The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga by Taliesin Govannon (important books to read .txt) 📕

like a battering ram, flowing around the healthy trees and hitting the rotten one with full force.  It shattered into a million shards and dispersed itself all around the forest floor.

                The wind, having served a purpose, left as quickly as it came.

                Angelique disappeared in a flash and then was back just as quickly.  "You certainly removed any threat that tree posed."  she said with a grin.

                “I'm... kind of having trouble controlling things.”  I was satisfied with how things were going, but much of my magick was wild and uncontrolled, and that troubled me.

                “You magick comes from nature, which always seems wild and uncontrolled.  You will gain finesse with time.”

                We sat down on the grass and relaxed.  Well, I relaxed... Angelique's posture was so ramrod straight that her upper body never really changed, even when she sat, just the position of her legs changed.

                “So, did you think about what I told you?” I asked, twining a piece of grass between my fingers.

                “Those residences that were close to the lake,” she replied, “I know two of their owners.  Or, I should say, I knew two of them.”

                “That doesn't sound good.”

                “I'm not assuming anything until I get some more information.”

                “And how soon do you think it'll be until you get this information?”

                She smiled.  “It should get here... soon.”

                We sat for a while in silence.  We had taken to sitting together like that more and more, but it never felt awkward.  Quite the opposite, actually.

                What was unusual was Angelique to break that silence, but today she did.  “Have you remembered any other previous incarnations lately?” she asked.

                At one point, I had been remembering so many past incarnations with Vincent that it felt like I lived in the past half of the time.  That had mellowed out lately, however... I felt like I had remembered almost all of them.

                “I still have past incarnations?” I asked, grinning.

                “Oh yes.” she said seriously.  “You may have remembered all of the ones that you've shared as Vincent's lover or confidant, but you have more.  Many, many more.”

                “Sounds exhausting.”

                “Your spirit, I'm afraid, has known little rest.  Most of those destined to become the Sorceress are often restless spirits.”

                I knew that she spoke the truth, but it nagged at me.  “Most of the restless spirits I've studied about had an unfinished task that drove them.” I said.  “What do I have that's unfinished?”

                Angelique smiled.  “That, my friend, is a story for another day.”

                                                                                                *                *                *

                I looked at my drink... or, at least what had been my drink.  Now it was more of a drink-sickle, the lemonade a solid chunk of light yellow ice inside of the glass.

                I looked across the room at Raina and smiled.  She, on the other hand, balled her fists in frustration.

                “Damn damn damn damn damn!” she said, beating her fists against her thighs.  “I thought I had it!”

                “It's okay, it really is.” I assured her.  “You're doing, and mastering, more Fae magick than any human in a century.  It's okay to have a learning curve for the advanced stuff.”

                “But it's not advanced to Rini,” she said, referring to the Fae who had been teaching her the ways of Fae magick.  “She makes a couple of perfectly formed ice cubes appear in your drink.”

                Ever since we had spent some time in the Fae realm earlier in the year, Raina had been working on learning more and more Fae magick, even going as far as having a blue crystal used by the Fae to channel their mystical power implanted in her right palm.  And she was impressive... to everyone but herself.

                “What did you tell me about tarot cards last week?” I asked.  “You know, when I threw the cards down and said that I was never going to get them?”

                Raina sighed.  She knew where this was going.  “I told you that nobody's born knowing how to do this stuff, that we all learn.”

                “And that is different from this how?”

                She sighed again, but with a grin this time.  "It's different in that it's easy to be all 'you can do it!' when encouraging another.  It's another thing when you have to take your own advice."  She plopped down on the sofa next to me and swung her legs up across my lap.

                “It's good advice.” I told her, absentmindedly rubbing her leg.  “You should listen.”

                “You're annoying when you're right.”  She slumped back against the overstuffed backing of the sofa.  “You know, I never joined a coven because I was afraid of running into some strict, sourpuss old broad of a High Priestess who was never happy with anything I did.  I never thought that I'd become that for myself!”

                "That's the mark of a good magickal practitioner, and a great teacher." I said.  My voice almost seemed to echo in my head.  "You're always harder on yourself than you are on others, and it is a great kindness you pay your students.  You just need to gain the wisdom to know when to extend that charity to yourself."

                Raina just looked at me.  “Okay, now that didn't sound like you.  I mean, it sounded like something you could say, if we had that kind of background, but...”

                "I know what you're saying."  I shook my head and felt a little more normal.

                Though I really don't have a firm grasp on what's 'normal' anymore!

                “Where did that come from?”

                I searched my memories but could find nothing in this incarnation or any in the past where these words sounded familiar.  And yet, the words had the unmistakable feeling of a past-life memory.  That meant that they must have come from a yet-undiscovered incarnation, possibly one of the lives that Angelique had just been speaking of.

                “Some past life.” I finally answered.  “One I haven't explored yet.”

                “Should I go get Vincent or Angelique?”