part0007

They’d been going at it for a quite a while, and Cinna and Allison had joined them as well. Cinna’s attacks she didn’t even need to bother shifting her instincts anymore, pure force of will and her experience made Cinna’s attacks moot. She’d suffered far worse things than what the soul eater could throw at her.

Allison too, was just watching now. The witch had tossed a few spells at her in the beginning, but when she caught them and flung them back at her she’d given up.

Meri said, “You don’t seem any better. Are you holding back?”

She shook her head, “No. Of course, I am holding back, just like you’re not shifting claws. Skill wise we seem about even, but only because we’re leaving magic out of it.”

Meri’s eyebrows raised in challenge, as they exchanged another flurry of blows.

She frowned, “It’s a bad idea. I don’t want to hurt you, and I prefer my blood where it is.”

Meri laughed, and backed up, “Good point. What kind of tricks you got?”

She reached out and tapped her finger on Meri’s arm, then danced away as the woman fell to the ground twitching.

Meri demanded, “Magic?”

She smirked, “Shifting, electric eel. Call it an ancient Taser, if you like.”

Meri frowned, “What else you got? Without hitting me with it.”

She shrugged, “Lots of things. Most of them witch stuff honestly, you know how to shift animal aspects. I could grow poisoned spines on my fingertips, or you remember the tail? Still, I showed you the eel thing, it can be useful if you don’t have a Taser, or worse, if you are on the receiving end of one, shifting your skin to conduct electricity can negate the threat.”

Cinna said, “Soul eater?”

She shook her head, “Nothing my memory free version didn’t figure out. All the usual stuff you know about, and the special stuff I can only do. I can feed from anyone I want to over the web. I’ve never done that though, not once, not even in battle. Volunteer only. I can also enhance my shifter speed. My strength and range for feeling and projecting emotions is larger, but for soul eater abilities that doesn’t matter so much as transmitting the right emotions to do the job. It’s also what makes me feel intentions and vibes off of the life-web, and able to find supernatural beings in my range whether I know them or not.”

Cinna nodded, “Any other discoveries?”

She shook her head again, “Nope. Of course, I’m a much more capable witch with my knowledge returned, but no, I figured out all the synergies between the powers without my memories.”

She moved over to the workout equipment to do a few circuits, it seemed like the sparring part was over for the day. She really hadn’t missed anything. There wasn’t much else, her expanded range on the life-web and in the real world with her aura was about five times a normal witch’s range, a little less than that for the unusually strong witches, maybe four times as powerful. But knowledge did make a huge difference, like her memory free self never even considered turning her body into a living Taser, which would’ve come in useful last night. No messy blood spray. It was also subtle, all the other deadlier forms were kind of out in this day and age, because they would serve to break to the secret.

For instance, shifters were responsible for the legends of gryphons, wyverns, and even dragons. Though, they didn’t breathe fire. That was probably some human’s literary conceit to make the legend more interesting. She remembered Jacob telling her about that, the forms weren’t used anymore, not since the middle ages, after the witch hunts and all that.

She also missed her sword, but then on balance, her enemies weren’t using swords either. They had guns now. It also made the secret even more important, the humans had guns too, it was an equalizer of sorts. She bet they’d make even better hunters now, but it was too risky to share the secret she thought. They’d kill all supernatural beings, not just the evil ones.

That would be horrible. On the other hand, the war would be over. Her and all her good and evil children would be erased from the world. Sure, there was a chance they could talk the humans into joining them against evil, she wasn’t that pessimistic to dismiss the idea altogether, but she’d hate to take the chance on the idea.

“I guess we’re stuck in the house again today?”

Allison nodded, “The news hasn’t shut up about it yet. It’s just a matter of time though, before some other scandal or horror enters the public eye. I think the fact the authorities haven’t been able to find us at all, is feeding the fire. Proof that there’s a conspiracy of sorts.”

Cinna laughed, “There is a conspiracy, we are hiding from them.”

Allison smiled shyly, “True.”

Cinna smirked, “Plus, I can go out if I want.”

Her, Meri, and Allison glared.

Not that she was wrong, her and Caroline weren’t caught on camera because they weren’t there when it all went down. Still, she was being an imp.

They bantered for a while longer, then she went to take her second shower of the day.

She was in a pair of light blue jeans and a clingy red shirt. She’d also slipped on a pair of silky black lingerie bra and panty set, just in case. It made her feel sexy, especially the idea that Jacob would be taking it off of her later.

They still needed to talk, they hadn’t discussed the room situation since her memories had flooded back. She wanted to move in his room, move her clothes and share a closet, shower, and bed. But she also wouldn’t hold him to that. She wasn’t too worried, he’d been amorous and quite insatiable with her earlier that morning, she just hoped that wouldn’t change as he got to know the real her.

Not that she was all that different, she felt the same, just bolder. Still, how others saw her was all perception and not reality, and to them she will have changed more than that. It’d also be hard for him to discern the changes in her from their changed relationship, or from her memories.

She joined Allison in the lounge, and she took a seat on one of the couches.

Allison tilted her head, “Is there anything I can really teach you anymore?”

Her redheaded friend seemed a bit depressed by that, as if that would somehow end their relationship or something. She was touched by the sentiment, as she felt exactly how much Allison had looked forward to their time together and their friendship.

She replied, “Maybe we can find things to teach each other. I did learn a few useful modern things, and there’s probably other stuff the witches have forgotten, like the aural whip. Or, we can just hang out. I’d miss our mornings if they ended.”

Allison blushed, “Me too.”

Allison smiled, “Good. We went on a walk yesterday, on the grounds, since we can’t go out yet. Well, he could, I’m kind of stuck with this face unlike the rest of you who shifted a bit. We’re taking it slow, but I’m already getting used to the idea. He’s… amazing really.”

She nodded, “But?”

Allison sighed, “I’ve always dreamed of teaching my son or daughter witchcraft. Like I said, I’m getting used to the idea. He’d be a great husband, and our kids would be amazing I’m sure, just not what I wanted, or thought I wanted? At least, that aspect of things. That’s the practical side, the rest of it is already covered, he’s just so damned attractive and sexy, and I melt when he looks at me once I got past the surprise of it all.”

She grinned, “I know what you mean.”

The rest she understood as well. The shifter genes and magic would take precedence no matter what race the second mate was, male or female. Even for her, as a part shifter, all her children with her mortal mates had been shifters and nothing else, no matter the father’s race. The only way for her to have a soul eater or witch child was through blood sharing. She’d tried, and she’d been a mate to a male of every race at one point or another in her life.

Allison asked, “Do you really think civilization is doomed?”

She shrugged, “Not humanity as a whole. But yes, countries, laws, it will all break one day. Then a new one will rise. It’s life, all things pass to make way for the new. Even without evil soul eaters, warlocks, or rogue witches and shifters it would happen. Humanity is both good and evil, and things are bound to shift. They always do. That said, our job is to save as many as we can, and to stay vigilant and fight to stave off that inevitability as long as possible. Who knows, I might even be wrong.”

Allison shook her head.

She explained, “It’s something I’ve had to accept. I can be killed, but I’ve lived from the beginning, and am immune to aging if not truly immortal. If I didn’t accept it, I’d have gone crazy a long time ago when the war’s fortunes shifted to Samael’s side time and time again as we fought back the tide.”

Allison nodded, “So, what’s the plan?”

“Want to go out?”

Allison peered at her.

She smiled, “Take a look at this.”

She exploded her aura out, and formed a hard sphere fifty feet out, then built a dynamic spell and released it.

Allison tilted her head, “You cut of the web… no. What’s that spell?”

She smirked, “Let it in.”

Allison gave her a look, and then her mouth dropped open.

She asked, “So, how do I look as a light blonde with blue eyes and pale skin?”

Allison replied, “Really good actually, but I like your chestnut hair and brown eyes better.”

She smiled, “Okay, so the sphere isn’t cutting off the web, not exactly. It’s the spell limiter. The spell can only see the nodes within the sphere, and then non-reactively gets sent down those lines. So I can still see the whole life-web. It’s obviously a mind spell, anyone that looks at me will see blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. They probably won’t even see the same exact shades, and more what they themselves would see as attractive that way. It’s more the concept of those three things, rather than all that specific. Their minds will fill in the details, which makes it far more effective.

“So using this spell you could disguise yourself as anyone, within the range of your aura of course. And, since your still connected to the web, you’ll be able to track for any possible dangers, such as witches you don’t know, long before they can get in range and take advantage of the fact your aura is expanded.”

Allison smiled, “That’s brilliant. And simple enough, I think.”

She winked, “And if you want, you can shield Carl from it only, so he sees the real you when you go out.”

Allison nodded absently, obviously she’d already thought that part of things through on her own.

“Why not just put the spell in your aura, then it will affect everyone in it.”

She nodded, “You could do that, but it would cost a lot more lifeforce to maintain. Web spells are always cheaper, and even that can add up if you’re walking through a large crowd. It’s unreactive too, which means you don’t have to keep feeding it power, one pulse per person. Almost like a post hypnotic suggestion, it will wear off in time, but not for several hours or even days for an especially dull human. The reactive part of the spell is within you, and all it really does is monitor for more life nodes entering your aura.”

She cancelled the reactive part of the spell, and then collapsed her aura.

Allison tilted her head, “I’ll buy that, it’s a little more complicated than it has to be, but to save energy it’s probably worth it.”

A moment later Allison’s aura expanded, and she felt a spell. She let it in the pipe and flavored it before letting it fully pass. Allison’s hair turned a wavy jet black, and her brown eyes changed to green. The witch’s skin turned a few shades darker, and her features changed slightly, and the freckles disappeared.

“Very well done. You look strange though. I can tell it’s still you, but only because of the vibes and emotions.”

It did look strange. She was used to Allison being a redheaded pale skinned beauty, with soft brown eyes, and a smattering of freckles which gave her an impish or mischievous cast.

Allison smirked, “Thanks for this, maybe I’m not stuck in the house after all.”

She nodded, “It won’t help with cameras of course, but without recognizing you no one should be taking pictures.”

Allison replied, “I can avoid the CCTV system. What made you think of it, the spell I mean.”

She looked up thoughtfully for a second.

“You know we weren’t hidden back then right, even after I was buried it was only the last eight hundred years or so that the supernatural races were in hiding. Well, I was kind of famous, or perhaps infamous might be a better word. Sometimes a girl just needs to go out and have fun, without being mobbed by judgmental men, or even fans.”

Allison nodded, and said, “I bet there’s a lot we could teach each other, but it will be interesting trying to find out where we don’t overlap, which is probably most of it.”