The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) (19 page)

"I love to come up here to think, especially on a clear night. Can you believe that our creators are up there among the stars trying to reproduce what they've done down here?"

She says this with so much feeling that I find it hard to believe that the words are coming from what seems like such an emotionless being.

"Do you believe the enchanters abandoned you?"

She turns and walks towards me, pushing a lock of hair behind my ears and caressing my cheek in a motherly way. But somehow I feel she’s doing it in a way that’s meant to put me in my place.

"I understand how for you, being raised by humans, you might see things that way. They were created as our inferiors. It's normal for you to feel abandoned since they pulled away after your creation. We enchanters were able to get the best from the Gods and when they decided we no longer needed them, they left. They simply forgot to erase their mistakes before they went away."

I feel sick to my stomach listening to her...why do enchanters have such all-consuming hatred of humans?

"Oh, my dear, don't give me that look. You’re one of us and your talents are stronger than the majority of ours, so you have nothing to be ashamed of. We’re in evolution, we’re the future of the earth and we need to finish what the Gods began.  The earth needs a good cleansing and it's imminent. There’s no room here for two distinct races. We’ve left them too long at the forefront and all they've done is destroy."

"Don't you think we could somehow ally with them and show humans how to improve life on earth rather than destroy it?"

She frowns and shakes her head.

"So naïve and innocent, you don't understand a thing right now, Lou, but it's inevitable. It's the law of survival of the fittest."

"And what if we aren't the fittest?"

She looks away from me with evident disgust.

"I think you were more affected by your past than I thought. I'll have to work on correcting that this week."

"Why did you keep Zach if you’re intent on destroying all humans?"

I know, I shouldn't ask questions like that if I'm to fit in here, but I can't help myself.

"We can love dogs, but at the same time understand that dogs can never dominate the earth. Also, what better way to understand the enemy than to study a living specimen? Dead, they're useless. Anyways, we don't want to destroy them, only dominate. After all, we’ll always need a workforce to repair the damage they’ve created."

The way that she talks about Zach is highly repugnant. But I must still pretend that nothing she says affects me. Showing my disgust for the Academy's principal won't get me ahead, that's for sure.

"I understand."

The mere fact of saying the words, regardless of the fact that they’re the furthest from my actual sentiment, makes me want to vomit on Bethany's shiny black shoes.

"Of course, I'm sure you'll be reasonable. Ok, let's start with your training session! You’ve no idea how much I’ve looked forward to working with you ever since I found out we have the same sign. It's especially important seeing as we don't have any other candidate with Ether as their sign. Ok, first things first. Can you tell me how far you can push your time-controlling energy field?"

I look at my hands, uncertain to be able to answer her correctly.

"I don't really know. It's all so new to me that I haven't had time to push my limits."

"What test did Charles do to unlock your powers in the first place?"

I don't dare tell her about Gisèle, I don't want her to associate me with my mother. I also don't know what Charles told her about me, so best is to not tell the whole truth.

"He provoked a car accident."

"So, you were under stress and you stopped time? How big a bubble did you create?"

"I don't know because I wasn't aware of what was going on. But the man who caused the accident was frozen for at least two minutes, is that good?"

She lifts an eyebrow and gives a small smile.

"That's fascinating and excellent for a first try. But most enchanters perform better under pressure. I also know that you froze that little creature from a few feet away this morning, but even then you were under pressure from the crowd. The real masters, Lou, are the ones who consistently do well under all circumstances."

"Do you know of any masters who control time?"

"Yes, I have a friend in Asia who has that gift; one day I hope to introduce you to him. It's a very useful gift, but it's difficult to use repeatedly because it takes so much of your strength. You’ll need to use it wisely to be successful in combat and you’ll need to develop your fighting skills. Zach tells me that you’re managing well, and that's wonderful! Learn everything you can from him and you’ll become a real asset to your team. With me, you’ll learn to master your other gift, that of persuasion."

"Charles taught me a little bit, and I managed to make someone name the wrong color, and I also made Zach believe that his popcorn was disgusting. Apart from playing tricks on people, I find it hard to see how it will help me in combat."

Bethany looks thoughtful and walks over to sit down next to a coffee table at the back of the room. She motions me over to her and taps the chair next to her.

"There's more than one way to win a battle, Lou. We can see the barbarity and impulsiveness of combat, or we can use strategy to arrive at our goals. The best wars are won between four walls. A general must be a keen strategist to best direct his troops. If you want have your own successful team, you'll have to plan your battles well."

"And how will persuasion help me to become a little Napoleon?"

"One step at a time, my dear. The art of persuasion is relatively easy to learn. Any child with Ether as their sign can convince their parents to buy them a new toy. The real skill is in knowing when to use your gift. Contrary to my talent of manipulation, persuasion won't allow you to change someone's free will.

She puts her gloved hand on my cheek.

"If I took off my glove right now, I could push you to do exactly as I command. But, that's illegal except in extraordinary circumstances. We can't mess around with free-will."

I put myself in Bethany's shoes for a moment. A gift that she cannot even use is a shame, really, although I'm not so crazy as to want her to use it on me.

"Don't worry, Lou. It has come in handy for me more than once. I don't usually need to use my gift and anyways, I can still always use persuasion. Let's conduct a little test to see how strong yours is. I call it the Spirit Game. I have to tell you that I’m the champion; so don't feel disappointed if you don't win. Nobody’s beaten me yet."

She smiles and looks directly into my eyes, waiting for some sort of response, but I’m not that kind of a girl. I’ve never felt the need to be the best at anything and I’m certainly not somebody who challenges others to a duel. I'm not interested in a cockfight or a fight to the death. As I don't fall into her trap, Bethany continues the conversation.

"Follow me."

She gets up and gracefully walks over to a small backlit frosted window. She waves her hand in front of the window that lowers to create a table. On the other side of the glass are some bottles. I imagine that it's her personal bar. What is she planning? Are we going to have a drinking contest for last woman standing?

Bethany removes a bottle that contains a blue liquid.

"This is a drink that was created especially for those with our sign. Anyone who drinks this liquid and doesn’t have Ether as his or her sign will taste flat water. For us, it can have two uses; if it’s consumed on its own, it will have any flavor that you wish; therefore it will be the best tasting drink ever, the ultimate cocktail. But, for our little game, each of us will place our hands on either side of the glass that is placed in the center of the glass countertop. The aim of the game is to persuade the other, simply by using our mind, to convince the other to drink it, all the while imagining that it has the vilest flavor possible. This takes the highest level of skill because you must both imagine the horrid taste and convince the other person. The fact that I’ve not been able to use my principal gift has led me to develop my second to its maximum potential, that's why I’m the champion."

"But are there side-effects?"

"This drink is called Hypnose and other than the nasty taste that you get if your adversary is highly skilled, there are no side-effects. Do you have any other questions, Lou?"

“No, I understand."

I think about possible flavors that I could assign to it. After a few moments, I settle on a memory from my childhood of a surprise recipe that I prepared for my parents. It was a blend of everything I could find in the refrigerator, including the things that had gone bad. Wanting to impress my parents, I took a big mouthful first to taste-test my masterpiece. Unfortunately, I was sick for a week after and had terrible indigestion because of the rotten meat. I can still recall the foul taste of the concoction whenever I think about it.

"I know that you won't be able to beat her, little bug, don't even bother trying. Bethany hates to lose and if you beat her at her favorite game, you can forget about ever being in her good books again."

So, Mr. Susceptible is still watching me. His comment wakes a sudden desperation in me, and for the first time in my life, I feel competitive stirrings.

"Are you ready to begin, Lou?"

"Ready."

"Perfect, we'll get into position and we'll stay there until one of us drinks the Hypnose. I am sure that you won't have to wait long. I will knock the glass on the table and when it turns grey, we will begin."

I look Bethany in the eyes while still keeping the glass in my field of vision; Bethany does the same and taps the glass on the table without looking away from me. In a couple of seconds the liquid turns a greyish color and as soon as it does I create a bubble at head level that I then increase in size to meet Bethany’s. I immediately imagine the taste of my fierce cocktail and start to repeat "drink it" silently in my head.

I feel my hands begin to tingle and I’m suddenly overwhelmed by an obsessive need to drink the cocktail. Just as I lift my hand to drink the beverage, I manage to resist temptation. Reason brings me back to my goal and I push the thought away to replace it with "drink it". I see her hand trembling and wonder if she does this with all her opponents. Her stare pierces me but I can see a glimmer of shock and confusion in it. Now, this seems to be a new feeling for her and she looks furious. I seize the opportunity and increase the intensity of my field; at least, I think I do. After a few minutes and what seems like an interminable struggle, the impossible happens: Bethany lets out a cry and one of the two of us drinks the dastardly drink. The look on her face tells me that I was successful in giving the drink an atrocious flavor.

"Incredible," whistles the voice in my head.

Bethany looks at the table, all the while fiercely gripping it.

"Nobody has ever made me drink it before."

She returns to her typical ramrod straight stance and raises her chin to regain her usual absolute composure.

"It's a shame you weren't able to change the taste, the Hypnose had no flavor at all."

Oh, no she didn't! She dares to lie to me! I open my mouth to protest and think better of it immediately. After all, I know I was successful; I don't need to put her back up against the wall.

"Really? That’s too bad."

"You're lying, little rabbit. I saw her face and you certainly succeeded in revolting her. Why don't you say something? Have you no pride?"

I refuse to answer Black's taunts. Contrary to the two of them, I am not vain and I see no point in trying to prove myself.

Bethany places the glass back in the cupboard and quickly closes everything back up again.

"Ok, let's keep this between the two of us, do we understand one another? I’m exhausted today and wanted to push you to your limits. Any other day, I never would’ve let you win."

She looks at me for approval and slicks back her hair with the back of her hand before straightening out her dress. She is evidently uncomfortable with the situation. I need to find a way to turn this around because, after all, she needs to teach me about my gift. There's no way I’ll benefit from her knowledge if she hates me for beating her at her own skill.

"Bethany, I know you let me win to give me confidence, but I’m here to learn and I know you’ll help me do that."

"Pity is such a human emotion...." sighs Lord Black, in a hateful voice.

"Well, I suppose you’re right, Lou. I shouldn't let you win; you'll never learn anything that way. Please forgive me."

Mission accomplished. She once again offers me her smug smile.

"Good, we have much more to do before moving on to the banquet," she continues, walking over to a small hatch in the wall.

She opens it, and as she does the glass on the ceiling darkens, plunging the room into absolute darkness. A glowing sphere then appears in the center of the dome, and projected all around us are the rotating planets of the solar system.

"This place and this projector are powerful training tools, Lou. The control panel has a multitude of settings, one for each of the various gifts, and this one is yours. Go into the middle of the room."