He looked at his clock. He and Meghan were to meet up with Sebastien and Jae in a couple of hours to head into town. The Blue Moon Festival was still in full swing. Unable to sleep, he got up, dressed as quietly as he could, grabbed the Magicante and headed to the lake.
Colin understood Jae’s desire for space. For being alone. It was something he did not get a lot of, living in a small camper with two other people.
He combed the area hoping to find an empty swing, log, or rock near the water; but he was not the only early riser and they were all in use. He trekked onward, deeper into the woods. The pathway became narrow and muddy, growing quieter and darker.
Voices resonated in front of him.
“Not again,” he grumbled miserably. Perhaps the ominous feeling was trying to tell me to just say in bed…
Colin slowed, unsure of whether he had time to run.
In front of him, a large boy dropped from a tree branch and thudded onto the ground. Two others appeared, on each his right and left hand sides. Colin checked behind him and the path was still clear, however, he knew he could not outrun them. He was too short and too slow.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked the head bully haughtily.
Colin did not answer.
The boy continued. “Your sister isn’t around to save you today, little Colin Jacoby.”
And if I have anything to do with it, she won’t be! Colin tried to block his mind from hers, which was difficult under the present circumstances. More than anything, he wanted her to rest, and not be worried about coming to his rescue.
Colin backed up a step, still not speaking to the bullies.
“Look at the boy who needs his sister to save him,” the first toady taunted.
“Yeah, not so great now, are ya!” barraged the other.
The head bully advanced closer, his vicious face right in front of Colin’s, who trembled, but stood ready for whatever torture came next.
One of the boys pushed Colin down onto the muddy ground. The boys laughed and encroached in on him. Colin closed his eyes, waiting for the blows, or the mud, or for whatever embarrassing thing the boys could think of doing to him. A picture developed of the bullies freezing in place, giving him time to get away.
In the process, he let the block between him and Meghan slip. Her voice popped into his head.
“Colin, where are you? Are you in trouble?”
He did not answer her, but instead blocked her out again, feeling foolish. He snuck a daring peek at the three boys, now standing over him. One held a mound of thick mud, heading for Colin’s mouth.
When the boy’s hand was inches from his face, Colin yelled for him to stop. He closed his eyes, expecting the mud to smother him any moment. When after a minute it did not, he glimpsed upward, squinting, in case they were biding their time, waiting for him to look up.
When he opened his eyes, they nearly popped right out of their sockets. Colin jumped up, mud dripping down him. He stared at the three boys, each frozen in place. The only thing they could move was their eyes and mouths.
“What’s going on? I can’t move my arms or legs,” said the head bully. The other two could not formulate a full sentence and just screamed and whimpered.
Colin stepped closer. “Did I do this?” he asked himself.
“What did you do to me?” cried the head bully. “You will regret this.”
Comprehension started to dawn on Colin. Somehow, as with Meghan under the twisted oak tree, he had made magic happen all on his own. He wondered if he could do it again. He walked closer to the head bully, who instantly went quiet, his eyes following Colin’s every move.
Colin was not sure exactly what to do, so he waved his hand around, but said nothing. This got the boys nervous again.
“Hey, wh-what are you doing?” the head bully pleaded.
Colin concentrated carefully. “Stop talking,” he ordered.
At once, the three boys went silent. They still tried to talk, but nothing came out!
Colin, both stunned and satisfied by the outcome, smirked, and said, “Take that!” He picked up the Magicante, which he had thrown onto a dry patch of ground, and sauntered on his way, leaving behind three confused and frightened boys.
As he walked, still astonished at what he had done, the screams of the boys returned. Colin’s pace quickened. Gratifying as it was, he did not know if he could do it again.
Halfway home, he ran into his sister, along with Sebastien and Jae. They saw him covered in mud, but grinning happily.
“Hey guys,” he greeted cheerfully.
“What happened?” they all asked him, concerned and out of breath.
“Oh, I fell in the mud,” he laughed. “Gonna go take a shower.”
Meghan tried to read his mind, but he blocked her. He was suddenly getting much better at that.
“I thought you said he was in trouble,” mumbled Sebastien.
“I thought he was. I guess he handled it.” It came out as more of a question.
“That’s good, right?” asked Jae.
“Yeah, I guess.” Meghan was not sure what to think. Colin always needed her help to get out of trouble, why was today any different?
“You should not be overdoing it anyway,” said Sebastien.
Meghan’s face went flush over his concern.
They headed back home where Uncle Arnon, Kanda, and Sebastien’s parents were getting ready to drive into town. They wanted Meghan to ride with them, but she insisted she was up to walking.
After Colin cleaned up, he, Meghan, Sebastien and Jae headed out of the camp.
The festival was crowded with summer travelers, and the day flew by swiftly.
While there, Colin glanced around, hoping to see Jasper Thorndike’s tent set up again, but it was nowhere to be found.
That evening, as the sun went down and the breeze cooled, they strolled jubilantly back to camp. Colin and Sebastien were busy watching Jae attempting to juggle, with Meghan lagging behind, happily amused.
Soon, they grew bored of Jae’s attempts to juggle, so he used a spell to light the balls on fire. As he attempted to juggle the fiery orbs, Meghan found herself strangely attracted to the flames. Jae’s attempt failed and the juggling balls scattered onto the dirt road. As Colin and Sebastien laughed over his failed attempt, Meghan’s gaze followed one of the rolling balls.
The flames drew her in; a shadow in the flame caught her eye.
How can I be seeing this?
In the flame, the shadow grew, until finally, she could decipher the image. It looked eerily similar to the road they were walking on right now, but in this image, she was nervously peering into the sky as a dark shape appeared, and began to dive. They were under attack. Two Scratchers dove at them, knocking them to the ground.
Blood! It spread over the ground creating a crimson pool.
Meghan inhaled deeply, like she was taking her first breath in minutes, and then her trance ended and the image disappeared. The flame doused by Jae.
“Meghan, are you okay?” asked Colin.
Sebastien pulled at her arm when she did not answer.
She stared blankly, wondering what the vision had meant. Her heart stuttered for a brief moment. Did she dare believe what her gut was telling her? Was it really a warning of something to come? But how?
Meghan didn’t know how, only that it was true and they had no time. She struggled to find her voice, but all that would come out was a frightened whisper.
“Run. Now!”
Colin, Sebastien, and Jae stared, bewildered. She looked at the three of them with an ominous gaze, her legs unable to move.
It was too late.
A shadow flew overhead.
A low snarl filtered through the thick pines. Sebastien was the only one not to understand, yet.
A second shadow flew over them.
The four huddled together, looking upward. The air was silent, not even a breeze swayed high up in the trees.
“Colin,” called out
Jae uneasily.
He jerked up his head, blocking his thoughts from Meghan. Why does Jae want me? Did he find out what I did? How could he? I can’t fight Scratchers, a couple of bullies, maybe. He answered hesitantly. “Yeah, Jae?”
“Don’t suppose you have that nifty old book with you?”
He did not!
It was the first time he had left the trailer without it.
“What do we do, Jae?” breathed Meghan, trying to ignore the pool of blood, still fresh in her mind from her fiery vision.
“How many are there?” asked Sebastien, wisely picking up what was happening. There were now five flying ominously overhead.
“I wish you hadn’t forgotten that book,” squealed Meghan.
“Sorry,” was all Colin could muster.
“No, this is my fault,” said Jae.
The other three gaped at him.
“I should have been prepared for this. The blue moon is tomorrow. I dropped my guard.”
Sebastien stood up tall. “Just tell us what to do, we will be fine.” Meghan flicked her head to look at Sebastien. Was it his blood she had seen? There had to be a way to stop her vision from coming true.
Vision? Is that really what it was? And how?
Jae sucked in a breath. “For now, stay close. Let’s keep moving.” They proceeded slowly, watching the shadows fly overhead. A high-pitched, shriek-filled howl cut into the air.
It sent ice down their spines and stopped them in their tracks.
Jae swallowed a lump rising in his throat. He may think he was strong enough to fight them on his own, but he did not want to. And there had been only two when he’d gotten stuck here. Now there was five. Feeling stronger, or not, it was too many for one person.
“C’mon, this way,” urged Jae. “Stay together.” The shrieking grew lower to the ground, and the foursome started to run. Sebastien grasped Meghan’s hand, helping her along. Her body cooperated in walking, but running took a lot out of her.
Seconds later the foursome fell forward onto the ground as a webbed wing knocked them over. The group got up and scampered out of the way as another Scratcher came diving for a second swipe.
Meghan, Colin, and Sebastien ducked out of its way, but Jae went to raise his palm and shoot off a spell. He wasn’t fast enough and its claws grazed his shoulder. He screamed and fell. The other three ran to his aid.
“I’m fine,” said Jae. “It’s not deep.” It may not have been deep, but it bled heavily. Jae left behind a bloody puddle as he got up.
Meghan hoped desperately that this was the all the blood that would be shed.
Two Scratchers flew high overhead and the other three circled the foursome, creating a snapping wind each time their wings beat against the air. The creatures howled and clicked, as if talking to each other, planning their attack.
Jae pushed through the other three, rushing forward. He held out his hand, palm forward.
“Emissio!” he yelled fearlessly.
A blast of heavy air broke the circle, forcing the Scratchers to retreat, but only long enough for the foursome to run a short distance down the road. Another dove, separating the group and knocking Sebastien to the ground. He picked up his head in time to see another of the Scratchers diving.
“Meghan, behind you!”
Colin heard Sebastien yell and watched as the claws of the creature opened wide and enclosed around his sister, lifting her off the ground.
Jae raced to Sebastien’s side.
“We cannot let it wrap its wings around her.” He watched in wide-eyed horror.
“What happens then?” Colin asked, afraid of the answer.
“She’ll die!” Jae confirmed ominously.
Colin watched the Scratcher lifting Meghan’s body higher off the ground, thankfully not in the right position to wrap her in its wings.
Jae furiously talked to himself, trying to figure out what to do.
“I’ve got it!” he suddenly shouted. “I’m gonna do a spell to pull it forward.” Before Jae had the chance, the remaining Scratchers had them surrounded. Meghan was now fifteen feet in the air, kicking and trying to free herself.
Colin’s mind was overwrought with fear and something inside him changed. From his toes to his fingertips, he felt a power surging through him. A power so strong he was afraid he might explode if he did not use it.
“Jae,” he shouted decisively. “I will hold these ones off. You get my sister back!” Jae started to question him when Colin interrupted. “Just go.”
He faced the circling Scratchers. His knees shook uncontrollably. Hoping he had not made the biggest mistake of his life, and not being sure if he was doing it right, he faced his palm outward.
“Emissio!” he bellowed nervously.
Energy raged up through him, surging into his hand. But nothing happened. He planted his feet firmly against the ground, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
I can do this.
I have to do this.
He aimed his palm again.
“Emissio.” He spoke it with laser focus, all thought and energy aimed on the Scratchers overhead. This time, a force shot out of him so strong, he could barely keep his feet planted on the ground.
It worked!
I don’t believe it.
It blasted the Scratchers, knocking them upward into the sky.
Behind him, both Sebastien and Jae watched in electrified awe. A scream from Meghan regained their attention. The Scratcher was struggling to hold onto her and she was now grasping it firmly, trying not to plummet to the ground far below.
“I’m going to try to pull it down, Sebastien. When I do, grab her, and hold tight.”
“That’s your plan?” yelled Sebastien. “Grab her!”
Jae ignored him, focused on his task.
“Valeerea,” shouted Jae, his hand shaking.
The spell caught the beast, causing him to howl viciously, nearly dropping Meghan, again.
Behind them, Colin repeated his spell. The Scratchers backed off, also strangely appearing caught off guard by Colin’s use of magic.
Jae pulled the imprisoned creature toward Sebastien. Every muscle in his body raged with power and the fortitude not to give up. He exhausted so much magical energy that his appearance-changing spell stopped working. His normal stringy hair returned, hiding his determined eyes.
Sebastien could see Meghan’s strength waning.
“Hold on Meghan! I can almost reach you,” he shouted. Her legs dangled in the air as the flying beast held onto her by her shoulders; its claws digging in. Meghan tried to force the claws out of her, but she was too weak. She dangled about four feet over the ground now, which meant that the creature’s wings were a danger to Sebastien.
“Grab her now, Sebastien!” instructed Jae, beginning to tire.
Sebastien took hold as tight as he could to her legs.
Jae took his free left hand and yelled (still holding the right one strongly), “Emissio!”
The creature, clearly in torment, released its grasp on Meghan. Sebastien carefully swung her to the ground and cupped his body over hers, protecting her from the creatures floundering wings as it struggled to remain airborne.
A sharp claw scratched the entire length of Sebastien’s back. Meghan was terrified that Sebastien was seriously injured, but he kept his place, protecting her.
Jae could no longer hold both spells. He let go and collapsed, exhausted.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Colin released his own spell and rushed to Jae’s side.
The four got up and with every ounce of strength they had left, ran, leaving the Scratchers flying above, reorganizing for another attack.
“Hurry,” said Jae. “If we can get to the entrance of the camp where there are people, I don’t think they’ll follow.”
“Can you be sure?” asked Meghan, leaning on Sebastien’s arm for support.
“I am not sure about anything anymore,” he replied, casting a side-glance at Colin as they ran. They d
id not stop until they came into view of people; campers completely oblivious to the danger that lurked just down the road.
Children played kickball in the wide park entrance. Two runners left the campground, running in the opposite direction of the foursome. They left the roadway a few feet before the entrance, seeking the coverage of the trees and bushes. Once out of sight they crumpled to the ground.
After a few minutes of catching their breath and gathering their thoughts, Meghan jumped up.
“Sebastien! Your back!”
“I think it’s okay, it doesn’t hurt much.”
She made him roll over and to everyone’s relief, the claws had gone through his shirt, but had not broken through his skin. A long swollen scratch etched from his right shoulder to his lower back, but there was no blood.
Jae wanted to heal everyone’s injuries, but he needed time to recover. He turned to Colin.
“I guess I could let you try it, Mr. Magic Man,” he said pompously.
Colin knew he had some explaining to do, but had no idea where to begin.
The other three waited for his explanation.
Colin sensed Meghan trying to break into his thoughts.
“Will you give me a second?” he said aloud to her.
“Sorry,” she replied impatiently.
“Don’t you have some explaining to do, too?” he returned. Somehow, his sister had known the attack was coming. Colin continued anyway. “I’m not sure how it happened. How I… did what I did. It has to be my new book. There’s no other explanation.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Meghan asked with a frown. “You did not think you could hide it from me did you?”
“You are just getting over being sick, and I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Has this ever happened to you before?” asked Jae, with growing bewilderment and concern.
“Only since I bought the Magicante.”
“But that book was not with you today,” reminded Sebastien.
Awaken (The Witches, The Spell Book, and The Magic Tree) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 1) Page 14