Dangerous, Diabolical

----

A/N - for my ‘Dangerous, Diabolical - best kept secrets’ readers, you should read Leo’s POV - chapter 2 before this chapter!

-----

In the space of five minutes, Leofstan had attempted to bewitch me twice. If I was the creature I’d registered as I’d be at his very whim to trip head over heels and deliver what he wanted with a bow tie. Considering not a week ago he’d been all pleasantries and couldn’t help enough, this left a sour taste. Was this in the council’s handbook? Or was he acting of his own accord?

Well, I wasn’t one to let an opportunity go to waste. If he believed he was in control, I’d let him, and deliver the ‘truth’ of what had happened.

“I was out walking when it suddenly started to glow.” My story began. “Then it grew hot so I let it go. At which point, it started to float.” Leofstan narrowed his eyes. “I tried to move away, but it launched itself at me, and this happened.” Gesturing to my arm. “Your spell attacked me.”

In a low tone he growled, “I have cast this spell countless times, it has never once become unstable.” I shrugged, trying to pull my arm back. He didn’t oblige. Instead, he dug his fingers into the tender skin of my palm and began dragging me back towards my house.

“Hey, stop that!” I protested. “I can walk!”

His manners were quickly going down the drain now that he thought he was in charge. ”We need to get out of sight. Open your door.“. Despite not wanting in him my house again, he had a point. My neighbours were aggressive curtain-twitchers.

“Fine.” I unlocked it with my free hand, and we both stumbled in. Somehow it had become a competition of who could hold up to whom. Maybe we could both take a nap.

Leofstan’s nostrils immediately began twitching as he noticed the smell, and I smirked slightly at the irony. “Happy?” My voice was sharp, sarcastic.

He pushed the door closed. “This might sting.” Was all the warning I received as he pushed raw magic into my arm.

Sting was an understatement.

It burnt something akin to my arm being removed, and I hissed in protest. My magic rushed reflexively in defence, finding the invading tendrils. Inside my mind mentally grasped the alien power like a blanket instead and pulled, gathering folds to smother the wave into submission.

Leofstan’s magic pushed harder, as did mine. But where his seemed to be like a well-directed arrow, mine erupted like the dancing flames of a forest fire. Raw energy scattered, turning from a blanket to an unstoppable tidal wave, unable to focus on the single entry of attack it lunged at everything.

The floor beneath us began to crack, walls shaking. Windows shattered, glass flying out. The air whipped through the room pulsating as furniture began to slide away from the force.

Leofstans dagger of magic suddenly retreated out of me, his face drained of colour and eyes wide. “Celandine, pull back!” He screamed over the waves of my magic, now clutching at my hand to steady himself against the waves.

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” I roared back, mentally trying to grab anything and managing nothing. The light collapsed from my ceiling in a crash, noise dwarfed by the thrum of power.

“Center yourself!” He cried.

“Center of what!”

That was the moment it dawned on both of us, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

Dropping my hand and staggering back, he managed to find footing leaning forward, arms stretched towards me as if fighting a gale. “Where do you find your balance?” He hollered.

“That makes no sense!” I clenched my eyes tightly. The flow increased, the walls begin to budge around me, and the sofa slammed out through the patio doors.

“Think of a tree!” He yelled, trying to step forwards.

Desperately, I pictured a tree.

“The creak of the branches.” Yeah, they did that.

“The sway of the leaves.” They looked very pretty when they were on fire, much like the ash in the clearing.

“The buds in spring.” Meh, I could give or take.

“The summer flowers.”

“Well,” I put my hands on my hips, replying. “They just make me sneeze.” There was a distant scatter of rubble escaping, and I opened my eyes, taking a deep breath.

He was sprawled butt first in the middle of the room, clothes torn and burns marring parts of his skin. Panting, he placed his head in his hands, massaging his forehead. He looked almost as bad as I did.

My tide of magic dissipated, the tendrils shimmying away.

“Category 37?” He murmured. Then began to laugh into his hands. His shoulders were wracked with the movement. “Thirty. Seven.” He said slightly louder. Whacking the floor with his palm like it was the funniest joke. “We almost died and they labelled you as a thirty-seven.”

The sound stopped abruptly.

Leofstan looked me dead in the eye, a smile falling from his face.

Almost disbelieving, he repeated; “you could’ve killed me.”

Raising my eyebrows I shot back, “You should be careful who you cast spells on.” I retorted.

He fell silent for a while, looking even worse than when he’d just stood on my doorstep. “It was a seeking probe, to find buried magic.” He explained. “Works better when people don’t know it’s coming, as it can slip through and find foreign tendrils quicker.”

“Well, it sure didn’t feel like it.” I rubbed at my arm.

“Of course it bloody didn’t!” He shouted, stumbling to his feet. “It should’ve only taken a small burst of power, not an army load!” He pointed an accusatory finger. “When was the last time you discharged?” He stepped closer. “What restraints are you using to stay in check?” He took another step. “How are you holding so much bloody power, category thirty-seven.” There was a lot of stress on that number.

I was so busted.

Biting my lip, trying to grasp any plausible story, suddenly became an impossible task. I sighed my frustration. So be it.

“I cheated.” Well, that was a load off of my shoulders. “I walked straight into your special council test, gave it a tiny jab of magic and called it a day. Not a single person there checked otherwise.”

He shook his head at me.

“But, why?” He looked around. “You could have so much…” again with my house. Not that much was left.

“Exactly.” I cut him off wincing as I thought about the repairs. “There is nothing more I want.”

Running a hand through his hair, dislodging grit, he continued to shake his head. “Well, what school did you train under? How did you avoid an apprenticeship? That sort of raw power can’t be hidden.”

“I didn’t.”

“But your parents….”

“Dead.” Maybe. I couldn’t recall them. It wasn’t a trait of my species to look after their young anyway.

“Guardian?” Ha! There was so much hope in his voice.

A cold pit opened in my stomach. “No.” Willow was the only person I’d told the truth to. When it came to growing up there wasn’t much I could remember apart from a few hazy memories. Each time I tried recalling anything the edges seem to blur. The first concrete memory I recalled walking along a forest clearing, a stone cave in front of me. I was younger then, but very much already mature.

It was like one day I’d just appeared in the universe and started to live my life.

His mouth kind of opened and closed a few times like one of my fish. “So who taught you magic control?”

With a deep breath, I answered, “I paid a goblin to show me a few tricks once.”

Leofstan put a hand on his stomach, looking as if his stomach contents were about to join us at any time.

“So that’s how…” he muttered. “The gem…” he narrowed his eyes. “You were lying. You used completely wild magic, letting it interfere with the casting.” A sheen of sweat grew on his brow. “Neither of my spells affected you.” He wasn’t asking. Busted again. He knew his stuff.

My toes were suddenly really interesting.

“Loki knows,” he swore, “what on earth you have done? We need to try and remove it at once.”

“You don’t say.” Holding my hand up to show him the gem again for added effect.

For a moment he just stared at it, and then the space around him began distorting as he summoned magic. A twinge from the gem began, and a bead of sweat trickled over his cheek. Completely unbidden I felt the last reserves of my power flare in response. Leofstans eyes darted to me, and his power fizzled out. “It’s impossible, I can’t even look at it until your power is under con-” Suddenly the man straightened like he’d been hit by lightning, his head swivelling to look off at one of the walls.

He stood motionless, staring off into the distance. Just as I was debating poking him with a stick, he spurred into movement. “I have to go.” He blurted, bolting for the door.

Erm, okay. Fine. Whatever.

Pausing at the handle he turned. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, it’s a miracle you haven’t taken out half of the country yet so I expressively forbid any magic use.”

“Sure.” I lied.

“I mean it, any hint of magic I will arrest you.”

“Only fair.” I agreed.

“Do not aggravate the gem hex. I will teach you control as soon as I can.” He said that last line more forcefully than any spell.

“No thanks.”

He opened the door. “It’s not negotiable.” Then slammed it behind him.

“Hey!” Wrenching the door open I was about to argue, but my doorstep was empty. The git had gone, leaving me with a half-collapsed house, magic remnants everywhere and he’d filled it with his scent again. Furthermore, he was coming back?

I didn’t know whether to bother with more air freshener or move house.