Chapter 15

“What do you mean Aggie is part Fae? We know her lineage and her family have always been one hundred percent human, unless…” Mathius’s eyebrows rose in understanding. Did you guys…?” The question was left unsaid, but everyone knew what he was talking about.

Aggie just smiled and produced a black rose, just for Mathius, the way she had before. “Does this answer your question?” Then she turned her attention back to Eldon, “I really need to learn other things than this party trick. Perhaps something more useful.” The group laughed at her light-hearted sarcasm and Eldon smiled reassuringly.

“I think we can add that to your fight training, who is taking first shift on that?” Looking around the room, Eldon’s eyes fell on the twins with assumption in his eyes.

“Yes, we will have her in fighting shape before you know it.” Mitchell’s confidence was both endearing and terrifying. The idea that she would go from zero to hero in such a short period of time was outside of her comfort zone.

“I’ll come in for the last part of each session and run magic drills. Before too long, you will be able to incorporate those into her fighting skill lessons and make everything a practical use of her time.” Eldon turned back to Aggie, “In the meantime, why don’t you consider what natural things feel the strongest to you, if it is your connection to the earth, the trees or the sky. There might be a stronger aspect to your magic, that you will want to focus on in the early stages. Then your practical fighting will go easier in the beginning. When we have more time, we can focus on your weaker elements and see what we can do with them.” This made sense to Aggie and she hoped her connection to the bracelet would help her figure that answer out.

“Where are you guys at on figuring out where the Wanderer is located. Is she really just called ‘the Wanderer’? Doesn’t she have another name we can use? I feel silly calling her that.” Aggie might have addressed her question to Mathius, but it was a general question as everyone had a role to play in all of this.

“I believe we are making a little progress on the location, but it’s still slow going. I have narrowed it down to the east side of the town due to the terrain. Unfortunately, that is also the side with more land owners and therefore more properties to search.” Liel wasn’t as rigid as usual, Aggie wondered if he was just tired.

“Did you guys work through the night?” Aggie’s stomach clenched waiting for their answer.

“We were still a bit worked up from the evening’s events and with Walpurgisnacht Roodmas now less than five days away, I’m not sure how much time these kids have left.” Mathius’s words hit Aggie home and tears welled in her eyes. If crying was a new side effect of the acceptance of her new power, perhaps taking on any more wasn’t a good idea. At least, not until she got a handle on these hormonal changes or whatever they were.

“I get it, now I feel bad for letting you guys stay up all night alone. Why don’t you two get some rest. Gryson and Kyrel, do you think you could pick up where they left off?” Aggie tried to stealthily wipe the water from her eyes as she addressed them all.

“I need to see if I can scry for her using that fabric you found anyway. It might take a few tries as it is badly damaged. I’m afraid whatever substance that she soaked it in will dampen the results as it won’t have the same elemental compound of her own chemical makeup.” Gryson was already consulting Liel to get the run down on what to expect.

“Are you telling me that magic and science are friends?” Aggie was dumbfounded. School subjects she hated were never supposed to become practical in her every day life. She placed her hand over her eyes and groaned, which earned her a chuckle from Gryson but he chose not to respond to her question.

“Let’s go down to the gym, Aggie girl. I’d love to show you around. Then we can get started on your training.” Ren reached for her hand, but before he could clasp it, Mathius redirected her.

“I might be tired, but I think that dress might not be the best gym appropriate attire. Don’t get me wrong, that dress is perfect on you, but I think I have something else in mind.” He placed his hands around her body but didn’t touch her. She felt a warm current run through her body yet no pain. When she looked down again, she was clothed in black leathers with a deep red belt and collar. Ironically, or not, it was the same shade as Mathius’s eyes as he created the design.

Smoothing her hands over the material, Aggie was surprised to find it soft to the touch. Bending her knees a few times, she realized while they weren’t yoga pants, they had enough give that she could easily workout in them, even if they were formed right along her skin. If he hadn’t magically created them Aggie wasn’t sure how she would have pulled them on. Visions of butter ran through her head, quickly she shook them loose.

“Is this how I’m to get my clothes from now on? Not that I’m complaining, so far, the options have been beyond belief, but I’m not going to run around naked until one of you, magic wielders, comes along to clothe me.” Aggie was still feeling the rich leather and in awe of how perfect it was on her. Only thing she was missing was a mirror so she could strut her stuff and see how it really looked from all angles.

“I think it will have to do until you figure it out on your own, but don’t take it away completely at least until I get my turn.” Gryson winked at her from across the room.

“Well, now that she is dressed more appropriately for the gym, are we allowed to get to work now?” Ren rolled his eyes at everyone’s antics, but Aggie wasn’t fooled. He was just as caught up in it as everyone else.

*****

Ren opened the door to the gym and Aggie burst out laughing, “Really? This looks like every gym in the history of gyms. Here I was thinking being in a demon realm I would be seeing something new and spectacular. Nope! All I see are weights, machines the epitome of a gym rats’ wet dream.

“It isn’t quite that bad, look there is a fighting pit over here. Not many Earth places have these.” Mitchell was getting defensive, but Aggie didn’t care. She wasn’t going to lose this one.

“Nope, only every one that trains fighters or boxers. They are common enough they made an entire movie series about it. You have spent time on Earth you said, so maybe you’ve heard of them, Rocky?” Snapping her hand on her hip and shifting her weight off that leg, Aggie stood there waiting for his rebuttal.

Sighing, Mitchell walked further into the room, Aggie was disappointed he gave up the fight so easily. While it wasn’t life or death, she loved that he was the one who always challenged her. Out of frustration, she imagined a strong gust of wind and blew lightly from her mouth. With little effort, she had pushed enough air from her lips toward him that Mitchell was forced to stumble slightly forward. The moment was short lived for her.

“I wouldn’t have done that if I were you.” Ren was half laughing at her and half warning her. Aggie turned her attention back to Ren, just starting to roll her eyes when out of no where she was hit and knocked to the ground by an unseen force that knocked the wind out of her. It took a moment to regain her breath, but when she looked up at the weight that was on top of her, it was Mitchell. His nostrils were flaring and his breath was ragged. He was practically panting.

“You want to pick a fight, I suggest you pick one you can win.” Mitchell’s words were stunted because of his labored breathing. Aggie assumed that was likely not caused by him being out of shape.

“Get off her you overgrown hound, she has to learn before we can attack her like that.” Ren pulled back on Mitchell’s shoulders when Mitchell didn’t move fast enough Ren put a little more muscle in it. The result was Mitchell flipped over on his back and about six feet away.

“How do you do that? Not only have I witnessed superhuman speed, but now strength.” Aggie’s eyes were widened and her mouth left slack. She just stopped speaking and froze.

“What that?” Ren chuckled, low and slowly before continuing. “That is all part of the shifter gig. If you think we are fast, then you should see Xavier when he lets loose.”

“Now that I can’t believe, he moves practically like a floating statue. How am I supposed to imagine that moving faster than what I just witnessed with you two more than once?” Aggie slowly pushed off the floor to stand, Ren reached down and she took his hand gratefully.

“That is just a ruse and more of his way of staying closer to human speeds. If he walked normal for him, it would be supersonic to the rest of us. Now let’s get on track, how much training do you personally have?” Ren got down to business and had she not already figured out how to tell them apart, this would have made it difficult. It was like he was channeling Mitchell.

“Did you two ever try and fool people into thinking you were each other as kids?” As usual, blurting just happened but she never regretted it. This was how she got to the bottom of her burning questions and it had always worked.

“Yes, but it never worked so we gave it up. The wolves always scented us before we made it very far. By the time we left for Earth, we had outgrown that kind of childish behavior.” Mitchell had calmed down but he still wasn’t snapping like normal. It was strange and actually made Aggie feel more uncomfortable around him.

“I have to admit it still would have been fun to try, a little hair dye or temporary color and you could have anyone fooled.” She smiled at the thought, “Now, about my training or previous experience, let’s just say it’s basically nonexistent. I’m not a fan of working out and it isn’t my idea of fun pastimes. I can think of plenty of other things to do that are actual fun activities.”

“I guess that means we are starting at the basics, I need to see what you are capable of now. Do you think you can do some basic moves with me? You had high school PE, right?” Ren was in his element and the fun-loving guy she had grown accustomed to was nowhere to be found.

“Yes, but PE was evil, right up there with that stupid rope. I never was able to climb that rope.” She kicked the ground in frustration. Aggie was sure that small statement was going to dig her grave. They were going to write her off and send her packing. She wasn’t cut out to be their ninth. She would just slow them down. Even now when they all could be doing something else to help these poor kids who were missing, they were standing in a gym full of equipment Aggie didn’t even begin to know anything about.

To her surprise, Ren didn’t seem surprised or put off by her statement. “Ok, then I will have the opportunity to mold you into who we want and you will fight in a way we expect. Not to mention the more powers you take on, it will make your instincts stronger more attuned.” Aggie groaned at the idea, she had already decided she needed to wait on that and not speed up the process. She wasn’t going to tolerate them pressing the issue for very long.

For the next two hours, Aggie, Ren and Mitchell went through squats, lunges, chest presses, minor weight training and an entire gambit of things Aggie couldn’t remember the name, of for long enough to perform it. The machines were easier than the free weights, but overall none of it was outside of her ability to control. While she struggled on a few things, it seemed the bracelet she wore infused her with a little more energy to push through them in the long run.

Dripping with sweat and a little dehydrated, Aggie sagged to the floor quickly falling to her back wheezing. “Okay enough, I think I’m dying.” She guzzled water like it was somehow magically going to fix all her aches and pains. Ren and Mitchell just looked on with pleased smiles plastered on their faces. “Was that your plan? Did you want to exhaust me beyond the capability of moving?”

“While that wasn’t the plan, I’m more pleased that you were able to keep up. The level of competition you have coursing in you was admirable. It makes me want to push you that much harder tomorrow.” Mitchell was back. No more overly nice, super sweet, annoyingly accommodating Mitchell. Nope, he was back to his frustrating self, even if just a little bit.

“I don’t know, I kinda felt bad for her towards the end. I would have rather left her with enough energy to move on her own. Then perhaps we could have persuaded her to test that magical control out in our bed tonight. I’m curious if what she says is true, and she won’t lose control even under the most emotionally heated circumstances.

Swinging her leg toward Ren, Aggie attempted to kick him. Unfortunately, given her current state and position on the floor that only resulted in her hurting herself further. Then movement out the corner of her eyes caught her attention. “Thank God! Eldon why didn’t you come sooner, they were trying to kill me here.” Aggie might have been exaggerating, but she didn’t care, right now, he was her white knight and she was gonna take it.

Calling for the power within her bracelet, Aggie built enough strength to move herself to a seated position. “You definitely look worse the wear. Is there something I can do for you before we get started? Perhaps a snack?” With that, he procured something Aggie didn’t expect and had she been able to move it, might have been the only thing to get her on her feet. There in Eldon’s hand was a package of Nutty Buddy’s and they were both there. It was like a mirage in the desert, and it crossed her mind that she was imagining it. So with every bit of willpower she could muster Aggie pulled herself to her own feet and trudged as quickly as her sore muscles would allow and snatched the bar from his hand.

“You are my hero. These two, I’m starting to wonder if they are related to Satan himself. Do you think maybe they have just been in the demon realm too long? Does Satan actually live here somewhere or is he on an entirely different plane all together?” Exhaustion led to rambling and Aggie had it bad. Instead of waiting for answers to her random questions, she tore into her first chocolaty goodness and savored the peanut butter as she chewed slowly. Going any faster would result in her missing out on much needed rest time. The last thing she wanted was to finish and be dragged off and onto a new daunting task.

“Let’s take your treat over to the mats. It will be a more comfortable place to sit and we can talk. Then I will give you a few things to try. My goal is to give you practical skills you can use in combat. Then when those two goons start to teach you any fighting skills, you can fend them off.” Eldon took her hand and walked her over to the mat. Not once did she relinquish her food or offer to share. This was hers and given these guys ability to get almost anything, she didn’t even bother to ask where he acquired it. For all she knew, a Brownie could have sent it over.

Legs crisscrossed on the mat Aggie faced Eldon head on, but this time they didn’t touch. Between mouthfuls and a couple times without bothering to empty her mouth, “They put me through the ringer, but it was all strength training. They said from here on out they will do the first session like today and the second with fighting skills training. Total of two hours a day until I don’t tire as easily.”

“That will come easier as you get used to the magic inside you. The magic will reset your system as you go.” Eldon leaned back on his hands as they spoke making Aggie feel more relaxed as well. That was something Eldon was always good at, he could clam her down in an instant.

“I noticed that this,” Aggie held her bracelet up to show him, “my Fae self, told me would help me channel my magic and control it. If not this,” she shook her bracelet again as she referenced it, “specifically, then anything connected to nature directly contacting my skin. I realized whenever I needed a boost or felt like I would drop, I could draw a little from the bracelet and I was able to keep going. I didn’t do it much but I realized it when I almost keeled over a couple times. The energy was just there and I was back moving again.”

“That sounds about right, you are channeling your magic and you don’t even know it. The bracelet, while it helps you connect, is really just a symbol for you to focus on in times of need. Your Fae is quite wise, to have given you that focal point. Now if you could, would you try something for me? I would like you to visualize wind in your head and focus on creating a tiny tornado in the palm of your hand.” Eldon really had big plans for her it seemed, he was starting out with the big guns.

“Wow, nothing like taking it slow. Oh, I should tell you I breathed a wind today and knocked Mitchell over. So, this shouldn’t be too hard, but I did that with my mouth before.” Aggie got so excited over the food he brought her, that she had almost forgotten to tell him about her manifestation of her powers.

“This shouldn’t be too difficult then, but just picture capturing that tornado under a glass, similar to a snow globe only this one will be called a tornado globe, purely for observation not destruction.” Aggie giggled at his description though even though it was a tad odd, it did make it easier to paint the idea in her mind. Without saying anything she held up her palm face up and stared at it. She was making an extra effort to not close her eyes. She wanted to see it form and she knew how pretty her eyes would become as they transformed into the Fae version of her own.

Seconds later, she started to feel the air move across her hand. A smile broke out on her face because it felt just like before except this time it came from everywhere and not from her lips. Quickly that wind took shape, swirling like a tumbleweed around her hand. She had the concept but it was still a bit rough and not anywhere like a globe covering it. Aggie focused a bit harder and she pictured a glass floating above her hand and easing it over the billowing bundle. Once she had it trapped from above, she sealed the invisible glass over her palm and closed the escape for good. Now the tornado began to spin and twirl but never got any bigger than a garden gnome. The thought made her giggle because the tornado looked very similar to that gnome’s upturned hat.

“I did it! Look at it El, it is magnificent.” Aggie wanted to jump up and down for joy but she was afraid the imaginary glass would fall from her hand letting the tornado escape and wreak havoc on the space.

“Once again like an age-old Fae, you have now mastered the power of the wind, just as you took to creation. I’m so proud of you.” Slowly she let the wind recede and as it calmed she mentally raised the invisible glass. With that, all the wind dispersed into the room naturally and Aggie let her eyes lift and meet Eldon’s. She could see the pride shining in his eyes and it warmed her from the inside out. Not that she never had that as a child, but she had never done something like this that would warrant such a reaction. She wasn’t very much of a go getter in high school academically. She opted for the ‘just get by’ approach. This, on the other hand, was the perfect reaction and just what she needed.

“Teach me something else, I want to knock Mitchell on his ass tomorrow. I’d really love it if it packed enough of a punch to keep him down for a minute, I might need time to make a fast getaway.” Aggie winked at Eldon so he’d know she was kidding, at least about the running away part. “No, if I knock him down no matter how hard it will be enough. I’ll stand and fight whatever he throws back at me.”

“Good, there would be no point of training you magically or otherwise, if you are planning to just run away when the first threat appeared.” Eldon wasn’t upset, more like stating the obvious. “I think the best thing you could do that would be both surprising and still big enough to make a statement would be a vine.”

“You mean I’m going to conjure a vine from thin air?” Aggie was impressed, but a little skeptical seeing as she wouldn’t be outside and the bracelet might not be a big enough connection for this plan.

“Yes, but not technically from thin air. This castle as I said is made of natural stone, but because it is stone there are gaps in between that are made from a dirt paste, or mortar. You can use that to your advantage here. It will just take a bit more concentration to control it, but thankfully it isn’t as dangerous as the tornado you just contained.” Eldon stood from the mat they were on and Aggie followed suit.

“Should I take off my shoes, I feel like connection will be key here and I’m not sure my bracelet will be enough.” Aggie hesitated but decided telling him about her insecurities was better than hiding them at this point.

“Let’s leave them on, I’d hate for Mitchell to get a clue before you nail him.” Eldon’s wide grin was contagious, Aggie found herself enjoying this moment right along with him.