I was going to do this for Halloween, as the last chapter said. I made it a double update just for you guys.
Happy Halloween and Samhain early!
"The Indigo Spell was first used by… Well, no one really knows. It dates back into prehistory. Its contents and ingredients are natural things, obtained by a people who knew of all the lands on this earth, and all the things those lands brought. It did not originally consist of inking and a vine-like mark; the crescents evolved over time. The spell had mass amounts of demand, for back before witches were persecuted, opponents would wish to hide from their enemies in order to glean advantages. The witches would not listen to their monarchs, saying the magic listened only to itself, that they were only messengers of the earth's very will.
"This magic, beginning to show up more and more after the discovery and creation of the Indigo Spell, was passed down from generation to generation, much like most things at the time. Eventually, everything was traced back to the Indigo Era. The sad part is that history lessons teach magic as a farce, something to be avoided and warned against, a sign of evil. Terwilliger is a bit of a hypocrite, to speak the truth, being one of both worlds. But she knows both, which makes her an able guardian and mentor to those the magic deems worthy."
"Wait," Rose interrupted. "So everything goes back to… to the Indigo Spell?"
Marcus nodded. "Yep. The very first time we learned to harness the earth's favor was through the magic of the Indigo Spell."
Adrian draped an arm around my shoulders; I leaned heavily against him, fatigue settling in. Marcus sat up straight. "Can you explain what's wrong with her?" Adrian queried, voice hard yet still concerned.
"Sydney?" Marcus breathed as my vision blurred. For a moment I wondered why I saw two of him and three of Rose (…well, that was a scary thought…) until I blinked the mirror images away. Shadows flitted on the edges of my vision. "Sydney!"
The ground abruptly rushed up at me. Strong arms encircled me, gleaming purple with unearthly light. I was aware of someone moving beside me, her aura glowing harshly against the now-dim lighting in the room. Flashes of blue danced across my eyelids as they slid closed. The one face I could actually make out in my stupor had been Adrian Ivashkov, but my mind could not process why he was there with me. I had no recollection of the lesson I had just learned, or the Re-education Center, or even the mission to keep Jill safe. All I knew before unconsciousness drew me in like a black tide was that I loved a Moroi.
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"Sage," a soft voice breathed. I shivered at the gentleness, at first thinking something had happened and that the Alchemists were at my house. Then air-conditioning hit my skin, as well as the unfamiliar yet comforting sensation of someone's hand in mine.
My eyes slitted open. "Adrian Ivashkov?"
Memory eluded me. His green eyes threatened to drown me in emeralds, and my heart thundered in my chest. It was pounding so hard I thought it might break a few ribs, until I remembered how improbable that was. Adrian squeezed my hand.
"Are you okay?"
Touching my forehead with my free hand, I gasped when everything descended on me at once. Jillian Mastrano-Dragomir. Eddie Castile. Rosemarie Hathaway. Abe Mazur. Dimitri Belikov and Sonya Karp. Queen Vasilisa Dragomir and Christian Ozera. Most of all, Adrian Ivashkov himself. I pushed away the lingering sickness and pulled him in a bear hug. Adrian snaked his arms around me without hesitation. I rested my head in the crook of his neck. Adrian sighed almost inaudibly.
"Don't scare me like that again," he murmured into my hair. "I thought you were dying."
I pulled back to peck his cheek. "I wouldn't leave you intentionally," I whispered in response. "I-I love you, Adrian."
"I know. I love you, too, Sage." He smiled. "You'd better get up and prove to Marcus and Rose you're okay. I told them I could heal you. …I hope that was okay?" he added quickly, seeing a flicker of fear that I pushed away. It was old.
"You saved my life. More than once." I grinned in reassurance. "Of course it's okay."