Elena
IT was interesting to watch Noel and Austin fight. Once I got decent with boffer swords, that could be how well Noel and I looked when we fought. I looked forward to that day. Just one more thing to add to my list of things I needed to practice doing. But the spells and the practicing I did with Alistair came first, of course. But I was getting better, and I was proud of myself for how far along I was coming.
Alistair was a good teacher, though. He was patient, funny, and he knew when I when I needed a break or what to say to get me to fight harder. Eevie was a good mentor, but she was more abrasive and aggressive. It was fun hanging out with Alistiar, and I could tell why he was Eevie's best friend.
"Earth to Elena," Alexa was waving a hand in front of my face.
I shook my head, breaking my train of thought, "I'm sorry, Alexa, what were you saying?" Alexa and the boys were both staring at my funny. I blushed with embarrassment looked down, finding my straw wrapper very interesting.
"I was asking if you were ready to head back to the dorm, I have some homework to work on. I'll probably be heading over to the library, though," she said, standing up.
"I was going to go study in the library, want to head back and walk to the library together?" Austin asked. When Alexa nodded, we all got up and headed back to the dorms.
Funny how they are both going to the library together, Eevie mentioned. They're probably going to their secret club somewhere.
You really think there is one? I asked her, watching where I stepped.
I do. Austin put up a good fight against Noel, but I got the sense that he was holding back. He wouldn't want to show too much of his strength and arouse our suspicions. Eevie replied.
That makes sense, I nodded. We had reached the dorm, and Alexa and I waved goodbye to the boys and went our separate ways.
"You and Austin seem to be spending a lot of time together," I teased her, nudging her shoulder as we climbed the stairs.
"Austin and I? No. We're not together. We just happen to have a few classes together and with you and Noel being so close, we bond over our mutual appreciation of watching you two struggle with your feelings for each other," she shot back with a grin.
"I'm glad Noel's and my relationship is amusing for you two," I gave her a look.
Alexa pulled out her keys and let us into our room. "Has there been any progress for you guys?"
I shook my head as I walked over to my desk and slumped into my chair. I had so much homework to do. I had pushed off some of the work that I had gotten earlier in the week to focus on training. I didn't look forward to the late night I'd have, but I was thankful Alexa would be leaving so I could focus more.
"Well, I'm sure you guys will come together eventually. It's so obviously meant to be," Alexa was running around the room, throwing books and notebooks into her book bag.
"Thanks," I smiled at the thought. "See you later," I waved as she headed for the door. With a quick wave, she was gone, shutting the door softly behind her. For once, hearing that Noel and I belonged together didn't make me feel weird. I actually liked the idea.
Eevie
Once Alexa had left, Elena started pulling out her homework, but I needed to work on the traveling concealing spell. The sooner I got that working, the sooner we could figure out what was going on with Alexa and Austin. After hearing Noel's story of the necklace Austin always wore and the sweet scent, I had been really paying attention while we had all been together. I could just make out a sweet scent from Austin, but I wasn't sure if Alexa was really giving off a similar scent or if I was just thinking too hard about it. Alexa wasn't always wearing a necklace, but I did notice she wore the same ring every day.
If the necklace Austin wore really was concealing his scent, that mean the necklace was the charm. And we couldn't just take it from him without raising any suspicions that it had been us. I was dying to get my hands on it, though, to study it. It took a lot of magic to make a charm.
But I would need to do the same. Making a charm was the only way I could think of doing a traveling concealing spell. But making a charm was hard, took lots of energy and magic. Doing this would take a lot out of me. But Alexa and Austin weren't suspicious of us at the moment, so now was the time to act.
Elena, let's switch so I can do the spells. It'll be easier. The spell is hard for someone advanced, so it will be even harder for a beginner like you, I told her, and she quickly complied without complaint.
I went over to the closet and took out my spell book we had hidden up on the top shelf under some of her jeans. I didn't like keeping my book of spells here, but there really was no place better, and I needed it to be close so I could call on it whenever.
Placing it on Elena's desk, I went and locked the door. I'd hear the lock turn when Alexa got back, so I wasn't worried about her walking in on me in the middle of an incantation or anything. Then I grabbed Elena's phone and told Noel to teleport into our room. After a minute, Nori was next to me.
"Miss us already?" he asked.
I smirked, "Actually, I need you to do something." When he looked at me curiously, I continued, "I'm going to make the traveling concealing spell. I'm going to enchant a ring or a necklace so that when we are wearing it, we will be concealed and unable to be located with a locator spell. But I need the jewelry. Do you or Noel have an item I can enchant?"
Which piece of your jewelry do you want me to enchant? I asked Elena as I went over to her jewelry box. She pointed out a necklace that had a silver chain and a diamond center. It was beautiful.
I grabbed it and walked over to the desk. "Noel has a chain necklace, would that work?" Nori asked. When I nodded, he vanished for a moment and came back with a gold chain in hand.
Handing it over, I put it on the desk next to Elena's necklace. "Okay. So how this works is it only works when it is touching skin. So if it's in your pocket, it won't be working, you have to actually be wearing it - under your shirt if you can hide it. I'd like it to not be noticed by Austin or Alexa. Gives us an edge."
Nori nodded, "What's next?"
"I have to put a piece of my magic into the items. I need a ring of candles and the window open so the necklaces can be bathed in moonlight," I instructed as I grabbed the necklaces and my book. Heading to the window, I pulled the curtains aside and opened the window. I walked a few feet away from the window and sat down, placing the book in my lap and the necklaces on the floor.
Nori had set up a circle of candles around me, and with a little focus, I lit the candles before he could do so with the matches he had grabbed off of Elena's desk. "Okay, just stand back and let me do the incantation. This will be hard on me, but you have to leave me alone. I need to get through it. I'll have to do this twice, once for each necklace, so it'll take some time."
"Noel and I can wait," Nori nodded as he took a seat on the floor outside the circle, facing me.
I opened the book to the page I needed and took a deep breath before starting, "Terra Mora Vantis, Quo Incandis." I repeated the incantation three times before I took a nail and cut my palm so that blood pooled to the surface. When I was satisfied with the amount of blood, I grabbed Noel's necklace and placed it in my palm in the blood. "Terra Mora Vantis, Quo Incandis." I held the necklace in the moonlight and focused on transferring a sliver a my magic into the necklace. I had to repeat the incantation four more times before I stopped.
When I stopped, I opened my eyes, and I could hear sounds again. I hadn't noticed, but my hearing had gone out during the enchantment. Nori was sitting up and closer to me, worry coating his face.
I placed the necklace on the floor in front of him, and relief flooded Nori's face briefly, "Are you okay?" he asked me.
I frowned, "Yes." I was okay. A little tired and slightly achy, but that was normal. I felt a wetness dripping down my lip, and I reached up to wipe it away with the back of my hand. It came back red with blood. I put my hand up to my nose and discovered I was bleeding. I wiped it away quickly.
"You went into some sort of trance and then vanished," Nori finally said. "Must have been when the concealment spell was put into place. But at least we know it works."
I nodded. "I'm going to do the other spell now."
"Are you sure you can? Do you want a break? We can do it tomorrow?" Nori suggested.
I shook my head, "No. Now."
And I went through the motions and the incantation. This time, though, when I focused on transferring my magic through my blood into Elena's necklace, it felt harder, more demanding. When I stopped, I was greeted with pitch darkness as I passed out. Sleep sounded so good.
