Part 6

Juliette stumbled behind them, her face still glowing with remnants from the moon spell. Her eyes had returned to their regular purple, but she had a dazed look on her face that let Ammie know her friend would be out of it for a few hours.

“I’ll make the carriage quickly,” Ammie muttered, striding ahead of everyone. At the corner, she turned on the sidewalk, the solid wall a comforting presence beside her. 

“Nah, let me do it,” Lis put one of Juliette’s arms around her. With her smaller height, the brunette struggled under her friend’s dead weight. 

“No, Lis--” Ammie panicked, reaching for her friend, but it was too late.

Lis’s shadowed green eyes took on an unnatural burst of color, outlining her slit pupils with one neon green oval.

“S**t,” Ammie muttered, taking refuge behind Five’s lanky height. She peered around him, looking at the dazed Juliette. “Sorry girl, you’re on your own.”

“What’s happening?” Five raised an arm so that he could look down at her. His messy hair covered his eyes, but Ammie could still see his confusion.

“Lis’s magic is--how do I put this…” Ammie grabbed onto the man, steering him toward the girl quietly casting under her breath.

“Is what?” Five stumbled forward hesitantly, leaning more on Ammie than anything. 

Gah, he was such a beast.

“Uncontainable,” Ammie nodded her head, satisfied with the adjective. She’d have to tell Juliette that she’d found the perfect word when the girl’s mind cleared from its ancient spell-daze.

Five stopped moving abruptly, and Ammie took his huge music case to her forehead. “Ow.”

“Uncontainable?” Five backed up, pulling her with him like she was made of nothing but straw. “Then why are we walking towards it?”

“Oh, right,” Ammie wrinkled her forehead. “You wouldn’t be used to the weight.”

“Weight? You’re telling me that pipsqueak has enough of a magical presence that it feels like an actual weight?”

Ammie grabbed the hand that was on her wrist, trying to peel him off. “Yeah.”

Without a care, Five pulled her closer to his body. Her back was now to her friends, eyes focused solely on the hard chest in front of her.

This wasn’t good. Ammie needed to distance herself from the brute before he pulled her under his sway again.

She didn’t like the control he had over her, nor did she understand why it was only him that could make her lose control over her movements.

“What are you doing? She isn’t dangerous, so let go,” Ammie’s heart was pounding loudly in her ears. Wait. Was that hers, or was that his?

Ammie looked up at his blank expression and slightly furrowed eyebrows. 

Why would his heart be beating so loudly?

“Are you gonna be okay, caveman?” Ammie took advantage of his slightly panicked state to push away from him. 

She cleared her throat, willing her involuntary flush to disappear from her cheeks. She hated this, really. Why did this always happen when Five was around?

“Just--stick close to me,” One of Five’s arms hovered over the case strapped to his back as if he could grab whatever it was from its closed, locked case as easily as unsheathing a sword.

Ammie tilted her head. “Lis isn’t dangerous…well, not all the time. You’ll be fine, okay?”

“I didn’t realize,” Five came to stand beside her, hand still hovering over the monstrosity on his back, “that your friends were so dangerous.”

Ammie snorted. “We’re witches pal, remember? Everyone in La Ville is dangerous.”

Five shook his head. “No. Not everyone in La Ville can use arcane magic or develop a magical presence. Especially not so young.”

“Says the prodigy’s best friend,” Ammie allowed him to stand close to her. Whatever riled his protective instincts, she knew it was only because, deep inside, Five really did take his pact with Tristian seriously. So she’d put up with his annoying caveman tendencies.

For now.

“Why weren’t you there?” She couldn’t help the words from escaping her throat.

“Ammie…” Five sighed.

“Why?” Ammie repeated. “Just tell me.”

“He didn’t…he…” Five shook his head. “He didn’t tell me we had a mission.”

Ammie felt her heart constrict in her chest. “Why wouldn’t he tell you? Why would he do that?”

Five smiled down at her, and Ammie’s heart squeezed again, much more painfully. “I don’t know, Ammie. Maybe he just didn’t think I could help him.”

Ammie’s head reeled in shock. Her brother would never throw someone away like that. Never. 

He wouldn’t. 

“There has to be another explanation,” Ammie turned back to her chanting friend, knowing the moment was almost upon them. “We’ll ask him when we find him. He’s not allowed to be so reckless.”

Five’s eyes were kind, but his lips stayed twisted in that way that made it seem like he was fragile, like he couldn’t hear the truth in her words. “Than--”

A vibrant, crushing weight suddenly fell on them from above, and Five stopped talking. His knees bent toward the ground while Ammie fisted her hands at her sides, unable to move.

“Bear it,” she gritted out. Five’s eyes were wide and unbelieving.

Ammie slid her neck to face forward, moving slowly and stilted like a mechanical toy. 

Lis had collected enough magical energy around her in less than two minutes. 

“How--did--she--do--that?” Five gritted out, nearly eye level with Ammie now, both of them still strained by the weight of the magical presence emanating from the petite girl.

Juliette fell limply from Lis’s side. In her state, she had most likely passed out when hit by such an intense force.

“Unless--she--draws--from--the--air,” Five twitched his icy eyes to Ammie, who did her best to convey her answer with her gaze alone. “Un--believ--able.”

It was true. Lis could collect emotion swirling through the air and use it as the base for her magic. 

In the modern age, magic could be found in many different conduits. In ancient times, the conduits had been simple--earth, water, fire, and wind. Specializations, like Ammie’s ability to harness magic through minerals and gems, or Five’s own magic, harnessed through music, have created an abundance of sources for witches to draw power from.

Lis didn’t draw on the air to harness wind magic, though. She drew on the air to harness emotions.

“Lis--has--the--power--of--end--less--creation,” Ammie choked.

Five’s eyes twitched back to the witch, now caught up in her magic’s vibrant light.

Lis twirled around, laughing as joyfully as an angel, her light brown tail swinging behind her like a lasso. Flying sparks shot off from her fingertips and fluttered in her hair, which floated weightlessly about her face. 

A shining carriage, like something from a fairy tale, was appearing from the ground up. Lis laughed, throwing more and more sparks--greens and reds and purples and yellows--to create a kaleidoscopic structure.

Dazzling in every way.

When the last layers filled in, Lis abruptly let go of her magic. 

Ammie and Five gasped.

“Air,” Five breathed. “My lungs feel free again.”

Ammie nodded, catching her breath. “That’s normal.”

“Does--does that mean, she took air from my lungs?”

Ammie squatted on the pavement, flipping Juliette over. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing normally, so Ammie figured she would wake up soon. 

Her body just couldn’t take the weight of Lis’s magic after surrendering herself to the arcane spell. 

“I sure did,” Lis bounced over to Five. She picked up her cloak and yellow bag that she’d apparently tossed to the ground before diving into the spell. “Thanks for all the angst. Strong emotions always work best.”

“Uhh,” Five briefly looked at Ammie. “Happy to help.”

“But it’s strange,” Lis cocked her head quizzically. “I thought you didn’t like Ammie?”

Ammie edged Juliette into her arms, counterbalancing her weight to pull the unconscious girl upward. “What are you on about? Of course he doesn’t like me. Have you not been paying attention to--I don’t know--my whole life?”

Lis bounced back, helping Ammie maneuver Juliette into the plush, tie-dyed carriage seats. “But I got the strongest emotion from him.”

“What’s that?” Ammie rolled her eyes. “Love?” She snorted. “That does explain why the blast was so intense this time, though.”

Lis’s face turned sheepish. “Sorry about that, Ammie. But no, love isn’t the strongest emotion.”

Ammie released Juliette, plopping herself onto the opposite seat with a sigh. Her bag kept her from falling all the way back, though, so she just leaned like she was sliding downhill. “It isn’t?”

Five appeared at the carriage. “Yeah, no, sorry, I’m not secretly in love with you, dear.”

Ammie waved him off. She bared her teeth in a savage grin. “Oh, honey, don’t worry about it. It’s for the best, really. Now I won’t have to make fun of you for all of eternity.”

He shoved his obstructive case through the door first, plopping it half on top of Ammie, who growled in annoyance. “Really?”

Five followed after, contorting his tall form to fit into the dainty carriage. His duller green hair clashed horribly against the bright array of colors. At least both Ammie’s and Juliette’s hair matched the disgusting vibrancy of the reds and blues peeking through the tie-dyed walls.

“So if it’s not love, then what is the strongest emotion, Lis?” Ammie shoved the case off of her and onto the unsuspecting man on the other side of it. 

Slinging her bag off her shoulder, Ammie wedged it against the black monstrosity, ignoring Five’s complaints on the other end. Digging around in its small front pocket, Ammie pulled out an unusually clear crystal shaved into the shape of a perfect cylinder.

A shape just like a little blood vial.

Lis shoved the sleeping Juliette to the other end, not caring that the girl’s head met against the carriage wall with more than a simple thud. She closed the door behind her, snapping it in place with a simple hook.

Ammie stared at it. “This isn’t a screen door, Lis.”

“It’s all I remembered of doors,” Lis shrugged. “Sorry, my mind went kind of blank.”

“Wow,” Five muttered.

“Okay, enough of this. I need quiet so I can concentrate on making this baby invisible,” Ammie held up the clear crystal. 

“Oh, but I didn’t answer your question,” Lis said, concerned.

Ammie sighed. “It doesn’t matter, Lis. I don’t actually care what emotion you took from the caveman.”

“But--”

“Lis. Quiet.”

Ammie closed her eyes, trying to cool her burning heart. 

I have to calm down. It won’t work if I’m angry.

Problem was, Ammie had been angry for an entire week now and didn’t know how to get rid of it. She’d learned to control the shaking after a while, but the churning, roiling, inky black void in her chest wouldn’t abate no matter what she did.

“It was something I like to think of as protection. That’s the strongest emotion,” Lis whispered between cupped hands. The girl didn’t realize that it only made her voice louder when she did that, but Ammie smiled nonetheless.

Protection.

“You should wait a few days. Wait until they know a little more,” Ammie mixed a batch of brownie goo in a bowl. 

Tristian sat on the stool across the counter. “I can’t wait for more information, Ammie. I can’t let whatever’s in Hamsen have even a chance of making it here.”

Ammie rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. We’ve got a long way to go before that happens.”

“I’m not taking that chance,” Tristian rolled spaghetti noodles onto his fork. “I’ve got to take care of it now. It’s my job to protect everyone.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t give you the right to go into a dangerous situation without preparing first. We’re not in any dire need for protection here.”

“You just don’t get it, Ammie,” Tristian smiled. “Having something you need to protect changes the way you look at the world, at danger. You can’t wait. You can’t even think of waiting. In order to protect everyone, I have to confront this darkness. Doing it as soon as possible is just how I make sure that we don’t ever get to that ‘dire need for protection’ here.”

Ammie felt her connection to the crystal deepen, sending her consciousness spiraling down into a multi-faceted abyss of mirrors.

“Hello, Quartz,” Ammie wiped a sleeve across her damp eyes. “I need your help.”