The Opal Witch: Prophecy (Book Two)

Chapter Sixteen

Lux

The explosion sent shards of rock scattering across the field and air. Only the shield Lux created protected her body from the debris, but the pain they could cause had nothing on the hurt rioting in her heart. When the dust settled, she dropped the shield and stomped over to the table where she placed an even larger stone on its surface. Its craggy surface and heavy weight felt good in her hands, and if she succeeded, it would be the largest one she'd ever destroyed.

Back in position, she blew warm air in between her chilled palms. January was a capricious month. Last week she'd been able to wear leggings and a long sleeved shirt outside. Today, she wished for her gloves, and when she studied the slate-colored sky, she thought the weatherman might get it right for once. Snow and sleet would visit tonight, and as she drew on her power, she wished she could draw on the cold as well. To coat herself with it like an icy shield that could protect her foolish heart from further aches.

"Did the stone do something to you?"

Concentration shattered, she spun around to face Calum, the Guardian Declan brought back from wherever the hell he'd disappeared to for months. She was sure Calum and Percy were nice enough, though Percy's immaturity wore thin after a while. Calum was almost uncomfortably beautiful, surpassing even the Sylph's ethereal handsomeness, but he was withdrawn and taciturn on his best days. She'd caught him watching her and Declan, and it was only then that she spied true emotion churning beneath his cerulean gaze. Heartbreaking emotions like longing and grief all knotted together by a thick cord of rage, and in a flash of Knowing, she saw that he would burn in that rage if he stayed on his current path.

"What's it to you?" she asked, refocusing on the stone. The lack of manners would appall her mother- Calum was a guest- but Lux didn't care. She was cranky from lack of sleep because of the dream, and the tension in the house was enough to drive anyone insane. Three days had passed since Declan came back to her, and he felt farther away than ever before.

Her channeling stone heated and magic swirled to her fingertips. All the elements called to her, none stronger than the other, the way it was for most witches. It made learning easier and harder.

Easier because she had more tools at her disposal. Harder because other witches poured all their training into honing their skills with their strongest elements until they could wield that magic like a blade. They learned how to be crafty with the tools they had, often achieving more with less because of it.

During one training session, Audra told Lux she wielded the elements the way a toddler wields a stick- too much force and no finesse. So every week Lux chose one element to be the power behind all of her spells, whether it was the best or obvious choice. Then she started over.

This week, she worked with water. Fire would suit her mood better, but in many ways, water was far more destructive. It could overwhelm and drown a person and flood the land, but it could also snuff out flames or erode mountains if given enough time.

Calum's shadow fell across her as he stepped behind her. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder, and worked on pushing water through every vulnerable place in the stone. No crack or flaw was left alone, and when she was certain she could push no more inside, she froze it.

"Was something supposed to happen?" Calum whispered, something other than his usual apathy changing his tone.

Lux didn't respond. She'd done the same thing just moments ago. Freezing the water rapidly and then using her telekinesis to intensify the splitting of the stone so it acted like an explosion. But the rock remained intact.

Shield remaining up, she crept to the table. Fine lines rimmed with frost ran through the stone in every place she'd filled with water. The fissures were deep. The stone wasn't a single stone any longer, but it remained in a single piece.