by S. A. Carter
I gather all the strength I can muster and slowly get up onto my feet.
I search the night for any sign of her. ‘Mum?’
‘Get to Magi,’ I hear her whisper on the breeze.
Wincing through the dull pain left over I make my way forward cautiously, aware of the threat that is looming.
I come to a dirt path which leads into a grove within the understorey of the towering forest canopy. I’ve seen this place before. I walk towards it, keeping my footsteps light and my senses alert. I search the surrounding darkness for any sign of my enemy. He’s out there somewhere, I can feel it.
An eerie silence encompasses me, causing me to stop in my tracks. I take one more tentative step forward and then out of nowhere I hear the hooting of an owl.
I quickly duck and roll as I hear the whizzing of air shoot past me. I get up and sprint as fast as I can to the nearest tree, my heart pounding within my chest.
If he’s shooting at me, where’s Magi? Panic threatens to close off my throat. My breath becomes ragged and uneven.
I peer around the trunk of the pine tree and into the gloom, to the centre of the grove. I see a dark outline unmoving on the ground.
Magi!
My hands and feet feel like they are on fire. The heat extends into every part of my body until I can’t bear it any longer. I release the magic.
With the confidence of a madwoman I walk out from behind the tree and head straight for the grove, remembering where I had seen it before. It comes back to me now…the dream.
I feel the ripple of air coming towards me before I see the glimmer of steel, and just before it makes contact I teleport. I land to the left of Magi, protected by the trees.
My eyes search the area, wanting the Venator to make himself known. Minutes pass and I remain still, waiting him out.
And then I see him.
His eyes peer out into the gloom and the reflection of his irises capture the moonlight, giving them a nocturnal glaze.
I step out from behind the trunk, unafraid and ready to end this curse that has plagued our family for generations. I let the Cole blood flow through every cell within me. I feel the strength of Isis, my mother, Ama and Magi. I feel the power of my future, of my own survival, and then I feel myself transform.
He steps out of the gloom to face me, this enemy of mine. We stand off on either end of the earthen grove. His body is taught and hard, ready to strike. His face is contorted in anger, yet for just an instant I catch a glimpse of something that looks like…desire. The look vanishes before I can make sense of it.
The temperature drops around me suddenly. The atmosphere is deathly still.
‘I’ve been waiting a long time to kill you,’ he growls. I see the glint of steel in his hands.
I laugh—a low, mocking sound emanates from my mouth. Its coldness surprises me. ‘You cannot kill me. This curse will end tonight.’
‘We’ll see about that.’ He sneers as he lunges towards me.
He moves quickly. Much quicker than I anticipated. Before I can react I am throwing myself to the side, away from the dangers of the dagger he wields.
He comes at me again, like a panther in the night, but this time I am ready.
A bright blue ball of light shoots out from my hand and finds its target. The Venator flies through the air and lands heavily against the hard ground.
He slowly gets up and regains his balance. He hesitates for only a moment before charging at me again. He ducks and rolls and moves with lightning speed.
My hands are circling one another, the magic swirling between them, ready for the next attack. As he pounces towards me my hands shoot out again and a flash of blue lights up the grove.
He is ready this time and dodges the light, which hits a nearby tree—shaking hundreds of leaves from its canopy.
As he flashes past I feel a burst of pain. I reach down to my hip, to find blood on my hands, the brunt of the knife thankfully deflected by the Kevlar vest.
I turn quickly, just as he lunges again, and without thinking I teleport, missing the next slash by only a margin.
As my feet touch the littered ground behind him I hear him snarl in frustration. He comes at me again, eyes hungry for revenge.
My hand reaches out and a blast of light zig-zags through the air like a thunderbolt, hitting him squarely in the stomach. He is thrown back a few metres and rolls quickly back into position to stand before me again. I can see him breathing rapidly as his legs tremble beneath him. He is losing stamina.
In a desperate attempt he flings the knife at me with such precision that as I swerve out of its way I feel it fly past and miss my left cheek by only a few inches. Before I can regain my wits, the full force of his body hits mine, sending us sprawling amongst the leafy undergrowth. I flail my arms about in a futile attempt to fight him off but I cannot compete with his physical strength.
I gasp for air, trying to fight off his strong hands that are wrapped tightly around my throat. The oxygen slowly starts to cut off the flow to my brain, causing me to see stars. As I start to lose consciousness I see him slowly unearth another object from the back of his pants. The knife glimmers beneath the moonlight above me.
I suddenly catch movement to my left and a flash of black rushes towards me. Magi lunges at the Venator in a final attempt to protect me. She forces him off me and they go sprawling along the ground. He kicks Magi off and she whimpers, before laying still once more.
‘MAGI!’ I scream.
My emotions enrage me. A gust of wind lifts me onto my feet and I face the Venator, burning hatred seething through every fibre within me.
The Venator’s eyes widen in alarm and he cries out in pain as the knife is whipped from his hand and flung aside. He slowly starts to levitate off the ground, his body paralysed in space, unable to move of its own accord. His eyes show fear and confusion, and yet I sense something else there—of what I can’t be sure.
The Cole blood rushes through me, reaching every inch of my body. It throbs with thirst, hungry for release.
The magic forces his body into the air and he is suspended, as if caught in a spider’s web.
My eyes never leave his face. The magic flowing through me is so intense. I feel powerful, strong and unstoppable. I feel myself grin sardonically as I levitate off the ground.
The earth beneath me stirs with confusion. Nothing can stop me now. The leaves of the dense canopy move to the rhythm of my power and the light murmur of their green voices fills the night. I close my eyes and reach out my arms to the moon.
My voice echoes through the darkness. ‘Ramira ba laminsa. Do nara ma suka. Ba nada ra mel—’
‘Stop!’ I hear him cry out.
I pause, intrigued at his response.
‘Please stop!’ He struggles to free his body but the attempt is futile. His eyes are pleading with me to release him. ‘It doesn’t have to be like this.’
I lower my gaze. ‘It is too late for forgiveness. Your debt must be paid.’ My voice is eerily strange and…not my own. What is happening? A shiver of fear runs through me for a second and then it is gone, I am controlled once more.
And then I hear her…my mother. Her voice is clear and strong. ‘Elena, remember who you are. Feel your way to the truth.’
A jolt of electricity runs through me. What is happening? I try and shake myself out of the internal battle warring within me. She is too strong, this other power taking over. She is emerging as her own entity within me, using me, revelling in the magic.
The blood of Isis.
Did drinking her blood merge our magic as one? I didn’t sign up for this. Not to lose myself forever. The realisation that Isis’ magic is wanting to take over, that somehow it merged with my power and now wants to dominate me, causes fear to sit like a lead balloon in my stomach.
My eyes catch movement below me. The emotion that those wolf-like amber eyes transmit through the pale gloom gives me the strength I need to break through the barrier within my mind.
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nbsp; I use everything I’ve got to push the other power aside. I feel my way to the core of who I am, to the future that lay before me. ‘You have saved our people,’ I remember Isis saying.
The cool night air touches my skin once again and I slowly feel myself floating back to earth. My feet touch the ground and my legs threaten to give way. I remember what I have to do.
‘Ministera monala ra,’ I softly say, while shooting a sliver of light towards him.
It hits his chest, pushing him back against the trunk of an old tree, knocking him unconscious.
I hobble over to him, my physical body exhausted, battered and bruised. The pain reminds me that I am human, that I am alive. I kneel down beside him and with shaky hands I retrieve the vial from my jacket.
I uncork the stopper and open his mouth slightly. I pour the remaining blood of Isis in.
I let the vial drop and I collapse beside him. I have nothing left. Before the darkness takes me I look up to see the eyes of the owl looking down upon me from up high. It watches me fall into nothingness.
I wake up to the touch of someone’s hand on my face. I can feel them stroking my cheek.
‘Aunt Lily?’ I whisper, my throat raspy and dry.
‘No.’ I hear a man’s voice answer.
I know that voice. I’ve heard it before.
I sit up quickly, a sharp pain invading my skull. ‘What!’ I scramble backwards, away from his touch.
‘It’s okay,’ he says calmly, no more hint of venom in his voice.
I look around to find that we are still in the grove. The sun is rising over the range and the birds have taken up their morning song in the trees around me.
‘I won’t harm you,’ he says.
‘Get away from me!’ I yell. My head pounds with the force of my voice. I shut my eyes against the pain and when I open them I see Magi still lying helpless on the ground.
I quickly crawl towards her and take her head in my arms. ‘Magi?’ I sob. ‘Mags, can you hear me girl?’ I stroke her snout and let my tears fall onto her crown. I can feel the shallow rhythm of her breathing through her fur.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘I didn’t know.’
I look up at him, no fight left within me. ‘Know what?’ I manage to ask.
He looks at me sadly. ‘The truth.’
His words hit a nerve within me and I focus on his face. What did he see? Was it the same truth that Isis showed me, or was his truth different? I shake off the uncertainty surrounding his change of heart. I can’t trust it. I can’t trust him. And yet, his eyes are no longer vengeful and full of hate. They are now filled with…hope?
I turn my attention back to Magi. I have to get her help. I try and stand up but my legs are too weak. He moves forward to help me.
‘Don’t,’ I warn.
He stops and a look of concern washes over his face.
I glance at him briefly before I teleport, leaving him to find his own way out.
We land on the kitchen floor. The energy it took to teleport drains me completely.
‘Jo!’ I hear Aunt Lily yell.
I can feel her hands on my face and then all of a sudden I am being lifted.
‘Magi,’ I whisper.
‘Magi will be fine,’ Uncle Jo says softly. His breath touches my cheek.
The soft cushions of the lounge mold into my back as he places me down. I try to sit up but I have nothing left. Aunt Lily places her hand on my leg, looking lost and bewildered. I look across the room to see Uncle Jo placing Magi down onto the chaise.
‘How is she?’ I ask softly. My eyes are swimming in and out of consciousness.
‘She’ll be okay,’ he says. But the look he gives me tells me it is far from okay.
She’s not going to make it.
I won’t lose her. I gather whatever strength I have left.
‘Ellie, don’t move, you’re hurt,’ Aunt Lily says.
I manage to roll off the side of the lounge and crawl over to Magi. I place my hand on her chest and can feel her short, sharp breaths. Uncle Jo has taken off her Kevlar jacket, and as I trace my hand along her shoulder and down to her ribcage I feel moisture between my fingers.
‘No.’ I shake my head, already knowing that when I pull my hand away I will see the colour of crimson.
He looks at me sadly. ‘Knife wound.’
A part of me is ebbing. The part of me that keeps me going is fading, I can feel it.
‘I can call Vet Miller and get him here at quick as possible,’ he says.
I shake my head. ‘It will be too late. She’s fading.’ A tear falls gracefully onto Magi’s head.
Nothing can bring back a soul once it is this far gone. How do I save you? What do I do?
‘What about the book?’ he says.
Memories of Magi come flooding back to me from when she was just a pup. The two of us rolling around the backyard wrestling, chasing butterflies in the garden, her making me feel content and safe, and then consoling me after Mum died.
Sister soul mates.
The image of us residing beneath the moon and the sun enters my mind with perfect clarity.
I crouch onto my knees and grab her collar.
‘Ellie, what are you doing?’ Uncle Jo says warily.
‘The only person who can save her is Taqôq Wiyon,’ I say. ‘I have to get her to him right away.’
‘You can’t go, you don’t have the strength,’ he says.
I look at him and notice that his face has lost some of its colour.
‘You’ve been hurt, Uncle Jo. You need rest. I can do this. I have to do this.’
He runs his hand through his sandy brown hair. ‘I’m not in pain because of a little arrow.’ He glances away from me. ‘Damn it, Ellie! You’ve been gone all night.’ He turns back to me and I see that the dark circles under his eyes are from lack of sleep and worry.
I sigh, realising that my absence has caused him the pain he suffers. I reach out to touch his hand. ‘I am so sorry. I will tell you everything that happened, but I need to save Magi first.’
We stare at each other for a moment before he nods reluctantly.
I gather all my strength and ask Isis silently for her help. I feel a rush of adrenalin flow through me and I take one last look at Uncle Jo before I vanish.
The cold air hits me as we land outside the tepee. The smell of smoke and incense invades my senses and I sigh with relief.
I hear Taqôq Wiyon chanting from inside. I try to stand up, my legs shaking beneath me. He stops chanting, and a moment later the flap swings aside. He looks at us calmly.
Without saying a word he bends down and gently lifts Magi up into his arms. She whimpers softly as he carries her into the tepee.
He places her down on the woven mat before the fire and takes up his position on the other side. I sit next to her and place my hand on her side, needing to feel the rise and fall of her chest.
‘Please save her,’ I plead.
He looks at me briefly before returning his attention back to her.
He starts to chant, shaking his stick from side to side. The smoke in the room starts to build. The ghostly images of a lion, a bear and an eagle take form above me. I watch in wonder as they circle Magi’s body, flowing in and out of her aura. I stay silent and unmoving, for fear of disturbing the ritual that is taking place. Time stands still.
His chanting intensifies and beads of sweat are covering his forehead. His eyes start to roll back inside his head and his body shudders forcefully.
I watch him connecting with the spirits of his ancestors, drawing on their healing powers.
The spirits float around me and I can hear their animal sounds. I look down at Magi and the colours that had faded from her now start to reform. Slowly her aura emits her usual purple and green light. I watch the colours glow brighter, stronger, and slowly the wound that nearly ended Magi’s life begins to heal. I let out a cry of relief as I feel her heartbeat strengthen beneath her fur.
The animals move away from
Magi and look back briefly, before disappearing into the spirit world where they wait to be called upon again. Taqôq Wiyon has slumped forward in his position and I wait patiently for his spirit to return also.
The minutes pass and I stay still, not wanting to interrupt the magic taking place.
Slowly I feel Magi stirring beneath my hand and I look down to see her trying to open her eyes.
I lower my face to hers. ‘Mags, can you hear me? You’re going to be alright girl.’ I burrow my face quietly into her neck and I feel her stir in response.
I glance up to see Taqôq Wiyon smiling at us gently. ‘She be healed. She will live,’ he says weakly.
I notice that his skin is pale and his breath is slightly ragged.
‘Thank you,’ I say with gratitude.
He nods his head and puts one palm up towards me, the other hand he lays against his chest. He smiles gently and then disappears into the smoke.
The teepee is still.
‘Where did he go?’ I whisper, shocked by his rapid departure.
At the sound of my voice Magi stirs and attempts to stand up. Her legs wobble beneath her like a newborn calf trying to walk for the first time. I grab her around the waist, trying to support her weight. I can see she is still weak but she makes it, lifting her eyes to mine.
‘Hey, Mags.’ I stroke her head. She licks my hand in return.
Looking at the empty space where Taqôq Wiyon was sitting only moments ago, I think about everything he has done for our family.
He is the reason I know the truth about our bloodline; the truth about Magi; and the reason I am standing here today. Had he not saved Isabella all those years ago I wouldn’t even exist, Magi wouldn’t be standing in front of me, and I wouldn’t know who I really was.
Without him, I would probably be dead.
I owe him so much and now he is gone, and I don’t know if I will ever see him again. I am saddened by this last thought and more tears blur my vision.
Magi nuzzles my hand and sends me an image of home.
I nod, wiping my eyes. ‘Ready?’ I say.