Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(39)
The witchlings hurled everything they had, and Beck waved his hand in front of him, leaving a trail of glittering Light before him. The force of the attack colliding with his shield drove him back – but nothing got through.
He laughed in delight, amazed by the magick now that he wasn’t fighting it and it wasn’t resisting him anymore.
“What the hell is going on?” Decker sounded pissed even before he materialized from the churning black fog that appeared near Beck. The Master of Dark looked like he’d dressed in a hurry, and his hair was mussed.
“It’s not like you to be late to a party,” Beck teased.
The black fog cleared to reveal his twin. Decker and his Darkness shied away from the lightening surrounding Beck before his attention went to the Dark witchlings and the signs of a fight between them.
“Wait, are they …” he asked.
“Attacking the school while everyone is asleep?” Beck finished. “Why, yes, Master of Dark, they are.”
“Everyone okay?” Decker asked.
“Yep. I picked up a few tricks.” Beck passed lightning from one hand to the other. The bolt spun off into the night, and he watched it sheepishly. “Okay, I’m still learning. Sam helped me shield the school.”
Decker squinted at the brilliant light. “No offense to you and the Light, but they’re Dark and therefore mine to deal with.”
“They’re all yours,” Beck said diplomatically. “Nice chatting with you guys tonight,” he called to the witchlings.
“Later.” Decker whipped out two knives, and Beck didn’t have to ask what his brother intended to do. As Master of Dark, there were no limits to the violence Decker was permitted to commit in the name of curbing the Darkness to prevent it from expanding. If that meant less Dark witchlings to call forth the Darkness, then he made it happen.
“Wait, Decker. I need to send a message to Dawn and anyone else who thinks it’s a good idea to attack the Light,” Beck said to his twin, sensing Decker’s brittle mood this night. “The Light isn’t weak or defenseless anymore. Everyone needs to know this.”
“Send everyone an email,” Decker grumbled.
“Decker!”
“Fine. I’ll leave someone alive enough to deliver it.” He strode towards the Dark witchlings.
Beck watched, a little uneasy with the level of violence he knew his brother was capable of committing. In fact, it made him feel ill. He would defend and protect, but in no way did he relish hurting others, or even the chance of causing harm, in the scope of any of his duties. Decker took things one step further and often killed where it wasn’t warranted. A triple element, fire-water-spirit, he was ruled by the least stable elements with Summer providing the earth-air stabilizing elements that kept him sane.
Yet when he was performing his official duties, Summer stayed home, and Decker unleashed everything he was upon those who broke the Dark Laws.
It was enough for Beck to almost pity the ten witchlings who thought to attack the school this night.
Black fog engulfed the Dark witchlings and their Master. Seconds later, it cleared, and all of them had vanished.
Beck lowered his hands and released his hold on the magick. It slid down his body and into the earth once more, though more remained within him than usual. He buzzed with energy.
The porch light of the log building behind him splashed on.
Beck turned to see Amber standing on the porch in a fuzzy robe squinting into the night. He trotted down the driveway towards her and paused at the foot of the stairs.
“Beck?” she asked. “What’s going on?” Her eyes were on the top of a smoldering tree struck by one of his lightning bolts.
He hesitated. There was a time he told her everything. She had been his teacher, and that of the other Light students, for most of his life, and he had shared many of his frustrations with her upon becoming a clueless Master of Light.
Gazing up at her, he began to see her differently. She was another Light witchling, someone he was sworn to protect. Their teacher-student relationship had ended when he turned eighteen and he became the Master of Life. It was the natural course of things, only he hadn’t really understood that before tonight. He was the Protector now, not the student, and she was another of the many witchlings he was meant to lead and defend. It wasn’t fair to burden her with his duty any longer, now that he was finally beginning to understand his relationship with the Light.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be enforcing the ban on Dark witchlings being anywhere near the Light source. I’d like for you to keep the Light students on campus for the time being. I can let you know when the forest is … safe again.”
Amber studied him. For a moment, she looked ready to either object or question him. As if sensing the shift between them, she nodded slowly instead. “Okay, Beck. Will you let me know if you need anything?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “Have a good night, Amber.” He turned away and headed to the tree that was on fire from lightning.
The porch light went off behind him, and the front screen door closed with a bang.
“Sorry little guy,” he whispered to the injured tree. Its spirit was sorrowful yet welcoming, and he pushed warm earth magick and Light into it. “Can’t fix your hair, but it’ll grow back.”