Mage Chronicles: The Journey.

GOOD GRACES.

"You can't let her go back!" The shout jolts me awake. Was that papa? Why the hell was he yelling, he never raises his voice.

"I wish this was up to me old friend, but our daughter has a mind of her own, and her stubbornness is one of her greater strengths."

Khalil? Why were they arguing?

"Maybe we should take her back home, being around all this cannot be healthy."

Mama was here too?

"Especially now, General Finn is bound to stir up trouble for his daughters."

Nona was here too? Why couldn't I see them?

Have you tried opening your eyes? Dark Mahi asks sounding weak.

"Are you okay?" I ask concerned.

I will be, now wake up before they ship us off.

"Good luck with that."

The new voice prompts me to open my eyes and I stare up at Rhian who was staring down at me curiously while speaking to my parents.

I go to speak up but he holds up a finger signalling me to remain quiet. Nestled as I was in his arms, no one else could tell that I was awake.

"What do you mean Rhysand? Or is it Rhian now?" Papa asks sounding miffed.

"We are one and the same," Rhian answers, "Bear with me for now, Rhys is currently indisposed."

"What happened to h..." Khalil asks pulling the question from my mouth before Rhian cuts him off answering Papa's first question.

"Mahina is currently in the first stages of ascension, we all so her inner beast come out during the fate, I'm fairly certain it took on most of the pain allowing Mahina to survive all that. They are communicating. Right now Mahina is fuelled by anger and her thirst for revenge, both which she's right to feel, but what do you think will happen once she ascends without any proper guidance or prior training, running purely on her enhanced emotions and in the human world no less?"

What? I try speaking again to refute his assumptions; I wasn't some psycho about to go on a destructive spree, but another hand snakes around my neck cupping my mouth.

It takes me a moment to do the math, and when I do I freeze. Both of Rhian's hands were around me, one cradling my head the other on my hip, so who was...I tense up ready to shoot of the bed when a familiar voice invades my mind.

Shh hellcat, let him speak.

Keon?

Hmmm...?

Get out of my head."

Sorry...

He'd murmured that sounding amused but the silence in my head tells me he listened. Now that I knew he was so close, I became aware of the warmth on my back that was definitely not from Rhian.

"So we wait until she ascends then we take her back, that's it?"

Rhian sighs at my papa sounding frustrated which almost makes me giggle.

"No, once she ascends she has to fulfil her goals, if we try to stop her she'll just fight us and everything else until she gets what she wants. If she doesn't she'll go mad."

"And why should we take your word for it?" Axel asks and I hear the intakes of breath. Instead of lashing out at my brother, Rhian answers him with a dry chuckle.

"Because I too tried to ignore my instincts and see what happened, bear in mind I am way stronger than a fledging mage but it still tore me apart, literally."

Everyone goes silent digesting his words. I scoot closer trying to offer him some comfort and he goes lax, tension I hadn't even noticed before evaporating.

"Pardon my interruption, but it seems wrong speaking about her while she's not awake to give her input," Andrei says, his voice coming from somewhere behind Keon.

Were they all on the bed with me?

"I happen to agree with him, let's shelve this conversation until she wakes up." Killian says into the ensuing silence.

"You're just saying that because you want back in her good graces," snorts my brother.

"Since when was he in her good graces?" Sneers Andrei.

"You are right once more," sighs Killian, "I have been an idiot from..."

Not wanting to hear more from the man, I stir making a show of waking up, rubbing my eyes and everything.

"Where am I?" Did I pass out?"

One second, I'm sitting up in Rhian's arms and the next I'm yanked up and out of the bed and into my papa's waiting arms.

"Baby girl, you've got to stop passing out, my heart can't take it."

"What he said," mama sniffles hugging both of us.

"Give here," Nona Ellie demands and my papa scowls at her but hands me over like a cat doing petting rounds.

Nona smothers me for a minute before putting me down, and Axel launches himself at me, stopping short of flattening me as if remembering my situation.

"Drac, that was so awesome, I can't wait to see you after you're trained properly."

I laugh returning his gentle hug, "Was I badass?"

"Very," he agrees fervently nodding his head.

I turn to my dad, Khalil and he opens his arms tentatively, I rush into the arm his warmth engulfing me.

"You scared me Mahina, I just got you back again, I can't bear it...I can't bear it again," he whispers crushing me.

"Easy," Rhian warns from the bed.

Dad lets me go and Andrei takes the chance to grab me and settle me on his lap.

"Coddling her won't make her any stronger," Killian grumbles from his lonely spot in the corner.

Everyone just shakes their heads at him, wondering what the hell was his problem I was sure.

"What happened to getting back into my good graces, Oh broody one?"

He jolts in surprise looking at me cautiously, "You were awake?"

"Very," I answer staring right at him. He holds my gaze for a second before nodding to himself and turning to leave.

"And no one is shipping me anywhere, I would like to get started with my classes as soon as possible," I say turning to my baffled parents.

They go to protest when I hold my hand up, "Trust me, the last thing you'd want me to do is sit around with my thoughts, plotting Armageddon."

After a pause, dad switches into the dean he has always been, "If you insist Mahina, but bear in mind 'you'll have to work twice as hard as everyone else, to catch up."

"That's not going to be an issue, I reply, I would also like to have Blue moved here since I'll also be staying here, no use going back and forth, I want him close...in case he...in case he...he might need me. I finish off with a stutter.

Damn it! I had been doing the numb thing so well.