Chapter 8

The next morning, the group met at Xandria’s house. She was glad that they had managed to get out of the battle largely unscathed but she knew that much worse was to come. Firstly, they had to find out who the chosen one was but then she also had to figure out who was housing the evil of Morgan La Fey and most disturbing of all, which of the group would be the betrayer. I didn’t know them enough to judge but it could be anyone.

As the doorbell rung for the sixth time within the space of ten minutes, Xandria sighed and leant back in the chair before jumping when the room came into focus as someone sat in the seat next to her. She didn’t have to turn her head to know who it was, she turned her head and smiled at the man next to her.

“Hey Colton.” She said as she slipped to the side due to his added weight falling comfortably into his side. He grinned down at her.

“Hey Calibre, so do I have to get my shirt off today?” he questioned as he toyed with a strand of her new hair which now came to her shoulders. Her mum had taken the scissors to it the night before at her request and her head now felt ten times lighter. She smiled slightly at his question.

“I’m afraid so but not until I’ve done so magic lady mumbo jumbo so that all of your marks are visible. I’m just worried that it might bring on the ascensions early. Especially with my own coming so soon.” She murmured the last part to herself but Colton still heard it as he squeezed her tighter.

“Is the Ascension painful for you? Because some people I know are in great pain when they rise up but I didn’t know whether it would be painful for you.” His voice was barely above a whisper and as she looked up into his eyes she saw concern whirling around his green eyes. She smiled lightly.

“Don’t worry about me, I will survive but to answer your question, yes it is painful. To a member of Excalibur, the ascension is when your power becomes your life force. No magic means the person will die. I have to pass on the Excalibur before my ascension or the magic of Excalibur will twine with my own and when I give the chosen the magic they will receive my own and I will die.” My smile didn’t quite reach my eyes as I stared at the startled boy next to me.

He gulped. “Well I guess we need to find the chosen soon then because I like you Calibre and when this all settles down I want to take you on a date….that is if you want to go on a date with me that is?” He started mumbling and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly whilst Xandria stared at him in amusement.

Before she could overthink it she leant forwards and pressed her lips to his, revelling the fact that she was having a kiss that didn’t have some ulterior motive behind it, it was just her, a girl kissing a boy. She leant into his embrace as he unfroze and brought his hand down so that he could tangle it into her hair as his eyes fluttered shut. His other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her onto his lap so he could get better access and he deepened the kiss, his tongue moving across the crease of the her lips, parting them gently before the two of them passionately started to explore one another’s mouth. The sound of someone giggle made them break apart, the two of them wearing identical masks of disappointment as they stared into each other’s eyes but Colton only remained like that for a moment before a huge grin spread across his face.

“I take that as a yes then?” He murmured and Xandria who was still shocked that she had just had her first real kiss just nodded dumbly as she stared into his eyes. He grinned even wider before pecking her on the lips and then turning her so that her back was resting on his chest but keeping skin contact so that she could still see.

The pair flushed when they realised that the lounge was now full and everyone was staring at them, some in amusement though both noted that Xandria’s mum looked less than impressed though there was a slight softening in her eyes.

The two of them sat there waiting for someone to break the silence and finally when her daughter didn’t speak up, Xenia stepped forward to address the room.

“All of you take a seat, I need to inform you of something very grave that is going to affect all of you.” Xenia’s tone was grave as she tucked her blonde hair behind her ears, aware that she now had the room’s undivided attention. She shot a pointed look at her daughter, well aware that she could see her right then. “Xandria, I think you should take the floor.”

With a sigh she pushed off of Colton’s lap and stood before the group grateful for Colton’s hand that was holding tightly onto hers. “Okay, some of you might have a vague idea what is going on but to put it straight to you. There are forces of good and bad in this world, we are the goodies, if you didn’t know that then we are screwed. There 8 of you here that are destined to be in a big battle beside myself. One is the chosen the seven are his or hers disciples.” Xandria started to pace slightly so that she lost contact with Colton but she shook off the uncomfortable darkness and focused on her task. “I need to find out who the chosen is as soon as because some big bad ass with no empathy is about to come down on us like a tonne of bricks and if we want a chance at surviving. The only problem is that you risk bringing on your ascensions quicker, the same goes for me.” Xandria sighed. “You will be like Arthur’s knights to Arthur, you will help the chosen in their mission to defeat the Morganian’s from taking control, it is the only way that you or your families will be safe. Simon is enough evidence that they know who the circle is and there is nothing they won’t do to stop us.”

Smiling sweetly Xandria glanced over her shoulder at Colton as if to give him a big hint as she said. “And who wants to go first?” Xandria could hear Colton’s gulp before he cleared his throat to volunteer only to be outdone by Simon.

“I will.” She turned her head in the direction of the boy she had saved and smiled grimly.

“Alone or do you not mind an audience.” Xandria questioned as she beckoned him with her hand which he readily obeyed. “How old are you Simon?” She held out her hand for him to rest his palm in.

“Eighteen.” She nodded.

“Have you got a mark above your heart?” She asked as her eyes closed and her free hand delved down her top and pulled the medallion of the Excalibur free. She head a gulp as he whispered.

“I haven’t ascended but a mark has started to appear.” He whispered as he stared wide eyed at the girl before him.

“It’s as I suspected,” not paying attention to everyone else, she pulled off the medallion and placed it in his hand that was in hers and then closed their hands around it before lifting it so that it was placed over his heart. “Now it may be painful, I have never done your kind of ascension but still, we all learn somehow.” She shrugged and tried to give him a reassuring look but he still looked terrified as he glanced past her to his parents who were hugging each other whilst they watched onwards.

“No biggie then.” He muttered woefully as he turned his attention to the girl before him. She tried to smile but her brow was wrinkled as she focused her attention on the task before her.

Xandria’s eyes fluttered closed as she concentrated on creating a link with the boy in front of her and she heard him gasp as his body convulsed slightly under her touch. The room fell to an eerie silence as they all watched on with apprehension, none of them knowing quite what to expect. Simon’s breathing became erratic and then he heard her sweet voice inside his head, as his blood started to pump faster and faster until it felt as if it had stopped completely as the gap between each pump was too rapid. He tried to raise his hand to his chest to rub over his heart but he felt completely paralysed and when he tried to open his eyes, his lids twitched but they failed to open.

She put a stilling hand on his shoulder whilst her voice echoed inside of his head. “Don’t move.” In the next instant, fire laced through his blood stream and the blood in his veins turned electric blue and glowed with an otherworldly light so that his skin appeared as if he had been lit with starlight. His head fell back as a groan passed his lips as the he felt as if he was being consumed by an internal flame. The groan turned into a cry of pain before he started yelling out in agony.

The spectators watched with a mixture of horror and wide eyed fascination as all of this was happened. Simon now looked like the blue man from the film Watchman, though his skin which was a glowing blue was slowly being broken up by a white intricate pattern that was carving itself into his skin.

Xandria’s voice rang into his mind, cooling and soothing so that he became numb to the pain whilst she was still there. “Give it to me,” she coaxed over and over again. “Give me the pain.” Simon tried to resist but it was as if the pain had a mind of its own and as his ascension peaked, he felt pain in every part of him but he was strangely relieved that he was numb to it all.

Finally, the ascension peaked and like some invisible cord that had bound the two had been cut, they fell away from each other.  Simon pushed up off of the floor and examined himself and was pleased to see that his skin had returned to its normal colour though there were now there was a faint silvery shadow like his skin had been scarred in a distinct pattern over every inch of his skin. Pulling aside his t-shirt to reveal the burning piece of flesh, he watched as slowly as if being tattooed on his skin before his eyes, a circle formed over his heart with a dagger running through the length of it.

“The protector.” Xandria’s voice was no more than a whisper before she cried out in agony and her body arched off of the floor. Tremors slowly started convulsing through her body as her eyes rolled up into her head.

In an instant Xenia and Magpie were next to her, restraining her limbs as spasms continued to wreak havoc with her tiny body. They exchanged worried glances and then back down at the girl.

“What’s wrong with her Mag?” Xenia asked frantically as the tremble started to get more violent.

“She assumed his pain, it’s too much too soon, and the pain is more concentrated and potent because she is bearing someone else’s pain. That she is still alive is ridiculous, she should never have tried taking his pain away.” Magpie shook her head grimly as Xandria stilled and her whole body went limp so that her head lolled to the side.

Everyone in the room watched in silence as they waited for something…anything to happen. Colton was on the edge of his seat as he stared down at the girl who had had such a great impact on his life in such a short amount of time. He bit his lip as Magpie lifted her fingers to Xandria’s neck to feel for a pulse only for her to shake her head, a look of utter misery on her face as she reached up and put a consoling hand on her friends shoulder.  

“I’m so sorry Xe.” She murmured as she rocked back on her heels and pulled her hands down her face.

The blonde shook her head back and forth in denial as she lifted Xandria’s head from the floor and cradled it in her lap whilst everyone around her watched on with a sort of morbid fascination. Her mouth formed the word ‘no’ over and over again as she looked down at her daughter before looking pleadingly at Magpie. “Help me.” She murmured before staring down at the fragile body within her arms, feeling a pain that no parent should ever have to bear.