Phoenix Contract: Part Four (Fallen Angel Watchers) (5 page)

With a surge of confidence, Aiden struck a match and lit the wick of the candle. A moment later, the room plunged into darkness when Matthew flipped the light switch. The single flickering flame provided the only illumination.

Breathing rhythmically, Aiden began a meditation exercise and focused on achieving a deep state of relaxation. Within her mind, she summoned energy and constructed a cone of power as she’d been instructed.

“Fire is your element, and it will be the easiest for you to call. Aiden, you have an immense untapped potential, but much of your power is unrealized, and the key to discovering and mastering it will be asserting your will over that which would oppose you.”

Her initial attempts to summon magic produced no perceivable results, and Aiden felt more than a bit silly and self-conscious. Father Matthew had been so confident that she’d succeed, but self-doubt plagued her.

Exhaling, she concentrated on driving all of the tension from her body. Gradually, her mind drifted into a state of blankness, and the shackles of stress loosened. At long last, the magic flowed into her as essential and vital was the air filling her lungs.

It began as tingles in her fingers and toes and expanded until it surrounded her, shimmering and vibrant like a cloud of fairy dust. Her body temperature rose, a definitive warming that spread outward from her abdomen.

The study heated, a sudden and noticeable increase in warmth that drew a soft murmur of encouragement from Father Matthew. The air crackled about her, feeding the building energy aura which pulsated with a deep, steady throbbing. The sensation was so immediate and so real that Aiden imagined each expansion and contraction of magic beat in time with her heart.
This is power! Real magic!

The power built until she reached what she felt was her limit. Certain that she could summon and command no more, Aiden opened her eyes and focused upon the red candle. Matthew had instructed her to channel the energy into it, so Aiden took a deep breath and attempted to do just that.

The summoned magic did not manifest in the form of a cone as she expected, but rather it seemed to flow around her with volatile randomness like a raging storm. The magic had the essence of barely controlled chaos since she lacked the training or discipline to command it.

The disorder was enthralling and hypnotic, so fascinating and beautiful that Aiden’s presence of mind slipped away. A part of her wanted to just get lost in the magic.

“Aiden, you need to transfer the magic into the candle.”

Father Matthew’s voice came as a jarring interruption, and Aiden blinked startled eyes that had grown fuzzy.

Focus.
Aiden scowled and grabbed at the power around her. With a sudden burst of determination, she flung it outward and into the candle. It left her with a great WOOSH of hot air that blasted her hair and made it fly wildly about her face.

The wick burned bright, and then the flame turned into a conflagration that consumed the entire wax column. For a second, it was a neat torch, but then she lost all control over it.

Swelling to an enormous size, the fire literally roared, and heat blasted Aiden in the face. She instinctively flinched and thought about jumping to her feet to retreat. The magic no longer felt good. It had suddenly turned very scary.

Only Father Matthew’s shouted instructions kept Aiden from losing control of her spell. His voice rose loud and strong over the fiery din of crackling flames and urged her to take command of the fire.

“Back, back, obey my command,” Aiden whispered, licking dry lips. She regarded the raging bonfire uncertainly but rallied to the challenge. The red head exerted her will and imagined bringing the fire under control with her mind. Amazingly, the flames did die down and gradually resumed the shape of a column.

“A length of chain to bind the demon, symbolically restraining his essence and physically preventing him from movement.”

She extended her hand and picked up the length of chain that had been hastily salvaged from the janitor’s closet. Aiden had cut away an equally corroded lock with a pair of bolt cutters to obtain the short and rusted piece. It had spent years threaded between holes of the chain link fence gate, but Matthew claimed it was sufficient for the task.

Holding an end in either hand, Aiden pulled the chain taut for inspection. In spite of the red powder the steel left on her skin, the large, solid links possessed unyielding strength, and she grew certain the chain would hold on both a physical and mystical level.

Freeing her right hand, she released one end of the chain and allowed the length to dangle from her left. The column of fire continued to burn steady, pulsating with the heartbeat of magic which waited to be directed. She was ready for the last and most difficult part of the spell.

“The final step is forging a psychic link with the demon in order to bind it. This ring will provide the necessary foci, and once the connection is established, you must work quickly. The Soul Eater will be aware of what you are doing and resist, making the enchantment even more difficult.”

After a considerable hesitation, Aiden finally picked up the sapphire ring. She held it in her right hand between her thumb and index finger with the gem toward her face. The brilliant cobalt blue sparkled and gleamed, refracting and reflecting the firelight. Troy’s eyes had taken on the exact same shade when he was happy, and Aiden’s vivid recollection easily turned up a hundred images of him laughing.

In spite of her ridiculous, hopeless crush, Troy had been like a big brother to her. He teased her constantly about one thing or another, and yet he’d been so wonderfully protective. Smart and caring, courageous and cynical. Aiden’s eyes filled with tears as she confronted the reality of his death for the first time.

Melancholy seized her, and the mood of the magic altered, causing the pillar of fire to burn just a touch dimmer. Aiden could sense Troy’s essence within the ring, a residual aura as if he’d left a piece of his soul behind. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she smiled, because she could feel Troy flowing through her, connecting to her on a spiritual level. It was a tiny balm, a source of solace and comfort, and her grief was momentarily eased. She sank a bit deeper into the connection, opening her mind more fully to the empathy.

Then the illusion ripped away.

The vision of Troy’s smiling face underwent a horrid transformation. Holes of blackness replaced his eyes and mouth and writhing tentacles spewed forth. The oily flesh was covered in an array of large yellow eyes arranged around a single sucker mouth ringed with sharp teeth. From the end of each tentacle sprouted needle thin ganglia, which whipped wildly about as the barbed ends fished for flesh.

Fear coursed through Aiden, because it was pure ugliness: cold, malicious, evil. Images flooded Aiden’s mind: a patio table outside of a coffee house, throngs of passing pedestrians, and busy streets rumbling with traffic. The Soul Eater had taken on Thrash’s appearance in order to converse with a pale man of unspeakable beauty. The pair were seated.

“What is it? Who are you talking to?” The pale man made his demands in French-accented English, a voice both aristocratic and charismatic which immediately commanded attention. His manner toward the Soul Eater was sharp and condescending, like a master addressing a disobedient servant.

“A moment, Master,” the Soul Eater replied, confirming Aiden’s suspicion. He held up a fending hand.

“I sense magic,” the Frenchman breathed, gazing at his minion with the most startling blue eyes Aiden had ever seen.

She shuddered. It felt like the pale man was staring straight at her, even though she knew that would be impossible.

“Someone is attempting to bind me,” the Soul Eater announced.

Abruptly, Aiden realized that she’d waited too long and lost the element of surprise. The Soul Eater had sensed what she was doing. Anger and fear formed an iron lump in her stomach, and she was immediately furious with herself wasting her only advantage.