Chapter 13.
After completing what seems like hours practicing with air magic, I decide I'm going to attempt to seal a book with air. Together with the charm that has been cast on Max's ring, hopefully, whoever possesses the ring will be able to open the book.
Although this is a long shot as my magic capability is the equivalent to that of a two year old.
It's been several days since I last saw Dave, after seeing the incident with Vasilisa and Rose outside the Queens banquet, I had left with Max and didn't return.
I've gone through all the information my teacher had lent me on the Nesahla book, but it hadn't informed me of anything I didn't already know so I thought I would try something different today. At the moment, Max is being the poster boy for supportive friend and I know the outcome of this experiment will be anything but 'successfully completed'.
I've also recruited Max to help me to see if I can use any of the other elements, today I decided to work with one element, air.
Sitting in my dorm room holding the charmed ring and one of my schoolbooks, I look across from my position on the bed and gaze at Max, sitting in the computer chair.
This is going to be complicated but I hope he will understand that I need to try this, try anything before the voices, the half filled jigsaw puzzle in my head drive me crazy. I wouldn't ever intentionally hurt Max, so I'm crossing my fingers that this simply either works or not. I pretty sure he won't swell up like a balloon full of air when he puts the ring on.
At this point I'm confident that I will have to cast the spell on the book and the ring simultaneously so I can bind the ring to the book. Focusing on the ring held tight in my hand, I found myself just staring at the book when Max suddenly breaks the silence.
"Any time now. Just take your time. No need to rush."
"Shut up, Max. I'm trying to concentrate. If you prefer that I cast this spell on the cover of the book and not your lips, I would be deadly quiet right now " I say through gritted teeth.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes as I can almost feel myself pulling the magic into me.
After only a few seconds, I feel the rush of the magic, like the soft beat of light flow through me. This has to be one of the best feelings I've ever had, besides the high of sweet fresh blood after a week of starving.
It feels happiness and the warmth of a summers evening resonating through my veins as I focus on moving the magic from my fingers through to the book and the ring. I sense the book being compressed under the weight of something heavy. I imagine the book being sealed as the air flows over it, all around it, at the same time. Again, I pull some magic out through my other hand holding the ring.
I imagine the ring triggering relief for the book, the ring providing an escape for the air trapped around the book and protection for those who wear it.
I concentrate on both items, alternating between the book and ring as I keep the flow of magic moving and surrounding them. After what I think is a reasonable amount of time, I let go of the magic and just hoped it was enough.
I looked over at Max wondering if he could see the hope behind the tiredness in my eyes, I walk over to him and place the ring in his hand. Since I was the one that charmed it, it wouldn't work on me. Although before he puts the ring on his finger, I ask him to attempt to open the book first.
I can finally see if this is how the Nesahla book was sealed. If this is how it was done, I'm sure I would be able to open the book so many have failed at trying. I would just have to find the object that it was bound to. I question the possibility that the magic on the object would fade over time. Though considering the book is still sealed I suspect that it might stay charmed so long as the book stays closed. I don't know. So many little things run through my head. I'm just nervous to see what happens.
Max leans forward to open the book; we both inhale a deep breath and forget to exhale when it opens.
I sigh heavily and fall back on the bed. I cover my eyes with my hands and tense my body as frustration flows through me. Why won't it work? I hear Max give a small sigh and I peek up at him from under my hands.
"Hey, its ok, it's your first time trying, you'll get it eventually." No I won't Max, dammit, why am I having these stupid visions about this damned book?
If I can't succeed at replicating how it was once sealed, how am I going to be able to open the damn thing!
I sit back up with my head in my hands and look between the two objects. What did I do wrong? I felt the magic of air go through me, around the book and right into the ring but it didn't work. Maybe the Nesahla book isn't sealed with air. What could it be then?
"Maybe I can try again." Max gives a nod and I prepare myself for another round.
I sit up straight and start again. I feel the magic build up and again I send it through to the objects I hold in my hands. I feel the exact same as I did before so my hope disappears momentarily. Still concentrating on the magic and the objects, I hold onto the magic for a moment longer and then let it go. I look at Max hopefully and he goes to open the book while still not wearing the ring.
For a second time, it opens.
"God dammit!" I throw my hands up in frustration. "I give up, I can't do it. This is so stupid."
"Hey, you're only just starting, you'll get It eventually, maybe if you try something easier?" he says attempting to save what little confidence I have left in my magic abilities.
I shake my head at him. I don't want to try anything easier because I want to know how that damned book is sealed. I feel a small vibration flit through my head and I know what's coming. The image of Max and my room fades into the image of a house I've been in before.
The Nesahla house. I haven't had a vision for a while now so it throws me off slightly.
The house is clean and tidy. No sign of destruction. I think back what Dave taught me about taking in the smallest details, about desperately wanting to know about the past and most importantly, somehow this was about me.
All of a sudden I hear whispers coming from beside me. I turn around and head in their direction. I arrive at the library and as I walk up to the door I notice a gap, like the door hasn't been shut properly. Out of curiosity, I push open the door a little further until a man and woman come into view. I don't recognise the couple because their backs are turned to me. The man has a fairly solid frame to go with his height; he has short black hair and appears to reading a book. The woman, who stands close beside him, is looking deep in thought at the same book. The woman, who has long black hair that falls to her mid back, turns slightly and I see can that she is heavily pregnant.
The man flips through a few more pages and glances up at the woman.
"What about this name? Vien…"
The rest of the sentence is cut off as I'm thrown out of the vision and back into reality.
Max is kneeling on the bed in front of me looking at me, desperately concerned.
"No, no no no no." I bring my hands to my head. No, why did I have to leave! I needed to know the name! It sounds like they were about to say Vienna but I didn't hear the rest of it.
"Ve, are you ok? What happened?"
I ignore Max's pleas and play through the last few moments back in my head.
Right before I was flung out of the vision I realised that indeed it was the couple that I had witnessed in previous times. I'm sure the woman's name was Louella but man's name escaped me. They were both Nesahlas.
If they were going to name their daughter Vienna, could she be the first Vienna? The child that had been adopted out, around the same time the Nesahla family was killed?
It has to be her.
"I assure you Max I'm fine" I can't look him in the eye after yet another vision had created even more questions. I avoided answering any more questions as I vaguely explain to him what just happened. It's all a lie. I tell him I just froze for a moment, like the magic was too much. With an extremely concerned look, Max stands up to leave. "Its ok Ve, you probably need some rest and then some dinner. I'll come by later and we can grab a bite to eat, ok?"
I just smiled up at him and nodded softly.
"Don't worry too much, you will eventually get the hang of it and next thing I know you will be running around sealing peoples lockers shut just for a laugh!"
Max closed the door behind as he left, leaving me to my thoughts.
It made me feel worse that he was so worried and I wasn't telling him the truth but I just couldn't risk it. Thinking about Max a little more sends a shiver through my entire body and a flutter in my stomach. Oh great. Here come the feelings again. Could my life be any more complicated right now? I said I wouldn't get feelings again for Max and here I am, with butterflies in the stomach.
Though I must admit, I've missed feeling this way. I quickly shove those feelings down, telling myself ill deal with them later. I just have to get through all this stuff with the Nesahlas first.
I flounce back onto the bed sifting through the information I have from the visions as well as my complete failure at trying to seal my schoolbook. I don't know why it didn't work. Maybe it's because the amount of air I can actually use is pretty low. I remember I was going to try and use the other elements. Maybe it was a different element used for this cast.
Though I can't seem to fully understand why, I have a feeling that none of the elements were used to conceal the contents of that book.
While I'm distracted through my thoughts, I hear a knock at the door. It isn't dinnertime yet Max, go away. I get up ready to face Max, but when I open it, its Dave that stands in front of me.
He saunters in, like he owns the place and sits on the edge of my bed.
Neither of us speaks for a moment, but its Dave that decides to break the awkward silence between us.
"Hey princess, just thought id check up on you, you know, see how you're doing, making sure you haven't gone insane or killed anyone yet." He says all of it with ease and smirks at me. He also has a fascination with calling me princess. It really gets irritating.
"Stop, calling me, Princess." I yell at him.
"No I haven't killed anyone yet, but you may be the first on my list if you don't tell me what's going on with your 'sources' getting that book for me." I brush my hands through my hair. Dave's appearance has done nothing to calm my frustrations.
He gives me a weird look then returns to his trademark smile.
"All in good time. So have you had any visions lately?" he gives me a knowing look, like he already knows what happened in my room not so long ago.
I narrow my eyes at him.
"Yes, I did. Though it sounds like you already knew that." Still wearing his smirk, he replied
"Nope, just a calculated guess, really. That, and you looked all rattled so I could tell something happened. Feel like telling me about it?" even though he is still smirking at me, I detect a little sincerity in that last sentence.
"How about you tell me something first. Why you have a fascination with me, and how did you find me." I'm not in the mood to get back into a conversation about visions right now.
"Well, here's a deal, I'll tell you something, you tell me what happened, yeah?" I nod and he continues. "Well, I was enjoying my lunch one afternoon and…" I sigh and glare at him, "Ease up, I'm getting there. Anyway, I was halfway through eating a hamburger, which was very good might I add, when I had a slight tingle in my head, like you do, and then I went into a vision. Might I add that this was the first one I didn't have control over by the way. So it surprised me then, when I saw you. You were walking out some sort of room with a lot of people but you were alone. You suddenly froze and you had a vision.
I didn't see exactly what it was but enough information came through that I could make out your name, where you were and felt a burning need to find you. So here I am. Now your turn." My first vision, outside the feeders, is that was he was talking about? I return his favour and give him information.
"Well, I was back at the Nesahla house with the same man and woman. It looked like she was pregnant and they were looking at a book of baby names. I didn't get to hear the whole thing but it seriously, it sounded like they were going to name their kid Vienna." I laugh, it sounds so ridiculous when I play back the vision. My laugh quickly fades when I see Dave's face. He looks completely and utterly shocked.
"The first Vienna Markson. Oh my god why didn't I see it?" He stands up and starts pacing around the room.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Suddenly none of this is funny anymore and serious look on Dave's face is starting to make me feel very nervous.
He keeps pacing, mumbling words, as if stringing together the information.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why didn't you see what?" he paces for a few more minutes and then stands about three paces away from me and stares at me, mouth open and utterly dumbfounded.
"Your one of them too."