Denouncement Read online

  “First of all, you were the one who was pissed I didn’t say anything about Brett, so I thought you’d appreciate a few self-defense lessons. If not for you, then for Zarina.”

  “But Brett can do magic. If he attacks one of us, it’ll be with magic. He’s not going to give us the opportunity to throw him or whatever Morrigan is teaching over there.”

  “True, but what if he tries something like grabbing someone’s wrist or arm? Wouldn’t it be nice to know how to get him off you?”

  “I already know how. Punch him in the face with my fist or magic.”

  “Okay, then you do that. Do you think I’d have a chance in hell of landing a physical blow on him? No. And neither will Zarina. The guy has at least six inches on her. Closer to nine on me.”

  “All right, I kind of see your point there, but I still feel like we could be doing something more productive. If we’re afraid of being attacked, shouldn’t we be working on defensive and offensive magic?”

  “We’ll get back to that during the next practice weekend. I’m also going to suggest people take some self-defense classes so magic isn’t the first resort. Especially against a non-magic user. I know everyone here can hold their own magically—even Sienna at this point—against a non-magical attack, but it’s not a good idea. It gets us back to the whole be smart about using magic in public thing.”

  “I’m obviously not going to convince you. So, we’re not doing any more magic today?”

  Iris shook her head.

  “All right. Then I’ll see you later. I have way too much homework to do to waste my day here.”

  Jaden formed a doorway, stepped through it, and disappeared before she could respond. Iris stared at the point where the rotating light blinked out. She didn’t know what to feel. Besides being upset that Jaden didn’t see the point in the training Morrigan provided, the guy had been a jerk. Iris rolled her shoulders and neck out a few times in an attempt to relax. It didn’t help much, but it was enough for her to head back to practice.

  Morrigan had paired everyone off and was having them try moves out on each other. Iris hung back and watched a few times before choosing to join Thorin and Rowen. Full mastery would require her to be able to defend herself against a much larger opponent and they were the best candidates present.

  Morrigan caught her eye as she approached them. She nodded her approval at Iris’s choice.

  “I can’t do it. I can’t tackle and throw you one more time. Go ask Aerianna or someone to practice with you,” Thorin told her after pinning her for the fourth time. “It’s just not fair. You’re too small.”

  “Do you think anyone—non-magical or magical—will give a damn about my size before they attack me? No. They won’t, so suck it up and let me try it again.”

  “No.”

  “Thorin—”

  “I said no, and I meant it. Ask Rowen or Cirrus. Or Morrigan herself. She’s a pro at this. Let her throw you a few times. Then she can give you pointers as well.”

  “But—”

  “Woman! I said no!” Thorin walked away from Iris. He threw his hands in the air and let out an audible huff.

  “You may have broken him, Iris,” Rowen said as they watched Thorin head towards the water.

  “What’s his problem?” Iris’s eyes twitched. She knew they’d be tinted green to match her anger.

  “Dude, you’re so dense. The guy likes you. A lot. And here you are forcing him to injure you and throw you and attack you repeatedly. I wouldn’t be able to do that to Roz and we’ve been dating for a year now. Why do you think Cirrus teamed up with Aerianna?”

  “I didn’t think about it that way.” Her eyes shifted hues once more.

  “Obviously. You want me to beat you up some?” Rowen asked. A smile threatened to shine through his attempt at a stoic mask.

  “I should probably go apologize. Thanks, though. And thanks for pointing out that I’m an idiot.”

  “Anytime.”

  Iris headed in the direction Thorin walked. She heard Rowen ask to join Cirrus and Aerianna as everyone continued to practice. When she finally found him, Thorin sat on a rock, shoes and socks off, with his feet dangling in the water. He stared down into its depths, completely lost in his own mind.

  “Hey,” she said softly and took a seat next to him.

  “Hey,” he said back in flat tones.

  “Sorry.”

  He nodded.

  “You’re right. I am small. It’s why I chose to practice with you and Rowen. I wanted to make sure I could master all these self-defense techniques against someone much larger than me. I didn’t think about what I was asking you to do. I only thought about myself. I’m really sorry.”

  Thorin let out a long sigh. “It was really hard, just so you know. I didn’t want to hurt you. At the same time, I had these images going through my mind of someone else hurting you. I got more and more flustered and upset.” He rubbed his forehead with one hand.

  “I bet. I’m sorry,” Iris said again. She wasn’t sure what else to say.

  They sat there in silence for a few more minutes. Iris leaned against Thorin’s shoulder. He twisted his body a little, wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed her to him. Iris relaxed into his chest. She marveled at how warm he was. He kissed the top of her head and breathed in the scent of her hair.

  “I’d like to take you to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “I’d like that,” Iris told him. She reached an arm around his back and scooted a little closer to him. They stayed there for a few more minutes until someone called their names. They released each other and stood up. Thorin pulled Iris to him before she could walk away.

  “Next time we tumble around like that, I’d prefer it involve a much different activity.”

  Iris used a puff of air to blow sand in Thorin’s face before stalking away from him.

  Chapter 13

  Thorin managed not to piss Iris off throughout dinner. They headed to his place afterward to watch a movie. She snuggled next to him on his couch and enjoyed the closeness of his being. It was nice. But in the back of her mind, she was waiting for him to say or do something stupid that would piss her off. She didn’t have to wait long. Not more than twenty minutes into the movie, Thorin started yelling at the screen.

  “Oh, come on, you idiot. It’s a trap. You have got to be kidding me. You didn’t see that coming. What kind of shitty writers decided on that plot point? They could have put in a little more effort, don’t you think?”

  “Thorin. Just try to enjoy the movie—”

  “Enjoy it? When it’s this crappy?”

  “Do you want to watch something else?”

  “No. I’m already invested . . . Seriously?” he went back to yelling at the actors.

  “Thorin—”

  “If you don’t like it, then just leave.”

  Iris’s eyes flared. Heat rushed through her and she was up in a second. She’d already formed and opened a doorway to her dorm room by the time she grabbed her shoes and purse.

  “Iris wa—” Thorin called behind her.

  She dismissed her request as soon as she closed the door behind her. The doorway disappeared in an instant.

  “That bad, huh?” Aerianna asked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Fair enough. Ice cream and a movie?”

  “Yes, please! Miyazaki?”

  “Works for me. Castle in the Sky?”

  “Howl’s Moving Castle?” Iris countered.

  “Princess Mononoke?”

  “Totoro?”

  “Agreed.”

  “Cool. I’m going to change into PJs.”

  By the time Iris got back, Aerianna had a tub of Phish Food and a spoon waiting for her. She climbed into bed, propped some pillows up and enjoyed the beautiful film with the only sounds in the room coming from the screen.

  Iris considered skipping rehearsal the following night, but she needed to talk to Thorin. He had the same idea because at water break he
asked if she had a few minutes after rehearsal to talk. Though she dreaded the conversation, she knew it needed to happen.

  “So, I really like you and all, but—” Thorin began.

  “We don’t work. Don’t worry. I get it.”

  “God, you’re hot. And despite our fights, you really get me. Why don’t we mesh?”

  Iris shrugged. She put her hands in her shorts’ pockets and left her shoulders raised. After the ups and downs of the last few months, she was completely drained. Almost numb. Warmth circulated throughout her body as he looked at her. She still had deep feelings for him but for some reason no matter what he did, it pissed her off. “I’m not good at dating,” she blurted and averted her eyes to keep him from seeing their shifting colors. “I’ve never done it.”

  “But I have, and I can’t seem to stop pissing you off. The worst thing is, I know what I’m doing is or will piss you off and I still can’t stop myself.”

  “It’s pretty easy to piss me off these days, so don’t sweat it.”

  “But I will.”

  Thorin fell silent for a few minutes. Iris could feel his eyes still upon her. She bit the inside of her lower lip. Refused to look at him. It would only make her blush and her eyes change colors again.

  “Let me give you a ride home.”

  Iris nodded. Thorin helped her load her bike in the back of his pickup.

  “Don’t be a stranger, all right? I’ll still need a private lesson here or there and my offer to tutor you still stands.”

  “Thanks, Thorin. Night.” Iris hopped out of his truck and used a little magic to lighten her bike for easy removal from the pickup’s bed. She waved, and he drove off.

  Iris avoided all band hang-outs and haunts for the next few weeks—even Monday night rehearsals. Instead, she used her time to stay caught up with her homework, attended study sessions, and interviewed for a few lab jobs on campus that would start the following school year. Though she felt ready for her finals, she wasn’t relaxed. When Zarina told her about a dead-day party one of their friends was having, she agreed to go in an instant.

  “You’re here! Yay!” Thorin yelled moments after Iris walked in the door.

  “I’ll catch you later,” Zarina grinned at her and went in search of someone to talk to or something to drink.

  “What part of don’t be a stranger didn’t you understand? You’ve been avoiding me on purpose. Don’t deny it!” he admonished before Iris could say anything.

  “So what if I was? I already told you I’m not good at the whole dating thing. I didn’t know how to act around you anymore, so I avoided you instead.”

  “Well, all the mellos are blaming me for breaking the freshman, so you have to tell them I didn’t.”

  “All right, I will. And I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. So, lesson one on how to interact with a not-ex. One, try saying hello every once in a while. Two, teach me more cool stuff. Three, tell me about the next training session. I don’t want to hear about it from Jaden. He’s not nearly as attractive as you are.”

  “No, he’s not, is he? I do need you to keep your voice down though. Or change topics.”

  “That’s better. See, we’re still friends. Just think of me as your really hot older brother or something. I piss you off like a brother can and you react to my stupidity the way a sister would. Then again, if I decide you should treat me like a brother, there’d be no chance of you making out with me, would there?”

  “Nope. No chance at all. And you’ve already put the thought in my head, so you can’t take it back.”

  “Well fuck! That was stupid of me. See, if you’d gotten here earlier, I would’ve remembered to say all that stuff after I got you to make out with me.”

  “And what makes you think I would have made out with you?”

  “Have you looked at me lately? I’m soo hot!” He released her, leaned back and spread his arms to allow Iris a chance to get a better look at him.

  “I’ll give you that one,” Iris agreed under her breath after giving him a once-over. Even in his more casual, summer attire he still drew her eyes to him—and several others’ eyes.

  “Hey Thorin, Iris!” Anwyn called from the kitchen. “We need fourths for quarters.”

  “Looks like we’ve been recruited.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?”

  Thorin ushered Iris into the kitchen where they spent the rest of the evening heckling each other across the tiled island. It was as though the last few weeks hadn’t happened. If Thorin could ignore their attempt at dating, then so could she. He was going to be in her life for the long haul, so she’d have to figure it out sooner rather than later and this was the perfect opportunity to start.

  At their training session the following morning, Iris continued the focus on self-defense. She had them spend the entire time paired up to practice attacks and deflections on one another. She added in a partner rotations so no one could get used to each other’s style or become complacent in their practicing.

  Afterward, several people asked Morrigan to review self-defense techniques, which she gladly did. Thorin, however, asked Iris if she wanted to grab a bite to eat.

  “Thorin, I—”

  “It’s not a date. I swear! I thought you could bring your calculus book, and I’d quiz you before your final.”

  “In that case, I’d love to.”

  Iris had no idea how she passed all of her classes with good grades, but she did. She wasn’t sure she was up for another four quarters of calculus, but at least she would get to take physics in the fall. If she could manage a decent grade in physics, then she’d have to find a way to make calculus make sense. Perhaps it would since she’d have the word problems back.

  All that remained was to celebrate their survival of freshman year with a little magic and a big party on their private, tropical island. That and catch up on about three weeks worth of sleep.

  Iris scheduled magic training sessions every weekday for two weeks once she moved back to Pacific for the summer. She rotated who came when based on skills and learning styles Monday through Thursday but kept Fridays open to anyone who wanted to come. Fridays were also reserved for new skills rather than practice. Her increase in mental capacity due to the lack of classes allowed Iris to dream of magical tasks and feats once more.

  Morrigan covered more self-defense techniques and even moved onto quarterstaff and bokken training. Several of them enjoyed it so much, they signed up for a class through the Pacific Community Center. Besides all the new techniques, they learned to focus better and remain calm in stressful situations. It was a blast.

  The class also got Iris thinking about how they couldn’t carry around quarterstaves or bokken in the open let alone katana—if they ever advanced to that skill level. She started working on a way to conceal an object in a bag with more space than it appeared to have or in the surrounding air while traveling almost in an alternate space that remained by her side. By the end of summer, she hadn’t managed to conceal anything, but she was determined to figure it out.

  September came before Iris knew it. She reflected on the summer with a smile as she packed for her second year of college. Everyone had made leaps and bounds in their magical abilities, including herself. She’d almost doubled her strength and the speed at which she could draw in power, form, and release a request. They’d made a game of it at the last training session. Iris beat everyone by as much as two seconds.

  As she packed to head back to Davis, Iris realized she hadn’t thought about Brett nor felt him use magic the whole summer. She wondered if he’d stayed in Davis or went somewhere else for the summer. Either way, it concerned her. She wasn’t looking forward to what might await her at Davis.

  Chapter 14

  The five ladies settled into their new apartment across the first two weeks of September. Happiness filled Iris during the day but the evenings reminded her someone else lived in Davis. She thought about and searched out Brett every evening. She felt nothing. Eit
her he wasn’t in Davis, or he wasn’t accessing any flows of power.

  After a week of nothing, Iris started searching him out at random times during the day. It yielded the same result. Silence. Trepidation filtered through Iris’s mind. She had to shove it aside for an orientation to her new job two Thursdays before the fall quarter started. One of the other lab employees was nice enough to let her go through it a week early so she wouldn’t miss band retreat.

  “Hi, I’m Gavin,” the junior slated to show her around the lab introduced himself to her.

  “Iris. Nice to meet you.” She took a second to take him in. He was of an average build with a slightly broader shoulder width. His dark-brown hair and eyebrows set off his olive-toned skin nicely and helped his grey-green eyes pop.

  “Likewise. So, what are you majoring in?”

  “Physics. I haven’t picked an emphasis yet, but I’m thinking astrophysics or geophysics or physical oceanography. I’m hoping working here will help me decide which one to emphasize in and help me determine if I like working in a lab or not.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. I’m still not sure what I want to do after I graduate, but I know I’d rather be in the field than in a lab.”

  “What are you majoring in?”

  “Applied physics with a concentration in physical oceanography.”

  “Cool.”

  “Yeah. I really enjoy it. How the ocean affects everything through currents and temperature including climate change and such. It’s great!”

  Iris grinned back at Gavin. She hoped she’d feel the same way about her major someday, but that wasn’t what spurred on her grin at the moment. A tingling sensation alighted at the back of her neck. Gavin could do magic.

  He showed her around the lab—where the equipment was, the machines they used—and told her all about policies and procedures.

  “In the beginning, you’ll just be following instructions and completing tasks with another lab assistant, but once you have the hang of it, you’ll get to do stuff on your own. It took me about a month before I had it all down, so don’t expect to know everything in the first few weeks.”