Chapter Nine
"They're really pushing this animal attack thing aren't they?" said Jeremy, reading over his own flier. I had one too, shoved deep within my back because knowing the truth I didn't think I needed it. "Do you think it's her?"
I shrugged. "Could be," I said. "But it doesn't fit what we know. The only reason we knew there was a vampire in the first place was because she and her friend kidnapped me. No animal attacks. No killings. But now, why?"
"Maybe she turned someone," said Jeremy. "She's amassing allies."
Something I hadn't thought about. Two days since the initial attack and my mind had set firmly on Damon, another attack on Thursday and it definitely had to be him. He was cocky, he believed that he wouldn't be caught, and it was past time that he showed up. My thoughts had been so stuck on that that it being the girl hadn't struck my mind.
"That makes her a whole lot dangerous," I said. "One vampire, sure I'm thinking the council can take it, but if there's another out there, and in the week they've had they've done nothing. It's worrying."
"I think it's a more worrying that they're focused on that Lockwoods are more focused on their party than finding her. Did you know that last night Tyler was at my house, his mom wanted to loan a clock for their Founder's day thing."
"A clock?"
"Yeah," said Jeremy, his voice softer. "My dad was supposed to give it to me before he died."
"Did you give it to him?"
He shook his head. "Elena convinced me that I should, but giving it to Tyler just rubs me the wrong way. I told him we couldn't find it."
"You know you're going to have to get over your hatred of the guy, right?"
Jeremy grimaced. "When you start liking Vicki," he returned.
It was my turn to grimace and shoot him a pointed look. "I wasn't going to mention it, bud, but Wednesday you missed school. Care to tell me where you were?" He didn't answer. "She's a bad influence. I think I'm objective enough that I can tell."
"Objective," Jeremy said, his voice drenched with sarcasm. "Right."
"I don't know what that means," I told him. "I can't read the subtext."
"Nothing. Never mind. I like her," said Jeremy. "Really like her and if she wants to hang out. I don't mind."
I shrugged. "It's really none of my business. Just, stay safe."
"She's not a vampire you have to warn me away from," Jeremy muttered.
"You know what I mean, and you're too young for me to say it outright."
"We're going to be the same age in a few months," Jeremy.
"And a few months after you'll be a kid again," I said with a large grin. Jeremy shook his head.
"Did you hear there was a party tonight?" Jeremy asked. "It is," he said, "to scare away the wolves as the flier stated."
"That's the worst idea ever," I said, flashes of a ground touching my mind, a mess of people whose faces would be cloaked by darkness and suddenly being snapped up.
"Fun idea though," he said. "Being drunk. No obsessing over being abducted. You could chill for the first time this week."
"I'd rather be preparing," I said. "I think I might spend the weekend at Grams'."
"I'm starting to get the feeling that you're obsessed," Jeremy said.
"I'm not obsessed."
"You kinda are," he said. "You've been all about magic lately. If you aren't talking about spells then it's about vampires. All week including today. Obsession."
If only he knew, were my only thought because I had been considering magic longer than he knew. "Fine. Maybe it's an obsession. But I'm still not going to that party."
"What party?" asked a voice. Elena's.
"The one I was planning to have before Micah told me he'll be spending the weekend with his grandmother," Jeremy quickly said but Elena didn't look to be buying it.
"I hope you remember that you're still grounded," she said. "No parties for you for the next month. Need I remind you you're grounded?"
"No. You don't," said Jeremy sounding petulant. "Thanks for doing so, though."
Elena only shook her head. "I didn't come here for this. You're going to have to hitch a ride today. I'll be busy after school."
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Elena left. "Don't even ask," Jeremy said as I was about to ask. Obviously it had something to do with Vicki.
The straw burst and soon after it was followed by another. I rode the momentum until the entire set of straws were blown apart and my anger was spent. I pulled the watch from my pocket and closed my eyes, feeding power into it before and getting a reaction: the straws had jumped back in time to their previous state.
I chose another memory and directed my anger into the spell. Riding the momentum until the straws were spent and then I moved onto the jar Bonnie would normally be using, still riding on the momentum of my anger.
The spell was getting progressively easier, but it my anger came harder. Anger was an emotion I rarely experienced, especially to the requisite of the spell. At least moving from exploding jars was a step up.
I pushed power into the watch again and everything fixed itself. My attention was on the watch for a long time, taking it in.
Was there a symbolic aspect to the spell? It would explain why she chose the watch, it was representative of the point in time, so to speak.
How did it work from a casting point, though? Matter of fact how much power did it take to link something to a point in time?
I was lucky having come today, unexpected, because Grams had a life outside teaching Bonnie and me magic. I had caught her as she was leaving and, after a moment's deliberation, she'd let me inside to work on the Pain Infliction spell, giving me the instructions on how to activate the watch and end temporarily end the circle, that would be the second spell I would learn from her.
"Fumos Extas," I said with a sweep of the hand, and the spell worked; a small wind formed, breaking a line in the salt circle. I felt something cold drop down my nose. My hand went there automatically and it came back with blood.
Worrying. Perhaps Jeremy was right and this was turning into an obsession. Or, I had taken on too much. Grams had said this spell had needed her to channel from all four elements, I couldn't go about disrupting it with only my core.
I took a seat and waited five minutes before the circle reformed. This time I reached for the salt in the circle before I said, "Fumos Extas."
The spell broke and this time when I reached for my nose there was no blood. I gave myself another five minutes, this time experimenting with how easily I could reach into my element and direct the power towards a spell. It was as Grams had said, I reach for the power, moulding the chaos until I could move it forward with a purpose, was on an instinctive level.
Eventually I grew bored, made myself a bite before moving around the house. I didn't expect Grams to leave her grimoire within arm's reach, but there had to be some book that might reach me with a handy spell. I looked through her books, most of which were about the occult. But she was an occult professor so that made sense. I found something that might be interesting, a small book with the words Binding Agents: The Mystery Behind, by Agatha Burton. I opened it to find the words, ´To Sheila Bennett, without whom most of this book could not have been completed.'
I opened it and read. The introduction was long and arduous, but I read through, especially since I could see these would be leading to magic. It explained pretty much what I knew already, mentioning in passing the role that the elements had played towards where we were today. The book was on the small side, three hours nonstop I read and though it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, what kept me reading though was that Grams was referenced as a source throughout the book.
"I don't know this woman," I muttered to myself having completed the book. There's just something about grandparents. There was this feel about them that before I had come into this world, they had done nothing but wait. They couldn't have had a life. But knowing that Grams had history, that she was a person of such success that she could be referenced in published work, I couldn't help but look at her at a new light. Yes that light was still tinged by the fear of knowing that she could take me down with a word, but there was also a lot of respect behind it.
I heard someone at the door, a knock before I slowly made my way towards it. I checked the peephole to see Stefan on the other side. Almost a week I hadn't seen him and here he was, with my grandmother. He gave another knock, an unneeded knock because I'm sure he could hear me breathing or my heart beating.
"Hello, Stefan," I said hauling the door open.
"Micah," he said. "Is Sheila home?"
"No. She's out. But since you're hear. I've been meaning to talk to you all week."
"Elena mentioned that," he said. "I've been busy." I couldn't tell whether he was lying or not, but I wanted to think that he was. Paranoia is never good, I told myself.
"Yeah?"
He nodded. "That girl vampire's still out there. I've been looking for her as discreetly as I can. The council's looking."
"Are they?" He nodded. "What did you want my grandmother for? Maybe I can leave a message."
"I can talk to her later. Thanks though." He started walking off.
"Stefan weight." He stooped. "The tomb. Do you know what it is? What those vampires want with it?"
The signs were miniscule, but I could see it, his teeth grit together and his shoulders rigid. "Don't get involved, Micah. Let it go."
"I'm pretty much involved," I said. "Whatever she wants, she needs a Bennett witch. The sooner I nip this in the bud, the sooner it all ends, and that requires me knowing about the tomb."
"It's being taken care off," said Stefan and before I could say anything else, Stefan was already at his car.
"I hate vampiric speed. I guess this means I'm going to have to figure this out myself," I muttered, but then an idea hit, a stupid idea that I shouldn't even considered. But my body moved almost on automatic: I closed and locked the door, checking through the darkness before I quickly walked to the car.
I started driving, and pretty soon, my drive took me to the Salvatore Boarding house.
The house was the second largest I had ever seen, though unlike the Lockwood residence it didn't have a welcoming feel to it, but that might have had more to do with the surrounding trees clumping together and the darkness that seemed to stretch on. My heart was already beating hard beneath my chest and second thoughts filtering into my mind.
Fifteen minutes I spent just sitting there, looking at the house and taking it all in, watching for any movement before I started the car again. My second thoughts finally winning through.
Damon was unstable. Who could say that it wasn't him that was killing? I started in reverse when I noticed someone step out of the house and for the first time I saw him. He was a slight bit taller than Stefan, his hair just as dark but his eyes more intense as he looked directly at me.
One feeling resonated with me as I pulled back. You've landed yourself in a lot of trouble, Micah.
I kept glancing left and right as I drove, because now more than ever. I knew I was in trouble. I'd just done the equivalent of opening Pandora's Box. Grams stilled hadn't arrived when I got to her house, not that I minded. The moment I was in the house, I got back to the study and got to work with the Pain spell.
Grams hadn't arrived by the time I had fallen asleep and when I woke up it was to bacon and eggs. These were the things I enjoyed about sleeping over with my grandmother. She was doting at the best of times, when she wasn't chiding anyway.
"Morning," I said.
"You're up earlier than usual," Grams said.
"You're cooking, that's reason enough for me to get up."
"You flatter me," she said.
I took a seat at the table, pouring myself some juice before I started eating. "Where were you last night? If you don't mind my asking?"
"There was a function at Whitmore," she said. "A meet and greet with our benefactors."
Enzo. I felt the deepest pang I had ever felt in my life as memories flooded in of the man. I couldn't quite remember the circumstances except the word Augustine, but I remember that he had been tortured.
"What's it like there?"
"A school like any other," said Grams. "Why the sudden interest?"
"I read through the book by Agatha," I said. "It's just got me thinking. How many witches pass through there?"
"Quite a few," Grams said. "I train them if their unlearned. Agatha is one of my successes, but my star pupil was Kaitlin. The woman had quite the talent for Linking Spells."
"Had? Past tense?"
Grams nodded. "She died two years ago. Magical exhaustion."
There was something I didn't like hearing about. The possibility that one day I could stretch myself too thin and I would land on the Other Side. I made a mental note that using my core would be a large straw measure, I wouldn't push myself too far, because no matter how much I knew. It would take a lot for me to come back from the Other Side.
"I almost forgot to tell you. Stefan was here last night," I said. "He didn't give me a message though."
Grams frowned but said nothing in explanation. I didn't ask though I was brimming with curiosity. Did whatever they were doing have anything to do with the tomb?
I slowly ate my breakfast, thinking over the dilemma of the tomb in the context of Mystic Falls. The trouble was, I didn't know much about Mystic Falls' history. It was something, naturally hating history, I had never given much thought to, but it seemed I would have to now. My body heaved at the idea.
I could feel that I was going to put that off as long as possible.
When Grams and I were done eating she got out another spell for me. I watched her set up Boundary spell on a much larger scale.
"Don't go attempting this," she said to me. "But it's important that you know the basics." Grams had a mound of salt in a small bowl in front of her, to her left a bowl with a small fire that should have gone out but was somehow sustaining itself, behind her was nothing, while to her right was a bowl of water.
"When you get to my age drawing power from all four elements will become second nature, mind the pun." I grinned at that. "You've read the book so you'll know that there are a variety of things one can summon. But I believe that channelling the elements is one of the purer forms of magic. Devoid of the expectations the spirits or the taint from darker objects.
"But we're not here to discuss my philosophy on power. Boundary spells are, first and foremost, about anchors. The more anchors there are, the wider reaching the effects of your boundary, but the harder it is for your mind to focus on keeping the forming lines. Your anchor can be anything that draws power, if you can see the area then the anchor can be a fence or mounds of salt whose power can be felt if the area is too large."
"Does it have to be salt specifically?" I asked.
Grams shook her head. "It's earth for us because that's our elemental affinity," she said. "Now quiet, I have to focus."
I stayed quiet and watched. She took a long breath and began: the water rippled and the fire flared, gaining more life. I couldn't feel the power that must have been coming off of her, but it must have been strong because a small wind whipped around us in a frenzy, though it didn't touch Grams.
It took a five minutes before she stopped. A Latin phrase repeated over and over until she let out a large breath.
"It's done," she said and she pulled out something from her pocket. "Sage," she said as if reading my thoughts. Grams said a spell and everything moved. It was though the earth had suddenly lurched and the bowls changed position, the fire now in front of her. She said another spell, shorter than most and easier to remember before she threw the sage into the fire. A large plum of fire erupted before coming apart into smoke. The smoke didn't have the opportunity to dissipate before Grams stilled it with a firm gaze. She began another spell and ended it with a flick of her still out held hand.
The smoke finally dissipated.
"What was the last?" I asked.
"I linked the two spells," Grams answered. "The Boundary spell is not meant to keep anything out, but more of a deterrent. It'll keep away the attention of those who look within, while the sage keeps us from being heard. Help me up." I did. "We'll be working outside today," she said. "I've been too busy to work at my garden, so we'll be growing the plants."
Not what I had wanted to do, but overall it was fun. The spell was simple, drawing power from Nature's supply and shaping life with it. It was the closest thing I could do parallel to the Immortality spell and yet was not considered as Dark Magic. In a matter of hours we had most of the garden done. Many of the plants I couldn't name, but that wasn't an aspect of the spell. I just had to be a conduit to for Nature's power, giving it the purpose.
My phone buzzed and it was Jeremy. Lockwood thing in two hours. I don't wanna be bored. You up for it?
Why not? I returned.
Awesome.
Meet you there.
AN: It's been a week and yet so much has happened. I feel like I'm moving things a bit too fast, but then if I were to move it slower I'd be forced to focus on them in school type situations. Something I don't think I could portray well as I know nothing about the American schooling system.
First time Micah's seen Damon and I think from here on out things will be vastly different. We'll be looking at a more in depth looking at the supernatural world, especially the witch sect and I think Grams should play a large part in that.
I should probably state this now since I don't remember mentioning it before, but there will be slash. Obviously it won't be with the characters cannon has established as straight nor will it be prominent-I can't write romance to save my life-but it will be there in the future.
As of updates. I know that I'm probably going to hate myself for the pressure, but I think it's needed. I'll be posting three chapters every month, between five and six pages each, and if I do post an interlude, it won't be counted as a chapter on its own.
Hope you enjoyed.
-Stalker
