Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Dim moonlight washed over Vance and I as we stepped from the car, moving toward the giant stones in the circle ahead of us. Dad had divided us all into separate research parties to check out different locations, and Vance and I had been given the assignment of going to explore Stonehenge. Having been on a guided tour here earlier in the day, Vance had wanted to come back when the place was deserted and explore it more at our leisure.

The large towering stones loomed up out of the night as we entered the edifice. Moving around each of the massive pillars together, we ran our hands reverently over them as we passed, feeling their hewn textures under our skin. Silence fell between us as we listened to and felt the energies that flowed around us, continuing until we made our way into the inner circle of stones.

"Do you feel it?" Vance asked, holding his hands away from his body, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Yes," I replied, knowing instinctively he was talking about the humming pulse that filled the space around us. It was as if magic was alive and beating in the very air.

"Something very powerful is at work here," Vance said, and he lifted his palms higher into the air in front of him. Watching in amazement, sparks began generating from the tips of his fingers. There was a loud zapping sound, and suddenly the air burst into electrical currents around him.

Chuckling, he twisted his hands about and the currents spread through the air, twisting, zipping, and arcing in all directions until there was a current attached to every stone in the circle. I felt like we were standing in the middle of an electric storm ball, the static in the air lifting my hair.

"Come here," he said, grinning as he continued to manipulate the magic.

I walked toward him, the streams of electricity dancing harmlessly away from my body as I approached, until I was standing right in front of him.

"Lift your hands up," he commanded, and I did as he asked. He moved his hands until our palms were almost touching, but not quite, and I felt him link with me mentally.

Sparks began shooting from my fingertips the second his mind attached to mine, and I jerked as a wave of the most intense power I had ever felt coursed completely through my body from head to toe.

Breath catching, I suddenly realized this was his magic flowing through me. Never could I have imagined the strength or level at which he operated. I'd always known he was strong and gifted magically, but I would've never dreamed it possible at this magnitude.

A stronger surge moved through me, swirling my hair completely up and away from me, and I realized with awe that he was playing. What I was feeling was not even the full extent of his power! I wondered how he could possibly contain it all. My body trembled at the invasion of it, and it continued to pulsate through me, causing magical reactions from my own power—like turning the tips of my fingers to solid ice.

The air churned and throbbed with the electric streams that lifted from us, twisting together. I watched the display around us in amazement—the phenomenal sight more than anything I'd ever beheld.

Stepped forward, Vance locked his fingers with me, and I felt more than saw the explosion of electricity when his lips touched mine. My knees buckled under the power of his magic. Quickly, he released one of my hands and caught me easily around the waist, pushing me backward with his body until I was pressed against one of the ancient stones.

He lifted the one hand he still held up over my head, pressing it against the rock, too. Running his free hand down my arm, actual sparks scattered over my skin, raising huge goose bumps. Grabbing my free hand, he threaded it around his waist.