by Jamie Davis
“You both need to get settled in and ready for bed,” Katie said. “James and I will be right across the hall if you need anything.”
A little girl’s voice rang from the room. “You aren’t going to lock us in here, are you?”
“No, Fiona, honey,” James assured the children. “We aren’t going to lock you up at all. Just don’t go wandering off. If you need something, come get one of us.”
“Everyone getting settled in?” Winnie asked, smiling at the two kids.
“We were just getting Fiona and Jacob ready for bed.” Katie turned to the children. “Kids, this is Winnie and her friend Danny. She’s kind of in charge here.”
“I’ll bet they’re as tired as the rest of us are.” Winnie looked at the children. They didn’t seem much older than seven or eight. “What do you think? Are you tired?”
“Not really,” Fiona said. “You don’t look old enough to be in charge.”
Winnie laughed. “I know exactly what you mean. And that’s exactly how I feel most times.” Winnie sat on a folding metal chair beside the mattresses.
“She’s like us,” Jacob said. “She can talk to the magic, too.”
Winnie leaned forward, elbows to knees so she could be closer to their level. “That’s an interesting way to put it, Jacob. Why do you call it ‘talking to the magic?’”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “We talk and it answers. What do you call it?”
“I guess I just call it magic.” Winnie smiled. “I agree that we’re alike, though. That means we should stick together. Where’s your mom and dad?”
The children traded glances. Winnie got the odd sense that they were somehow communicating.
“They’re gone,” Fiona finally said. “They haven’t been around for a while. We live together, just Jacob and me. We’re big kids.”
“Yes. Indeed.” Winnie glanced at Danny then stood. “Well, let’s get you two tucked into bed. We can talk about this more in the morning.”
Danny helped Winnie get the kids into bed, then they stepped into the hallway together.
“Danny and I will be just down the hallway on this side. Please let us know if you need anything. Otherwise, we’ll see you at breakfast.”
Winnie killed the light and closed the door. Then she and Danny went to their room. It also had two mattresses, but Winnie had pushed them together. There was a pair of folding metal chairs in there. Winnie sank onto one and turned to Danny.
“Remarkable kids,” she said. “Kind of makes me wonder about … you know.”
Danny said nothing.
“I’m sure it won’t always be easy,” Winnie said. “But tonight sure felt great. They seem to be acclimating well, at least so far.”
“I think they are good support for each other, though it was creepy when they just sort of stared at each other for a while. You know they were talking. Was that magic of some sort? I couldn’t tell.”
“Not any sort that I could detect. I’m sure it’s a twin thing, you know, sharing a womb and all. It builds some sort of bond that we don’t understand.”
Danny nodded. “Makes sense. It was still weird, though.”
Winnie changed into her nightgown and neatly piled her clothes in the corner, then settled in the bed and pulled the blanket up around her. Danny changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, then turned off the light and joined her.
Winnie stared at the shadows, thinking about the twins. She fell asleep wondering who her next ally would be, and how she might find them.
CHAPTER 32
The dream was always the same.
Winnie was in a wood-paneled room with walls that climbed into the darkness above her. A bookshelf lined one wall and a pair of stuffed leather chairs flanked a long table on the other. The room was long and narrow, its ends barely visible in the distance.
As with every other time she had appeared within this room, Winnie was drawn to the strange stone sculpture beside the two chairs. It looked almost like a throne, rough-hewn from a single grey rock. The stone seemed to vibrate from inside when she touched it.
Her hands grazed the rough stone, then wrapped the sword’s golden hilt. She couldn’t remember grabbing it, nor who had put it there. But Winnie was sure it hadn’t been there before.
A breathy voice crooned in her ear: “Pull it out, if you dare.”
She turned but saw no one behind her. Winnie blinked and found herself gripping the hilt again.
Her entire body buzzed.
“I can tell you’re afraid,” the breath voice said. “You know if you pull that sword free, the world will be no more.”
She let go and looked behind her. Again, she saw no one.
Winnie turned forward to face the stone throne. Before she knew what was happening, her hands were pulling the sword free. What sounded like a thousand distant voices sang with joy. She smiled, drawing the blade from its stone sheath until only the tip was still in the stone. But it was stuck there.
Winnie frowned and shouted at the voice. “Let it go. It’s mine.”
“No. It belongs to me, and I’ll not let you have it.”
The sword’s hilt became white hot in her hands. She let it go and screamed in agony.
Winnie found herself sitting up in bed, breathless and staring at her outstretched hands. She inspected her palms for any sign of burning, but saw only pink, healthy skin.
The screaming hadn’t stopped.
Winnie looked to her right and heard that it was coming from the room next door, the voices muffled. She jumped up and scrambled out, racing down the hallway to the twins’ room.
She found them in bed, staring sightlessly ahead, screaming in tandem. Katie and James were there, but they couldn’t seem to calm the children.
“It’s like they can’t see us,” Katie said. “They’re asleep and awake at the same time.”
“What do we do?” James asked.
Winnie watched them, tuning her vision to the complex swirl of ribbons surrounding them both. The pattern swirled and twisted in on itself, rotating around them. “There’s some sort of spell around them,” she shouted over the screams. “I need to unravel part of it, so I can see inside.”
She closed her eyes to draw in her magic then opened them again to guide her work. She took a slender thread of magic and directed it to slide within the twisted weave until she could lever it to pry the other ribbons apart.
A window appeared within the spell circling the twins. Winnie leaned forward to peer inside.
The room in the twins’ vision was instantly familiar. The wood paneling, the long bookshelf, and especially the strange stone sculpture with the sword hilt jutting up from the throne. She was wondering how the children could be sharing her dream when something shifted in the darkness behind the throne.
She saw why the children were screaming. An evil creature crouched behind the throne. Fear and dread came in waves, washing over Winnie as she watched. She fought down the urge to scream, forced herself to turn away from the shadow creature to face the children.
“Jacob, Fiona, look into my eyes. You can trust me. Look at me.”
At first, they didn’t. Fear caused them to shift, to try and look around her.
“Look at me, guys, in the eyes. It’s Winnie, your new friend. I promised to watch over you. I’m here now, but you’ve got to trust me.”
Jacob met her eyes first, then Fiona.
Their expressions softened, their gazes losing their vacant quality.
Winnie felt a sudden pull, and then she was back in reality, in the small storage-area-turned-bedroom. The swirling barrier was down and she was kneeling on the floor between the beds. The children jumped into her arms, burying their faces in her chest as she pulled them close. Sobs racked their small bodies. Winnie soothed them, her voice soft; she saw the relief on the other adults’ faces.
Winnie wondered how the dream was being reflected by the children, and what was the creature in their dream that wasn’t in hers? She wanted
them to stop crying so she could ask, but right now, that was the wrong thing to do.
She had to let them cry it out, then get them back to bed. There would be time for questions in the morning.
———
Winnie entered the makeshift cafeteria in the main garage area. Several tables had been set up, with hotplates being used to prep breakfast for the assembled crew. Someone had doctored a schedule of sorts, and today the cooking duties fell to Tris and her techs. Colton had had fresh eggs delivered, along with ham and vegetables. Katie and James were on the job, cooking omelets for the assembled members while Tris and her other two techs put bread and butter on the tables.
A small blond tech by the name of Cynthia dropped a loaf of sliced bread and plate of butter at the table where Winnie and Danny were sitting alone.
“Thank you, Cynthia,” Winnie said. “Too bad we don’t have a toaster, eh?”
“I can look for a toaster if you want, Ms. Durham.”
“Please, Cynthia, call me Winnie. We’re all in this together, right?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am — uh, I mean, Winnie.”
“That’s better. How was your night?”
“I was creeped out by those kids and their screaming, but I slept all right once you got them settled, I guess.” Cynthia paused, seeming to consider. Then she said, “Have you ever seen anything like that magical barrier? You seemed to know exactly what to do. None of us were able to get through it.”
“I didn’t go through it as much as peek around to see what they saw. They were having a vivid nightmare. It was new to me, too. I got lucky.” Winnie avoided any mention of her own dream. Her crew was still reeling from Cait’s death and didn’t need another mystery to occupy their minds.
“I’m glad you were able to help them. Maybe you can show me what you did so I can help the next time.”
“Sure thing, Cynthia. We’ll have to find some time over the next few days.”
The tech smiled and nodded, then continued setting bread on the tables. Danny nudged Winnie. She turned to see the twins enter the room from the corridor leading to their room. Winnie waved them over to join her and Danny.
The children skipped over. Winnie was glad to see them in such happy spirits.
“Hi, Winnie,” Jacob said. “Something smells good. What’s for breakfast?”
“Eggs and ham, or you can have an omelet if you want.”
“We like eggs,” Fiona said, sitting across from Winnie and Danny. Jacob climbed up onto the chair next to his sister.
“How did you two sleep after I left you the second time last night?” Winnie asked.
“We did alright,” Fiona said.
Winnie sensed fear in her voice. She pressed forward with her questions. “Do you remember your dream last night, Fiona? The one that scared you?”
The girl nodded, but said nothing.
“Have you and your brother had that dream before?”
Again, Fiona nodded. Jacob sat silently beside her.
“I’ve had a similar dream. In fact, I had one sort of like it just last night.”
Jacob leaned forward. “You did?”
“Yes. Mine was scary, too, but not as scary as yours.”
The kids seemed to relax, seeming to appreciate someone else sharing their worries.
“I have a question for you, if you’ll let me ask it.” Winnie waited for them both to nod. “Have you seen that place in your dreams before?”
Fiona said, “It’s a bad place, Winnie. We keep seeing it and don’t know why.”
“I see it, too, so you’re not alone,” Winnie reassured her. “Has the shadow monster been in your dream the entire time, as well?”
“No, Jacob made the monster come,” Fiona said.
“I did not.”
“Yes, you did. It came when you tried to touch the sword,” Fiona explained. “The monster told you to stop. He said that it didn’t belong to you.”
“I didn’t know,” Jacob said, more subdued.
“It’s alright, Jacob. I touched the sword in my dream, too, and a scary voice wanted me to stop.” Winnie didn’t tell them that she’d nearly pulled it free.
“Do you know where the scary room is?” Jacob asked. “Do we have to go there?”
“That’s a good question,” Winnie replied. “Let’s make a pact. Let’s agree to tell each other whenever we have the dream about the scary room and if anything seems different. Then we can face it together. How does that sound?”
“We’d like that, Winnie,” Fiona said. Jacob nodded, agreeing with his sister.
“Good. Now eat up. You need your strength. My friends will be working with you over the next few days — we’re going to see what you can do with your magic. It’s going to be busy, but I’ll make sure we have time to eat together each morning.”
Winnie thought about what she hoped to learn from the children about their magic. She only hoped they could regroup and gather their strength in time to pull it off.
CHAPTER 33
The following two days passed quickly with the team at The Pike taking stock of Colten’s stashed supplies, preparing for a long stay while the country was looking for them. Winnie learned of successful raids on the other camps by her allies. Daily reports detailed the destruction of the other Harvester towers and related machinery. While they couldn’t evacuate chanters from the camps, they could ensure they wouldn’t all be murdered by the Director’s evil machines.
Winnie spent several hours each day working with the twins, learning what they could do. She was surprised to find that their powers relied on each other. Alone, they were unremarkable in power and ability. She suspected that, with training and exercise, she could bring out their innate solo abilities, but Winnie focused on what they could accomplish together for now.
Fiona was the more talkative. Jacob was the better listener. If she could explain herself and what she wanted in a way he understood, Jacob could explain it to his sister using their unspoken channel. It was strange, speaking to Jacob but getting questions from Fiona. Still, they progressed, and she found ways to trigger their matter creation if she posed her request in a way that conveyed genuine need. This was how they must have survived for so long on the streets alone. If they needed something like food or clothing, they made it with their magic and a series of thoughts.
Garraldi took over Cait’s duties as Winnie’s head of security. She felt her friend’s absence the most during these meetings. They all did, but for her and Tris, it was most profound. The three of them had been inseparable since childhood. Cait had had to watch out for the younger girls until she’d joined the army. Then, of course, she’d resumed the role upon her return. Without her watching out for them, even with Garraldi’s capable input, Winnie couldn’t help but feel vulnerable.
On day four at The Pike, Morgan and Victor came to join the meeting with the four chanter team leaders. Winnie had been wondering how to broach the next part of her plan — the assault on the Department Headquarters — and decided to work up to it slowly, cover the mundane stuff with team leaders first.
They were seated around one of the tables. “What’s the status of your team, Tris?” Winnie asked. “Everyone settling in?”
“There’s been a bit of grumbling about the accommodations. James complained that we all had hotel rooms in Baltimore. Don’t worry, I shut it down. Nothing to worry about. They’re just complaining because they’re bored.”
“Maybe we could try and repair one or two of the rides,” Winnie wondered out loud. “At least that would give them something to do.”
Tris smiled. “That might just work. Katie said she wondered how the big carousel in the center of the park worked. It might be worth a trip to check out its condition.”
“Good. That will keep them busy for a while.”
“Sounds like you have a plan for what we do next,” Tris said.
Winnie dodged the question. “I’ll save that for the end of our meeting. Danny?”
“The
vans are all in good shape. They all have at least a few bullet holes, but none of the bullets hit anything vital. So everything’s running. We might draw some attention, especially in the security team’s van. That one took the most damage. I’d like to see if we can get Colten to supply us with some other transportation. Then maybe we can drive into the city without inviting too much attention.”
“I’ll reach out, get him on it,” Winnie said, adding a note to her clipboard. “Cricket?”
Cricket laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Our supply situation is great for now. We’ve got enough canned goods to last us months. Colten also laid in a supply of military-style MREs. That gets us good for up to a year. I worry most about fresh food to supplement our supplies. If Danny can get us some transport that won’t stand out from Colten, I’d like to head into Philly to try and buy more eggs, vegetables, and meat.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll get Colten to expedite the additional transport options,” Winnie said. “Garraldi?”
The big man shifted in his seat, still getting used to his leadership role. “The Pike is a great place to hide. There’s no one for miles, and since it’s been abandoned for years, there’s no reason for anyone to come out here. As long as we don’t do anything to draw unwanted attention, we should be fine for the time being. I’ve still got watcher and alarm spells, gear spread around the perimeter. If anyone comes snooping, we’ll have enough time to reach the underground shelters.” He paused, seeming to struggle, then, “Cait filled me in on her plans, and taught me a few of her camouflage spells before we — well, just before everything happened. I’ve got us covered from anyone snooping around if we have to hide in the shelters.”
“Great work, Garraldi. Keep me up to date with any security concerns. That’s our first priority.” Winnie turned to the Victor and Morgan. “How are things in the city?”