CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"C'mon Bella, focus!" Alice yelled, as Bella fought the exhaustion and tried the spell again. Instead of the bolt of lightning that should have emitted from her hand, nothing but a soft spark came. Bella groaned and fell to her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
Using her magic completely drained Bella. It exhausted her more than any chore had ever done. Her magic was her energy and by using, dispersing it, she was letting a bit of herself go. She regained the energy, but with time and the harder the spell, the more energy she wasted.
"Get up!" Alice grunted, lightly kicking her leg.
"Give me a minute!" Bella complained.
"No, get up!" Alice growled, sending a sharp shock into Bella's chest. The spell sent her back onto the dirt. Bella sat up in shock. Every Fay had a way of defending their selves. And Alice had used her one of her limited defense spells against Bella. The shock didn't hurt much. It was meant to detain, not damage.
"What was that for?" she yelled, getting to her feet.
"There you're dead. You need to rest, fine," Alice sent another shock into Bella's chest, making her stumble back, "You're dead."
"Alice!" Bella yelled. Alice sent another shock, but this time, Bella reflected it.
"Stop it!"
"No. You want to fight in the war, fine. But be prepared. No one cares if you're tired. They see a moment of weakness and you're dead. So fight Bella, fight back!" Alice shouted, sending another shock. Bella didn't have time to deflect it. Two hit her chest, making her fall back into the ground again.
What had gotten into Alice? Bella rolled away from another shock and quickly lifted herself to her feet.
"Alice, stop it," Bella yelled, angered by her friends behavior.
Alice didn't stop. She stepped forward and continued to send the sparks and Bella continued to deflect them, doing her best to send the spells in random directions while she tried to talk her friend down.
Ever since the meeting, Alice had pushed Bella in training, to the point where Bella could barely stand to walk back to the castle grounds.
"C'mon Bella, fight. If you can't defend yourself you put not only your life, but Edward's on the line! I can't teach you if you don't push. I'm not sending you there to die!" Alice yelled, sending a new spell at Bella. The spell left her speechless as it pushed her toward the ground. Bella caught herself in a moment of rare grace.
She would not put Edward's life on the line. Bella stood and Alice attacked again. Bella deflected each one, much more quickly, fighting the exhaustion and sending Alice backward.
With a final push she deflected a spell straight toward Alice. Alice grunted in surprised and fell backward.
"What has gotten into you?" Bella screeched, breathing heavily as her mentor got on to her feet. Alice brushed off the dirt from her dress and stared at Bella with cold eyes before stepping away. Bella took a moment to catch her breath before following after her.
She found Alice at the nearby river, sitting on a log and staring at the rushing water. Some sprites played at the stream giggling and laughing. They bowed when they spotted Bella.
"Hello princess," they greeted. Alice turned and sighed heavily, but sat in place.
"Hello ladies. Can we get a moment?" she asked the young sprites. They giggled and melted into water, floating away with the current. Such strange creatures, Bella thought.
Bella hesitantly took a seat next to Alice. Alice sighed heavily and stared at her hands. After spending time with the Fay, Bella knew Alice wasn't what she portrayed herself to be.
She wasn't cold hearted or arrogant. She was kind and gentle and insecure. Something Alice did her best to hide.
"I'm sorry. It was out of line," Alice said stiffly. As far as apologies went, it was pretty bad, but Bella knew it would be the only one she received from Alice.
"What's wrong?" Bella whispered. Alice sighed again and stared at the river. A long moment passed, before Bella decided she wasn't going to get an answer. She made a move to leave, but then Alice spoke.
"He possessed defensive magic, like you," Alice whispered. Bella stopped.
"Who?"
"His name was Jasper. He was a very strong Fay. It was the first time I had seen a different type of magic. He was magnificent at it and if he was still here, I would refuse to let anyone teach you but him," she said a soft smile played at her lips as memories filled her mind.
"What happened to him?" Bella asked quietly. She was intrigued. Alice rarely spoke of her past. Bella remembered the chat she had on her first official day of training. Alice had admitted to falling in love and paying the price. Was this the man she fell for?
"He was… he was trying to stop a sorceress. Her name was Maria and she was powerful, very powerful. This was of course years before Vlasta was even born. Maria was trying to convert the sprites to dark magic. It was a horrid plan. If sprites were to be evil, their magic would truly devastate the world. Sprites keep the order in nature. They change the seasons, bring the rain, harvest the crops. If her plan were to succeed, there would be drought and famine throughout the world. King and Queens would surely give her whatever she demanded for even the tiniest of food.
When I met Jasper, he was trying to come up with his own army. He was strict and had certain expectations. When I came along, he refused to let me join. He claimed her had all the healing Fay's he would need. I told him that there was not another Fay like I. My magic was far more advanced than the girls he had. I proved it to him and he let me join. I was…infatuated with him. I thought his magic was beautiful," she whispered and Bella saw the forlorn look that came over her features.
Bella watched a single tear slide down Alice's cheek, glittering brightly in the setting sun. Alice took a deep breath and continued.
"Jasper was experimenting. He wanted to know if it were possible to convert Fay's into defensive magic. His army consisted of only sprites and other healers. He was the only defensive Fay. He figured if any Fay could turn to dark magic, it should be possible for Fay's to transfer to any type of magic. He chose me. Since I was far more powerful than any other in his army. I fell in love. We both did. He tried to teach me spells and I did my best to learn them, but I couldn't. It was not my magic. I could, however, use very small defensive spells. We all could. It was a way to protect ourselves. I learned that from him. Of course the lack of power in his army frustrated him a great deal.
One night it was just us. I was trying to soothe him, assure him we would be fine. That perhaps the level of training would be a far greater advantage than numbers. I had no idea, I assure you, but I would have done anything to make him feel at ease. Maria found us then. Jasper…he stepped in front of me. Tried to keep me hidden. They spoke like they knew each other well. I learned that Jasper had originally been on Maria's side. She had found him when he wasn't sure what he was. When his magic scared him. She had trained him. I was shocked to say the least. He had never told me this. When she saw the look on my face she laughed. She asked Jasper why he hadn't told me. He didn't answer. Before I knew it they were throwing spells at each other. Spells I had never seen before. They lit the sky with color and shook the ground around us. Jasper was winning.
Maria looked for an escape and she found me. She made a remark. Something about breaking his heart the way he had broke hers and turned a spell on me. This magic was far from what I knew. Jasper… he acted so quickly. He sent a spell toward her and she lost her balance. Her aim was lost too, and instead of hitting me, it hit him. They were both weak, but Jasper gained his footing first and sent a spell that finished her off. I thought we had won. I was so happy, until he fell on his knees, coughing blood," Alice said.
Bella gasped. Alice didn't react. She stated the story with such a straight face, trying to keep neutral. Trying to remember the details without the pain.
"I had learned a spell many years prior to meeting Jasper. It's a very confusing spell and takes a lot of energy. There's no guarantee that it will work, but it worked for some. It's the only spell that could save a dying life. Jasper was dying. I tried to heal the wound, but the magic was foreign to me. The only thing I could do was take the pain away. He was dying in my arms and because I couldn't stand to see it, I used the spell."
"What was it?" Bella asked, never hearing of something that could save a life like that. Why hadn't it be used more?
"The spell… you send them away. They disappear right before your eyes and they go… somewhere. Another world perhaps, an abyss of darkness. I have no idea. I do know that if they return they will be healed. And sometimes they do return. They return in a matter of days, weeks, years, but sometimes…sometimes they are gone forever," Alice whispered.
"How do you know he hasn't come back?"
"I… would be able to feel it. Since it was my magic that sent him away. I would feel when he returned. But he has not. I do not believe he will ever return."
"Alice, I'm sorry," Bella whispered. Alice nodded, but didn't say anything. They sat in silence as the song of the woods continued to echo around them.
"I have kept myself closed off for a very long time. I never stayed in a kingdom too long, I never became a nurse. I avoided making friends. I don't like getting close to people. You only get hurt in the end. But, Bella, whether I like it or not, you have gotten under my skin. I see now why Rose fell so quickly for you. I have grown to love you like I loved my sister. So I cannot send you into that war, into that battle unprepared. If you are not ready, I promise I will help Edward keep you locked up in some tower, because I can't lose you, too," Alice said and Bella felt warmed by her speech. She wrapped Alice in a tight hug.
"I love you, too, Alice. I promise I will do my best in training. I won't leave you," she whispered. Alice embraced her and Bella felt the warm tears on her dress.
Alice had been through so much, she had seen so much. Jasper's and Rose's death had left her alone in the world. She had no one.
Bella tried to imagine a world without her Edward, the thought was frightening.
"I won't leave you," she whispered once more, to both of them.
Okay so this is probably my favorite chapter. I really enjoyed Alice's back story. I hope you did too. :)
