Spell Break: Part 1

Gulp!

OK, here it is.  The first installment. Please remember that even though I've read it about a hundred times, it's by no means professional.  I hope you like it a little...at least enough to find out what happens next.

I made the blog itself a little wider because everything fit better that way.  And I changed to a better email form in the contact me tab, because the other one didn't give me information that I needed, I just didn't realize it.  

OK without further ado; Spell Break.

Dedication:
To Alder, Mary, and The BFF...Y'all know why.  Or if you don't, you will soon.



Prologue

The first thing Jason noticed was the bruising.

They started appearing out of nowhere. That dark purplish red that spoke of deep tissue bruising but weirdly didn’t hurt when he pressed on them. It became part of his morning routine to check his body for new marks. He would wake up, take a pee, take a shower, and examine his entire body to see where the new bruise was. He didn’t remember doing anything to himself that would warrant such bruising, but strangely he wasn’t worried about it. He just figured that after 18 years he had suddenly started sleepwalking.

The bruising wasn’t half as disconcerting as the other thing that started happening. Suddenly, he never had to worry about finding anything. What he was looking for always to seem to appear within his line of sight. He’d be sitting at his desk, wondering what he had done with a particular book, and it would suddenly be just on the edge of his reach. While convenient, he often found himself startled when this would happen. But somehow this didn’t worry him overly much either. He couldn’t explain it but he convinced himself that perhaps he was just forgetful and the item had been there all along

But then the owl appeared.

He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but as he struggled up from sleep, he heard the rustle of wings. There it was; a tiny owl perched on his footboard. He nearly pissed himself in fear for a moment. The scream was just working its way up his throat when an emotion he knew wasn’t his niggled its way into his brain. It was an unsettling feeling, having someone else in his head. The owl hopped down off the footboard, and then did its best to work its way across the comforter and into his lap. Panic bubbled up again. But the owl did nothing but stare at him, blinking it's huge eyes.  The panic started to recede a bit and he was able to discern that the emotion was coming from the owl itself. The owl was amused with him. And then suddenly everything made sense.

The bruising, the objects appearing, and now the owl, he knew the truth. He was one of the few in the world that could wield magic. With the right training he could be a practitioner. Elation filled him. He was going to be someone important.

The next morning, he went downstairs with pride on his face and the owl perched on his shoulder. He was a little nervous about telling his parents, but when he had come out to them several years before, they hadn’t even batted an eye. They had assured him that they loved him no matter what. Certainly this should be no more nerve-racking than that had been.

His mother was at the stove cooking bacon, and his father sat at the table with the newspaper, sipping a cup of coffee. They both turned when he entered the kitchen. They stared at him for a moment and then turned their gazes upon one another. Silent communication passed between them. Then his father turned to him, his feature set.

“We love you,” his father said calmly. “You are our son and that will never change. But we can not, will not, have a magic user in this house.”

“What?” Jason could barely manage the word in his shock.  What was his father saying?  He knew there were many in the world that were prejudiced against practitioners, but surely his own parents weren't like that.

“I’m sorry, Jason,” his father said with a heavy sigh. “We know it's not your fault, but we can’t allow it. You have 24 hours. Pack your things and get out.”

Chapter 1

Despite the fact that his father had given him money, it had taken Jason several years to get on its feet. Being 18 and suddenly homeless was a daunting experience for anyone. Jason knew enough about the world to use the money to get himself a small studio apartment. He had graduated high school several months before he’d been kicked out and with his diploma and his considerable charm, he was able to secure himself a job as a receptionist at a dental clinic. Now that nearly ten years had passed since that fateful day, Jason was self reliant.  His owl, an Elf Owl his internet research had told him and whom he named Strix, was his only companion. Strix liked the fact that they lived on the fourth floor. It was easy for him to get in and out of the window to go hunting for dinner. Jason was just glad to have Strix around. After the way his parents had treated him, he was reluctant to let too many people know that he could use magic.  And having a familiar made it feel like he was never completely alone.  It was impossible to feel lonely when there was always the quiet presence of Strix in his head.

His one solace was the chat room he found not long after he moved into his own place. It didn’t take him long to figure out that most of the sites on the web were full of shit; just a bunch of wannabes pretending they could wield magic. But that didn’t stop him from searching and finally he found the Haven website. It was a place real magic users congregated. He was able to ask questions without feeling like a fool, and get a bit of training as well. Everyone there was incredibly nice. And that’s where he had found Kelly.

Most practitioners had covens; a group of practitioners that leaned on one another, taught one another, and supported one another. Jason didn’t have that, not in person, but he had the website and that was enough for him. Especially because of Kelly. He absolutely adored her. She was fun, funny, smart, informative, and just a little bit dirty. Their senses of humor clicked on a basic level. It had started out innocently enough; Kelly had been the one to answer his question about how he could stop the bruising and fatigue that swamped him whenever he used magic. She had sent him a private message to explain that the bruising was caused by the magic itself, that having magic in his system broke down his cells at a basic level, and that the way to slow it down was to recharge his magical batteries. Over the course of a couple of days, Kelly helped him learn how to meditate, how to soak in the life force surrounding everything, in order to recharge. After that, they started exchanging emails. Nothing too specific of course, just vague bits about their lives, but they really made a connection. For the last year, Jason wanted nothing more at the end of the day than to get home to his apartment and read whatever email Kelly had sent.

When Kelly figured out, from little pieces of things that Jason had shared, that they lived not more than 40 minutes from each other, she suggested that they meet. Jason hesitated for a long time before he answered the email. He didn’t want her to think that he was interested in her in any romantic way. But like always, Kelly seemed to know what he was thinking. She assured him that it was nothing more than two friends meeting for coffee, perhaps talking about the magic, and for them to get to know one another better. She pointed out that she could help him master his magic much better in person than she could online.  Jason absolutely believed her and so he had agreed.

Kelly had chosen the spot, the coffee shop she said that was not too far from her home. Jason didn’t think that was the best place because Strix would want to come with him.  He couldn’t imagine forcing the owl to stay home.  Kelly had assured him that wasn’t a problem. Apparently her sister owned the coffee shop and wouldn’t mind it if an owl walked through the door with his owner. Jason had nearly 2 weeks to dither about whether or not he should actually meet her, despite having already agreed. In the end, he boarded a bus and traveled the 40 minutes to Boulder. But still he stood outside the coffee shop, a quaint little place called Any Beans Necessary, for several minutes before he could gather his courage and walked through the door.

Strix was perched on his shoulder, and not a single one of the few patrons in the shop looked up as he entered. He walked straight to the counter and gave the woman behind it tentative smile. She returned it full force as if she knew exactly who he was. She was pleasant looking, with her brown hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. But it was her smile, all-encompassing and welcoming, that caused the knots in his stomach to loosen.

“What can I get you?” Even her voice was cheery.

“Um,” Jason studied the board over the woman’s head, then took a deep breath, before asking in a soft voice, “Venti macchiato, please?”

Her smile, if possible, became brighter. “Absolutely! How about you find a seat and I’ll bring it to you as soon as it’s done?” She took his money, gave him his change, and then, with a friendly wave, turned toward the machines.

Jason took another much-needed deep breath and turned away from the counter. He surveyed the empty tables and then studied each patron, wondering where Kelly was. The lone woman in the shop had apparently left while his back had turned.  He checked his watch.  Jason frowned.  He wasn’t early.  Kelly should be here by now.  He forced the panic down and looked around again.  Maybe he had missed her on his first perusal.

His eyes caught on a big good-looking man sitting at a table by himself a few feet away. Even though he was seated, Jason could tell the other man was several inches taller than his own 5’10”. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but certainly pleasing to look at. He had a wide forehead, a strong, squarish chin, and his nose was ever so slightly crooked, like it had been broken at least once. His dark brown hair was cut close to his head and he had just a hint of stubble on his jaw. Physically, the man was exactly his type. But Jason wasn’t about to make a move.

The man caught him staring. Jason flushed a deep red, embarrassed to be caught but the man didn’t seem to mind.  Instead, he just smiled in Jason’s direction. Jason tried to avert his eyes, but he couldn’t make himself look away. Then, the head of a tabby cat peeked over the edge of the table to stare at Jason, too. Jason sucked in a breath. This man had a familiar. Obviously, he could use magic, too.

And then the man shocked the shit out of him when he opened his mouth and spoke.

“Jason?” His voice was a deep rumble settled into the pit of Jason stomach pleasantly.

He had a second to wonder how this big man knew his name before it hit him. This man knew his name and that had to mean… “Kelly?” He could hear the disbelief in his own voice. His feet moved of their own volition, crossing the space separating them until Jason’s fingers could curl over the back of the empty chair across from the man.

The man gave him a slight smirk. “You didn’t know?”

Jason shook his head slowly. “No, I, uh,” Jason had to stop and swallow hard before he was able to continue. His voice was barely a whisper when he said, “Kelly is a girl’s name.”

“Not always,” Kelly said, that same smirk on his face. Then he leaned back a little in his chair, his whole demeanor inviting as he motioned to the empty chair across from him. “I didn’t realize that you weren’t aware that I was man. If I had, I would’ve warned you. Is it a problem?”

Jason finally got his fingers to uncurl from around the back of the chair and pulled it out to sit down.  He shook his head, his mind reeling. He hadn’t expected this at all. His entire perception of Kelly changed in a heartbeat. He had to consciously remind himself that just because he now knew Kelly was male didn’t change the fact that they had become true friends over the last year. He blew out a breath and felt his cheeks heat but he forced himself to speak.

“No,” Jason said as firmly as he was able under the circumstances. “It’s just that I thought… I had been expecting… Kelly is a girl’s name,” he repeated lamely. The blush was creeping back up his cheeks but there was nothing he could do about it.

Kelly gave a soft laugh.  It was warm and rich and did funny things Jason stomach. One of Kelly’s big hands reached into his lap and started stroking the ears of the cat. The feline’s green eyes closed in satisfaction.

“Tell that my grandfather,” Kelly said quietly, the amusement apparent in his tone. He gave Jason a kind smile. “And his father before him.”

Jason gave his own shaky laugh. “I’m sorry, I really am. It’s just… You know how you get these preconceived notions about people you’ve never actually met before? I had this whole picture of you stuck in my head. And now you’ve gone and blown that all to hell.”

Kelly threw his head back and gave real belly laugh. Jason flushed with pleasure at being the cause of it. His eyes were drawn to the way the joy lit up Kelly’s features. Now that right there was a beautiful sight. The tabby chose that moment to put its front paws up on the table and peer at Jason closely.

Kelly’s hand came around the tabby’s rib cage to hold it in place. “Nola finds you amusing,” Kelly said conspiratorially. “She doesn’t find anyone amusing.  Congratulations.”

“Uh, thanks?”

As Kelly laughed again, Jason started to feel a little uncomfortable. He didn’t know why he was suddenly so amusing and he felt a little bit like he was being laughed at. Strix sent him soothing thoughts and that was enough to calm Jason’s racing heart. He was here for a purpose, he reminded himself. He and Kelly were friends and Kelly was going to help him master his magic. At least as much as Kelly was able.

Suddenly the woman from behind the counter appeared at the edge of the table and placed Jason’s drink before him. He smiled his thanks. But the woman didn’t leave. She looked expectantly between Kelly and Jason. Jason wasn’t sure what she wanted, he had already paid for his drink. Kelly’s grin just grew wider.

“Jason, I’d like you to meet my sister. Mary, this is Jason.”

Jason felt himself blushing again. Hadn’t Kelly said that his sister owned the shop? He felt like an idiot for forgetting. Of course, it could’ve been someone else working the counter. But now that he saw the two of them together, it was easy to see the family resemblance. They both had the same wide set hazel eyes, the same quirk to their lips.

“He’s pretty, Kelly. Are you sure he’s just here to learn from you? Maybe you could take him home and take him to bed instead.”

Jason, who had just taken a sip of his beverage, choked on the hot liquid. He started coughing and Strix gave a quiet screech when Jason’s entire body rocked. The owl wasn’t the only one who took offense. Nola gave a quiet hiss and swiped a paw in Mary’s direction. Mary didn’t pay either familiar any mind. But Kelly shot her a warning glance and she quickly held up her hands in surrender.

“Sorry! I couldn’t help myself!”

Kelly scowled. “Not cool, Mary Mae. I don’t appreciate that and neither, I’m sure, does Jason.”

Mary looked properly chastised. She lowered her eyes and this time when she offered an apology, it was much more sincere. “I’m sorry. Please excuse my rude behavior.”

Now that Jason had enough breath back to speak, he offered her quiet smile. “It’s all right.”

Mary nodded and then hurried back behind the counter. Jason watched her go for a moment, before turning his attention back to the man in front of them. God, how had he not figured it out? He wracked his brain, mentally reviewing all of their conversations, trying to pinpoint what had led him to assume that Kelly was a woman. There had been nothing to point to Kelly’s gender either way. It was simply the man’s name that led him to incorrectly assume that he was female. Jason vowed never to make that mistake again.

Suddenly, Strix let out a loud screech his wings flapping and beating against Jason’s head. Jason felt the warning from his familiar a split second before the front windows of the coffee shop exploded. Glass flew everywhere. Instinctively, Jason dropped to the ground. He tried to peer around the table leg see what was going on, but Kelly was there, filling his vision.

“Stay down!” Kelly’s voice was harsh and commanding. He spared Jason a brief glance, eyes roving as if to check for injury before he turned his attention back to the front of the shop. “Mary?!”

“I’m fine! I got it!” She yelled from behind them.

Jason felt the magic gathering in the air. It caused all the fine hairs on his body to stand at attention. Suddenly, energy whooshed by him to slam into the empty space where the windows had been. For several seconds, silence reigned. Jason chanced a look up. Mary stood behind the counter, her ponytail whipping in some magically induced wind, her hands raised as she held the energy barrier in place. While it kept anything else from coming inside, someone had managed to make it in before Mary had gotten the barrier up.

He was tall and dressed in black from head to toe. There was a patch affixed over his right eye and, even from where he was, Jason could see there was a scar that extended from his forehead to his cheek indicating the patch was necessary.  Blue and green arcs of energy swirled around him. Jason watched in fascination as the colors coalesced in his hands. Jason had never seen anything like it. But apparently Kelly had. The bigger man jumped to his feet, Nola secured firmly to his shoulders, and faced that menacing figure. Kelly snapped his hands out the side. Jason gasped as fire danced on Kelly’s fingertips. For a second, no one did anything. And then the blue and green energy streaked towards Kelly. Jason’s warning stuck in his throat but Kelly didn’t need it. One after another, fireballs flew from Kelly’s fingers and struck the bad guy.

For several tense moments, it didn’t seem to have an affect. The energy arcs still tried to get at Kelly, even if they never quite reached him. But then the man’s coat caught fire and he had to stop for a second to put it out with a wave of his hand. That was all the advantage Kelly needed. His own energy, a deep vibrant purple, lashed out to the man, wrapping him tight, like a boa constrictor. Within seconds, Kelly had the man immobilized.

Jason didn’t realize until that second just how scared he had been. Now that the danger seemed neutralized, panic flooded through his veins, adrenaline surging in, making his breathing shaky and his heart pound. Nausea rose in his throat and Jason fought desperately to keep it down. It took him several moments to realize that Kelly was saying his name. Jason struggled into a sitting position but he couldn’t make himself do more than that.

“Jason,” Kelly said calmly. “I need you to stand up, get my phone from my pocket, press the three button, and hold it to my ear. Can you do that for me?”

Jason nodded shakily. He had to grip the table in order to pull himself into a standing position. Locking his knees so he wouldn’t fall over, he reached out one trembling hand to the pocket that Kelly indicated, pulled out the cell phone, and did as Kelly instructed. Jason could hear the fate ringing through the phone’s tiny speaker. Then the ringing cut off.

“Yeah. I got him. Come get him.” Kelly blew out a breath. “Thank you, Jason.”

Jason took that as his cue to end the call and he shoved the phone back into Kelly’s pocket. Jason could see the sweat breaking out on Kelly’s brow. Obviously, keeping the energy flowing in order to keep the bad guy contained was taking a lot out of him. Jason didn’t know what to do to help. He watched Kelly’s face closely, seeing the strain on his features, and was just about to offer his assistance when two men appeared on the other side of the barrier. They were able to walk through without any problem. Mary called out a greeting and dropped her hands. Apparently, these were the good guys.

Mary hustled to Jason's side, giving him a nudge so that he would sit in his previously vacated chair. She forced him to focus on her as she studied his face. After several tense moments, she told him he’d be just fine. Jason silently did not agree. He had never witnessed anything like that before in his life.

Suddenly, Kelly sagged. Both Jason and Mary reached out and between the two of them, they managed to catch him and muscle Kelly’s big body into a chair. He looked utterly exhausted and Jason found himself reaching out to place a comforting hand on Kelly’s arm. Kelly gave a shaky smile. While Mary had had Jason’s attention focused on her, the men that had come at Kelly’s call had taken the bad guy away. Jason had about 1000 questions swirling in his brain but they would have to wait. Right now he was solely focused on Kelly, who seemed on the verge of collapse.

“He’ll be all right,” Mary said softly. “We just have to get him home. He’s drained, that took a lot of magic out of him, but once he gets home to the source of his power, he’ll be able to recharge and he’ll be all right.”

The source of his power? That was the first that Jason had heard of such a thing. He knew all about recharging the magic, thanks to Kelly’s patient online tutelage, but never once had Kelly ever mentioned a power source. For just a split second, Jason felt hurt that Kelly hadn’t shared this bit of information with him. He chastised himself silently. He and Kelly were friends, yes, but the truth was they didn’t know each other that well. Jason had to hold onto the hope that Kelly would explain everything, answer all his questions, just like he had promised to do when this meeting was set up. Once Kelly regained some strength, that was.

Mary, however, seemed oblivious to Jason’s internal struggle. She nodded once, gave Nola a stroke on her head, and then pushed a hand through Kelly’s sweaty locks.

“Yes,” she said softly to herself. “Once he can touch the alder in his backyard, once he can center himself, my brother’s going to be just fine.”

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