, all of that stuff- are the variables. I plug in the numbers, and will it to happen," I told them. "The more powerful the witch, the faster the calculation speed."

"That illusion certainly showed up quickly," Jasper remarked.

I smiled, but didn't answer. I wasn't permitted to share the extent of my power with them.

Alice was looking at me intently. "Earlier, you used the term seeress for me. The way you said it- it sounded very technical. Is there an actual classification for people like me?"

"Yes, there are. Those who see visions of the future and are able to explain or express them in a specific manner are generally called seers. There's two other types. Oracles are people with the ability to share the future in less specific detail, usually in written or spoken word. They don't really have the ability to actually see or elaborate on their prophecies. Diviners are those who have the ability to communicate with spirits who provide them with details of the future. As far as I know, a few indigenous peoples and a couple African tribes are the only ones who've had known diviners. The Quileutes are actually a tribe with a history of diviners."

"Wait, seriously?" Jacob burst out in surprise.

I nodded. "No one really knows much, though not for lack of trying. The women who hold the ability are notoriously secretive and vague. The current one is nice, but she just smiles or laughs, and often walks away when you ask her questions that she doesn't want to answer."

"There's someone in the tribe who can do that stuff?" Bella murmured.

I paused. I probably should've left out that last bit. Berit was definitely going to be mad at me. "Yes and no. Her father is a Quileute, and a wolf, but you've never met him. He hasn't come back to this land in centuries." They stared like I'd grown a third eye. But I knew this story would interest them, so I continued. "His name is Taha Wi. He's the oldest son of the first wolf. We all just call him Mitch. He imprinted on his mate, a halfling vampire named Berit, while fighting another vampire close to 600 years ago. She saved him, they ran off, and now they have four kids- three sons and a daughter."

They all looked at each other. A wave of interest swept through the assembled vampires. Clearly I'd told them something they didn't know. "Which part was new?" 

"Well," Jacob replied. "All of it I guess. I can tell you that none of us wolves knew about Taha Wi. We thought he was dead. And we didn't know that Half Vampires could- um, yeah." He stopped talking and looked away blushing. Renesmee's rosy cheeks got brighter too, and everyone else was immediately disgusted by their exchange. I was used to worse, so it didn't bother me. My sister-in-law was not the most polite person.

My "work" phone buzzed in my bag. It was for my broader contacts in the supernatural world, and was rarely used. It was usually something important when it rang. I looked at the Caller ID- DaKoda McCabe, oldest son of Mitch and Berit. I was definitely in trouble. "Excuse me for a minute," I said.

I answered after transporting out of the house and creating a sound barrier around myself. "This is Brielle."

"You should prepare yourself. My mom is pissed off, Brielle. We're on our way to La Push right now. Raven packed a bag, asked our parents to bring it with us, and then told us she'd see us at the Cullens' house. She said you were telling one of the alphas and the Cullens about us." DaKoda was talking loudly, since Berit's tinkling voice was swearing furiously in background.

I sighed deeply. Of course. "I'll send you the address. I'll try and scan for Raven, but she's not exactly easy to find. Maybe the packs will help look."

"Thanks." He hung up without waiting for a response, and I quickly texted him the Cullens' address, along with the hotel's. I mentally scanned for Raven, but found nothing solid. Only possible traces in woods.

I flashed back into the house. "Apparently," I spoke, letting out a heaving breath, "that diviner I mentioned is about to be- or already is- somewhere in the Forks/La Push area. I think she's somewhere in the woods, but she covers her tracks too thoroughly for me to be sure. Her family is on their way here. She told them to come, so I assume she has a reason. Hope that's not a problem. I will let you know that any questions you have about halfling vampires, Berit will be able to answer. She's obviously got experience, and she also spent a lot of time researching."

"It's no problem at all," Carlisle reassured me, with Esme nodding beside him. He smiled at Alice. "We know how important it is to trust those who know more than us." Alice returned his smile.

I asked Jacob to send word to his own pack and the other Quileute pack about a girl wandering the woods who was familiar with the species, giving him a detailed description to pass on.

After asking the Cullens a few questions, we figured out that McCabes would be here in about five hours. They lived in Washington as well, though they were far more secluded. They lived in a hidden mansion deep in the woods. It was closest to a tiny town called Marblemount. They'd been there on and off since Berit and Mitch met.

Just a few more oddities to add to the party.