The moon rose higher and Aidan protested, “Hey, we need to keep movin’ before we miss our chance.”
They all followed behind him as he continued down the narrow path. A thicker trail opened in front of them and James and Rhiannon walked side by side again.
“So, you can heal, too, huh?” James asked.
“Wait, you can heal too?”
“Yeah. I mean, my injuries were minor, but when I woke up the first time it was only a few small scratches across the bottom of my feet and then—”
“Your feet?”
James laughed at her expression. “Yeah, my feet. When I first astral projected I ended up barefoot along a stony area and—”
“What is with the bare feet thing?”
“You ended up barefoot too?”
“Yeah!” She chuckled. “Well, not the first time—”
“You astral projected more than once?”
“No, not really. It all happened in one . . . trip—I guess that’s what it’s called. When I first woke up in the dream thing, I had shoes on. Then for some reason, I was projected somewhere else, and that time I didn’t have any shoes on.” She paused. “I also wore clothes I never saw before.”
“Just be glad you had any clothes on,” Pavian declared loudly from up ahead.
“What do you mean?” James and Rhiannon asked in unison.
Pavian continued his steady pace. “It takes a long time to master astral projection. In fact, it takes months to have full control over your astral body. So, when people first start learning it, they usually forget to put clothes on.”
“So, they just appear naked out of thin air?” James giggled. “Now, that would be embarrassing. Thank goodness I only lacked shoes in mine.”
“No kidding,” Rhiannon gulped. “So, hang on . . . What’s the difference between a person who astral projects and an Astral Traveler?”
“An astral projection is your subconscious creating an astral body. Your mind travels through time and space and creates another physical body and that body is then the one in control. Your mind separates into two and becomes different entities—one remains stuck in your actual physical body and the other one is controlling the astral body. Both bodies are physical forms, but the astral body is more like a solid ghost.”
“A ghost,” Rhiannon stammered, shivering.
“Yeah.” Pavian laughed. “Well, no—okay, maybe that was the wrong word. Think of an astral projection as just that, a projection . . . It’s an illusion placed within another plane or dimension, or even an actual location, but the illusion is real, solid, and alive, and your newly-created body can feel, touch, move, talk, react—it’s just being controlled by your mind. But your physical body is still linked to your astral body, so whatever happens to one, happens to the other.”
James added, “So, astral projection is an involuntary magic?”
“Yes and no.” Pavian stopped, glancing around and changing directions. “When you can’t control it, it becomes involuntary, but if you practice, or in your case just have an innate ability to counter the subconscious part of it, you have the power to do it on command—control it.”
Rhiannon said to James, “What does he mean ‘in your case’?”
“The last time I astral projected, I was able to focus hard enough and . . . travel to you.”
“So, that was you. You were the one running toward me in my dream—I mean, when I was in Kiluemar.” James nodded. “But wait,” Rhiannon exclaimed to Pavian. “How is it that we are able to astral project at all? I mean, without having our magic?”
“He doesn’t know,” James answered.
“Yeah, I honestly couldn’t tell you,” Pavian agreed. “The only thing I can think is that because it’s a subconscious power, maybe that part of your magic was never removed when we withdrew it. I don’t know, though . . . maybe it’s something else.”
“Right. Okay, so what is an Astral Traveler then?” Rhiannon asked as the group trekked more into the wilderness.
“Raina is the only one I’ve ever met with this power and, as far as we know, she’s the only Astral Traveler to ever live within the realm. She takes astral projection a step further and mindfully generates two complete forms of herself—not just an astral projection. She literally becomes two different people, but identical, with the same body, mind, personality, everything. And with the complete and whole replicated body, she can move it anywhere and control all aspects of it while still controlling her actual body.”
“She can clone herself?” James asked excitedly. “That is so freakin’ cool.”
Rhiannon scoffed at him with a side smile and whispered, “You should see what Aidan can do.”
“I think this is it,” Pavian interrupted.
They all stopped, standing in the center of a natural circle created by dry sage bushes and various cacti.
Tracing the circle with his eyes, Aidan added, “Yeah, this is definitely it.”
“What?” Rhiannon and James asked together.
“The portal,” Kavana answered.
Her unexpected break in silence made the twins, Pavian, and Aidan turn their heads toward her.
Kavana met their gaze. “What?”
“Where’ve you been?” Rhiannon joked.
“What do you mean? I’ve been here the whole time.”
“I mean mentally. You’ve been quiet.”
Pavian teased, “She’s probably been thinking about Aidan, and how she left him behind.”
Kavana started to respond, but Aidan interjected, “It just wasn’t in the cards for us. And, technically, I left first.” He turned away from the group and moved to the center of the circle, adding quietly, “But that didn’t erase my feelings for her.”
Grinning, Rhiannon playfully scurried over to her aunt and whispered, “I swear, you better tell me everything about you two”—she pulled away—“and soon.”
James laughed at the giddiness Rhiannon displayed. “Anyway, so Uncle Pavian, what’re we supposed to do now? Just wait?”
“Usually. But since we sealed the portals, we will have to unseal them first before the window closes.”
“Window?”
Kavana stepped into the center of the circle. “Yeah. The portals in this world only open for a short time.”
Pavian followed his sister into the circle. “Ten minutes to be exact. Once the full moon reaches its apex, it only stays open for ten minutes.”
“Seriously?” Rhiannon asked surprisingly. “The portals only stay open for ten minutes each month?”
“Yeah,” the three adults answered.
***
The five of them stood scattered in the center of the circle, waiting silently as the full moon ascended into the night sky. Rhiannon and James stood shivering under their thin clothing as Kavana watched Pavian and Aidan whisper amongst themselves.
Rhiannon made her way over to her aunt, trying to find a subject to talk about besides Aidan.
“Hey, wait!” Rhiannon announced finally reaching Kavana. “You never filled me in on the blood needed to open this damn thing.”
“Blood? What blood?” James asked with panic in his voice.
Pavian walked over to the others. “It’s not what you think, guys. Relax.”
“Well, I mean, the whole realm was created by a blood sacrifice,” James reminded him. “Why wouldn’t I think differently?”
Rhiannon slouched her shoulders and hunched forward, her eyes bulging and face pinching. “What! A sacrifice?”
Kavana, along with Pavian and Aidan, laughed uncontrollably. The twins were annoyed and perplexed. The continuous snickering from the three adults made them realize their irrational fear was clearly an overreaction, and they joined in on the comical interruption to this tiresome and freezing journey.
The moon reached the beginning stages of its highpoint in the night sky as their laughter resonated off the mountains.
Kavana recovered
from her deep belly laugh. “Man, I needed that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Pavian said, settling himself and glancing up. “Okay, but we need to get started,”
Calm and serious, James asked, “What do we need to do?”
“It’s fairly simple, really.” Pavian pulled out a large pocketknife from his backpack. “All we have to do is repeat the spell we said when we sealed the portals, drop some blood within this circle, and wait.”
“For what?”
“Screw that,” Rhiannon interrupted. “Who cares? How much is ‘some blood’?”
Pavian shifted his gaze over to her. “Just enough to have a few drops fall to the ground.” Facing back over at James, he added, “And to answer your question, we wait for the portal to open—which will be pretty obvious because not only will a portal actually open in front of us, but the blood we spill will catch fire first.”
Rhiannon and James were reluctant to ask any more questions—maybe not knowing was better in this instance.
Pavian and Kavana placed themselves at the center of the circle, signaling for the twins to stand next to them. Upon reaching their aunt and uncle’s sides, they both grabbed each other’s hand.
Pavian smiled at Kavana, holding out the pocketknife. “Do you want to say the spell this time? Or should I do it again?”
“No.” Kavana scowled. “I’ll do the spell this time, and you can do the cutting.”
James flashed a glance over at Pavian. “Cutting?”
“Yes. We have to cut ourselves to bleed.”
“Oh, right. But can’t we just do it ourselves?”
“Well, I don’t see why not.”
“No,” Rhiannon exclaimed. “No, that’s quite all right, someone else could do it for me. I—I don’t think I could do that to myself.”
“Very well then,” Pavian said, handing the knife to James. “Kavana will say the spell. As she starts it, go ahead and cut the palm of your hand, then give me the knife. I’ll do the same to myself and you”—meeting Rhiannon’s gaze—“and then I will hand it to Kavana. Once we all drip our blood onto the ground, and once Kavana is done with the spell, our blood should burst into flames and afterward the portal should open.”
Rhiannon’s face was pale. “Should?”
“Well, we don’t really know if this will work,” Kavana concluded. “But it should. I mean, it worked to seal it.”
Though Kavana’s powers were gone and trapped within the realm, she could reconnect to them in this very spot. The portals were her link to Kiluemar, and focusing her mind would allow her to tap into the magic still present, but faded, from this very location. Even though the portals were sealed, the magic still flowed within the ground as a powerful energizing vortex.
She closed her eyes and concentrated.
With Guardian blood, we seal the portals,
sever our powers, now we are mortals
With the blood of our kin, mightier than ours,
lock away their memories and powers
All magic will wander from afar,
lost and free from the magical radar
Return to a doorway once more,
and open with the blood of the four
Within the circle the threshold will burn,
and open for us all to return
As the spell was being recited, James handed the bloody knife to his uncle. Reaching out, Pavian placed the cold blade against Rhiannon’s shaky hand. She closed her eyes as her uncle wrapped her finger’s around the blade, jerking the knife from her fist just as Kavana finished.
“Son of a bitch,” Rhiannon mumbled under her breath.
Pavian, ignoring his niece, ran the knife across his palm and handed it to Kavana. With a rapid tug, she sliced a cut across her palm, blood rising from the wound and dripping to the ground.
Passing the peak in the night sky, the moon started its journey back down to the dark mountain resting along the horizon. They all peered around waiting anxiously for the portal to open. The moment was almost gone and the group grew weary. The final minutes loomed, and the twins turned to one another and hugged. Aidan strode up to Kavana, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her.
Pavian sighed and headed over to the twins. “I’m sorry. I don’t know . . .”
His hand was no longer throbbing and the cut along his palm started to fade.
James pulled from the hug and faced his uncle. The thrilled expression across Pavian’s face caused James to glance down at his own hand as well. It was also healing.
Kavana listened to the paused conversation and pulled from Aidan’s embrace. Heading over to the others, she stepped over the drops of blood now frozen to the ground and jumped as flames ignited beneath her feet, stumbling back into Aidan’s arms. A clear watery vortex opened above the dwindling flames.
“Ha! It worked.” Pavian called out enthusiastically.
He yanked James around and vigorously hugged him, pulling Rhiannon into the embrace as well.
The five of them raced over to the portal and stared at the large swirling substance. The once-quiet surroundings were now disturbed by the low hum coming from the portal. James and Rhiannon took hold of each other’s hands and stepped between their aunt and uncle. Rhiannon, standing next to Kavana, grabbed her hand and squeezed. The four of them stepped closer to the portal. Reaching the opening, Kavana paused, offering her free hand to Aidan. He smiled and took hold of it.
The five of them walked side by side and disappeared as the portal closed.
Chapter 16
Flashback
Lightning flashed across the face of a little girl as she hid among the jackets and shoes in the alcove under the stairs. Her accelerated breathing dried out her mouth as she waited for the distant cries to fade.
Quietness echoed out, filling her ears with a mind-tingling hum. Chills crept along her spine as the hushed shadows swallowed the young girl. Uncertain as to whether she should stay hidden or not, she peeked her head out and searched for any signs of movement. She stepped from the alcove and veered around the corner of one hallway, stretching beyond the front door and the entrance to the living room on the opposite side. Glancing behind her and then around the corner, she could see into both dimly lit corridors—both with large bay windows, but one had thick curtains pulled back and tied open while the other had lace drapes casting frightening shadows along the floor. She turned the corner and headed down the long hallway leading toward the kitchen. Passing the stairwell directly in front of the main entryway, she pressed her body against the wall, sliding between the sounds of the booming thunder.
The bright half-moon beamed through a break in the clouds, peering down through the windows. A rush filled her body and her stiffened posture relaxed. Her frantic breathing steadied as she let out a shuddering exhale, warmth returning to her goosebump-covered arms. Smiling, she released her suction cupped hands from the wall. With every burst of lightning, her path was illuminated, filling the cold and dreary hallway with moments of hope. The storm brought comfort to her as the rain pounded against the windows and the flashes swallowed the darkness. Taking in slow, short breaths, she continued cautiously closer to the kitchen.
The swaying trees outside created shadowy figures in the hall. The nonstop flashes made the large silhouettes stalk along the walls, sending chills racing back up her spine. She crouched down, lowering her body and lying flat against the freezing, wooden floorboards. Muffled cries and screams made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, forcing uncontrollable emotions piercing through her body as thunder rolled through the hallway like a freight train. Fear and curiosity waged war inside of her, pushing her into a mental battle with herself. The little girl did not know what to do. Tears fell down her cheeks as she sat up and leaned against the wall. She slid sideways, resting on her side on the floor and pulling her knees into her chest.
Heavy footsteps pounded against the floor within the kitchen, booming closer to the
hallway. Gasping in horror, she glided along the floor and scurried into the living room, hiding within the obscurities of the night. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the dangers surrounding her. The steps struck the floor, sending shockwaves vibrating beneath her as she dropped her hands and forced her legs into her chest. Lowering her head into her knees, she curled herself inward, attempting to hide herself even more. The loud steps retreated as the front door crashed open and heavy rain pounded against the ground outside. The young girl opened her eyes and tossed her head up just as the door slammed shut.
Leaving the living room, she quietly crawled over to the kitchen. Muffled voices were coming from behind the cellar door located at the far end of the spacious breakfast parlor next to the kitchen. She pushed herself off the floor and stood under the large archway. A cold breeze rushed from the wide-open window over the sink, causing her to shiver and instinctively wrap her arms around herself. Not realizing the window was also broken, she tiptoed to the door, being careful not to cause the floorboards to creak underneath her bare feet. Traveling blindly through the dark room, she reached the cellar door.
The doorknob was gone, and the partially closed door creaked, moving with the wind drifting throughout the large room. Upon closer inspection, a section of the doorframe was also missing. The young girl placed her hand against the door, holding it still, and pressed her ear against it. Another scream came from below and she gasped, jumping back. Her feet landed in a puddle of thick substance and she slipped, catching herself before crashing to the floor. She quickly stepped from the lukewarm and gooey liquid, cringing as she aggressively wiped the mysterious syrupy matter off her feet on a clean surface of the floor.
Placing her fingers in the hole where the doorknob once was, she paused, twisting around as scuffling sounds rose from below, followed by a creak behind her. She turned, slapping her hand over her mouth after recognizing the person staring back at her.
A flash of lightening lit up the face of a young boy as he whispered, “Rhiannon, what are you doing?”
Placing her hand against her chest, she hissed in a low tone, “James! You scared me.”
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