Control (The Blood Vision, The Immortality Stone, and The Woman in Glass) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 7)

by Rachel Humphrey - D'aigle

  “Ivan is... I don’t even know where to start really. We sort of hate each other as much as we like each other, and yet, I know I could trust him with anything.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been brother and sister longer than just a day,” noted Arnon.

  “Yeah. I guess so.”

  Arnon lowered his head as if avoiding something.

  “What?” asked Meghan.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, looking back up. “You’ve been through so much, Meghan. I always thought I’d be there to help you through it all and now I feel like I’m just your old life. And there is so little I can do to protect you from your new life. The life this prophecy has laid out for you seems to take you farther and farther away from me.”

  Meghan did not know how to reply. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and bit her tongue, refusing to let them fall.

  “The prophecy has been on my mind quite a bit,” she admitted. When Arnon told her all about it during their catch up session, she’d wished she could talk to Colin after, but hadn’t tried to. He must be just as overwhelmed by it as she was. But he was in hiding and she didn’t want her attempts to reach him, to end up putting his life in jeopardy somehow. It was better that no one knew where he was. If he wanted them to know, he’d tell them. She hoped. He still hadn’t forgiven her, that she was aware. But her uncle had indicated he believed Colin wasn’t as angry as he’d been before.

  “It is starting to feel like I’m just a pawn waiting for the prophecy to decide what my next move is,” she continued. “I’m just running here and there, or in circles, with no say as to what my future has in store for me. Nothing seems clear. Nothing makes me think that somehow this is all just going to work itself out. I don’t even know if I can get Colin to speak to me again, never mind forgive me. And Colby, my actual twin, has got some serious issues.” She threw her hands into the air. “If we are somehow meant to work together, I honestly don’t see how that’s going to happen.”

  She sucked in a breath and continued, the words just pouring out of her as if she had planned them. It felt like now that she’d started, there was no stopping.

  “I was born with my life already laid out for me. I might not have known it until recently, and I don’t blame you at all for not telling us sooner. You gave me and Colin the best childhood we could get,” she aimed at her uncle. “But I can’t escape fate. I suppose none of us can. All because someone had a prophecy about me. Us. It sort of feels like, why bother making any decision about anything? It’s not like it matters.”

  “Oh, Meghan. It does matter,” said Kanda, quite seriously. “Your choices always matter. Prophecy or not, you do have choices. Not everything in your life is ruled by this one thing.”

  “Isn’t it though?” she argued. “Chances are, I’ll probably just die trying to fulfill this thing I don’t even know how to fulfill. Or maybe not, because I might live forever. I can’t even fathom what that means.”

  “Do you want to quit?” asked her uncle.

  “Does what I want, even matter?” she retorted hotly. “Somehow, I’d just get dragged back in. When I look back now, I wonder if anything I ever did was really by my own choices. Or was every single move I made, or you made, leading me to exactly where I am, because this was where the prophecy wanted me to be.”

  “With or without the prophecy, I believe that each moment in our lives leads us to where we are supposed to be,” offered Kanda. “But if I am to be completely truthful, I have not lived my life with a prophecy behind it. I do not know how I would feel if this were the case.”

  Meghan tossed her a smile for trying. It didn’t help much, but she knew they were trying to be as helpful as possible.

  “I think what drives me crazy the most is the how,” said Meghan. “I get that the prophecy exists. I get that I’m a part of it. I more or less understand what it means. But what exactly am I, or Colin, or Colby for that matter, supposed to do exactly? How do we bring about this balance to the magical world? Battling it out against each other? Figuring out some way to overpower each other? Working together? I just don’t get the how... and I think that’s what frightens and frustrates me more than anything.”

  She lowered her head, wondering if she should tell them about the vision she’d had about killing Colin. Nona slipped into her thoughts, mid mice-chew, sending her a thought that indicated she believed Meghan should. Meghan sent back an, “Ick, Nona,” but agreed.

  “There’s this vision I had,” she told Arnon and Kanda.

  She stopped, trying to find the right words to explain it.

  “Take your time,” encouraged Arnon.

  “I had this vision before I’d ever heard anything about the prophecy. Basically, Colin was out of control. His Projector’s powers had turned him into some kind of monster. Unlike anything you could ever imagine Colin, doing or becoming. And at the end of the vision... I killed him. I don’t really know how I did that. Once again, there was no explanation as to how I killed someone who is supposedly un-killable. Regardless, I was the only one he trusted to get close to him, and I stabbed him in the back, and killed him.”

  She tried not to read the horror in Arnon’s and Kanda’s eyes.

  “We were older,” Meghan continued. “Not a lot older, but older. So… do I believe this prophecy will ever let go of me? That I would ever have the option to just walk away? That I have any choice but to do whatever it asks of me? And as much as I know you, or my mother, or Ivan, or so many others would love to step in and take over, the truth is, none of you can. It’s all on me, Colin, and Colby.” She drew a long, airy breath.

  Just outside the front door, Ivan had heard every word. He reached up and grasped his chest. It felt like his heart squeezed so tightly that it could not beat properly. It hurt just to breathe. He didn’t want to feel this. He didn’t know how to feel this. He didn’t even know what this was.

  Air suddenly seemed in short supply. He could not get enough, even standing in the great outdoors. He wandered off, heading nowhere in particular.

  Inside, Meghan took a sip of her now cooled tea, almost wishing Kanda had actually given her a sleeping potion, too.

  “I really wish I knew what to say,” said her uncle. “This isn’t anything I would have wished for you, in a million lifetimes. I can only express how terrible it feels to only be able to offer words of comfort, or encouragement. To have no recourse other than that is equally as frustrating. Because I would take your place in a heartbeat if it were possible.”

  “I know,” she sighed out. “But you can’t. No one can. I guess in the end, I have accepted who I am. I just wish I knew my part in it all. I feel like I’m blindly being led into a fate I have no control over.”

  There was silence again. Kanda got up to grab the hot water kettle.

  There was a scratch at the door.

  “That’ll be Nona,” said Meghan. Kanda opened the door and let her inside. “No more for me, thanks,” she decided, when Kanda approached with more tea. “I think I’ll try to get some sleep now.”

  Kanda showed her to a room. Meghan slipped inside and closed the door. It was small, with just a bed. The bed looked inviting but now that she was sitting on it, she did not feel like sleeping.

  Nona curled up in her lap.

  “Don’t let everything overwhelm you,” she said to Meghan.

  “I actually don’t feel overwhelmed. More like, relieved.”

  “Sometimes talking can clear the mind,” said Nona.

  “Yeah, I guess that had been building up for a while. Poor Uncle Arnon and Kanda. I really laid it on them, huh.”

  “Don’t feel bad. They will worry about you whether you tell them everything, or not.”

  Meghan stroked Nona’s back. The hair on her body was so thin she could feel the Catawitch’s skin rumpling underneath her fingers.

  Meghan leaned back, hoping for her mind to go blank, and to sleep. But blank did not happen. She once again started to wonder how Colby had killed her, and agai
n, whether he actually had.

  She worried that her mother would try to sacrifice herself to end Colby’s life if it became necessary, only to find out it was for nothing, because he could not really die. That his immortality would bring him back after her spell had worn off when he reached his eighteenth birthday.

  In the middle of all the fretting about everything, she dozed off, only to wake with a start after the face of Juliska Blackwell slithered its way into a dream.

  I’m so glad she is not my mother, was her first thought upon waking. That is something to be thankful for, at least. But why was she the one staring down at my cradle as I slept in the orphanage? Why was Juliska’s face in my vision, rather than Isabella’s?

  The vision had led Meghan to believe that Juliska might have been her mother.

  Nona answered Meghan’s thought. “Perhaps it was simply that at the time you did want her to be your mother. You saw her as a mother figure. Since you didn’t know your true mother’s identity, you put Juliska’s face in her place. Your visions and your desires, merging.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it like that,” whispered Meghan. “You’re right, I think. I did really want it at the time.” The possibility she had once desired, now made her shudder in disgust.

  “Rest now,” insisted Nona.

  Meghan rested her head on the pillow. “I’ll try,” she muttered sleepily. “I’ll try.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Maura handed Billie a steaming cup of coffee. She took it in one hand, and continued steering the ship with the other. Noah climbed the stairs, joining them. Maura poured him a cup too.

  “Thanks,” he said, downing the first chug, licking his lips heartily. “There’s just something about that first sip in the morning.”

  “I agree to that,” said Billie, tipping her mug towards his.

  The sun was just coming up. It had been another long, cold night at sea. They had been afraid a storm was coming; cloud cover hung over them all night. But the morning brought sun peeking up over the horizon, casting beams of orange, gold and yellow across the water’s surface.

  “I’ll take over steering the ship,” offered Noah.

  Billie nodded and stepped back, allowing him to take her place, but she didn’t leave.

  “Something’s on your mind, I wager?” he said.

  “Have you noticed the difference?” she asked. “It’s been only days, but already...”

  “I was going to bring up,” he replied. “I wasn’t sure if it was just me. Quite glad it’s not, actually.”

  “I assume you two are speaking of magic?” said Maura. “I feel it too.”

  “I had no idea our magic was so drained. Even before returning to the island,” said Noah. “I haven’t felt this strong since... since I can’t even remember when. Years maybe.”

  “I feel the same,” said Billie. “And you Maura? Is it the same for you?”

  “It is. I don’t know exactly how or why, but my magic feels strong, renewed almost. Like it’s fresh and new in a way.”

  “Which begs the question,” started Noah, “just how long has Juliska Blackwell been draining our magic? And more importantly, how did she do it?”

  “I think it’s the same weapon they used on my group,” said Maura. “The treasure hunters had something that drained our powers. It’s how they overpowered us. But...” she paused.

  “Go ahead,” coaxed Billie.

  “We noticed months before that happened, that we were weaker. It happened subtly. Over time.”

  “You know what it’s reminiscent of?” said Noah. “I can’t believe I’m even suggesting it as they are supposed to be non-existent, but it reminds me of the stories about the Mazy Stones.”

  “Mazy Stones. Huh. I wonder,” whispered Billie.

  “Mazuruk died out ages ago,” reminded Maura. “How would they have gotten more stones?”

  “Unless not all of the original stones were actually destroyed,” said Noah, with a hint of suggestion.

  “That is a most disturbing thought,” said Billie. “Especially in the hands of Juliska Blackwell.”

  Footsteps climbed the stairs behind them.

  “Maria,” called out Billie. “Morning.”

  Maria nodded hello. “I know it’s early, but I thought you guys might like a bit of breakfast, while it’s hot.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” said Maura. “I’ll certainly enjoy anything that’s throwing off any amount of heat,” she added. “This chill just doesn’t leave the bones, does it?”

  “No. It certainly doesn’t,” agreed Maria. She set down a small basket covered with a cloth. As if it would help, she pulled her long brown locks securely around her neck to stave off the chill. It didn’t give much protection, a shiver pulsating deeply into her spine and down her thin frame.

  Maria pulled back the basket cloth, opening up a space just wide enough for a hand to fit inside and grab a freshly baked meat pie. They looked like stuffed half moons made of flaky crust with gravy oozing out of the sides.

  “Oh, Maria,” exclaimed Noah, his mouth full. “You’ve outdone yourself!”

  She gave a shy laugh. “You seem in good spirits this morning. I think everyone is.”

  “It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” agreed Noah. “I guess we’ve all had some time to recuperate. Catch our breath.”

  Maria glanced out over the side of the boat. “So where are we anyway?”

  “We are just off the coast of Cobbscott, Maine,” answered Billie.

  “Do we have a destination then?” asked Maura, glancing between Billie and Noah, the ship’s navigators.

  “We’ve been giving it some thought and we think we need to have a group meeting, allow everyone to have their say,” explained Billie.

  “We do have options, but I don’t think it’s right for the two of us to decide for everyone,” added Noah. “And truth be told,” he said with a hint of worry, “we can’t seem to decide what the best move is.”

  “We have decided that trying to seek out Meghan or Ivan could potentially be a terrible mistake. If our escape was a trap set for them,” Billie didn’t need to finish.

  “I agree,” said Maria. “We should let them be. I don’t know what those two are up to, but I know Ivan, a little. He’s always been very nice to me. Shy. Quite shy. Even more than I am, so that’s saying something.” They got a good chuckle out of that.

  “I have found,” said Noah, “and this is speaking from personal experience… you can ask my wife… that when a young man cannot speak to a young woman, it’s not normally because they are shy.”

  Maria’s cheek’s got rosy, her own shyness almost getting the better of her. “Well, um, whatever the reason, I’d hate to see him get hurt, or lead him into a trap. Especially one set up by Juliska Blackwell. I wonder why she wants them so badly?”

  No one speculated. No one could imagine, or wanted to imagine, what Juliska had in mind for them. Or any of them. Including those still stuck on the island.

  “Wasn’t it Ivan that carried you to the hospital after you got injured in the meadow? You were hit pretty hard on the head weren’t you?” asked Billie.

  “Yes. Tree fell, and I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. Thankfully, I’m okay after all that, but I was told that he did carry me all the way. He must be quite strong. But by the time I woke up, he was gone. I’m afraid I never did get a chance to thank him. We did take classes together a few years back, too. Before I started over again.”

  “Well, Ivan is a smart lad,” noted Billie, “and not one for thanks. But maybe some day you’ll get the chance to repay the favor.”

  “I do hope so,” she said with a hopeful smile.

  “He’s a pretty handsome young man, too,” Billie added, tossing Maria a quick wink.

  Maria’s cheeks turned a rosy pink in reply and she pretended to look somewhere else. They weren’t getting anything out of her.

  Billie, Maura, and Noah chuckled. It was nice to have something to f
ind some humor in. Not that young love was funny. But it felt like an age since they’d all experienced such a thing. The innocence of youth. Of first love. They only prayed they hadn’t already (or were not about to), mess up the world so badly, that these young folk never got the chance to discover it all for themselves.

  More than a few times Maria had caught a chance glance at Ivan just looking away from her. She’d never minded. Although, whenever they happened to be close enough to talk, he’d usually say a few words and disappear pretty fast. Not so much shyness, she’d thought after a few times. More like, he didn’t dare take the chance. Like something was holding him back.

  She’d certainly never pushed. She wasn’t nearly bold enough to make the first move. And if something was holding him back, well, he must have his reasons. And she wasn’t one to pry. There had been times though, even when they were younger, she’d wanted to be his friend. He was never once cruel, or dismissive of her. But he never opened up either. She wished he would have. She’d have liked to have gotten to know him better.

  And then this last year or so, more often than not, she saw him hanging around Meghan Jacoby. She was a few years younger. But she was exciting. A favorite of Juliska’s because they were both Firemancer’s. That much was obvious to anyone. That girl just always seemed to have things going on.

  Maria was not an exciting person.

  She liked simple. And quiet. And despised drama with a passion.

  Perhaps this is why Ivan had never really shown any interest. He liked things to be exciting, and she wasn’t. There was nothing to be done about it, she guessed.

  There was an audible sigh and Maria lifted her gaze to see Maura setting down her empty coffee mug. She’d gone straight to serious and back to the problems at hand, just like that.

  “So what are our options?” she put out there. “If Ivan and Meghan are out of the picture, what other options do we have in seeking out help?”

  “There’s the banished,” suggested Noah. “We know they are still hidden in the northern Maine woods, but we don’t know much about what’s going on there. Ivan was in contact with Amelia, and her plans were sounding a little crazy. Nevertheless, options are limited and they are still Svoda. I don’t see them turning us away out of spite, especially now, seeing as Juliska’s no longer the beloved Banon she once was.”