Sacrifice for a Wish

Chapter 16

"Wren, you need to concentrate!" Fala repeated for like the gazillionth time. Fala sat and stroked Bandersnatch's soft coat. He had followed us to the field and since I always felt more centered when he was around, I didn't try to dissuade him to go home.

"I'm trying," I whined, "but my head hurts and I'm tired."

"Stop bellyaching. If you just used your magic, that wouldn't be a problem. You could absorb energy from anything around you which would fix both the headache and the tiredness."

It'd been four hours since we got to the field behind the Lost Boys house. It was a beautiful field, the crisp weather made us don warm sweaters, mittens, and scarves. The trees had begun to change from green to warm reds, mellow yellows, and vibrant browns. The brittle leaves carpeted the grass and made a wonderful crunching noise as we walked and if my head hadn't hurt as badly as it did, I would have enjoyed it immensely.

"Fine, let's take a break and eat lunch. You can tell me what happened last night," Fala pulled the food from the basket mom had packed, while I told her what happened. When I got to the parts of licking the notes off the Lost Boys and the kiss with Phoenix, Fala had stopped moving and just sat there, her cheeks flushed and her mouth hanging open.

"Why do you think my magic got stronger last night? It was the strongest it has ever been." I chewed my sandwich slowly.

"Well," Fala took a deep breath, "I don't know for sure but if I were to guess..." She stopped talking and took another bite, her mouth now full.

"Fala!" I spoke loudly, and a bird squawked loudly in a tree. Bandersnatch moved from Fala's side and sat in my lap. He had learned quickly that I was a push over when it came to passing him food.

"Well," she took her time speaking. Her cheeks were stained crimson. "I think that because of the bond you share with the Lost Boys, that you can draw from that reserve."

"Isn't that what I always do?" I popped another small piece of turkey into Bandersnatch's mouth. He showed me his appreciation by cleaning my fingertips with his tongue.

"Not exactly," Fala hemmed and hawed.

"Fala, please just tell me," I beseeched my closest friend.

"Fine!" Fala threw up her hands, "I think you tapped into sex magic. Sex magic with the bond will help heighten your powers."

I sat there stunned. "We didn't have sex though!"

"It's not about intercourse, it's about the energy. Kissing someone you are attracted to builds energy. Shine that through the lens of your bond, and kaboom, you have fireworks." Fala's hands made a movement like a firework being set off.

We both sat in contemplation while we finished up our lunch.

"What if I used that," I asked. It was an embarrassing topic, and it was all so new to me. "What if I tapped more into the sex magic. Would that help me master my powers? Would it help me find the Jabberwocky?"

Fala sat and stared at me, she clearly didn't like this conversation, but I needed to know my options. She took a deep breath, released it slowly and spoke, "it could. Is that something you are ready for?"

"I don't know, but we need to find the Jabberwocky before it's too late." I stood and paced the length of the blanket, back and forth, back, and forth. "Lark said they were my mates. The witches of Morgana's line have a true, fated mate and some even have more than one. Lark has five."

"Even if they are your fated mates, even if you'll spend the rest of your life with them, even if they might be ready, it doesn't mean you are."

"It doesn't mean that I'm not."

"The fact that you are questioning it, tells me you aren't ready," Fala placed a palm over my hand and squeezed.

"Have you done 'it'?" I whispered.

Fala lost it, "'it'?" She fell over she was laughing so hard. "Not that it has anything to do with this conversation, but yes. Fairly recently actually, and no I don't want to talk about it."

"Even if I wanted to," I told her, my palms were damp with sweat just thinking about it, "doesn't mean they even like me like that."

"Wren, I'm going to only say this one time, so please, please listen to me. Are you listening?"

I nodded and leaned forward, intent on what she was about to say.

"The Lost Boys are crazy about you. I don't think that seducing them would be a problem."