Elemental Eclipse

🌻Chapter Eight; Part Three: Night Magick🌻

Rachael was practicing the spell she learned earlier with Tim in her bedroom. She linked her fingers and pulled them apart to find threadlike resin in between them. "Rethina."

Another wave of nausea ran through her, the resin turning to water from her loss of concentration. She held her head for a moment before her bedroom door swung open revealing a smiling Shreya.

"Clear out your schedule tonight, Rachael! We've got a date with the deep dark forest, and we can't miss it." Shreya smiles. "I was just in Penn Square where I ran into Griffin, who told me about the rave in the woods tonight to celebrate the December solstice! It's super exclusive, as in underclassmen aren't invited. But if we can find the rave on our own, we can get in like he did last year!"

"You want to trample through the forest in the middle of the night for a rave we might not even find?" Rachael asks.

"What's with that glass half empty outlook?" Shreya gasps dramatically. "Zeph's already on board, and I waylaid Smartypants outside the library and got him to promise to come along too."

"In that case, we'll find it for sure. And a party sounds fun after all the studying I've been doing." Rachael says, smiling at her. Shreya squealed in excitement, full aware that getting Beckett to come along was one of the only reasons Rachael had agreed to and she has never been prouder of herself as a finesser.

"Great! I'll let the others know you'll be ready in ten! And no dawdling." Shreya smiles excitedly.

—

About thirty minutes later, the small group of freshmen mutually agreed that they were lost in the woods looking for the rave.

"I'd like it to be known that I will not tramp around all night long when I could be studying." Beckett grumbles, as they trudge through the woods.

"Beckett, I hate to be the judgmental one, but like... What did you do as a kid?" Zeph asks, looking at him like he was crazy.

"You could study the trees and bugs, if it makes you feel better." Rachael teases.

"Pend Pals, shush! We won't be able to hear the party over your bickering!" Shreya scolds. Everyone went silent and they continued on like that for a few minutes before breaking the silence. "Okay, I'll be the first to say it. I'm kinda over not being there yet."

"What's that sound?" Rachael asks, hearing a rustling sound nearby, everyone stepped back from it except Beckett.

"Who goes there? I'll have you know I'm armed with the power of Metal magick and rage!" Beckett grumbles, putting his hands out in front of him defensively ready to cast a spell if needed.

"Calm down, Harrington. It's just me." Griffin says stepping out of the bushes. "If I knew you guys would have ended up so far off track, I'd have started my search an hour ago. You missed the moon gate."

"The what now?" Zeph asks.

"The moon gate. It let's you relive a few minutes of your past, but it's magick won't be active again until next year." Griffin sighs. "Come on, party's this way. I can sneak you in and make it look like you found the place all by yourselves."

They could see the glow of the party as they got closer and they could feel the base of the music in the ground even when they couldn't hear it. They camd into a clearing full of floating lights and people dancing to the music pulsing around them.

"Enjoy the party I recommend getting in one of the light shows. You can do lots of cool magick with the solstice's energy powering you up." Griffin says.

"Everyone except me, cause my magicks been acting up today. And I almost fainted earlier in class." Rachael says. "I'm like pretty sure I'm dying."