The Dark Gifts Birthright (24 page)

Chapter Sixteen

A Lesson In Magic

With everyone settled, the Council decided
that the next order of business was to prepare the masses for the
next battle. Cass didn’t need to do much coaxing to get a unanimous
vote allowing her to teach magic. All that were willing began to
study. Even the witches immersed themselves in learning Cass’ brand
of magic.

It was far older and different from anything
that they had encountered before. Neither dark nor light, the magic
tapped into psychic energy that surrounded all living beings. Not
everyone had the ability to learn such magic. It was ordered that
everyone in the Citadel be assessed for this ability.

Every witch there qualified for the class,
but of the vampires, only thirty had adequate control of their
minds to be adept in learning the skill. Michael and Gregorio,
although powerful in their own right, did not have the necessary
ability to learn the magic. Liz and Athena seemed to be
exceptionally gifted in this area, so they were among the first to
be taught. Angie also qualified to enter, but refused. She did not
want to leave young Jenna for the three hours a day that had been
allotted for the class.

The witches learned quickly, being accustomed
to using and controlling magic already. The vampires took much more
time to learn even the simplest of spells. The primary goal of the
class was portal creation and vampire restraining spells. Cass was
convinced the key to winning against the renegades was portal
magic. If her pupils could master both, they could not lose. They
all worked diligently, training every day.

Standing in the front of the room, hands on
her hips, Cass explained. “It is simple really. It is just a matter
of bending space with your mind. Visualize where you are right now.
Now, see where you want to be.”

Groans of frustration filtered though the
room.

“Think of it like this. You are not trying to
go to a place. You are bringing that place to you. Pull it to you
in your mind.”

Throughout the room, several tiny blue orbs
floated in front of the vampires.

“That’s right. Just like that. Now make them
larger. See them in your head. Feel them grow.”

As she watched, the orbs grew in size.

“Be certain that you are fully viewing the
place you are pulling to you. It wouldn’t do to come out inside a
wall.”

Minerva snickered from the table behind
her.

Cass glanced over her shoulder, smiled, and
continued, “Remember your mind is the most powerful part of your
essence. When you have discovered how to tap into that energy, you
can accomplish nearly anything.”

Faces pinched, eyes closed tight, they
concentrated. Tiny puffs of smoke would bloom around the room as a
portal evaporated. A few of the vampires stumbled on their feet.
Several sat on the floor. All of them exhausted from the
activity.

“That’s enough for today. Feed and rest. Do
not forget to do your meditation,” Cass said as she dismissed the
vampires. Then turning to Minerva, she sighed and said, “Bring your
covens.”

“No rest for the wicked, dearie.” Minerva
replied as she motioned to the witches to take their places.

Cass concentrated on teaching the witches to
control space and time. By reaching within the deepest recesses of
themselves, they found that time could be stretched to a slow crawl
around them. Any enemy they concentrated on would appear to be
frozen while everything else would move at a regular pace. Cass
also taught them power attack and shield protection.

Those not involved with magic class, were
training with Michael. He was determined that they would not make
the mistake of the Eldest, his army would be suitably and
thoroughly trained.

Although Jenna belonged to Cass, it was
agreed that any decision regarding her education would be decided
by the Council, as Cass was biased in most things concerning the
girl. It was a heavy weight that the Council carried, knowing the
power that lay dormant within the child. Cass had requested
repeatedly to begin teaching the child magic. She had already
stated that Jenna’s turning would be over her dead body, but she
felt the girl’s safety was a risk, and wanted her to be able to
fully protect herself. The Council vetoed each request, and then
finally called a special meeting to address the issue of Jenna’s
training.

As usual, Gregorio took the floor as the
meeting began. “We are convened today to decide whether or not our
Jenna should be taught magic. I would like to hear from each of you
in this matter, starting with her mother.”

Cass took a deep breath, and reminding
herself that all those gathered there also loved her daughter,
began to speak, “You all know how I feel about this particular
situation. Knowing what I saw in Sekhmet’s mind, I believe that
Jenna will always be in danger unless she learns to control the
power within her. Teaching her now, while she is so young, will
help her in many ways.”

She paced back and forth across the room
while she spoke. “First and foremost, she can learn to protect
herself and get out of harm’s way. Secondly, but of equal
importance, it will be much easier for her to master while she is
so young. I will not have the child turned, but if she were to be
taken and turned by a renegade, the connection would sway her to
the darkness. If she does not, at minimum, learn to use shielding
magic, then there will always be the possibility of her being
taken.” Her eyes pleaded with them as she finished, “You all know
when Monroe finds out about her, if he hasn’t already, her life is
forfeit. He will not stop until he is able to use her for his own
twisted purposes.”

Liz and Michael nodded in agreement.

Michael spoke up, “I agree with Cass. I think
we have tarried too long in this matter. He may not know of Jenna’s
potential, but it is a certainty that he knows of her existence and
what she is already capable of.”

One by one the council members spoke, most
agreed with Cass. Until, finally, the only one left to speak was
Minerva.

She stood rubbing her hands together, her
mouth drawn up with worry. “Although I do agree that the danger for
the child is great, I must say this at least.” Her wise eyes moved
slowly over those in the room, lingering on Cass as she continued,
“I have seen for myself how powerful magic can sway the soul of the
user. There have been three in my lifetime that have done so. None
of them changed with purpose or intention, but were entangled
before any of us even knew it was upon them. Teaching the child
now, while she is so very young, might only ensure that as she
grows she will delve deeper into her own natural magic. If that be
the case, we have no comprehension where such a thing might lead
her. So many things can happen as we grow to darken our true
nature. How can we be sure that we will not end up with an angry,
powerful witch that cannot be stopped?”

Minerva paused.

Cass’ gaze remained transfixed on the table
in front of her.

“Cass.”

Their eyes met across the table.

“If the child is not turned by one of you
when she is old enough, and she has been given this vast knowledge;
whom among us would have the power or heart to stop her should she
be turned by the other side?”

The Council sat in silence.

A loud scraping noise filled the room as
Athena pushed her chair away from the table and stood. “We need to
take the utmost consideration in this matter. Let us take some time
today to think this thing through before we come to any kind of
decision. For now, we should consider this our prime objective. All
other matters cannot be dealt with at this time.”

They agreed and withdrew, each to their own
quarters.

***

Curled up on their couch beside the fire,
Michael and Liz discussed the Council meeting.

“I just don’t get it,” said Liz.

“I understand Minerva’s trepidation, but it
seems logical the child should be taught how to protect herself.
The person guarding her would be in less danger if they could
concentrate on fighting instead of keeping her safe.” Michael
answered.

“Right. And that person is
our
Angie.
I don’t like the idea of her being in constant danger.”

“They are being overly protective.” Michael
began scraping the carved wooden hand rest of the sofa, losing
himself in his thoughts.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” He looked up, his face a mask of
surprise.

“Every time you think, you mangle the
furniture.” She laughed.

“I do not.”

Liz reached up and brushed the hair from his
face. “I don’t understand Cass.”

“She’s very human.” Michael snickered.

“No, she’s not. Believe me, I know mortals.
Just was one, remember?”

Michael turned and positioned himself so his
head was in her lap, letting his long legs dangle over the arm of
the sofa. “Okay, fill me in. What is she doing that is not cohesive
with human behavior?”

“She does not want her daughter turned,
correct?”

“Correct.’

“She will never die. She will live forever
without her daughter?”

Michael abruptly sat up staring at Liz.

“Humans don’t choose to live without their
loved ones. Ever. Besides, there is no way that girl would ever be
able to live a normal human life after being raised by vampires.
She will never fit in out there. Our world is the
only
world
that will make sense to her. I don‘t think the problem is in
convincing the Council to let her learn magic. The problem is that
we need to convince Cass that--should Jenna desire it--she should
be turned at the appropriate age.”

Michael pulled her forward and gently kissed
her tender lips. “Have I told you that I love you today? Let’s make
sure that Gregorio and Athena have just enough time to really get
into a tizzy about all of this. Then we’ll go have a talk.”

Liz grinned as he pulled her head down to his
and planted a kiss on her forehead.

When enough time had passed for Gregorio and
Athena to discuss the situation, Michael and Liz sought them out.
Enclosed in the rooms that the two elders had taken together, the
four of them began a rather heated discussion. Gregorio was
completely against the child's teaching. He was of the opinion that
whatever came to her naturally would be in her best interest. To
train one so young, intentionally, seemed unconscionable to him.
Athena wanted her trained and ready, just in case she needed to
protect herself. While Gregorio and Michael hashed it out, the
women sat and listened. Both men were being extremely stubborn, and
neither would budge an inch.

Finally having enough of their argument, Liz
spoke up. “Listen you two; you are both being silly at this
point.”

Both men looked at her in disbelief. Being
several thousand years old, Gregorio was unaccustomed to being
called silly. Michael knew that Liz was on his side and didn’t
understand why she would include him in that statement.

“If we are going to fight amongst ourselves,
then isn’t Monroe already winning? Seriously. We don’t know for
sure that what Sekhmet saw was even real. The woman was deranged
from using the dark magic. Isn’t it possible she saw only what she
wanted to see instead of what was really there?”

Gregorio‘s forehead furrowed in thought. “I
think you’ve got something there, Liz. We’ve all been assuming,
because of her power, her knowledge was accurate. I’d say it is
more than probable that she was delusional.”

Michael clapped his father on the shoulder
saying, “Father, I know this is the right thing to do.”

“What would it hurt to try?” Athena chimed in
placing her hand on his arm.

“The entire Council has to agree on this you
know, it’s not completely up to us.” Gregorio countered. Then he
shrugged his massive shoulders slowly exhaling his defeat.

The Council met again that evening and by
unanimous vote decreed that Jenna’s lessons would start the
following day. Cass was ecstatic, and although they voted for her
magical education to begin, a few council members remained
uneasy.

Early the next morning, Angie brought Jenna
to her mother’s chambers. Minerva replaced Cass as the new
instructor for the adult class to free up time for her to teach
Jenna. From the first day, Jenna excelled in her studies. It took
the child a scant five days to learn how to open a portal,
levitation, blue flame control, and something entirely new.

She practiced moving from one portal to the
next in the same room. Cass had her create a portal on one side of
the room and move through it to the other side of the room.

Jenna had been opening portals like a pro for
three days, so when she stepped into her newly-created portal and
didn’t come out on the other side of the room, Cass was worried.
She immediately tried to open a link to Jenna. As hard as she
tried, she could not find the girl.

Just before the frantic mother became
completely hysterical, a portal opened and Jenna returned. She held
in her little hands, a small red suitcase, her favorite teddy bear
was tucked under her arm.

Cass ran to her, pulling her close. She was
so relieved to see her unharmed, that it took a moment for her to
realize that the things Jenna held were personal items from her
bedroom at their cabin. Guardedly she asked, “Baby, where did you
get those things?”

“My bedroom. Well my other bedroom, not the
one here.”

“You were at our house?”

“Yes, I didn’t mean too! Are you mad?” Jenna
looked at the floor, biting her lower lip.

“No I’m not mad. Do you know how you got
there?”

“Well…just before I opened the portal I was
thinking how I missed teddy.” She looked into her mother’s eyes as
a small tear escaped down her cheek. “You know how much I missed
teddy, Mommy.”