Book One: Chapter 7

“Swapped. No taking, an even exchange.” She stood up, water trailing from her body. “It’s like a gift, but magic always needs an equivalent exchange. By taking part of your soul, you and I are forever connected. By taking part of my soul, you have been given certain gifts.”

“You can’t just take-” the watery orb now had a twin, and tiny lights sparkled within, relaxing him. “So, what, I go to Hell now or something?”

“Silly man.” Naia splashed the water at him playfully. “This isn’t some demonic pact or anything. When you die, your soul goes with you and the piece I gave you comes back to me. So relax. As long as I don’t terminate the spell early, our continued existence benefits each other.”

Mike sighed, rubbing his head. This was too much. “Okay, so tell me about these benefits.”

“Traditionally, precognition, mind reading, things like that. However, those have fallen out of vogue, as the last thing we want is for you to call attention to yourself, or this hou