Colin grabbed another blanket, taking a seat on the ground next to the cot. He lay his head against the edge but sleep evaded him. Instead, he stared dreamily at Catrina while she slept, soundly.
What would happen once people discovered her? It was bound to happen.
He feared that moment.
Would he be able to protect her?
Did she know why she had been put into the glass coffin?
He hoped after Catrina was rested and recovered, he would finally get some answers.
##
Meghan awoke the next morning to the sounds of a heated discussion just outside her room. Her sleep had been spotty, at best. A terrible feeling had been nagging at the back of her mind all night regarding her brother. Leaving him this time, had been harder than she’d anticipated.
Before she could even vocalize her concerns though, Nona jumped onto the bed.
“I already took care of it,” explained the Catawitch, about the task Meghan hadn’t even officially asked her to do yet.
“Still don’t know what I’d do without you, Nona.”
“Nor I, you,” she returned. “Your dreams were vivid and I agreed with your thinking. Therefore, I checked on Colin this morning and all is well. I will keep an eye on him just the same. Trust your senses, Meghan. I do.”
“I feel like something horrible is about to happen to him, Nona. But I can’t sit around worrying about him every minute when I have so much to learn.”
“Which is why you will leave this task to me.”
Meghan touched her forehead to Nona’s, saying thanks.
While dressing, she turned her attention back to the debate going on in the tent’s front room.
“Our food supply is running dangerously low,” a man’s voice spoke. “And, I’m sure you all noticed the lack of grocery stores nearby. Growing food is our only option. Although, without knowing what’s going on, or how long we will be here, growing may not be a viable option.” Meghan recognized this voice as Darius Hadrian, from the Viancourt.
“It would be viable if you would allow me to use magic,” a female scoffed. “The food could be ready in weeks, rather than months!”
“We have already been over this! We have tested it before. Food grown by magic, lacking the normal growing period, also lacks proper taste and nutrition. It’s not real food!” the first man argued.
“Would you rather have NO food?” the woman spat.
Darius sighed, giving in. “No, of course not. We cannot go hungry. Banon Blackwell, I will leave this decision up to you. Sadly, I fear we may have no alternative as it may come down to a choice of low-quality food versus no food.”
“Even if we do decide to use magic,” spoke a man’s voice, “there is still the matter of gathering enough magical energy to do so. We still have to address the issue of our weakening magic. Our emergency stores are also at dangerously low levels. This place, whatever is going on here, is weakening us.”
The room went silent. Meghan took a quick peek out of her door. The group sat at the long wooden table, facing the Banon, waiting for her to reply.
“Whatever is decided here today, we must all remain calm,” she insisted. “We have already prohibited the use of magic for the investigation. For now, this will keep the people fairly in the dark as to how weakened we are here. There is no need to cause extra alarm.”
She paused, pondering for just a moment.
“Grow the garden, but be sure not to use more than half the magical stores we have left. We simply must not leave ourselves without some form of defense, especially if our magic continues to weaken.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Meanwhile, I shall form a hunting party,” she continued. “We can spare a few Balaton, and perhaps they can find us some food in the forest.”
The meeting came to a hasty close and everyone departed, leaving Juliska alone. Meghan waited for a few minutes before leaving her room, not wanting to cast suspicions that she had been listening. When she came out, Juliska squelched her concerns.
“Good morning, Meghan. Sorry. I am afraid you will hear many heated conversations in the coming days. Please do not worry yourself about it though. Just all in a day’s work.”
“Sounds pretty serious, though.”
“Serious, yes. Something we have not experienced before, no. We will persevere. We always do.” She sounded weary in her reply. “While we are being serious, there’s something I wanted to tell you. Sit, please.”
Meghan sat down across from her.
“I feel that I have put tremendous pressure on you, and for this, I apologize.”
Meghan opened her mouth to speak but Juliska motioned for her to wait.
“I just wanted to impress upon you how grateful I am that you are willing to help us. To help me. Just a little over a year ago, you did not even know magic existed, and now, here you are stuck in the middle of this mess. I also need you to know, that I… that I do not just think of you as a Firemancer, as someone that can help me do my job.”
She paused, searching for the right words to continue.
“Sorry, I don’t know why, but this is hard for me to admit. My reputation is not that of the motherly type. I am tough, blunt, and do not apologize for it. As I have said before, I must be if we are to survive. However, I want you to feel as though you can be open with me. Honest. To all ends good or bad. I want to be there for you as a person, not just as your teacher.”
“O-Okay,” Meghan stammered, barely able to choke out her reply. Then, more boldly, she added, “To be honest, I think motherly is exactly what you are. Tough and blunt, sure. You just have a lot more children to watch over than most mothers do.”
Juliska looked perplexed. “I have never really thought about it like that, Meghan. You are really quite wise.”
“I guess being a big sister comes with its perks,” she muttered, shrugging.
“Just as long as you know that I am here for you. Whatever you need.” Juliska took hold of Meghan’s hand, lovingly. She let go and took a deep breath. “I am afraid I must delay our training for a short while. I must depart. While I am away, there is something I would like you to read, in your pocket guide.”
Meghan hastened into her room and came back to the table with the Firemancer’s Pocket Guide in hand. Juliska grabbed it and flipped through the pages.
“Here we are,” she said, handing the book back to Meghan.
“Calling,” Meghan read aloud.
“Study that chapter thoroughly,” Juiliska ordered. “Tomorrow, we will revisit the trunk in my room and discuss it further.” An eager gleam in Juliska’s eye caught Meghan’s attention, and she wished greatly they could go right then. But the Banon departed leaving Meghan on her own.
She sighed, feeling guilty. Is it wrong to feel this happy, with so many terrible things going on? People are missing. I have the most important task of my life ahead of me. Colin is hiding a girl that someone tried to leave behind in a cave rarely visited by humans.
The rush of emotion suddenly overwhelmed her and tears streamed down her face. She was thankful, at least, for being alone, and crept into her room. After gushing non-stop for nearly thirty minutes, she dried her eyes and drank a glass of water. It seemed so stupid once it was done. Thank goodness no one had seen her. What a girlish thing to do. And now she had a headache.
Regardless, she opened her pocket guide and began reading the chapter on Calling. Albeit a little less eagerly, the headache making it harder to concentrate.
After awhile her stomach growled, so she left the tent to grab a bite to eat. She hoped to run into Colin but did not see him. Nona found her though, and followed her home. They curled up on Meghan’s bed and Nona fell asleep as Meghan set in again to reading. Hours passed and day turned into evening.
“Meetings sure do last a long time around here,” Meghan whispered. “I wonder if I should wait up?”
“I imagine Juliska would want you to rest,” Nona advised. “Especially if
there are to be many repeats of this morning’s early meeting.”
“You’re probably right. Besides, I really want to know what’s in that trunk. Tomorrow seems ages away.”
“Why don’t you read just a little more while I go check on your brother? Maybe I’ll be lucky and scurry up a juicy rodent along the way.”
“Have fun,” Meghan said, putting her nose back into her book. As the evening air settled in, bringing with it a fine mist that dampened the air, a chill dug into her bones.
Almost as if requested, Pantin Hollee arrived with some papers to leave for the Banon, and offered to start the stove for Meghan. Within minutes, she had the tent perfectly toasty.
“Just add a big log in about ten minutes, it’ll keep going well into the night,” she told Meghan.
“Thank you. You are multi-talented, Hollee.”
“Part of the job,” she winked and jaunted away as quickly as she had appeared. Meghan waited the ten minutes and threw the log into the stove. The heat felt so good that it never even occurred to her to be careful around the flames.
Her next waking memory was that of someone shaking her.
Meghan lay curled up on the cold ground. She had fallen into a vision and slept through the entire night. Her hand rested against the now cool stove. The fire had died sometime during the night.
“Ah. Great. You,” she grumbled, gathering herself.
“Yes, it seems I have picked you up off the ground, once again.” Ivan Crane wore a pompous simper.
“Seeing as I’m having your nightmare again, I see it more like you owe me.” And didn’t that tear the smugness right out of him. She’d spoken more harshly than she’d meant to. However, frustrations brought on by Ivan keeping secrets about Jae were not what she needed right now. “So is there a purpose to your ever so timely visit?”
“Report for the Banon. She asked me to meet her but I’m a few minutes early.”
“Awesome,” muttered Meghan.
“You’re in an even worse mood than normal,” noted Ivan.
“And you know why.”
The conversation ended as footsteps approached.
“Banon Blackwell,” Ivan greeted, bowing his head slightly upon her entrance.
“Perfect! Ivan. Follow me, please. Meghan, don’t stray far. I will not be long and we must get started right away this morning.” She disappeared into her room, followed by Ivan Crane.
While Meghan waited, it dawned on her that Juliska must not have returned home the night before, and wondered what could have kept her busy all night.
Minutes later, Ivan exited her room.
“She wants to see you now,” he told Meghan dryly. She did not wait for him to leave and swiped by him and into Juliska’s room.
“Let’s get right down to business, shall we?” she said, opening the trunk with the two doors. She unlocked the door on the left, opened it, and shockingly, stepped inside.
Meghan tentatively followed. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Wherever they were, it was dark. Then, it started to lighten, one candle flame at a time.
As the flames flickered and her eyes adjusted, Meghan recognized she was standing in a cavern of stone. Like she’d just stepped into a cave. There were hundreds of thin pillars, and at the top of each pillar was a candle. Each candle took the shape of people, things, or places.
“Welcome to a Firemancer’s lair,” began Juliska. “One day, you will have one of your own.”
Meghan stared in stunned disbelief. She stepped closer to one of the candles and peered into the orange flame. The colors began to shift, turning gold, laced with black. What stunned her most was the picture that appeared in the flames: people, bustling through a familiar looking clearing. And below the flame, the shape of the wax matched the place she witnessed in the flame.
“Is this the clearing we are camped in, right now? Is this what’s going on, outside the tent?”
“Yes. It is,” was Juliska’s simple reply.
Meghan walked through the room, peering into flame after flame. After awhile, Juliska continued.
“Normally, you would not be shown this until much later in your training. However, the circumstances we find ourselves in force my hand. Moreover, I think you’re ready. This here,” she waved her hand around her head, “is a Firemancer’s most prized possession. Our arsenal if you wish.”
Meghan listened intently.
“Not that the visions we have are any less vital. But these flames allow us to see more than just the future.”
“It feels like spying,” Meghan admitted self-consciously.
“Only if you spy,” explained Juliska.
“Huh?”
“It’s understandable to be confused by this. You will discover that there is a difference between spying and watching over someone. Making the clearing candle was a difficult choice for me. But seeing as my visions are not working, I felt it necessary to use the tools at my disposal to keep a closer eye on things.”
Meghan tried to understand but still felt as though she was spying on her neighbors.
“The key, Meghan, as with any power we are handed, is how we choose to use that power. As a leader, I must make choices that from the outside do not always appear fair. In time, you’ll come to understand what I mean.”
“What you say makes sense, I just…”
“Feel creepy? Nosy? Intrusive?” Juliska guessed knowingly.
“Yeah, that about sums it up. I think I do understand why though,” she conceded. She did get it, but still didn’t feel comfortable spying on people. Her thoughts instantly strayed to Colin and Catrina. How could Juliska not have noticed something odd?
“So what are these other candles?” she asked, moving on.
“My greatest assets, Meghan. Fire is our most valuable tool, weapon, and mode of communication. I assume you read the chapter on Calling?”
“Repeatedly,” Meghan answered.
Juliska motioned Meghan to approach a candle.
“Is that… is that Pantin Hollee?”
“Yes. When I need my Pantin, I simply go to her flame and Call for her. This can be tricky as most people are unaware of the Firemancer’s Call. They hear it as more of a distant echo or thought, like a dream. Hollee, however, is aware of Calling, and expects it at any time, day or night.”
“Can you Call her now? So I can see?” Juliska smiled and let her gaze fall into the flame above the Pantin’s candle.
“Hollee,” she spoke, just like she was standing in the same room.
Hollee’s head did not move, but she did call out. “Yes, Banon Blackwell.”
“How close are we to being ready with those announcements?”
“Within the hour,” she replied, still working.
“Thank you, Hollee. I’ll let you get back to work.”
Juliska turned to Meghan.
“There. See.”
“That is amazing!” Meghan was dying to try it. “How long did it take you to master Calling?”
“To be honest, it took time. Longer than I would have liked. Some parts were very easy for me, others took many months of practice. And it goes so much further than what I have just shown you.”
Meghan now began to see the benefits of the room, beyond the initial fear of spying. Many sudden thoughts clouded her mind at this moment, however.
Did Juliska have a candle of her, or Colin?
Could she master this power and Call home?
Could she speak to Sebastien? Or Kanda Macawi? Could she find out their Uncle Arnon’s fate? Or figure out some way to go home?
It dawned on her that while in Limbo, she had unknowingly called Sebastien. She had actually made contact with him. That really did happen. I need to master this as soon as possible! Maybe I can’t go home, but maybe I can Call home!
The look on Meghan’s face caused Juliska to chuckle.
“If I had a picture of my own face, when I was first shown the possibilities of my power, you would notice an extreme likeness to the
look on your face right now.”
“Sorry, it’s just… overwhelming. I don’t really know where to start.”
“We start at the beginning,” Juliska began. “Practice. Study. And more practice.” Juliska handed her a candle.
“I made this for you yesterday. This will get you started.”
“It’s me!” cried Meghan.
“Yes. It is how I learned and how you will learn, without the fear of unnecessary spying. All you will see, if successful, is yourself.”
Meghan did feel relieved, but at the same time, worried. This meant Juliska might well have other candles of her, or Colin. He needed to be extra careful. She shot that warning off to Nona and got the instant sense that she was all over it.
“One day,” said Juliska, “I will teach you how to create the candles, but for now, I want you to practice diligently with this single candle. If you have questions, write them down. We will discuss them in our next session.”
“Okay,” Meghan replied, dreamily staring at the candle.
“I am afraid that once again, duty calls and our training will have to continue another time. I can hear Pantin Hollee Calling me.”
“She can do that, too? It works both ways?” Meghan asked in awe.
Juliska laughed lightly.
“Welcome to a larger world, Meghan. Welcome to the life of a Firemancer.”
CHAPTER 8
Colin and Catrina awoke to the sounds of Billie Sadorus rummaging through belongings. He could not make out what she was saying, but could hear panic in her voice.
“I’ll go see what’s up.” Outside his room, he noticed drag marks leading into the tent. Billie sat over an open trunk, crazily pulling out item after item.
“Not her. Oh please not her,” she repeatedly whispered.
“Can I help you find something, Billie?”
The normally controlled Billie jumped, apparently forgetting that Colin was there. Her face gave away her fear, but she quickly got to her feet.
“Everything’s fine,” she told him. “Nothing to fret about.”
“Um. Okay.” He noticed that she clutched a picture frame to her chest as she spoke. She gently dropped the frame into the trunk and disappeared into her room. Colin took a glance at the picture.
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