In The Shadows

6. Lavender and Rain

Thea was freezing. It was starting to get a little easier to exist in her mortal body but the desperate sad weakened state it seemed to always be in was sickening. Thea dug her heels into the ground to test it before deciding that the little piece of earth was good enough for the spell. Even though the grass was wet and probably crawling with worms, Thea laid herself down on it. The moment her body met the ground, a cool wetness seeped into her clothes while the grass pricked her exposed arms and legs. She sneezed. Rolling her eyes, Thea dug her fingers  and heels into the ground.
The ground beneath her felt a little rotten but it was not so much that it would stop her. Dark magic usually had that effect on places. It ate away at anything around it that was filled with life. It had to feed and the fact that the grief staining the air was barely sufficient, it needed other sources.

Thea, once she had made herself comfortable, sucked in some of the cold air around her and began to sing. The words floating from her mouth felt strange and as they left her throat they scratched at it. Thea closed her eyes for a brief second to will away the pain but she never stopped singing.
Magic use was not one of her strongest abilities but she did do fairly well with it. Here, in places where more humans resided, Magic barely clung to the air. She had to scrimp off any bits that floated around or lay dormant in the earth. It was a difficult process but it was necessary if she wanted to complete the spell.

"If you do not complete your spell, Magic will begin to pull at you and we both know how that would end," the witch's voice played in her head.

She had simply nodded her head then. She knew what would happen. It had been a long time since she had used Magic but she knew the consequences.
The air around her had began to pulsate and the faint smell of lavender and wet earth had made its way into her nose. She sang louder. Soon the energy she was pulling from Magic with her song had began to flow through her in waves.
Tears escaped her eyes when the pain, the ripping sensation Magic carried had become overwhelming. Not only was the pain moving through her body atrocious but also the smell. It had grown so strong during the song that it had slowly began to choke her.
She desperately wanted to cry out when Magic began to lick at the tips of her fingers and heels like a ferocious flame but she kept strong.
Thea shut her eyes and forced herself to let go of all feeling. Numbing the pain would be the only way she would be able to continue the spell she realized.
She decided to focus on the movement of Magic. Still singing, she stretched out her neck and then very gently began to guide her own energy in the pattern Magic used. Though it still hurt her insides, she managed to make its movement feel a little natural. She let her lips turn up in a little smile.
The spell had reached a crooked harmony that was almost peaceful. Thea would have let herself dive deeper into that serene place if not for the low sound in the back of her mind. Thea turned her head to the side.

"My love," a hoarse voice whispered.

Thea's eyes shot open and then she quickly sat up. The abrupt motion caused her to choke out the last word of the spell. The moment the word left her mouth, Magic fled her body taking with it what little warmth she had in her.
The shock of the cold slamming into her made her body shake. She tried to calm herself. She tried to forget the voice but it, like a leech, refused to let go of her mind.
She had felt the intruder slip through her pain but she had ignored it. She shook her head angrily.

"They haven't found me," she told herself, "Not yet."

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The kitchen door creaked open as Thea stepped into the room. Her hair appeared to be partially wet and a few strands of it lay matted against her forehead. Her clothes were disheveled and her skin looked clammy and pallid.
She had not once turned to acknowledge my presence but I knew she had seen me by the kitchen sink.

"You want a picture?" She asked me, her voice coming out a little raspy.

I arched an eyebrow but did not respond. Thea walked passed me to get to the kitchen cabinets behind me. Once she got to one, she opened it and grabbed a glass. The sound of her bare feet slapping against the tiled kitchen floor brought my attention to them. My eyes widened at the sight of them.
The whole of her heel right up to her ankles looked like they were recently burnt and her toes were robbed of all colour.
When I could finally bring myself to look up at her, she was already by my side at the sink filling her glass with water. She was shaking slightly but it was her hands that shook the most. The same charred appearance of her heels was taken by the tips of her fingers that encircled her glass.  Not really wanting to but feeling the need to, I opened my mouth to speak.

"Are you...?"

"I'm fine, Allison," Thea cut me off.

"Wow. I just wanted..."

"I'm fine. If there is anyone you should be worried about, it's your friend at the door. It's almost about to rain."

Not knowing what else to say or do, I left the kitchen but not before catching a whiff of lavender and wet earth.

Opening the front door, I caught Ted with his hand raised to knock on the door. Startled, he jumped back and almost tripped and fell but I caught him by his forearm to steady him.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It's fine," he replied while straightening himself.

"How long have you been at the door?"

Ted chuckled.

"Are you serious, Professor X?I hadn't even knocked."

I rolled my eyes at him and his chuckle turned into a loud guffaw.

"That's not even funny."

"It kind of is. I...I never realized our bond had strengthened," Ted told me while reaching out to touch my forehead.

Smacking away his hand I said, "Let me go and grab my bag."

Rain began to fall heavily once Ted's grandfather pulled out from the driveway and I couldn't help but wonder whether I had seen a cloud in the sky earlier.