At precisely nine o’clock, Kanda’s voice filtered through the mesmerizing flames and all eyes and ears switched to her. Her voice seemed to mingle with the flames.
“Tonight, I tell a story about truth.” She took a calm breath and serenely began.
“Some time ago, there existed a woman whose heart was filled with the desire for power, but the more power she attained, the more insatiable her lust became.
Then, by chance, she discovered love; true love, without condition. It changed her, tamed her lust for power, and soon, she accepted her new love’s proposal of marriage.
Now it was the custom of the day to marry at the rising of the sun, symbolizing the birth of a new beginning, and in the early hours of the long awaited day, a wedding party gathered.
Each member carried a lantern, lit brightly, illuminating their walk to a nearby cliff’s edge, where the wedding would take place. Upon arrival, the group dispersed, placing each lantern on the ground, forming a lighted path leading to the bride. The groom would arrive as the last lantern flame dimmed, which was timed to the rising of the sun.
Finally, the moment arrived. The flame of the final lantern dissolved just as glorious beams of orange and yellow brightened the sky. However, dismay swiftly consumed the wedding party, as the sun rise finished, and the groom did not arrive.
The bride was overwrought with worry. What misfortune had befallen her beloved? Why did he not come?
Immediately a search party dispatched. The others too, believed he had befallen some terrible fate, for they knew he loved this woman, wholeheartedly. Hours passed with no news, when suddenly a young man shouted, ‘We found him.’
The bride followed them to a nearby field where a crowd huddled around a body lying on the ground. She froze, fearing the worst.
Then, the body moved and she rushed forward, pushing through the crowd. A few tried to stop the bride, but failed. As soon as she had pushed her way through, she wished they had succeeded in stopping her.
She collapsed, clutching her heart.
“This cannot be,” she repeated over and over.
The people bowed their heads in shame over the betrayal they each witnessed: the man sleeping in the arms of another woman.
So many things had passed through the woman’s head during her beloved’s disappearance. Betrayal however, had not even once crossed her mind.
The man stirred. He saw the woman he should have married earlier that morning and lit up like the sunrise he had missed. Then, as his head became clear, he noticed the woman next to him.
“What is this?” he questioned, pushing her away. He shook her violently, trying to wake her. “Who are you?” he questioned.
He crawled on his knees, begging his true love’s forgiveness. Pleading for a chance to let him discover the true meaning behind this betrayal; for in his heart, still filled with love for only her, he knew that it was no power of his own that brought him into the arms of this other woman, a complete stranger.
The woman refused any forgiveness or possibility that there was any other truth other than what her eyes could see.
He was her beloved no more.
Pain and bitterness surged through her veins, replacing the love she felt for this man.
In the weeks that followed, she obsessed over the agony, falling in love had brought her. She lost all faith in love and vanquished…” as Kanda said the word, a torrent of ferocious flame erupted high into the air and then dissipated. Kanda, looking straight into the eyes of her hypnotized listeners, continued.
“truth and love from her life.”
Kanda closed her eyes, pained by the story.
“Her old desires for power returned to her nine fold, and she began a journey from which she could scarcely return. Her life purpose became to seek revenge on all those whom she believed had conspired to make her believe in love.
The man, her once true love, after months of trying to prove his innocence, finally discovered that he had been poisoned and tricked into the arms of the other woman.
By whom? He did not know. For what purpose? His heart knew the answer. Someone in want of his true love’s willingness for greed and power. Someone that knew she would never forgive him.
Unable to bear the burden of this truth, and knowing he would never have the evidence to prove his innocence, the man sent his true love a letter that simply and truthfully stated, ‘I will always love you, even beyond my end.’ He then went voluntarily into death, jumping from the very cliff on which the couple should have been wed.
The woman, after hearing of his death and reading the letter, felt a flicker of remorse. This remorse was defeated however, as bitterness filled her shattered heart. Her truth became the final truth. The action of taking his life proved unequivocally that no other truth could exist.
Her life continued, with hatred and greed in place of love and life.”
Kanda paused again, this time, casting her gaze directly into the eyes of the twins, sitting side by side.
“Truth is the only real power,” she spoke profoundly. “Truth is freedom. Not pursuing it is a life of captivity!”
The story ended and everyone remained silent, disappearing once again into the flames of the roaring fire. After a while, Kanda arose and softly offered refills on drinks, and the small party began again to come alive.
“That was an interesting one,” said Meghan, a short while later.
“Real happy ending,” agreed Sebastien sarcastically.
Colin ignored them, disappearing into his own thoughts, analyzing every word of Kanda’s story. There were many holes and unanswered questions. Who had caused the real betrayal and why would they want to cause someone so much pain? Why could the man not prove himself innocent? Though filled with holes, the moral was perfectly clear: seek the truth, always.
“Hey. Hey. You listening to me, Little Bro?” Meghan interrupted his train of thought.
“Yes, I can hear you,” he retorted.
“I was trying to tell you that Uncle Arnon said we can stay up past curfew tonight.”
Colin checked his watch. It was almost ten already, their normal curfew time.
“It still feels early anyway,” he said, pleased at the news.
Excited that the night was not yet ending, he forgot about Kanda’s story.
“Don’t wander too far, you two,” ordered Uncle Arnon.
“Same applies to you, Sebastien,” added his father, Milo. They sat close as they could to the fire without being too close to the adults and talked the night away.
Much later that night, as they left the fire pit, Uncle Arnon took the camp road with the Jendayas, leaving the twins and Sebastien at the entrance of the secret path behind The Little Shop. The Jendaya camp was a little closer than the Jacobys’, so they left Sebastien at his camp and continued home. The mesmerizing music from the gypsy camp wafted through the air as they drew closer.
“They seem to be having a good time,” whispered Colin. “Let’s not go any closer though,” he added, not wanting a repeat of that afternoon.
Before Meghan could answer, a screeching howl ripped through the quiet of the night. A howl that was eerily similar to the one heard earlier that day.
It was much closer this time. Much lower to the ground. Just above the treetops.
The gypsy music halted and a huge commotion followed as once again they scurried into hiding.
For a moment, Colin wanted to watch more closely and see if they all went into one wagon, as before. However, he had an equally strong desire to run and hide.
Uncle Arnon rounded the corner of the camp road just as another screech resonated through the night sky.
“Come on you two, time to get inside,” said their uncle, quickening his pace.
“That was the same screech we heard earlier,” said Meghan, officially creeped out. “Must be a large owl,” she gulped. “I’ve never heard one like it before.”
Shadows danced on the ground around them in what little moonlight st
reamed through the tall pine trees. Colin jumped as a shadow moved alongside him, but it was just a swaying branch.
“Ha,” started Meghan, ready to make fun. In the next second, she froze and sucked in a quick breath. Something unseen beamed a spine-chilling quiver down her back, and into Colin’s mind. They could not escape the sensation that something unfriendly was watching them, from somewhere uncomfortably close by.
“M-maybe we should hurry?” Colin said, trembling. He did not want to see what was responsible for such a horrific feeling.
Uncle Arnon led them into the trailer and got them locked up for the night.
CHAPTER 4
Meghan’s mind raced over the events of the day. Colin sensed this and asked her what she was thinking.
“I hate to admit it, but this whole day seems kind of strange.”
“That’s an understatement!” They pondered on the subject for a while, separately, until their uncle’s voice intruded into their thoughts.
“Time for bed. Goodnight you two.” It was impossible not to notice his hands quivering as he closed their door.
The twins crawled into bed, ill by the fact that Uncle Arnon was clearly spooked.
“He’s not supposed to be scared of owls, even large ones,” Meghan stammered silently.
“It is out of character, but maybe… maybe that screeching isn’t an owl. Maybe we missed something. Remember Kanda’s story tonight? Always seek the truth, because it might not be what you first think.”
“Was that her point? I stopped listening at the end,” she lied.
“Yes, it was,” he said, shuddering at the thought of some creepy-crawly creature wandering around outside the trailer.
“No. It has to be an owl,” she whispered. “I mean, what else could it be?”
Colin shook his head. He had no better answer.
Meghan continued. “What I want to know is why those gypsies freak out every time that screeching owl, or whatever it is, comes around? And tonight…” she hesitated.
He knew what she was thinking of. Something hidden, something evil, had been watching them. Colin shivered, goosebumps rising on the surface of his skin. His gut told him to hide, but if he crawled any deeper into his bed covers, he would soon be sleeping at the foot of his bed.
“That was pretty creepy,” agreed Meghan, again hating to admit that it had frightened her. Then, attempting to lessen their level of alarm, she added, “It was the middle of the night! Which is always creepy here.”
“True,” he agreed. “However, owls don’t typically screech during the day, and the first time we heard it was this afternoon, in broad daylight,” he reminded.
“It’s always dark in the woods. Maybe it messes with their day and night radar.”
The conversation ended with Meghan rolling over and facing the wall. She hid her true feelings from her brother so as not to frighten him more than he already was. More so, she had a nagging feeling that the screeching howls had something to do with the gypsies. Come tomorrow, she was determined to find out why.
Unbeknownst to her, Colin was having a similar hidden thought, however slightly altered. How come I have a feeling Meghan’s going to be dragging me along to spy on those gypsies? He tried to put the thought and the day out of his mind, pulled the covers over his head, and eventually fell asleep.
Meghan found herself dreaming in no time.
She walked through the woods hand in hand with Sebastien. It was dark, and yet not frighteningly so. He did not speak to her, just simply stared with his hypnotizing smile.
They stopped. Staring at the ground.
Fog rolled in all around them, hiding the pathway.
Meghan sucked in nervously, grateful that Sebastien was with her. Getting lost in the fog was not fun. In her next breath though, she gasped, his grip releasing. His body, falling backwards into the fog.
Did he trip? He must have. Sebastien wouldn’t have left her there all alone, on purpose.
She called out for him but there was no answer.
Only more fog. Thicker. Consuming the space around her.
She spun in circles, her breaths getting heavier. Her lungs burning. Poisonous fumes threatened to steal her breath away.
“This isn’t fog. It’s smoke!” She panted heavily searching for a way out. “It’s just a dream…” she reminded herself. One in which she felt very much awake.
A silhouette emerged in the smoke. Meghan shouted for help. The figure was holding a handkerchief over its face.
“Colin? Is that you?”
It was. He grabbed her, dragging her lower to the ground hopeful of clearer air.
“How did I get here? Am I in your dream, for real?” he asked.
“I guess so.” Panic squeezed at her chest. This was the most life-like dream she had ever had, and now Colin was stuck in here with her. It had never happened before, them sharing a dream. Yes. It is just a dream. Just a dream.
“Just a dream that feels quite real,” Colin choked, out loud. Even inside the dream, they could read each other’s minds. He motioned for her to follow. Surprised at his relative calmness, she crawled behind him. Soon, scorching heat replaced the smoke. It forced them to stop crawling and stand up.
Twenty feet in front of them a tree burned, smoke billowing from the top, and to the twins’ horror, a young girl sat in one of the branches appearing unconcerned that fire was about to engulf her.
“This is only a dream,” panted Meghan.
“Of course it is,” agreed Colin, beginning to lose his nerve.
Meghan took a step closer, ignoring the urge to scream at the girl, and instead calmly coaxed her. “Hey, little girl, you should get down from there.”
The pale faced girl stared down at them from her perch. Her deep red, nearly black hair shifted in the fire’s wake. Her eyes never left contact with Meghan’s, but her arm raised and pointed. The twins’ gazes turned and focused on where she was pointing. A moving ball of fire blustered toward them. Meghan turned in circles searching desperately for a safe passage out of this fiery mess, but the fire and smoke were too thick.
“What is that?” asked Colin sharply.
“I must wake up. Please someone wake me up.”
“Yes,” agreed Colin, “Please someone, wake you up!” He clasped her hand in his but instantly let go, covering his head instead. As if this act would somehow protect him from the ball of flame gliding closer.
Meghan turned away.
Colin muttered desperately, “Wake up already!”
“Still no idea how to accomplish that feat,” she yelled back, at the same time noticing that the little girl in the tree had disappeared. “Hey, look, the little girl, she’s gone.”
Her brother did not look or reply. There was a weak, half attempt at a tug on her arm.
Meghan cast him a side-glance. His eyes were wide in a mixture of fear and shock. She held her breath and turned around to see what was frightening him, one slow step at a time.
There in front of her, staring back through the ball of flame, was Meghan.
It was herself in the fiery ball blazing at them.
She froze, horrified.
The other her, the one engulfed by flame, edged closer. She wasn’t screaming in pain. Or panicked. Her gaze was strong and determined. And heading straight for the real her and Colin.
Meghan backed away, shaking.
The fiery version of her got closer, lifting and extending a burning arm.
Meghan backed away even more. “Colin,” she shouted. There was no answer. She hastily glanced around. He was gone. Or had he succumbed to the smoke? She called out again, but no answer.
It was just her, and the on fire her, facing each other.
The flames licked out and the real Meghan stepped back again. Her breath hitched when something blocked her path. She turned her head and saw she’d backed herself into a tree. Her hands reached behind her body searching for the rounded edges, so she could sneak around the trunk.
“Do
not be afraid.”
The real Meghan peered directly into the eyes of the fiery her. It had just spoken to her. I mean I just spoke to myself… she shook her head. Whatever. Fire is still fire and I’m about to get burned.
As if it understood her fears, the fiery version of her spoke again. “Do not be afraid. These flames will protect you.”
“Protect me from what? The only thing I need protection from is you. Oh why can’t I wake up?” she cried out, exasperated. The flames thrashed at her skin, but to her amazement, they did not burn her. Still, she closed her eyes, waiting to feel herself burning alive in her own dream.
When she finally dared open them, the second Meghan was gone, and she alone stood with the flames engulfing her. She stretched out her arms examining the flames licking at her skin, amazed that they did not burn. Even more confusing was that the flames felt like a protective shield that coated her entire body.
“This is by far, the strangest dream I have ever, ever had!”
Meghan jumped, startled, when the little girl suddenly appeared in front of her. She extended her hand to touch Meghan.
“No, you’ll hurt yourself,” she warned.
The girl laughed, her own hand bursting into flame.
Meghan gasped at the sight.
“Now, I am no longer alone,” the girl said playfully. “I am sorry though,” she added, her smile suddenly forlorn.
“Sorry?” questioned Meghan, confused.
“For what comes next,” she whispered gravely.
A speechless Meghan watched as flames engulfed the girls’ body, and seconds later, her silhouette dissolved into the smoke and flame, leaving Meghan alone.
She closed her eyes again, this time hearing voices in the distance, calling her. Her mind followed them and when she opened her eyes, she was awake and on the floor of her bedroom, drenched in sweat. Uncle Arnon knelt on the floor next to her, with Colin beside him looking half frightened to death.
Meghan struggled to find her voice, asking for water. Colin ran for a glass. Her uncle helped her sit up and examined her arms and legs.
“What are you looking for?” she managed to ask, still catching her breath. She wondered if Colin had told him about the dream. Then, she wondered if Colin had actually been there at all.
The Book, The Witches, and the Doorway (Fated Chronicles Book 1) Page 4