A Main change in this story is that I am not telling Bonnie so early, Shiela was pretty certain about not having her know so I wanted to keep that... but also I previoiusly made Liam too cocky and too able to win, too lacking in empathy that his powers would give him... you'll see what I mean in the next chapter.
"So you threatened them... foolish but I cannot say you were wrong. You put in enough to make yourself known, make it clear your aware of their status and put in a beleiveable threat. It should be enough to protect those you care for, at least I hope so." Sheila turned over, grabbing something from the other side of the couch. Liam saw it as she turned around, it was a book made of sheer leather. It wasn't super thick, maybe two and a half inches. "This is a gift, for you Liam. You can't always come over here and see me to train, or to ask for help. I bought, enchanted and wrote in this book spells, rituals and tips for mastering your magic. I know you lack the raw power of a normal witch, given your curse, so I added spells that I know you can manage or learn. I refuse to let you be helpless, should something happen to me one day. You will need a form of saftey and assurance, this is my gift to you."
Touched, Liam reached forward with teary eyes, but the moment he touched the book, things flashed before his eyes.
'Donec abditam alligatus cruori pauci videantur beatos abditam alligatus cruori pauci videantur beatos custodit. Donec abditam alligatus cruori pauci videantur beatos custodit.'
With sage in hand, She wafted it over the leather book, over and over again. her magic filling the pages and leather, protecting it from harm. The hum of magic filled the air, followed by the familiar whispers of the Spirits. Sheila stopped, shaking and shivering as their magic started to withdraw from her.
"No, please... this child is innocent, He is not like his ancestors, he is not to be blamed for their transgressions." She called out, her words echoing across the void to the Spirits she was bound too. She felt their rage, the hate, their prejudice ... it was a toxic presence and she loathed it. "Please, do not punish him, binding him from protecting himself and his loved ones for a crime he never committed. He is a child."
The rage exploded, she almost collapsed as pain rushed through her skin... and then it faded, and her magic was restored, her power filling slowly until the spell was ready to be finished.
"Thank you." She said as she finished the spell, feeling it bind to the book. "I will watch over him, taking responsibility for his actions... I accept that price."
The image faded and he looked at Sheila, stunned. "You fought for me... why?" He wanted to cry, no one had fought for him... or cared about him that much, even his parents who had favored Elena and Jeremy for some reason.
Sheila's smile was soft. "I told you, witches are family, all of us. That makes you my kid, as much as Bonnie is. It helps that I like you, and I heard you defend me when Bonnie called me a drunk last year." She laughed a little, sighing at the end. "Bonnie's time will come, and I will pass along so much to her, family secrets and the like. Liam, the spellbook, your Grimoire, is magically protected and can only be read by other witches. Active witches only. It will also cast a field that will mask the presence of your other magical artifacts once you start to collect them. I figure you do not want your family to get into your stuff when it comes time."
He actually shuddered. "No, that would be horrifying." The mere notion of any of them knowing of his bloodline, the curse... it was too much for the time being.
"The spell to make that field is in your Grimoire, it's the first spell. You can also, in times of great need, channel the magic of the book for emergency spells. Most of the spells require herbs, candles and similar objects. You cannot channel the might of the earth, so you need to amplify your magic with other things. You can also add yourblood to spells to make them stronger, as you'll learn. You already have a grip on the basics of channeling and tapping into your power, so we will work on channeling the power of fire since you need to learn channeling if you are to ever manage anything of value. If you can focus on it, you can make your spells more powerful. A lot of your magic will have to involve long term enchantments on a minor scale that you reinforce or layer since your have no coven unlike most Travelers. It is the same as channeling your ring, so it will help with tapping into that for emergency situations which is what your ring is for. Now, let's get busy, we don't have a lot of time and we have so much to learn."
"""
"Ooh. Look at you. You look hot in your jersey."
Stefan chuckled a little at Elena's statement, unable to mask his smile. "What happened? No more cheerleader?" he gestured to her lack of a cheerleading outfit.
"I quit. I'm a quitter."
"No, hey, you're not a quitter. You suffered a great loss. You're not the same person. You should be looking ahead. You should be starting over. Ok? I hope you don't think this is too soon or too weird, but...I, uh, I wanted you to have this." He pulled out his box, containing the necklace that he had found all those years ago in Gloria's bar.
Elena all but cooed over it. " Oh, my God, it's beautiful."
Her happiness made him happy. "It's something that I've had forever, and, uh, I've never wanted to give it to anyone until now. I'd very much like it if you'd wear it for me, for...good luck."
Elena lifted the necklace, sniffing it lightly. " Is that rose that I smell?"
He felt incredibly nervous, wondering if like her twin she knew what the herb was for. "No, it's vervain... it's supposed to have a lot of mystical properties, mental clarity mainly as far as I know. The conversation from yesterday got me thinking about it. It's nice, huh?
Elena smiled at him, his heart aching from the love in her eyes. "I love it."
As he helped her put it on, he couldn't help but say. "And, uh, I wanted to thank you for pushing me to try out for the team. It feels really good."
"We're a pair. I quit, you start."
"Right. We're a work in progress. We'll figure it out." And then she kissed him and everything felt right once more.
'Your brother can protect you his way, and I'll protect you mine... I'll tell him about the vervain, so he'll be able to help with that. I will keep you safe from Damon... I swear.'
Naturally Caroline had to ruin it as she walked over. "And your not in Uniform because?"
:::
'Why am I even here, I hate football.' Liam pouted, ignoring Tanner's crappy speech. The man was neither original or inspirational, their team was not very good and their star was Tyler who was a dick. 'I could be working on my magic but no... I can't channel my powers for more then an hour on a low setting without overdoing it. I don't feel safe by myself around Stefan, and what if Damon comes... sigh, I'm a sap.'
A motion at the edge of his vision drew his attention from his thoughts and the music in his ears. A dreadful filling in his heart only strengthened his focus, and he saw his Brother getting his ass handed to him by Tyler Lockwood.
Vicki, naturally useless, was screaming. "Tyler, stop it! Tyler! Tyler, stop! Stop it! Stop, you're hurting him! Tyler! Tyler, stop! Tyler! Stop it! Tyler, stop!"
Liam sprinted towards his brother, reading to kick some serious ass. Before he got there, Stefan Salvatore of all people made it there and yanked Tyler off by his wrist.
"Hey, he's down! Enough!" Stefan said, not even flinching when Tyler turned around and punched him hard in the stomach. The look of fear on Tyler's face was epic and just maybe he hated Stefan just a little less. Feared him a little less...
It was then that Liam's focus shifted and he saw Jeremy swinging a piece of a glass bottle. Tyler swung at Stefan who turned him to the side, just in time to get scratched by the bottle.
Elena, his useless sister, called out. "Jeremy, no!"
Matt tackled Tyler. "Tyler, knock it off! Stop!"
Stefan's hand was bleeding but it would heal in seconds and there was no way to hide that... 'Fuck.' Liam thought, before turning to Tyler. Shoving Matt away, he grabbed Tyler by the his jersey and headbutted him so hard blood spurt from his nose. Tyler called out, screaming in pain. " Touch my brother again and I break you, clear?" Shoving the idiot to the ground he turned to see Elena trying to help Jeremy, who was being a dick. Shoving Elena to the side, who yelped in shock, Liam decked his brother hard enough to knock him to the ground. He enjoyed the feeling of his brother's face under his fist, the idiot had gotten on his nerves for the last time.
"Go home, and If you touch a single drink or ounce of pot I swear your going to rehab kicking and screaming."
Jeremy paled. "You can't do that!"
"I'm not Elena, you know I'll go through with my threats. Home now." Jeremy stood shakily, but with some fear and the stench of booze around him and after glaring at Liam hard, stumbled away, hopefully going home.
Stefan's worried tone was like ice to Liam's veins. "He missed. It's not my blood. See? I'm fine."
Elena wasn't buying it. " No, no, no. I...I saw it. The glass cut your hand. It was..."
"It's ok. I'm ok. It's almost kick-off time, all right? So, um, I'll, uh, I'll see you after the game."
Tired and annoyed, Liam was done with the game... He knew that he could at least mildly trust Stefan now and boy was he in the mood to whoop Jeremy's ass hard when he got home.
;;;
Liam sighed as he opened his Grimoire, placing it dead center of his desk. There, on the first page, was a spell, the spell to mask all of his supernatural stuff including the new herbs and candles and stones that Sheila had given him so he could begin practicing safely on his own. There was also a lock, so he could eventually start to practice fine tuning his telekinesis ( Something he had yet to play with) , but he wasn't worried about that. What he was worried about was the athame, which was blessed by Sheila to prevent infections when he cut himself for spells. All of this stuff had to be secure... and so he had to hide it.
"Okay... burn sage and waft it over the book, then put the sage in a bowl with a drop of your blood..." And he obeyed lighting the sage with his magic and wafting it over the book, feeling it's magic. He channeled that power, amplifying his magic, feeling the heat leave his body and pool into the smoke. The he cut his finger, allowing a drop of blood to land on the ashes of the sage. Then he said the spell, as it was written. " Venite ad vitam, o obscuritatis velo," There was a rush of cold as his magic trickled into the book, and he felt a veil expand and fall from the book, masking his new items from his family.
Satisified and proud, he put a piece of tissue paper on his bleeding finger and lay on his bed.
The smell of sage and the feeling of pride lulling him slowly to sleep...
'I wonder if I could help my brother with my magic, but I think even that can't cure stupid...'
The sound of the front door opening woke him as did the sound of his sister slowly walking up the stairs. "Hey sis. " He called out. "How was the game?"
"Oh... um... there was no game, it was canceled... that animal... the one that has been attacking everything..." Her voice pierced his door, making his pale as he sensed where this was going. " It killed Tanner."
Dread overtook him. " Tanner is... are you sure?"
"I saw them taking his body away... I'm going to bed... Goodnight."
Horrified and ashamed, he sat up ramrod straight. "I... no... not... why... Stefan or Damon, which of you... doesn't matter. I can't take the chance. I made a mistake, I can't trust either of them." Marching over to this desk, he opened his book and turned the pages. "I need a weapon...please tell me she made something for me to use offensively." It took a minute but he found something... and he could not help but smirk as he imagined it being used. "Vervain spell pouches... portable pouches that amplify the effects of vervain via a spell, and creating field that weakens and paralyzes vampires... perfect. It will take layering, and I am not strong enough to make them on my own... I need time... but I will make this town safe again. Mark my words, Stefan, Damon... your time is coming."
He would spend at least another hour studying over his books, training with channeling candle light and stones, readying himself for the battle he knew would have to come...
One he might very well not survive...
But if it meant his family and town was safe, then so be it.
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a fun chapter, one I really enjoyed.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.
Protection and obscurity, bound in blood only those blessed few can see what it guards.
Come to life, oh veil of obscurity