“Aha.” Alton nodded, his eyes twinkling with interest. “And what else?”
“Water,” I replied, then let out a long sigh and told him what he clearly yearned to hear. “Air and Earth.”
A couple of moments went by in absolute silence, while I analyzed both Alton’s and Wade’s emotions. They were surprised—particularly Wade. Alton had seen it coming, from what I could tell.
“Let me get this straight.” Wade blinked several times. “You can manipulate all four elements?”
“I listed all four, didn’t I?” I murmured, keeping my gaze fixed on Alton. He seemed uncertain of what to do next, until a revelation filled him with relief and excitement.
“Harley, we should get you tested properly,” Alton finally said.
“Tested? I’m not getting poked and prodded here. I didn’t let the government get me, and there’s no way you boys are sticking me with needles and whatever else!” I shot back, instantly closing up like an armadillo before its predators.
“It’s not like that,” Alton said, shaking his head. “You have to understand something, Harley. The San Diego Coven is relatively young and… not stellar. Not yet, anyway. It went through years of neglect, until I took over. We have talented magicals here, but most of them are mediocre, so to speak. Having someone who can manipulate all four elements in this city is rare. And Wade mentioned Telekinesis, too?”
I scowled at Wade, mentally branding him a snitch. He replied with a disinterested shrug, then took his hands out of his pockets and put them behind his back, in a solemn posture.
“Shall I escort her to Adley?” Wade asked.
“I’ll come with you.” Alton stood up and walked around his desk.
“Wait, what? Where are we going? What tests? Hold on!” I growled, then shot to my feet, wrestling with panic and fear as I tried to keep my composure.
Alton and Wade stopped just before they reached the double doors, then turned around to face me.
“It’s okay, Harley,” Alton said. “We’re not going to hurt you. We just need to find out exactly what you can do. I’ll make assessments based on that. It’s part of the process, nothing to fear.”
In his defense, Alton had been nothing but kind and courteous, explaining stuff I’d waited my whole life to hear. There were rules in this place, and, since he’d basically allowed me in, even if on a temporary basis, the least I could do was indulge the guy and let him assess my abilities.
“I can’t believe it. I’m meeting real-life warlocks and witches, and you all sound like bureaucratic pencil pushers, with processes and assessments and whatever else makes you think you’re in control of your lives,” I complained, following them as they crossed the hallway.
“From Chaos comes Order,” Alton replied with a wink.
Chapter Eight
Wade pushed open the doors to another chamber ahead, while Alton stayed by my side as we walked in. Judging by the pristine white walls and square neon light fixtures on the ceiling, this was a lab of sorts. My stomach churned in response to the various chemical smells, while my gaze darted from glass vials and jars to potted plants, ceramic dishes loaded with colorful powders, and a plethora of herbal and mineral paraphernalia.
A white plastic chair stood in the middle of the room—a sturdy-looking thing, with a stainless-steel podium base, two attached side tables, and brown leather straps on the armrests and front legs.
“Whoa,” I breathed, then stilled, staring at the chair.
“Relax, the straps are not for you,” a woman said. There was a hint of amusement in her voice as she emerged from behind a large potted hibiscus bush in the far-right corner of the room. The floor was smooth and white. I felt like a rat in a testing lab.
The woman was a head shorter than me, and in her mid-thirties, with fine expression lines bringing out her violet eyes. She wore her black hair in a short pixie cut, with purple tips, in deep contrast to her elegant gray pantsuit and white lab coat.
“Harley, this is Adley de la Barthe. She’s our physician,” Alton said, as Adley reached out and shook my trembling hand.
Only then did I realize how nervous I was.
“Pleasure to meet you, Harley,” Adley replied, and I gave her a brief nod in return. Curiosity emanated from her, and it was aimed at me. There was also a tinge of excitement as she smiled. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
I looked at her, then at Alton, Wade, and the white chair, before I crossed my arms and shook my head.
“That thing looks like what’s at the end of a death sentence,” I said, grappling with my anxiety. I’d spent my whole life staying out of labs and hospitals, so I was having a hard time associating this room with anything good.
“Like I said, the straps are not for you, Harley,” Adley insisted, then motioned for me to sit.
“Then who are they for?” I replied.
“For Purges,” Wade interjected, impatiently rolling his eyes. “Just sit in the damn chair.”
“What are Purges?” I didn’t budge. Like a kid about to get into the dentist’s chair, I was stalling.
“Purges are a natural process for magicals,” Alton replied, giving me a warm smile in an attempt to soothe me. “When we use magic, when we enlist the powers of Chaos, our bodies gather a type of toxic waste—negative energy, poisonous darkness that builds up as we exercise our abilities. It’s directly proportional to the strength of the magic we use. The more powerful the spell, the more toxins that gather inside us.”
“Purges are a healthy and necessary way for our bodies to expel this dark energy,” Adley added. “In the beginning, they weren’t monitored or conducted in contained environments, such as this room, but now we know better. We can even predict when a magical needs to Purge, as there are certain symptoms.”
“Why do they need to be in a controlled environment?” I asked.
“Because the Purge can be extremely painful,” Alton replied. “Witches have described it as worse than childbirth. Personally, I can tell you it hurts. It burns and claws at your insides, as if you’re being torn to shreds in slow motion.”
“You’ve Purged?” I tried to visualize the process.
He nodded. “More than once, yes.”
“What happens to the toxic… whatever?”
“Once it makes contact with the air, it materializes into a monster. Shapes and dimensions vary, but, usually, the beast’s size echoes the magical’s power. A powerful witch can generate a creature the size of a mountain, for example. I’ll tell you more about this later, though. For now, Harley, we need to get you tested.” Alton motioned toward the chair once more.
The gargoyle from the other night came to mind. Was that a Purge monster, too? Clearly, I had more follow-up questions at this point, but Alton didn’t seem interested in answering until I complied with his request. After a few seconds’ worth of back-and-forths in my head, I eventually conceded and sat in the white chair, my skin crawling as my fingers touched the armrests.
“How do you plan on testing me?” I asked, my gaze following Adley as she walked over to a nearby cabinet, then pulled open a drawer. I couldn’t see more from that angle, but I could hear various metallic instruments clanging, sending shivers down my spine.
I can still run, if need be. I’ll just whack the three of them against the wall or something and shoot out of here.
“I’ll need a little bit of your blood,” Adley replied, turning around to face me.
Dread froze the blood in my veins at the sight of a freakishly large metal syringe in her hand. It looked like something they used back at the turn of the century, with a needle thick enough to probably kill a small animal. Oh, this is going to hurt like a mother—
“Nope, I’m out of here. Okay. Thanks. Bye!” I sprang up, my brain instantly switching into survival mode. There was no way I’d let them stick that monstrous thing in me.
“Sit. Down.” Wade’s voice pierced through me, and I lost control over my body.
My muscles stiffened, the connection to my brain cut off, somehow. Frost coated my veins, as I looked at him and saw his hand raised, his rings glowing blue. Oh, crap. I sat down, my joints crunching and hurting as I desperately tried to fight it. I couldn’t.
Wade had Telekinetic abilities, too, and they were much more powerful than mine.
“Wh-What are you doing?” I hissed, glowering at him.
“You need to hold still,” he replied, while Alton put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.
My heart pumped erratically. My breath hitched. Every fiber in my body cried out for release, but Wade didn’t let go. He wasn’t going to let me go until they were done with their test. Adley came closer, holding up the empty syringe for me to see.
“I’m sorry, Harley,” she said softly. “It will just pinch for a bit, and then we’ll let you go. We need to assess your powers.”
“Let me guess, your dumbass rules?” I spat, narrowing my eyes at Alton, then Wade.
Alton nodded slowly, watching as Adley brought the needle closer to my arm. “Yes. We must all follow them. For your safety, and ours.”
“Relax, we’ve all done this,” Wade replied, then moved his fingers, forcing my left forearm to turn over, so Adley could stick the needle into my vein.
I cursed under my breath, heat spreading through my forearm, swiftly followed by sharp pain as Adley’s needle pierced my skin. She drew a few milliliters of blood. It was over quickly, though, and Wade kept Alton’s promise, letting me go as soon as Adley removed the syringe from my throbbing arm.
“Ow,” I groaned.
Adley put a piece of sterilized cotton against the puncture wound and pushed my forearm up, for me to keep pressure until the bleeding stopped. This reminded me of my first vaccines—fortunately, my Telekinetic abilities manifested after the shots; otherwise, there would’ve been some pediatricians in San Diego with permanent psychological and physical scars, for sure.