Brianna's smile widened. "Actually, I would rather you wait until I have the chance to ask Bas. The L.A.W. has always practiced the Sabbats alone. Eight witches in all. Some of our familiars prowl the perimeter.”
Chad’s brows rose. “Oookaaay.”
Brianna laughed. “I don’t think you’re quite ready for the full immersion experience, but you’ll meet our familiars as soon as you are.”
She winked and walked out the door. When he heard the front door open, he noticed her scarf on the floor.
“Wait!” he called out. Only his voice was lower, louder and seemed to reverberate in the room. He picked up her scarf, knowing it was cold outside, and she’d probably need it on the ride to Long Island.
He charged down the stairs and saw her frozen, mid-step, her hand on the doorknob. “What the… Did I do that?” He panicked for only a moment. Quickly he realized he could try to undo what he had just done. “Turn around,” he said in his normal voice. Nothing happened. Brianna was still frozen in place.
Then he remembered she’d said something about using words with intention. He’d intended to give her the warm scarf before she went out into the cold. He still wanted that, but he wasn’t sure he wanted her to leave. Maybe that’s why his voice didn’t pack the punch it had before. He dashed up the stairs to get the pen and parchment.
When he got to the bottom of the stairs again, he leaned on the small table in the entrance hall and wrote, “Brianna, please unfreeze and get the scarf you almost forgot.”
Chad watched anxiously as Brianna slowly stirred, her movements jerky at first, as if she were a wind-up doll coming to life. She blinked rapidly, looking disoriented.
"Chad? What...? What just happened?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.
Chad held out her scarf, trying to keep his own hand from trembling. "You, uh, forgot this. And I may have accidentally frozen you in time for a minute there."
Brianna's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "You used your Word Wizard abilities to manipulate me? That's... that's incredible, Chad! But also, a little terrifying."
Chad nodded, feeling a mix of pride and fear at what he'd just done. "Yeah, tell me about it. I didn't mean to, it just... happened. I called out to you, and suddenly my voice wasdifferent, more ominous. Deeper and louder with some kind of vibration.”
“Wait? You didn’t even use the pen? Just your voice?”
He nodded.
“Holy shit!” She threw her arms around him and hugged him hard.
He let out a relieved chuckle. “I thought you’d be angry. I made you do something against your will.”
“It wasn’t really against my will. I had just remembered my scarf, but I hadn’t stopped and turned around yet.”
“Oh. Well, I guess that makes it a little better.”
“Do you realize what this means? You could be a Word Warrior, not just a Wizard. You’re way ahead of where we thought you were. Your powers are growing faster than anyone expected.”
He smiled shyly. “Well, I’ve always been a quick study.”
“I’ll say.” She grabbed her scarf, wound it around her neck, gave him a quick kiss, and headed to the front door again. Just before she left, she grinned at him. “I can’t wait to tell Bas!”
Brianna burstinto the L.A.W. mansion after a harrowing, snowy drive to Long Island. Nothing could dampen her enthusiasm. “Bas! Bas! I have something to tell you! Something important!”
Bas exited the library. “What’s all the shouting for?”
Brianna rushed over to Bas, her eyes shining with excitement. "It's Chad! He's progressed far beyond what we thought possible at this stage. He froze me in time using just his voice!"
Bas's eyebrows shot up. "Without the pen? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely," Brianna nodded vigorously. "He called out to stop me as I was leaving, and suddenly I couldn't move. It only lasted a minute, but it was real."
Bas frowned, her expression a mix of concern and intrigue. "This is... unexpected. And potentially dangerous. We need to monitor this development closely."
"Dangerous?" Brianna's excitement dimmed slightly. "But isn't this good news? It means he's becoming more powerful, right? And isn’t that what we want? What we need?"
Bas sighed, rubbing her temples. "Power without control is a recipe for disaster, Brianna. We've seen it before with other gifted individuals. The faster their powers grow, the harder they can be to manage."
