"What makes them magical?" Axel asked Cassandra. No matter how he looked at those, they were ordinary.
Cassandra reached into a box and took one diamond-shaped silver brooch. "If this is normal, it would be affected by abilities. However, all these things will absorb the energy directed at them, change its properties, or repel it. I'm not sure if that classifies them as magical, but they were tampered with magic. I experimented enough to know that whatever was done with these, it's beyond our knowledge."
"And you didn't report this to Alphas?" Axel asked angrily while pointing at the chest.
Cassandra raised her arms defensively. "They were right here. I assumed that one of the previous Alphas got these as a gift, or maybe one of our gifted pack members crafted them. And there was a possibility of them being failed experiments of imbuing items with abilities." She turned to Talia. "We don't care about gold, silver, and gems. Other than being shiny, they have no other purpose."
Werewolves didn't wear jewelry because it would come off or break when they shifted. Things like these would be kept in some storage or used in the human realm in exchange for money and supplies. However, since these were special, they were not to be given away, so they stayed in a chest.
"How many of these did you take?" Axel growled at Cassandra.
"I am not a thief!" Cassandra hissed back.
"That's what you say!"
"Calm down, Axel," Talia said. She couldn't think with all the noise. "Can we get this chest in one of the labs? I would like to see how these items are tested."
"Yes, Alpha," Cassandra said and bowed respectfully.
Axel was irked. Why was Cassandra talking casually with him while bootlicking Talia? What was with that double standard? He was an important member of the pack also!
"You should listen to Lia," Yasmin spoke softly to Axel.
Axel didn't understand. "What?"
"I know you are anxious since Talia channeled her energies into me, but I am fine. You need to relax and not vent on the Oracle. We all want to get to the bottom of this, and Cassandra is just trying to help." Shouting and pointing fingers were not helpful.
Cassandra stood behind a stone table that had magic symbols etched into it. In the middle of the table was a metallic cup with twelve colorful crystals arranged around it.
Calla and Remi were on Cassandra's left and right, ready to assist when needed.
Axel, Yasmin, Damon, and Talia were there, but Cassandra was focused on Talia.
"Is that a magical item?" Talia asked while pointing at the cup.
"No," Cassandra responded. "Before we use relics, I want to show you what normally happens so you can compare."
Cassandra started chanting under her breath while drawing patterns with her fingers in the air.
The crystals lit up, and then Calla and Remi joined with their chants.
The rays of light shot from each crystal toward the cup like lasers. At the point of contact, the rays of light paused, and then some seeped into the metal, while others reflected randomly, with much less intensity, like they lost power.
Damon moved to dodge one blue ray of light that went straight for him, and Calla said, "No need to avoid them. They are used for training and are harmless." To prove her point, Calla extended her hand, letting the purplish ray of light hit her palm.
Damon felt silly. Why was he the only one who moved? But out of everyone present, only he was in the direct path of a ray of light. Did Cassandra do that on purpose?
Talia hugged Damon's arm. "You have impressive reflexes."
Damon's mood soared. Talia praised his reflexes, and he decided to go with it.
Cassandra stopped chanting, and then she explained, "Depending on the item's property, the energies will either be absorbed or will be repelled after being weakened."
She replaced the metallic cup with a golden bracelet she got from the chest.
"Observe the difference," Cassandra said, and she started chanting again with Calla and Remi.
The light from twelve crystals shot toward the bracelet, and when it reached about one inch from the bracelet, the light rays halted like they had reached an invisible barrier. Little by little, the light spilled like liquid to form a colorful sphere around the bracelet.
Talia looked at everything with eyes open wide in wonder. She never saw anything like it.
"Do all relics respond in the same way?" Yasmin asked.
"No," Cassandra responded. "Some will absorb it, repel it, or change its properties."
"Interesting…" Yasmin said, and she reached to get one oval-shaped brooch from the chest. "Do they react differently to abilities?"
"Yes," Cassandra responded, hoping they won't ask her for a demonstration because her fire was gone.
Yasmin held the brooch, and she turned her back to Cassandra. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the brooch resting on her palm.
"What is it?" Talia asked Yasmin in a whisper.
"It should move."
"It should?"
Yasmin confirmed. "I can move things. I am trying to move this, but it won't." Yasmin's head snapped to look at Talia. "How about you try with your energies?"
Talia reached into the chest and took one necklace. It had a pendant with several pearls arranged to form a flower; the pearls reminded Talia of the necklace hidden under her blouse.
Did this one hold a secret message also? Could she activate it? Talia was reluctant to experiment on the necklace her mother left behind, but this was a different thing.
Damon and Axel approached Talia to see what she was doing.
Talia held the necklace in front of her and focused on her palm, which started glowing in silvery light.
The necklace resisted Talia's energy for a second, and then it started absorbing it hungrily. Talia increased the output, which made the whole scene fantastic as the necklace started glowing like it had built-in lights.
Talia's eyes were solid silver now, and her hair turned silver also. Every time she used her energies, it was easier; she was getting used to it. The power coursing through her was addictive.
Talia was elated while looking at the necklace, thinking that it worked, but with every passing second, her brows came closer together. Other than glowing, nothing else happened.
'Don't stop,' Liseli said.
'What's going on?' Talia asked.
'The item is reacting, but it needs more energy. Let me help.'
'Wait!' Talia called. 'What will happen when we add more energy?'
'There is only one way to find out. Are we doing this?'
Talia exhaled helplessly. What were her options?
'What if something goes wrong?' Talia asked.
'Uhm… We can cast a protective shield to contain whatever wrong is about to happen.'
This pacified Talia a bit. She didn't want to risk negative energies impacting Yasmin's babies.
With a boost from Liseli, the bracelet started flickering from silvery to white, nearly blinding everyone looking that way.
'Zzzz…'
A low buzzing sound started emitting from the necklace, and Damon's eyes flashed when his instincts told him something was wrong.
In one swift move, Damon snatched the necklace from Talia's hand and threw it in the far corner of the room.
'BOOOOM!'
