It had barely felt like a couple days when Alex announced our departure for the following week. I had spent every waking moment in a not-so-awake state, conferring with Arianna, my newly appointed second in command. Together we built a team of strong Shades, each with a specialized power. Every one of those Shades had a second team consisting of at least two, sometimes more, other Shades as backup. Moreover, I was given knowledge willingly by almost every Shade inside the athame. There were a few who refused, but I didn’t push them. I had enough to learn as it was. Today was fire day. I had prepped as best I could by ensuring Alex knew where all the fire extinguishers were, and that they had been recently inspected. I took several with me to the most open field I could find, well away from the Chakra and anything even remotely flammable. I even took the liberty of removing all my clothes. Once inside, Arianna explained I would need a fire Shade and a former Gaia to help. "Why a Gaia too?" I asked as we floated down the stairs.
