Familiar's Calling - The Bond
Chapter 12 - Nightmares, Meetings and Revelations

On the other side of town, Krista and Jinx slept just as soundly, and in much the same manner as Chase and Sylas. Like the elder pair, they had dreams filled with twisted shapes, faces without features and raw power growing within their core - expanding. They each tossed and turned in their separate beds before finally reaching out through time and space and touching each other’s minds. As soon as they touched, each witch and familiar felt a sense of ease, an ability to relax. As their minds came together, they began to feel each other’s fears; their strengths and weaknesses were revealed to each other, and as they slept, the Malaonus Nor that marked them began to glow brightly. First it glowed a muted silver that grew in brightness, and then finally shone through their clothing, in the crescent moon shape, a pure white light that lasted for several seconds before flickering and dying as all four linked minds relaxed and sank into blissful slumber.

The following morning, Krista and Jinx woke up feeling more refreshed than they had in days. As Krista sat up rubbing her eyes, Jinx was already standing up and stretching, his front legs stretched right out and his back arched.

What a strange dream, Krista mumbled in her head, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

I know what you - he yawned - mean.

Krista looked over at him, puzzled. Wait, did you have a nightmare about strange twisted forms and faces and then suddenly -

Felt your, Chase and Sylas’ minds touch mine? he interjected, finishing Krista’s sentence for her.

Krista’s eyes widened. That was real? She queried him, the tilt to her head making her blonde hair fall across her shoulder.

He nodded. I think so. It was weird though... Our minds touched and then I felt -

A surge of power, and then pure bliss - and then you were in your own mind again? Krista finished with a questioning look, wondering if he had indeed experienced what she had.

He nodded. I did. He mulled this over for a few moments before continuing. This meeting and the start of our training cannot come soon enough, really. I think we should set out a bit earlier to meet them. I would rather not be late after all.

Krista nodded and then said aloud. “I agree, and we should tell Mum and Pa we might be late, but that we will be with Chase and Sylas.”

His head like a bobblehead doll by now, he nodded again to Krista’s words. Yes, good idea. The first time was an accident, but yes, I concur. We should let them know we will likely be late tonight.

With that decided, Krista swung the covers off, burying him in them with a hiss. It took him ten minutes to extricate himself from the bundle of blankets. When he finally emerged, his fur was tousled and standing up in strange places. He shot Krista a look of annoyance as she pulled her favourite pale-pink tank top over her head to complete her typical outfit.

She burst out laughing at the sight of him and had to clap her hand over her mouth to stop herself enough to speak. “Oh, Jinx!” she giggled and snorted. “You look - you look ridiculous!”

Narrowing his eyes at her as he turned to groom himself and flatten out his fur, he grumbled at her, That... was so not cool, Krista.

Krista laughed. “Aw, come on, Jinxy, it was a little funny.”

He looked up to see her grinning in attempted innocence at him he simply shot her a disgruntled look. No! It was not. It was mean! He pouted at her, making her walk over to pet him.

“Aw, I’m sorry, Jinxy. It was just a bit of fun, honest!” She gave him sad eyes and continued to pet him, making him purr contentedly.

Oh, alright. I forgive you, he said, before rubbing up against her, purring and jumping off the bed, transforming into a boy as he walked towards the door.

“You comin’, or not?” he asked, a sly grin on his face.“Oh! You! Why you little...” she gasped, cottoning on to what he had just done and leaping off the bed to sprint across the room to grab him. He laughed and dodged her grab by darting out the open door and around the corner.

As Krista darted around the door trying to catch him off guard, she saw that Jinx had already darted to the end of the hallway and was standing outside the kitchen.

“Gotta get up earlier than that to catch me!” He winked and darted into the kitchen as she unwittingly shot a pulse of telekinetic energy at him.

This must have shocked her so much that she stopped. Because when he poked his head around the corner to check if the coast was clear, Krista was staring at her outstretched hand in disbelief.

“Did you mean to do that?” he asked her, one hand gripping the doorframe, eyebrows furrowed.

Krista pulled her hand back before shaking her head in reply.

Jinx stepped out into the hallway and walked towards her holding out his hand. “We’ll figure it out. Come on, let’s go have some breakfast.”

She shook her head to clear it and took his hand allowing him to lead her into the kitchen.

Julius and Ilise looked up from their papers as the two entered, and seeing Krista’s confused, dumbfounded expression, Julius cleared his throat. “What’s the matter, Krista?” he asked her, a look of concern on his face.

This broke her out of her reverie and she shook her head saying, “Nothing.”

Jinx rolled his eyes, and as she sat down across from her father, he sat down beside her and explained, “She just discovered a little more of her power.”Julius turned to Jinx. “Oh?” he asked.

Jinx nodded. “Yeah. She can fire telekinetic energy now.”

Julius’ eyes widened. “Her powers are advancing? All ready? That’s a bit quick, isn’t it?” he asked the young familiar.

He shrugged his bony shoulders as he helped himself to a piece of toast. “There will likely be a lot of surprises with Krista regarding powers and ability. The pair of us, in fact, come to think of it. But that’s what you get when you have raw, untainted power - and lunar power, at that - running through your body and soul, I guess.” He took a bite of toast as he finished speaking watching Julius’s expression with mild interest.

“I see...” Julius replied, glancing up at his daughter who had just poured herself some cereal and was slowly eating it. She was still staring at the hand holding her spoon.

“Fascinating. Truly fascinating. My mother - Krista’s grandmother, that is - always said there was something special about Krista. I wonder if she knew just how special my little girl was,” he said, smiling reassuringly at his daughter as she looked up at him.

Jinx noticed a slight reinforcement to the way hey said the words my daughter and while he dismissed it he still mentally filed it away.

The corners of her lips twitched into a small smile before she resumed eating.

Jinx nodded thoughtfully as he buttered his piece of toast. “So Krista’s magick passed through you, then?” he queried, through a mouthful of toast.

Julius nodded. “Aye, and in Ilise’s family it was her father that had magick rather than her mother. Magick has been sparse and one-sided in our families,” he explained, holding his steaming mug of coffee to his lips. Carefully, he blew on it and took a sip.

Nodding thoughtfully while eyeing Krista, Jinx replied matter-of-factly. “Well, if what virtually everyone keeps saying is true, that actually makes sense.”

Julius’ face formed a politely puzzled expression. “Oh? How so?” he asked the clever familiar, wondering just how much he had figured out.

Jinx smiled. “Well, the way the Dozhan explained it to us yesterday is that we possess - your daughter in particular as the witch in this pairing - pure and untainted lunar magick.” He reached for a glass of juice and took a sip before continuing, “As I am sure you know, lunar magick is incredibly powerful. Hence why not many are born under the moon as their celestial influence.”

Julius nodded. “Yes, my mother was born under Saturn, and Ilise’s father under Mars,” he remarked, in understanding.

Jinx nodded. “Yes. Well, the Dozhan said that for any magickal being to be able to handle such raw power - both in body and soul - a certain amount of... preparation is required, so that they - that is to say we - can survive possessing it.” He took another draught of juice as Julius stared at him intrigued.

“What sort of preparation? I admit you have piqued my curiosity on a magickal subject I have yet to learn about,” Julius asked him, his eyes alight with sheer curiously.

“Well, as I understood it yesterday, this pure magick is so powerful, so... volatile, that for it to mix with the celestial influence of, say, Saturn, even in residual amounts, would quite likely kill the witch or familiar in question.” He paused, recalling their conversation with the Dozhan. “I guess, from what I understood anyways, in order for the lunar magick to fully permeate a witch’s or familiar’s soul fully, completely and safely, a rest period of at least a generation, so yourself, is required to eliminate any residual traces. He gave us a book for us to do our own research into the matter, the prophecy, as well.” he explained, gesturing at Julius.

Jinx’s dark eyebrows knitted together, thinking. “From what you told me about only one of each of your parents having magick, I gather this is another measure to purge the extraneous celestial influence from the blood line. At least... that is my theory.”

Julius nodded with a half a glance at his wife. “From what you have told me it sounds like a sound theory that is most likely quite accurate, I would wager,” he replied thoughtfully.

Krista suddenly spoke up and asked, “Is this raw power why I’m suddenly developing new powers so quickly?”

Jinx looked at her and nodded. “I think so. Although they are not really new powers, per se, more of an extension and advancement of your telekinetic ones.”

Krista nodded. “I wonder what other powers I am going to manifest or advance to,” she mused, staring off into space.

Jinx smiled. “That, my friend, is something we can ask Chase together since he has the same powers.”

Krista nodded seriously. “I look forward to this meeting and to training with them. I have so many questions, and the closer the time draws to it, the more I feel… complete. Stronger even. Do you feel it, Jinx?”

He nodded. “I feel what you feel, but, yes, I myself have felt it. What happened last night was but a taste of what will happen when we meet in person, I reckon,” he mused aloud.

Julius snapped his head back up from the paper as the pair spoke, Ilise looking on just as curiously. “Last night? What happened last night?”

Krista and Jinx looked at one another before Jinx turned to address Julius. “Well, it started out as like... a nightmare. Something we would rather not dredge up, so we linked our minds in an effort to calm and relax one another. And… well... we were not alone. We actually felt Chase and Sylas’ minds reach out across time and space and connect with us. It seems by doing so, the four of us were able to calm the nightmare, push it away, but what happened because of that connection is puzzling and strange.”

Ilise spoke up somewhat timidly, almost fearfully, “What happened?” She glanced at her daughter and grabbed her hand giving it a squeeze, which Krista returned with a reassuring smile.

Jinx just smiled just as reassuringly. “Oh, nothing bad. But... I did feel strange, almost electric. It -”

“It was a surge of power unlike anything I have ever felt, Mum,” Krista interjected.

Jinx simply nodded in agreement.

Krista then turned to Jinx. “I feel like what happened last night is why we are supposed to meet Chase and Sylas out in the woods where there isn’t anyone around for miles.”

Nodding once again he confirmed her suspicions. “Yes, I think you may be correct. If a distant mental connection felt that powerful, I fully expect a visual, if not fully physical reaction, when we meet in person.”

Julius cleared his throat, causing Jinx to whip his head around to face him. “Actually, come to think of it, this mental connection may have had a visual effect last night, so you are likely correct about what will happen when you meet.”

The both of them looked at him in mirrored confusion. ”What do you mean?” they asked in unison.

Julius smiled at their twin-like response. “I mean, I wasn’t sure it had happened ’til what you just told us, but I feel certain now that I saw a pure white light emanate from within Krista’s bedroom on my way back from the bathroom.”

Jinx’s eyes widened as he looked at Krista, glancing briefly to the clock that read eleven o’clock. “I think it is imperative that we leave now to go to meet Chase and Sylas.”Krista nodded, scooping the last spoonful of cereal into her mouth and standing up to put her bowl in the sink.

Turning to Julius as Krista darted down the hallway to retrieve her shoes and jacket from the front hall Jinx’s expression turned extremely serious. “You should know we are not certain how long this meeting will take, or what will happen, so we may be rather late getting back, but you need not worry.” He informed them as he stood, fingertips resting on the table, his green eyes gleaming as Krista emerged from the hallway carrying her shoes.

Julius nodded glancing at his daughter with a smile. “I trust you to keep her safe, Jinx. Go! Do what you need to do.”

They made to leave when Ilise suddenly jumped up. “Oh! If you are going to be gone all day then you should take a lunch,” she exclaimed. She went and disappeared down the hallway for a few minutes before reemerging with a small cooler. After placing it on the counter, she busied herself whipping together several sandwiches, some bottles of water and juice and a few cookies - all of which she packed neatly in the cooler before handing it to Jinx who took it with a smile.

Grinning from ear to ear in thanks he set the cooler down on the table before hugging Ilise. “Excellent thinking, madam. This should do nicely for any energy depletion we may suffer.”

Ilise smiled and nodded, blushing ever so slightly as he released her, “I also made sure to make enough for Chase and Sylas, as well.”

Krista ran and hugged her mother as well. “Mum, you are the greatest!”

Ilise hugged her daughter fondly. “You just go and train your little tush off, sweetie. Your father and I could not be prouder of you.”

Julius slid an arm around her waist and wrapped an arm around Krista’s shoulders giving them a squeeze. “Your mother speaks the truth. We are quite insanely proud of the young woman you are growing into,” he told her. “Now, go on you two. See to it that your destiny unfolds safely.”

Jinx smiled and replied, “You can count on our safety, sir - Julius.”

With that, the young companions and friends quickly exited through the back door and proceeded across the back yard towards the gate. A mixture of nervousness, excitement and apprehension filled their minds as they proceeded down the path deep into the forest towards the familiar clearing.