Eudora
Last night, after showing Aren the lost library, he encouraged me to at least tell one of the Professors about it. Sharing it with anyone other than Aren feels wrong, but I promise him I'll at least consider it. When we arrived at the entrance to the library, I was surprised to see Char was still there pouring over the translated book. She had a stack of notes next to her and her eyes had dark and deep circles under them. After showing Aren the library, I forced Char to go back to our suite and get some rest. She clutched the book to her chest, as if afraid someone would try to take it to her, the whole walk back.
At the end of magic class, Professor Solace decides to have another class discussion about what it feels like to use magic. Everyone talks about what it feels like for them to use their magical abilities, then Professor Solace turns to me.
"Have you felt any connection to your magic yet?"
"The other day, I felt a weird powerful feeling, and caused something to happen."
"Can you tell us exactly what happened? It's important to know if we are going to help you find your magical ability."
"I don't think knowing will help figure out my ability."
"It might."
I look at Char and then at Aren. He gives me an encouraging smile and nods his head. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "If I tell you, will you all promise not to tell anyone else? At least not yet."
"You have my word that I will not share this information, until you see fit." Professor Solace tells me, and the rest of the class nods in agreement.
"I saw some ancient engraving on a wall in the library. When I touched them and said 'Open' I felt a magic surge through me, and then the bricks reshaped themselves into a passageway."
"It sounds like you have found a secret passageway we previously didn't know about."
"Are there others?"
"Oh yes, there is a complex network of secret passageways throughout and under this whole academy."
My eyes widen. "So it's true? There are catacombs under the school?"
"Yes, but there is much more than just catacombs. What does the passageway you discovered lead to?"
"It leads to an ancient library. All of the books except for one are fully written in the lost ancient language."
"What is the one book not written in the lost language?"
"Actually, I have it here." Char says shakily, pulling out the ancient book from her bag and handing it to Professor Solace. Professor Solace takes the book from her and opens it up. "This book doesn't feel ancient. It feels like a brand new book." She looks closer at it and then gasps. "This is a translation. Would you be willing to show me and the class how you used your magic to open the door to this library?"
"Yeah I can do that."
"Good, lets go now."
Professor Solace leads the class to the library. Her frail body is moving faster than I've ever seen her move. Once we reach the room the entrance is in, she shoos any students not in our class out of it. She then waves her cane creating a dark barrier between us and the rest of the library. With help from Ryland and Bennett, we move the shelf out of the way. Under the watchful eye of the Professor, I press my palm against the inscription on the wall and say "Open."
The class gasps as the wall jumps apart and shows the staircase. The whole class walks down the long staircase and shuffles into the lost library. Professor Solace takes her time examining the books, then the statue, then finally the inscription on the wall across from it.
"Charlotte, I take it you have been studying the translation in that book?" She points at the book in Char's hand.
"Yes, but it's very complicated and I don't fully understand it yet. I suspect the language has a rotating system to its words and I also suspect magic is needed to read it."
"If it is a language created by shifters, then there might be something about shifter's blood that can translate it. After all, not all shifters have the ability to use magic, and a language only a few people could read would be useless for an entire civilization. Why don't we try combining your magic with shifters blood."
Bennett steps forward and rolls up his sleeve revealing a cut on his arm. Ryland managed to slice me with his claw earlier while we were training our magic. Might as well use this blood to test out the blood theory."
Bennett rubs his blood over the writing on the wall. Once he is done, Aren steps forward and spits on Bennett's cut, healing it immediately.
"Dude, I hate it when you heal me that way."
"Would you rather I cum on your cut?"
"I'd rather you use that healing lotion you make for the nurse."
"Well, I give all of that to the nurse. I don't carry it on me."
While they are arguing, Char touches the wall and tries to activate her power. Nothing happens.
"I feel like I have a connection to this place. Maybe you should try using my blood. Aren, can you use your claw to cut me?"
"Absolutely not."
"Seriously? Would you rather I use a rusty sconce?"
"Fine, come here." I walk over to him and he shifts one finger into a claw and uses it to gently pierce the tip of my finger. A drop of blood pools on the tip. I walk over and trace the writing on the wall with my blood, then Char walks over and tries to activate her magic again. Again, nothing happens.
"What if we try combining our magic? I'll try to activate it like I did with the writing upstairs, and you try to translate it?"
"That sounds like a good idea." Professor Solace tells us.
I add my hand to the wall next to Chars and focus on the power I feel in the words. For a moment nothing happens, then the broken text starts to reshape itself. Since chunks of the original inscription were worn down or had fallen off, the translation that forms in front of us isn't complete. The only legible line are the first and the last one;
She will walk the earth but return to the earth mother,
She will rise again only in the pool of her descent
Char frantically starts scribbling down the inscription.
"This sounds like a prophecy." Professor Solace says as she examines the wall. "It's too bad we don't have the full thing."
"Do you think this relates to the moon goddess? Do you think she died and was returned to the earth, but will rise again?"
"That is a possibility." Professor Solace says.
Once the class has ended and we have all left the lost library, I turn to Char. "Since we figured out how to translate the lost language, will you help me translate the writing on my locket?" I ask.
"Yes of course."
I take off my locket and we repeat the translation process. The inscription on my locket glows and then shifts. Once it is done moving, it reads, 'Happiness. Wisdom. Bravery. Respect. Love. Faith. Unite as one.'
"I wonder what that means." I ponder.
…
The next day while Koda and Gia are helping me get ready for another date, we brainstorm about the message on my locket. I sit at my desk while Gia works on my face, and Koda lays on my bed watching her work.
"What if it means you need to inhabit the qualities of happiness, wisdom, bravery, respect, love, and faith in order to open the locket?" Gia suggests while she expertly applies my eyeshadow.
I mull over her idea for a minute, but before I can respond, Koda starts talking. "No, I don't think that's it. I think each of the qualities relates to one of her five original shifter knights."
I frown and look towards Koda who is lazily picking at his nails. "That sounds plausible, but it doesn't help me figure out how to open the locket."
Gia grabs my chin and moves my face back to her as Koda responds. "Maybe you need to gather one member of each kingdom, and then the locket will open."
I crinkle my nose. "No, if that was the case, it would have opened the first time I walked into your suite."
"That's true. We'll keep thinking."
"Done!" Gia announces and then holds up a mirror for me
"You look lovely." Koda tells me.
"Now all that's left is your clothes. Did Max tell you where you are going?"
"Nope, he failed to mention."
"Well I guess let's play it safe." Gia says digging through my closet, pulling out random pieces of clothing, and throwing them to the side. She ends up picking out some jeans that hug my ass and a tube top that shows off my shoulders and cups my breasts.
Max picks me up at my door with a bouquet of flowers. I invite him in and Koda gives him a talking to about how to treat a lady on a date. I find a vase and fill it with water for the flowers. Once the flowers are situated, I save Max from Koda's fake lecture and we head out. We head into town and Max walks me down the same street my pole dancing class is on. We stop in front of a game store.
"So the last date you went on was dancing, and now you're taking me to a nearly empty game store? Talk about a 180 in your dating plans."
"The guys said I should take you to do something I enjoy. This is something I enjoy."
"You enjoy standing in front of game stores?"
He just smiles and then surprises me by taking my hand and leading me in. He leads me all the way through the game store and into a back room where a few people are sitting around a table. I recognize 3 of them from class, but I can't remember their names.
One of the unfamiliar guys jumps up as we enter and greets Max. "Hey buddy! Glad you made it!" He then turns to me, giving me a quick glance over before returning his focus to Max. "And you brought a date. We thought you were joking."
Behind him one of the guys from class, who has dark blue hair, turns to another plain looking boy with brown hair and holds out his hand. "You owe me five bucks." His friend pulls out a five and slaps it into his hand.
The guy standing with us rolls his eyes and turns to me. "Ignore them. I'm Josh and you might already know those two from class, Finn and Miles." He then points to a familiar looking tiny blonde girl. "That's Lily, she is also in your class." Lily gives me a friendly smile. Josh continues his introductions. "Next to Lily is Eli and then we have Hazel."
"It's nice to meet you." Lily says as soon as Josh finishes.
"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Ora."
"We know." Miles responds and then looks around. "Well, everyone knows you, you're a female shifter. You're practically famous at the academy. When Max said he would be bringing you this week, we all thought he was joking, except for the fact that Max doesn't talk enough to be a jokester."
Max doesn't defend himself. He pulls out a chair for me to take and we sit down.
"So what are we doing?" I ask.
"We are going to play a fantasy roleplaying game." Finn informs me. "Max already made a character for you." Max hands me a sheet. I look down at it and smile. He has chosen a barbarian for my character and I like that idea.
I join their ongoing campaign as a weary traveler they meet at an inn and recruit to assist them in taking on a dragon. When we finally make it to the dragon, nothing we throw at him is making a dent.
"I have an idea but you have to trust me." Eli says. "Let's all combine our attacks and hit the dragon with one last move."
"Let's do it!" Everyone uses their magic to boost my barbarian and in a rage, I punch the dragon right in the nose. The magic they added to my attack bursts out and surrounds the dragon, frying him to a crisp. Once the battle is over everyone high fives and then searches the dragon's lair for loot.
"Nice job Ora." Lily leans over and tells me.
"Yeah for a noob, you are alright" Miles adds.
"Thanks, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had a lot of fun." I respond and Hazel, one of the townies, scoffs.
"Ignore her." Lily tells me. She just doesn't like that Max brought a date.
"Oh really. Does she have a crush on him?"
"I don't think so." Lily leans in even closer to me so no one else can hear. "Hazel is nice once you get to know her, but she is not a girl's girl. She acts like she owns all of these guys. I can't stand her attitude, but she never misses a session so she's good to play with."
"Thanks for the heads up. I won't take it personally."
On the walk home, I ponder about my locket and the five knights. An idea starts to form in my mind and I can't wait to test it out. When we get back to Max's suite, it is surprisingly empty.
"I wonder where everyone is?"
"They are probably at the gym or at the library."
"Would it be okay if I waited here for them to get back?"
"I don't mind if you stay." Max tells me.
"Thanks!" Max and I walk over to the couch and sit down. "Since we have some free time, do you want to keep practicing your magic?"
"Yeah, that sounds good, thanks." I turn and sit cross legged on the couch facing him. He mirrors me. I hold up my hands in front of me, with my palms facing him. He touches his palms to mine, then closes his eyes as he starts to focus. I study Max's focused face and my mind wanders to curiosity about his intense aversion to touching.
Max opens his eyes and says, "Do you really want to know why I hate touching so much?"
I nod.
I was really young when my magical abilities first developed. Whenever I ran to my mom and hugged her I could hear her thoughts. Until then I thought my mom loved me, but her thoughts…" He shivers. "She hated me. She would think to herself, 'this useless needy kid' while telling me she loved me. When my father touched me I could hear his disappointment that I wasn't as strong as he was. When she found out about my ability, the jig was up, and she stopped pretending to care about me. She would no longer touch me. She forbade my father and all of the other kids at school from touching me. My dad was our pack's alpha, so his word is law."
"That's awful." I feel sick thinking about how touch deprived he must be.
Max just shrugs and then closes his eyes again. I look at his lips and picture kissing him. Just when I'm starting to think he has managed to block out my thoughts, he leans in and kisses me. His lips are soft and warm. His kiss is unsure.
I lean into him and kiss him harder before pulling away and saying, "Try to block out my thoughts." He nods and then leans in again. When our lips meet, I slide my tongue across his lips and he opens his mouth slightly granting me access. I don't know if it's his mind reading ability or something else, but our bodies are attuned to each other. Max releases my hands and works one hand into my hair. The pull on my hair hurts a little but the pain feels good. Max pulls back and I search his face for answers.
He grins and answers my unspoken thoughts. "Yes, I am enjoying this. Experiencing this from both of our perspectives is incredible."
"Were you able to block out any of my thoughts."
"Nope."
"I guess that means you need more practice." I say and then lean back in. Our kissing grows more and more intense. I rub my hands over his shoulders and down his chest. He runs his hand through my hair and then cups my face.
"Ah hemm." Someone clears their throat and we jump apart. I look up to see Aren's angry face approaching us.
"Max was just practicing his magic."
"Yeah that's what was happening." Aren says sarcastically.
Before he can tell us off, the rest of the guys arrive along with Gia and Char in tow.
As soon as Gia sees me she smiles widely and runs over to me throwing herself onto the couch next to me. "So how was the date?" She looks at how close Max and I are sitting and raises her eyebrows. "Seems like it went well."
I smile and look over at Max. "5-stars of course." I feel a flutter in my chest when my words make Max blush. I want to kiss him again, but now that everyone is here, there are more important things to focus on.
"Max took me to play DnD with some of his friends."
"Max has friends?" Kaden teases.
I roll my eyes. "He probably has more friends than you." I pause and wait for Kaden to rebuff my statement, but to my surprise he doesn't, so I continue, "At the end of the session, in order to take down a dragon, we all pooled our powers together. This got me thinking, what if we all pooled our power together to try to open my locket?"
"But not all of us are magic users." Leon states confused by what I am trying to say.
"Yes, but we all have magic in our blood."
"So what are you suggesting?" Kaden asks me.
"I think one of us from each kingdom should try placing a drop of blood on the locket and then I'll activate my magic."
"I'm fine with trying this as long as everyone else is." Leon says and all of the guys nod in agreement.
"Okay that takes care of the Aquatic Kingdom." Aren states. "And my blood will cover the Desert Kingdom."
Kaden chimes in, volunteering before Koda can. "I'll give you my blood for the Tundra Kingdom."
Max's shy voice adds himself in. "My blood will take care of the Grasslands Kingdom."
I look at Jayden and he rolls his eyes. "And last is me. Of course I will give you a drop of my blood, which takes care of the Forest Kingdom."
"Okay. Let's give it a go." Aren says as he shifts one finger into a claw. We all huddle together in a tightly packed circle as Aren pricks each of our fingers. I hold the locket out on the palm of my hand in the middle of us and we all press a drop of blood into the face of the locket. As soon as the last drop of blood has been added I feel magic start to radiate from the locket and the engravings begin to glow. They then start to spin until I hear a loud click and the locket pops open.
We all stare in silence at the now open locket, which holds nothing. There are more engravings on the inside, but nothing is in there. I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. I thought maybe it would hold a photo of my mom, or a key, or some secret lost magic. All that it holds is another inscription.
"Char, would you mind translating it?" Aren asks.
"I don't mind at all." Char responds as she slips her tiny body into the center of our tightly packed circle.
She holds her hand over the locket and together we mix our powers. The inscription on the inside of the locket reshapes itself and now reads, 'In her image comes the fire, Now united she will tower, Her heart holds the key, In her eyes is the lock she can see.'