Born Of Fire

     Sunlight filtered through the aspens, dappling the sidewalk in front of Shannon. A lovely bird song echoed around her as larks hopped along the branches above, following her. She didn’t compel them to do so—though she had the ability. They followed because they were drawn to her energy, well, hers and her unborn child’s. Her lips turned up into a smile as one hand went to her swollen belly.

     It was no wonder he was attracting attention even before his arrival; he was special. Though she certainly was a doting mother, it wasn’t just that. Shannon’s pleasant thoughts were shattered by a dark foreboding that gripped her with enough force to drive the breath out of her. She stumbled and had to reach out to a tree along the sidewalk to catch herself. A strangled cry caught in her throat as it clogged up with a lump of fear. If she had fallen… The very thought was too much to finish and made her start to hyperventilate.

     The anxiety stirred not only her power awake, but her unborn son’s as well. It spread throughout her body in a rush that was almost scalding. She gasped for breath as she struggled to bring it under control. His power was so much more than she was used to. A greenish-gold mist started to leak from the pours of her skin. It was a combination of her own golden energy and her son’s green energy. With all of her will, she focused on calming herself and drawing the power back in.

     “Tis alright me dear, tis alright,” she whispered to her belly as she rubbed it.

     From inside her womb a tiny hand pushed against hers, as if trying to reach her. A few deep, controlled breaths later and she was able to get both her power, and her son’s, under control. She’d told her son a half-truth though. While she hadn’t fallen, everything was certainly not alright; she felt that down to her core. The strange foreboding was coming from the direction of her home, only a few blocks away. Forcing herself to stay calm, she picked up her pace.

     In only a few blocks their little home with its quaint American picket fence came into sight. Seeing it strengthened the sense of foreboding until it felt like it was choking the breath from her. From within, her son gave her a hard kick that sent a pain shooting through her back. She rubbed her belly and tried to think soothing thoughts.

     “Easy Aiden, mum’s alright,” she lied.

     He gave her another half-hearted kick as if to say he knew she was lying, which he probably did considering he could feel her energy. But the lie was more for herself than for him.

     As she turned into her driveway, she found her dark green Subaru sitting there with the hatchback wide open. Carrying a duffle bag in each hand, her husband emerged from the front door of the house. The distraught look on his unusually pale face strengthened the sense of unease that had fallen over her. Overly long brown hair hung down into his hazel eyes in a disheveled mess that may have looked handsome if she wasn’t suddenly so frightened.

     Without even noticing her, he went to the back of the car, tossed the bags in, and slammed the hatchback closed. His energy popped and snapped around him in green and orange sparks that made her think of angry bees.

     “Kevan, what’s wrong?” she asked.

     In an instant his energy calmed and he drew it back into himself. His head snapped in her direction and he gave her a disarming grin that didn’t reach his eyes. Her breath caught at how handsome he was, but she wasn’t fooled.

     “Shannon, I’m so glad yer home. I’ve made reservations for a romantic retreat,” he said as he stepped forward and put his arm around her.

     Soothing energy that carried the flavor of his power poured over her. Though she let his arm remain, she fought against the affects of his power.

     “Do ye think tis wise with the babe’s time so near?” she asked.

     “Tis why it’s so spontaneous. We haven’t a moment to waste,” he said as he escorted her to the passenger door of the Subaru and opened it for her.

     One hand braced on the window frame, she resisted his gentle push on her back. “But I haven’t packed anything.”

     “Well me sweet, tis part of the romance. I’ve taken care of all the details. The only thing left for ye to do is relax,” he said.

     The tension surrounding his eyes contrasted with his warm smile. There was a shield up around his energy, preventing her from using it to read him. It was so rare for him to hide his energy from her that it sent a prickling sensation creeping up her neck. She wanted to step away from the car but his unyielding, muscular frame blocked her path.

     “Kevan, what’s wrong?”

     His eyes widened but he recovered with a bewildered look and shrugged. “Nothing. Just please, trust me and come along.”

     His words tugged at the strings of her reservations, unraveling them. Though they’d been married for less than five years, she’d known him all her life. And she loved him enough to follow him all the way to this country from Ireland. Regardless of his strange mood or hidden reasons, she trusted him with her and their unborn son’s lives.

     “Alright,” she said with a sigh.

     Kevan kissed her forehead then helped her into the car. Before she even got her door closed he was in the driver’s seat turning over the engine. The car bottomed out as he whipped out of the driveway, scraping hard enough that Shannon saw sparks fly. Air shot from her lungs as the seatbelt squeezed tight around her. Kevan glanced in the rearview mirror with a look of utter fear, but smiled as he put a hand on her leg.

     “Sorry, guess I’m a little over-excited for our retreat,” he said in a badly faked jovial tone.

     Houses zipped by in a blur. Considering how far apart the houses were in Spruce Knoll, that meant Kevan’s speed had definitely surpassed the speed limit. A glance at the speedometer made Shannon’s heart pound.

     She raised an eyebrow and gave him ‘the look.’ “Kevan?”

     His hand tightened on her leg and his fake grin widened, giving him an almost maniacal look. “We don’t want to be late,” he said.

     A bit of her crackling energy leaked over onto him and his arms twitched from the pain it no doubt caused.

     “If ye don’t want to tell me, fine. But stop lyin’ ta me,” she said.

     His fake smile cracked, allowing her to catch a glimpse of his energy. It was dark with fear. Chills raced across her, raising bumps along her arms. The sudden instinct to stand and fight brought her power screaming to the surface of her skin. As a warrior druid—or channeler as the other cultures liked to calm themselves—it wasn’t in her nature to run, which was exactly what it felt like they were doing. Kevan’s smile faded completely but he didn’t say a word.

     A few blocks later they reached the outskirts of town. Nothing but trees lined the road for as far as the eye could see. Being close to the earth as druids were, the forest had always been a comfort to Shannon. But today it felt like the trees were going to swallow her up. Tears stung her eyes but she banished them easily enough. Upsetting the baby again was the last thing she wanted to do. Besides, she was with Kevan now. No matter what was wrong, with him at her side she knew they could handle it.

     Controlling her own energy when she was stressed was hard enough, let alone controlling that of her unborn son’s. But then, he was no normal baby, even for a druid. Within him he contained the power to both heal and fight. She could feel it inside her, a strange, wonderful feeling. Her kind hadn’t wielded dual power in over a thousand years. They had either one ability or the other. He was special indeed. One hand absently rubbed her swollen belly as she watched the trees flash by out the window.

     “Tis about Aiden, isn’t it?” she asked.

To read the rest of Aiden's story and for more about the channelers check out Born Of Fire on Amazon or B&N and The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, Channeler’s Choice (releasing in February of 2012), and In His Eyes (anthology releasing in February).