The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) (21 page)

"Thanks for the advice, Zach, I’ll be more careful."

As I say these words I see out of the corner of my eye that my spirit’s invader has entered the room. Black is there and watching me darkly, as if I had just done something to displease him. Zach turns away and sighs. He takes me by the arm and guides me to the buffet. I hear Black’s signature grumble in my head. Why always with the authoritarian grumbling? He looks away from me, visibly gritting his teeth.

"Do you want something to drink? I'll go to the bar," says Zach, softly touching the lower part of my back.

"I already have something, but I'll wait for you here," I answer him, showing him my bottle. The drink is a sparkling honey-flavored cocktail and is delicious.

"Perfect! I'll be right back. Meanwhile, go and get some food and save me a piece of cheesecake; it's the Academy's specialty."

I look at all my choices: superb looking cakes, but also plenty of treats that I’ve never seen before. I bite my lips while I fill my plate, looking forward to the feast I’m about to have. I notice large hands reaching out on the other side of the buffet table. There he is, Lord Black, standing only a couple of feet from me and still glaring. Not able to suffer his silent concentration any longer, I continue my way along the buffet, taking a little of whatever is in front of me, as I am now completely distracted by his imposing presence. He follows my every move until we reach the end of the table and then he advances towards me until he is inches from my face.

"Miss Mills."

"Mr. Black."

"You are the lamb in the middle of a pack of wolves."

He dips his finger in the whipped cream that fills half my plate and brings it delicately to his lips. He then leans over as close as possible to my ear.

"I think they’re only waiting for the right moment to devour you."

"Enough of this predator/prey talk Black! I believe we've said everything there is to say."

"On the contrary, Miss Mills, the subject has only just begun. I believe you love to be chased, since you seem to continue with your activities that you know irritate me."

"And what activities are your referring to?"

"You’re playing with fire when it comes to this human, and I'm watching you. Don’t step over the line with him."

"I believe you’re spending much too much time observing me. After all, I’m a human girl, a simple ant, a mere pebble in your shoe. And soon you'll have no more claim to my soul and I’ll turn the page and forget about you. So, please do me a favor and do the same if I’m so annoying to you!"

"So, you think about me, do you, little rabbit?"

"Not in the way you think."

He stares at my lips and raises a questioning eyebrow.

"No?"

"No, now please excuse me."

I turn away from him to join Zach who is in deep discussion with Flicka and Pax at the bar. None of my friends seem to have noticed the unstable condition that Black has left me in. I take a glass from Zach's hand and empty it in two swallows.

"Wow! Tough day, Lou?" says Pax, ordering me another drink.

"In fact, I do believe that I’m having a hard time managing all this novelty."

"I'm having a terrible time here too. It's very different from China, even for enchanters. Our approach is much more Zen and minimalist, a little less centered on spectacle," continues Pax, pointing to the room's decor.

"I think I would love the magical China," I answer him in a dreamy voice.

"What did you say to Lord Black? He's still glaring at you and doesn't seem very pleased," mentions Flicka while playing with my hair.

"Nothing at all, and that's the problem," I answer her.

"He doesn't like the fact that she was raised by humans and that she’s my friend, another human."

"A friend? Don't speak too soon Zach, I'm her friend."

"Flicka! Ok, let's stop talking about Black, I can't stand that pretentious, egotistical man."

I forget that he can hear our whole conversation and put my hand over my mouth.

"Don't worry, Lou. He can't hear you from across the room," says Flicka, taking a sip of her steaming pink liqueur.

On the contrary, Black seems to have heard every word and looks away from me, turning towards Bethany. She greets him with open arms and, despite the distance that he intentionally put between them this morning, he wraps her in a warm hug while still keeping his eyes on me. I feel a strong jolt of jealousy run through me, but I know that he isn't worth it. I decide to try and forget what’s going on at the other side of the room and direct my attention back to my friends.

"I'll be right back, Lou, and then we can talk about our next combat classes." Zach says, tapping me on the tip of the nose and then leaving the room.

"So, Lou, do you know who you’re going to dance with?" asks Flicka while looking at me curiously.

"Dance? What are you talking about?"

"In a couple of minutes they'll start up the music and to open the evening each person must dance with someone who has the opposite sign."

Great, and here’s me who dances like a potted plant. Yesterday I needed that disgusting cocktail to make me feel like a natural on the dance floor.

"Um, do you want to dance with me Flicka? Because I’m Air sign and you’re Earth, so we’re opposites...only if you want to, that is..." asks Pax, looking completely intimidated.

"Pax, I hope that you’re a good dancer, I don't want you to step on my toes!"

"Impossible! Come, hold my hand and put your feet on mine."

Flicka does as she’s told and Pax starts to gently levitate, raising his friend into the air along with him. He turns her in one sudden motion and they’re floating on air. They’re magnificent together. It's a shame Flicka doesn't see things that way.

"Wow, Pax, incredible! I feel as if I’m flying."

"So, you'll dance with me?"

"For sure!"

The lights suddenly dim and Bethany lets Lord Black lead her out once more to the middle of the room.

"Attention, everybody, we’ve now reached the time for our customary first dance. In our world of opposites that balance each other, I would ask you to choose a dance partner who has the opposite sign than yours. Earth with Air, Fire with Water."

With that, she throws a powder into the air that disperses throughout the room like thousands of small silvery flakes that remain suspended and instantly create a mystical ambiance. More impressive than a disco ball, that’s for sure!

Pax takes Flicka's hand and guides her onto the dance floor with most of the other participants. If Water and Fire, and Earth and Air are opposites, then what is the opposite of Ether?

The music begins to vibrate through the room as the song
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
resonates. I find it so strange that this group of enchanters has chosen a human song to open their ball.

I stand there, planted like a post in the middle of all these silvery flakes, watching the other enchanters dance. One man threads his way through the couples towards me, Black. Oh no, please don't... No, this can't be happening.

"Come, Lou," he says in an authoritarian tone, holding out his hand to me. I’m completely hypnotized by his eyes and even if the guardian angel on my shoulder is shouting for me to refuse, my demon is telling me to follow him and slides my hand into his. Another shock runs through me as I make contact with his skin. Black guides me gently to the dance floor and places his hand in the small of my back, exactly where Zach had put his earlier.

"You’re not of my opposite sign...what is your sign, anyways?"

"Oh, believe me, I’m your opposite in all ways."

I’m too confused to realize that he hasn't answered my question. During the rest of the song, I’m under the impression that time has stopped and there are only the two of us among all these stars. We turn gently, continually finding our balance. His face is so close to mine that I can feel his breath on my cheek. I can see and feel each of the details of his body; his eyes are of such a deep blue that they could contain a galaxy. I put my hand on his chest and feel his body tense. His whole being tightens, as if he were afraid of moving. The last notes of the song finish and my dance with Black is over. He stops and looks at me in a way I don't recognize. He leans in a whisper away from my mouth, tilting me back and then he lets me go and I fall to the floor.

He exits the room, leaving me alone in the middle of all those eyes. He abandons me without an explanation and I know he’s no longer in my soul, either. I’m free of him, but I feel a deep, inexplicable sadness. I lift my chin and I see Zach standing there, mouth open. He shakes his head and leaves then walks out of the room as well. Bethany and the others are all glaring at me, but I won't stay here long enough to analyze the situation. I stand up and run to my room without saying goodnight to Flicka.

"One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night
Kahlil Gibran

I enter my room, still completely confused by the way Black looked at me. He's a real weather vane, that man. I can't tell what's going on with him. Does he feel sorry for me? But I was told that pity was only a human emotion. Is it his way of dominating me, or chasing me away? Maybe he saw right through me and knows exactly what effect he has on me. He must have wanted to hammer the spike in a little deeper. I could spend the whole night thinking about it, but I know that won't get me anywhere.

I wonder why Zach looked so upset? I can imagine he was surprised to see me in Black's arms. After all, he’s supposedly my enemy. I just want to get under the covers and never come back out. I manage to get into bed and grab my phone only to see that my parents have left me a message. Actually, I'm a little surprised that they haven't checked in with me sooner. My mother asks if I’m having a nice vacation and she wants me to send her an email to let her know that everything is ok. My God, if she only knew how far from the truth that is! She would probably jump off the cruise ship and swim to me. Instead of telling her the truth, I tell her how good everything is. It's as if I'm living a double life, one normal and one that is completely insane. I fall asleep after listening to a couple of songs and I fall into a deep sleep.

Later, in my dreams I hear a sinister growling, something like Black's, but not quite the same. Without even opening my eyes I feel breath and a cold, wet nose on my cheek. The growling becomes more and more insistent and I prepare for the worst. Is this a dream, or reality? Suddenly I remember Zach's advice concerning an attack while sleeping. I focus all my energy and open my eyes to attack without even thinking about it.

What I hit seems to be an extraterrestrial creature, some kind of enormous dog, but thin and hairless. His back is covered with sharp spikes and the beast is enraged. He is foaming at the mouth and his two great bloodshot eyes seem to be determined to destroy every bit of me. I have seen creatures like this in mythology books at the library, but they’re South American mythological creatures. It must be a chupacabra.

Although he looks determined, the beast is still crouched on the floor as a result of my sudden surprise attack. I hear grumbling when I approach and sense that it’s building its strength back up. In one pounce, it tips me backwards and I find myself pinned to the ground under its weight. Its sharp teeth approach dangerously close to my face while I try to hold the creature at arm’s length. It’s so close to me that I smell its sour breath and I feel its spit dripping down my cheek.

This is evidently not anyone's lapdog, but a real monster.

In the heat of the moment and in desperation, I use every ounce of energy I can find and create another energy field around me. But, for some reason, this time the bubble becomes a ball of fire that is directed at the beast. The creature ignites and howls in pain.

I stay there, immobile. What’ve I done? How did I do it? The creature continues howling for a few seconds and then extinguishes in a pile of blackened flesh and ash on the floor. I look at my hands, trying to make sense of what just happened, wondering if I've hallucinated the whole thing or if I've really done what it seems.

The door to my room opens with a crash and I see Zach, followed by Bethany and her crazy sister. The three of them look at me as if waiting for an explanation. There’s only uncomfortable silence now and I don't know how to even begin. Jézabel is the first to make a sound and when she does speak, it's to cry out hysterically:

"What have you done? That was my favorite animal!"

She begins to pull at her hair, turning in desperate circles and then pacing the floor in furor. I can tell by her actions that she isn't all there. I finally understand that I’ve just killed her pet, if indeed the creature could even be called an animal.

"Your dog tried to kill me in my sleep and if I hadn't done anything, the beast would probably have eaten me for a snack!"

Bethany stands there, arms crossed, silent and motionless as a statue. Zach comes over to me and takes me in his arms.

"Are you ok? I'm so sorry. I was going for a walk to the stables when I saw his cage was open. I saw the creature at a distance and followed it as best as I could.  I saw that it entered the Academy and then I heard noises coming from your hallway. I figured it all out pretty quickly after that.”

"How did you do it?" asks Bethany, still looking just as serious.

"I haven't a clue! I was woken up, I pushed him away with my energy and then he fell to the floor in flames and then he extinguished. I don't know what else to tell you."

"An energy field can't incinerate something, Lou! Are you sure there isn't something else that you’re keeping from us?" demands Bethany, coming out of her stony state to point to the smoking remains of the creature on the floor.

"I know what I'm saying doesn't make any sense, but I don't have anything better to give you. I don’t want to continue making a spectacle of myself, so I'll keep my explanation as simple as I can."

"I saw what she’s capable of this morning in combat class. She completely destroyed three of my scarecrows with her gifts."

Bethany scowls, visibly frustrated, and turns back to her sister.

"Pick up that thing, I don't want to spread panic among the other candidates. Understood?"

"Yes, sister, don't worry, I'll clean up everything as usual."

Poor Jézabel lies down on the ground and wraps her arms around the hideous creature as if it were a Chihuahua. She’s quickly covered in ashes and pets the beast's cadaver as if it were still alive.

I pity her. The poor thing, I can see how panicked she still is and I do feel somewhat guilty. In fact, I guess that it’s completely my fault, although I don't see why I should have sacrificed myself for someone's companion animal. Bethany leaves the room, not before shooting me one of her most serious looks as if she were trying to pull the truth out of me. After a few minutes Jézabel picks up the creature and, still sniffling and crying over it, takes it out of the room with her. Zach comes over to me and sits beside me on the bed.

"Are you ok? I'm really sorry that I wasn't there for you. I missed being here by a couple of seconds. I am relieved that you managed to defend yourself. You’re a real warrior."

"Zach, about what happened during the ceremony, I'm really sorry."

"No, it's ok. I don't want to talk about it. Anyways, we'll see each other in the morning for your combat lesson. I'm going to go and take a tour of the stables and make sure everyone is locked up tight. We'll see each other in the morning. Ok?"

He leaves my room, closing the door behind him. He really did look hurt by what he saw of Black and me. I wonder what a stable of monsters could look like. My curiosity is telling me I really should ask for a tour tomorrow, maybe Zach will take me over there.  It would be nice if that were the worst of the creatures over there. I don't even want to think about something that could be more ferocious than the chupacabra.

All the drama has me fully awake now, but something else is still bugging me. How did I manage to incinerate that thing? I guess that it's what Gertrude and Charles warned me about. Since I’m a moonchild, I must be in the process of developing other gifts. I'm going to need to work on them when I’m alone in my room. There's not much use of continuing to use them uncontrolled. If I don't take them in hand, my whole plan to stay under the radar will be pointless. I wonder if there’s any way that I’ll be able to use all the skills? Best would be to try, I guess; I sure would love to float on air like Pax!

I bound out of bed and concentrate on my feet while hopping, hoping to eventually remain suspended, but nothing happens.

Maybe I should try and transform into an animal like Gertrude. I stand in front of the mirror and imagine being Nyx. But that only makes me miss the little ball of fur more; it would be so nice to see her again. Despite standing there frowning into the mirror, all I manage is to make myself look completely ridiculous!

Maybe my skills will develop one after the other, and not all at once. Then I should concentrate on the fire one, because that one at least seems to be present. I look around the room to find something to practice on that won't light the whole Academy on fire. I find a couple of beeswax candles sitting on top of the fireplace mantle. I put them on the ground near the hearth and sit cross-legged nearby with my hands at my sides. I imagine the heat and the beauty of the flames and after a couple of seconds of concentration the six candles light with remarkable intensity. The heat is so intense that I find I need to blow them out quickly before the flames decide to move elsewhere in the room. I look at my hands, shocked by their power and with a snap of my fingers I manage to create a spark.

There is obviously a force within me and that scares me. What if I can't manage to control it? What if I’m the hostess of a force that takes me over and begins to control me? Am I strong enough for my own destiny? I have so many questions and people who I would love to speak to, but none of them are nearby. Charles is a great confidante, but he's not here. I crawl back into my bed, completely exhausted by what I’ve just done.

Wednesday goes by rather quickly; I have my lesson with Zach who teaches me to push my energy field even farther by narrowing it to a single beam and aiming for smaller and smaller targets. At the end of the lesson I even managed to move a can of soup that was ten feet away. In the afternoon I joined Bethany who seemed to have forgotten yesterday's lesson; she was actually in a good mood. She showed me the Academy's breathtaking library and I promised myself that I would go there as soon as possible. She also showed me the section that deals with the history of enchanters and taught me about the past wars that were fought against humans, those that happened before we came to live in the shadows. I finished the day in the cafeteria, spending the supper hour chatting with my two friends.

Zach promised to come and get me at the Academy at around seven o'clock to give me a tour of Jézabel's stables. As promised, he’s on time, seated proudly on the back of his motorcycle and offers me a helmet. I put on the helmet, too curious and excited to talk. I get on the small bike and hold on to him tightly while he gives me tour of the city in a silence that I appreciate.

I admire the grand architecture that surrounds us and I can't help but look at Lord Black's sumptuous mansion. Seeing his house brings back the haunting memories of our dance together. Why did he leave so suddenly? I will probably never find out since I won't be having an occasion to see him again. Zach makes a tight turn and drives toward a small hill. At its base there is an opening that looks like a tunnel and we stop a few feet from the entrance. A tall, strong-looking man stands a few feet away from us until he teleports to land at our sides a moment later.

"Hi, Zach, so you've brought someone to keep you company while you do your forced labor tonight?"

"Yes! Lou is new here and she wanted so see our little friends. Tell me, where were you last night? I suppose you heard that the chupacabra escaped and almost killed this young woman?" answers Zach, motioning to me.

"You mean you were the one who completely incinerated Chupa?"

Oh,oh! Now he looks furious.

"He was going to attack her, it was self-defense you know! And anyways, she’s still learning to control her energy..."

"Ok, I get it. Go ahead. Anyways, I don't know how Chupa got away since I had only just repaired his enclosure. I'm really sorry, miss. It's just that Chupa was my favorite and keeping watch over his enclosure was my responsibility. I fell asleep, that never happens. I'm really sorry."

I can see he’s bitter; he must really have loved the...thing.

"Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. It was a series of coincidences. I’m really sorry about what happened to your...animal."

He shrugs and sighs, then instantly appears on the top of the hill. Zach helps me off the motorcycle and guides me into the tunnel. The stench of the place is overwhelming. It’s worse than a pigsty! Seeing my discomfort, Zach laughs and taps me on the back.

"You'll get used to it, the first time I came here I threw up on Bethany's lovely shoes. Believe me, you're doing better than I did."

"Just wait, I haven't actually taken a full breath since coming in, so watch out for your shoes! Is this what the man meant when he said you had to do your forced labor?"

"I feed the animals. Actually, I offered to do it; I’m really fascinated by these creatures and I see it as a privilege. Plus, we're not just talking chickens and pigs here, believe me!"

"Ok, show me, I want to see! But first tell me, are these all Jézabel's creatures?"

"In fact yes, they are. There used to be another owner who had her same gift, but he was killed during a troll chase in Ireland a few years ago. Jézabel is now the sole proprietor. She works with two other creature hunters, and of course there is the keeper who you saw earlier. Jézabel and Bethany come from a very well off family of enchanters and when their parents died during a battle against black enchanters, they inherited a lot of money. Bethany decided to renovate and take over the Academy while Jézabel opened her creature zoo. She has the largest collection in the world."