Magic In The Storm by Meredith Bond Page B

ever had.
    Kat sighed and sat back. “I hope someday a
man might kiss me,” she said, wistfully.
    Morgan smiled and stole a peek at her. She
was sitting staring blindly at the foal. “I would offer, but you
don’t make me feel the way Adriana does. You don’t stir my
blood.”
    That broke her out of her spell. She laughed
and said, “Well, I should hope not! We are almost brother and
sister.”
    Chuckling quietly to himself, Morgan took the
cloth from the foal’s mouth and set it back into the pail to soak
up more milk.
    “And I assure you, I was not asking you to kiss me, Morgan,” Kat said seriously.
    “No. I know that,” Morgan said, letting the
words fall through his laughter. But then, he too became more
serious. “I must admit, I was a little surprised when I kissed
Adriana. She is the first girl I have ever wanted to kiss.”
    “She is the first girl you have ever met
aside from me and your sisters,” Kat pointed out needlessly.
    Morgan gave a little shrug of dismissal, and
then added, “Well, if I could leave this forest...”
    “Don’t even try, Morgan! You remember what
happened the last time you did.”
    Morgan stifled his sigh and turned back to
the foal, placing the cloth back into his eager mouth. “Yes. If you
hadn’t been there to put out the fire, my leg—and perhaps more of
me—would have been horribly burnt. My mother’s spells can be very
cruel.”
    He was quiet for a moment, but not even the
thought of how he was held here in this forest against his will
could dampen the inner joy that had begun singing inside of
him.
    He had done magic—powerful magic! And he had
met Adriana.
    She was so beautiful. And, oddly enough, as
attracted to him as he was to her. They didn’t even know each
other, and yet he had felt such a deep connection with her. She was
as lonely as he. She, too, was being held against her will. And the
way they had recognized each other...
    “Something’s coming, Kat. Something is
changing.”
    Kat’s eyes jerked to meet his. She lifted
herself onto her knees. “What is it? Did you hear something? Your
mother, did she...?”
    But Morgan could only shake his head. “No, my
mother has nothing to do with this. I don’t know... It’s just a
feeling,” he shrugged, watching the foal suck greedily at the
cloth.
    Kat sank back down again, disappointed.
    “But something’s got to be changing,” Morgan
continued, dipping the cloth into the milk once again. “I did
magic, Kat, real magic!” He could still hardly believe it. “And
Adriana? There must be something special happening for her to come
into my life.”
    Kat gave him a sad smile. “Adriana is here to
become betrothed to your brother, Morgan. I’m sorry.”
    “Yes, I know. She told me. But she’s being
forced into this marriage against her will.”
    Kat nodded. “That’s true. And so is Jonathan
being forced, but that doesn’t change things. Adriana’s not here
for you. You weren’t supposed to meet her at all. It’s just an
accident that you did.”
    “I don’t know...”
    “Morgan,” Kat said, and then reached over and
put a consoling hand on his knee.
    He was quiet for a moment as her magical
touch warmed him and made him happier. “Well, one thing is
certain—my magic is increasing, for whatever reason. And I plan on
helping it. Working harder at it. I am going....”
    “No! Morgan, you mustn’t!”
    “Why not?”
    “You just said yourself, we don’t know where
this magic is coming from.”
    “No, but the more I think about it, the more
certain I am that we’ll never know—so I might as well use it, make
it stronger.”
    “I don’t think that’s wise, Morgan. In fact,
I think it could be dangerous.”
    “Dangerous?” Morgan started to laugh, but the
seriousness of her expression stopped him. “Kat, you can’t mean
it!”
    “I do mean it, Morgan. I don’t think
you should try using this magic until we know where it’s coming
from.” Kat reached out toward him again.