Ancient Blood

Chapter 2

I awoke to the chirping of birds. I bolted upright, immediately regretting it. I clutched my head as my vision spun and blurred. My pulse pounded behind my ears.

"You're awake."

I jumped slightly and turned to the armchair pulled up to the bed. Alasdiar sat, a bit slouched, with his stormy grey eyes trained on me. The pain in my head grew worse and I winced. "You should rest still. You woke too early, Laut's spell seems to have it's side effects."

"Side effects?" I asked in a hushed voice.

The corner of his lips twitched ever so slightly. "Magic used to bind another can have some ill effects on the target. Nausea, headaches, vomiting, and in cases of ones magical powers being bound, a light coma. You, my dear kitten, hold an abundance of magical powers therefore the spell used on you was more powerful than the one used on your other- how should I say this- colleagues back at the facilities. Yes," he said in a low voice that sounded as if he were speaking to himself. "Children of Tír na Nóg do indeed store much more energy than normal magi. And females all the more so. Say," this time he spoke to me. "Have you met any other children of Tír na Nóg? Did they express the same magical output as you do?"

I shook my head slowly. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you are talking about. They called me, Raven and Dawson children of- whatever it is you said. But I don't know what that means."

Alasdiar sighed and sat up in his chair. "Did they teach you anything there at all?"

I shrugged and folded my hands in my lap. "They taught us how to communicate with some of the Fae, and to not harm or anger them or they'll turn against us. They taught us some gardening and harvesting but as for magic they told us to rely on the Fae for help."

"The neighbours would be mad hearing you speak of them so distant."

"N-neighbours?"

Alasdiar nodded. "That is the Fae's preferred term. All those who dabble in the unseen arts call the creatures around us their neighbours. They live in this world side by side with us, coexisting on the same plane though few can perceive them. They aid us who hold magical energies should we ask of them and we help them in return. That is why they are called our neighbours. It would do you good to remember as such." Unable to speak up, I nodded and looked at my hands. Alasdiar sighed. "Though not much good came out of lessons from the facilities it is good to see they taught you something. We do call on our neighbours from time to time but magecraft can be used from the raw magical energies we generate within ourselves. Wouldn't any neighbour be mad if you asked them for sugar every day?"

I nodded again, not saying anything. It was odd, being lectured by someone I barely knew. I played with a loose string on the cover. Alasdiar sighed again, this time standing up. I still didn't raise my eyes. "Come," he said sternly. "You wont learn anything cooped up inside all day. Let's take a walk in the gardens. Surely the teachers at the facility told you nature is the best way to balance out your magical energies and dispel magic sickness."

He strode across the room and threw open the wardrobe. "Penelope is a fine seamstress, we should pick you out something to wear."

I suddenly became very conscious I was still wearing the white dress from the auction. Heat rose in my cheeks and I discreetly sniffed the fabric. I groaned internally and tossed the covers off of me. I set my feet on the ground and took a deep breath. "Before our walk," I said quietly. I peeked over at Alasdiar through my no doubt birds nest of hair. "Might I take a shower?"

"Shower?" Alasdiar looked at me puzzled for a moment before his face lit up. "Ah, yes. You wish to bathe. Penelope and Erina said you'd want a nice soak when you finally awoke. Come, I'll take you to the bathroom."