Chapter 21: *CHAPTER 21*

Malcolm paused his restless pacing to lean over Richard's desk, "I think it goes without saying that we need to find a way to fix this. We can't live like this Peter.”

Peter had listened silently throughout the brief summary of what had happened at my. A smear of ink was splashed across the knuckle of his hand as he flipped through a few papers on Richard’s desk, "You're right. We won't stop until we get you two answers. It might take some time, but we'll get there. In the meantime though, I was able to pick up the books from my office on before I stopped back here. There were a few books that had suggestions on protecting thoughts against Magical attacks. I thought they could be useful for your current situation. And the Director of the Memphis Coven had a few good suggestions as well."

"Alright, let's hear them," Malcolm leaned back against the wall, legs crossed at the ankles, arms across his chest. Despite his casual stance, I could sense from his thoughts that he was desperate enough to do anything to get his head and thoughts back. And I'd be lying if I said I was any less desperate.

"Typically, those who have some sort of Magical binding are tethered together in what is described as a passageway of energies," Peter flipped the book around he was studying to face us and I leaned forward to get a better view of the image he was pointing to with an inkstand finger.

The image was the outline of two featureless figures standing opposite each other. Circles in the center of each chest were connected by a thin line. "Those circles," Peter explained, "represent each of your personal energies. And this," Peter pointed to the strand connecting them, "is the Curse that bound you together."

Malcolm leaned closer to get a better view of the book, eyeing it with a narrowed gaze as Peter continued, "When there's a flow of energies between two parties, there's a way for either or both people involved to block those energies from getting in or out of them."

Peter placed a finger on either side of the strand of energies connecting the figures on the page, "You can create a mental barrier—for lack of a better word—to stop those energies from flowing. It's not a permanent solution, because the passageway will still be there, but it should give you both a level of control over what comes in or out until we can find a better long-term resolution."

"How do we make the barrier?" I asked him, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

"From what I've read, you should be able to sense a strand connecting the two of you. Have you been able to sense that connection since the Curse started?"

My eyes lifted to where Malcolm stood next to my chair. He was already looking at me, and we eyed each other warily. Whatever new thread that was connecting us buzzed to life, sparking as our eyes met. I forced myself away from those thoughts, bringing my attention back to Peter and Richard.

"Maybe think about the place in your mind where you notice each other's thoughts resonating and go from there," Richard suggested, his gaze bouncing between us.

'So... do you hear where they're coming from?' I asked him cautiously, focusing on the way my own thoughts bounced around my head.

Malcolm let out an inelegant grunt, 'You're so loud it sounds like you're coming from everywhere.'

'You're hilarious,' I deadpanned, narrowing my eyes at him.

Richard watched us with a wholly engrossed expression shining behind his eyes.

Malcolm grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and as I focused on the unnatural feeling of those thoughts bouncing around my skull next to my own, I followed the flow of them to a strand of connection at the edge of my mind that Richard had described. It was a glowing buzzing, thing, utterly alive and twisting and tightening in the space between us.

"I think I've got it," I said.

"Good work Kassie,” Peter praised, “Nicely done. Did you find it as well Malcolm?"

"Yeah, I’ve got it” he said, "Now how do we build this wall?"

Still referring to the text he'd been studying, Peter went through the steps of having each of us imagine building a sturdy wall over the base of the connection. Stacking the wall higher and higher until the connection couldn't pass through it.

It was harder than I'd thought it would be. I pushed all of my energies into shoving the barrier between us into existence, but it seemed that once one of us had gotten it up something or other knocked pieces of it down. Malcolm got the hang of it first, instructing me how to do it through the bond.

'Make it thicker than you think you need to. It's not blocking enough of the energy because your wall is too flimsy.'

Following what Malcolm described, I smiled in triumph as the wall was back in place, sturdy enough to keep Malcolm out. My mind was blissfully quiet for the first time in hours.

"Excellent," Richard clapped his hands together, “Why don't you two practice a few times to get the hang of putting it up and down until it comes naturally to you."

Malcolm and I did as he said, putting up the wall and taking it down until we were both sporting headaches and a few beads of sweat pricked at our temples. It did come easier the more we did it, and by the time Jenna called down the hallway that the pizza was there, the walls between us were—while still uncomfortable to put up—at least coming faster to each of us.

With my mind back to myself, I felt the first wave of hope of getting back to normal than I had since this all began. And hopefully this would help block out whatever new thread of heat that was connecting us.