I imagined exactly what he had said, the outer edges lifting first, and started pushing a tiny spark of my will into him. Just my will, held steady only by my Shifter power. It was hard, like I had said, because I didn’t want to do anything but enjoy the perfect, warm fog I was in, but I shoved through it. My tiny push of will deliberately grew larger, and I watched as the edges of the pond started to tremble. Sucking in a harsh breath, I tried to stay focused and continued pushing even more of my will into Jack, whose gaze was glowing so brightly it overrode the sun, making the area in front of us turn a shade of brown, the same color as his eyes.
Squinting through the brown hue, I saw the pond’s edges lift a few inches into the air. Breathless in my excitement, I rolled the remainder of my will into him, only thinking about pulling those edges up. I watched as a miracle happened before me. A hybrid, me, someone who should have been killed at birth, had done the impossible. I had funneled only my will, backed by my wild animal Shifter power, into Jack to help lift the water completely out of the ground, doing exactly as he had said and following his previous directions until it was stagnant on the outside.
Jack’s shoulders were tense, but he whispered in awe, “I knew it. I can feel you.”
That comment almost broke my concentration, because I was already practically bouncing behind him, between Ezra and Pearl. This was incredible! It was something that could change the way Mysticals think altogether. If I could just do an Awakening, I could burn that f**king Law to the ground.
I did bounce a little. Who wouldn’t, if they were me?
“Shh,” Pearl hissed. “Shut it and focus, Jack. What’s next?”
We stared at the stationary mass of water floating twenty yards into the air, the inside of it still fluid. The pond water was even browner, thanks to Jack’s eyes, but I could still see the little fish darting around like mad.
Jack sounded like he was smiling when he explained, “I want to flip it. Flat top on the bottom, pushing the part closest to us up and over, until it’s upside down. Then, imagine that pizza again, but now the water is a big pile of dough, the outside still stagnant. Like a rolling pin, I want to roll it flat starting from the side closest to us and moving away, making it long.” He paused, cracking his knuckles. “Push.”
My will was already at full power, so all I did was think about flipping it over.
It started to flip, then Jack rapidly stated, “Too fast. Too fast.” It instantly slowed as I altered my thoughts, and Jack sighed in relief. “You all thought the same thing. I felt it. It overrode mine, so I need to explain I want it all done slowly or it might collapse. Water tends to flow down wherever the sharpest outlet is, so go slow.”
We began willing it per Jack’s instructions. Watched it rotated upside down, then slowly thin out, leaving just enough room for the fish to swim. It was long. You could see through it to the sky by the time we were done.
Jack instructed, “The next part’s simple. Just imagine the outside still stagnant, but floating backward over our heads until it’s halfway over us. I’ll tell you when to stop. Then, just hold it there.”
We did just that.
My head tipped back and I watched all the ugly fish on full freak out mode swim crazily in their long, thin pond floating about twenty yards above our heads, in awe. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” Pearl muttered, sounding just as impressed.
“Huh,” Ezra mumbled, his eyes wide.
“Don’t lose focus,” Jack grunted, the pond wavering.
We snapped our attention, our will, to keeping the thing above our heads.
The Kings hiked to us, clapping, but wore scowls.
King Fergus grumbled, “You four now hold the record for this.”
I didn’t jump for joy because that would have wrecked everything, but I still grinned, as did my friends, while the Kings began passing money to one another.
Antonio joined our group, sitting directly in front of the four of us. After peering up, scrutinizing our work, he stated coolly, “I want you to make a dome out of this. The biggest dome you can.” It was an order.
The Kings stopped counting their cash to stare.
We peered to them, since they were the ones that gave us our official orders.
One by one, their faces blank, they nodded, then moved to stand behind Antonio.
Jack gave us instructions.
We did it. It was a little funky-shaped, but we did it.
No one was cheering or applauding this time.
Instead, the Kings’ gazes were on Antonio.
He hopped to his feet and peered up and down the area we had enclosed ourselves in, rubbing his chin. “Make a,” his head teetered in thought, “spout, of sorts. In the middle. Shooting straight into the air, leaving a hole in the middle about half the size of that,” he pointed to the side, “large trunk over there.”
We did.
He gazed up the hole and instructed, “Taller. Make it taller.”
We did.
Standing in front of us now, the Kings watching him intently, he ordered, “I want you four to start moving. Walk together while staying connected. Reach the end of the dome, and then make the dome move with you, keeping it flush with the ground. All the way to the school, and then back. Repeat this. We’ll walk with you.” He started walking, not waiting.
“Go,” King Nelson ordered us quietly. “Do everything he says.”
So, again, we did.
Pushing our will and moving the massive dome wasn’t easy. Not at all. Especially with the Kings surrounding us, wearing those carefully neutral expressions. It was freaking me out a little. When we stopped after our second trek to the school and back — we had seen students and teachers staring out the school’s windows — we rested, but kept our focus because Antonio wasn’t done with us.
“The next part,” Antonio’s lips pursed, his eyebrows lowering, “you won’t like. What you are going to hear and see outside of the dome is disturbing. It won’t be real. It’s only my magic. I want you to walk toward the far end of the property this time while my magic is at work. Try to stay focused.” He came closer to us. “Do. Not. Lose. Focus. You will hate what you see around you, but do not lose focus.”
Gently, we nodded. Yeah, I was officially wigged out.
He took a few steps back. “You’re about to see a piece of my past, a memory. But do as you were told.” Instantly, his eyes flared, and he waved a sharp, glowing golden hand.
The four of us jerked as people appeared outside the water dome.