They used the remaining magic they could gather to magic themselves enough food and water to last a week; none of them believed for a moment they would last that long. They would be tracked down. They would be found.
They huddled around a small fire for warmth. The air was cold and bitter, yet stale, like it had no life in it.
“I didn’t see Ivan Crane,” Noah whispered to Billie, unexpectedly.
She turned to look at him, teary eyed. “Nor Meghan. Let us hope they found a way off this cursed island before all hell broke loose. If not...” she didn’t need to finish.
He knew she meant that all their hopes now depended on two people that might not even be aware of what was taking place.
CHAPTER 6
Jae Mochrie awakened to a strange sight; a roof over his head. It took him a moment to remember that he had been falling (to his death), but before death had come he’d been sucked into a vortex of some kind. He sat up, pushing his dangly hair out of his face and saw that he was still dressed in his clothes, which were a bit torn up after his fight with Darcy.
“I killed her.” The memory of it came crashing down on him. He leaned forward, thinking he might be sick.
He glanced around, unfamiliar with his surroundings. He was in some kind of room with thick, carved wooden walls. There was a window and a door. He wondered if he could leave, or if he was a prisoner in this room.
“It’s no more than I deserve,” he acknowledged.
Jae quietly got up, peeking through the window. There was someone outside, not far away. He turned the doorknob and to his surprise, it opened. He glanced upward but all he could see were the tops of very tall pines, with tiny slices of cloudy sky sneaking through. He had no idea what time of day it was.
A voice startled him.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
There was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard sitting on a tree stump, drinking something hot. Steam lifted from the cup. Jae realized at that moment how chilly the air was and rubbed his arms.
“Look just inside the door, you’ll see a jacket,” the man said. “Grab it. I’ll pour ya a coffee.”
For a reason he could not explain, a cup of hot coffee sounded great. He grabbed the jacket and threw it on; it was a little large for him but instantly made him warm. The man handed him a steaming mug with a muddy brew inside. Jae slid to the ground, sitting close to a fire pit. He wasn’t sure who this man was, but he didn’t get the impression that he meant him any harm.
“So, um...” started Jae, unsure where to begin.
“Expect you’re wanting to know where ya are?”
“Definitely,” said Jae. “I-I don’t know how I got here or where here is. Am I dead?” he blurted out.
“Dead? No, definitely not that. You might wish you were though,” the man spoke frankly.
“I was afraid of that,” mumbled Jae in return, surprised by the ease of the conversation.
“So you were trying to end it all were ya?” the kindly man asked. “Oh, name’s Curtis Bevins, by the way.”
“Jae. Jae Mochrie.”
“Mochrie... I remember that family.”
“You do?”
“Yup. You’re not as far away from home as you might have thought, young man.”
“Yeah, I was afraid of that, too.”
“So back to my original question.”
“Well, um, I guess I was trying to end it all. I had to.”
Curtis’ eyes held a damp sort of sadness. “This life is too hard. Especially for the young folk. Don’t know why it took me so long to see it. Now you’re all stuck fighting a battle us older folk started.”
Jae shrugged, unsure what he meant by all that.
“It’s no matter. My own regrets.”
“I didn’t regret what I did... when I did it,” blurted Jae.
“I expect you thought it was the only way to make your point,” spoke Curtis, wisely.
“It was. I had to show everyone. I um, they needed to know. And I couldn’t live, not after what I did...” Curtis stopped him.
“Best to keep the details to yourself. I reckon that’s why she brought ya here, to see what all you know.”
“Juliska Blackwell?” said Jae fearfully.
“Hm, no. No. I speak of Amelia Cobb.”
“The leader of the banished Svoda?” questioned Jae.
Curtis confirmed with a nod that warned Jae he was in danger. He trembled, spilling a bit of coffee.
“I- I thought Juliska had captured me, because, well, never mind that, but you’re telling me I’m with the banished Svoda?”
“Sure enough.”
“That’s why you remember the Mochrie name? You remember them from before, when we all lived together on the island?”
“Correct. Something I thought… you’ll find out soon enough. Here, have some more coffee.” Curtis seemed reluctant to continue explaining.
“What would your leader want with me? Is this some kind of prison? Are you a prisoner?” Jae barraged the poor man.
“Not going anywhere anytime soon. I think it’s best to let Amelia tell you what she wants, as I’m not particularly sure. If I had to wager a guess, she probably wants information.” When Curtis saw Jae’s horrified face he added more quietly, “Be cautious, boy. She’s tricky. Cunning.” More loudly, he added, “Didn’t used to be like that. I always considered her a dear friend. Even went on a date once. Years ago.”
“Great! This is how she treats old friends,” Jae waved his free hand around wildly. “I’ve run away from one evil whacked out leader right into the hands of another. Well she won’t get anything from me,” he added, less confidently.
Curtis tossed him a sympathetic smile.
“So what are you in here for? Are there others or is it just us?” asked Jae, changing the subject.
“Right now, just the two of us. I fear there may be others that join soon. As to why, that is a more complicated a story. Let’s just say I stopped agreeing with my leader’s ideas about where our future is heading and this… this is my punishment. Banished from the banished.”
“Nice,” said Jae. He took a deep swig of coffee, thinking about his family. He wondered what was going on, back on the island. Had they understood him? Had his attempt at death made any difference? Was everyone safe? Was his family safe? His friends? And what of this Curtis guy? Could he trust him? Seemed odd there’d be just two prisoners. Jae eyed him questioningly.
“So Mr. Mochrie, if I may ask, do you know how you got here? You were brought in, unconscious, a few hours ago. I was told you belonged with Juliska’s band and that you’d tried to off yourself, but that is all.”
“Magic brought me here I guess.” Jae didn’t know how much he wanted to explain and he was not yet ready to relive his experience of jumping off the cliff. “Let’s just say I’m here because I also stopped agreeing with our leader. Only, I caused a lot of trouble and hurt a lot of people while I was at it.”
“I need no specific details,” Curtis reminded. “As I said, best to keep it to yourself, but it seems we have a little in common, my young friend.” Curtis tipped his coffee mug in Jae’s direction. They went silent, each taking sips of the steamy mud Curtis called coffee, when they heard someone approaching. Jae looked toward a tall wooden fence, which appeared from the inside to have no entrance or exit. It was one solid piece of wood.
“Hold fast,” Curtis warned him in a low voice. “Don’t say anything you can’t take back.”
Jae swallowed but with great difficulty. He acknowledged that he had heard and understood Curtis. Trust him or not, it was sound advice that Jae intended on following. No matter what, he would not do anything else to put his family or friends in more danger than they might already be in.
He stood up, ready to face whatever was coming through the door to drag him away for questioning. However, he was caught off guard when the fence suddenly broke in two, a clear seam opening, and the silhouette of a small frame standing in the opening. The si
lhouette stepped forward out of the shadow.
It was a woman, he assumed Amelia Cobb. She was medium height, not too short and not too tall. Not thin and not heavy. Her hair was short and choppy. If he had not seen her face, he would not have found this woman dangerous at all. In fact, her demeanor was friendly until he glanced into her eyes; the one thing she could not hide. They were dark brown, and sharp, screaming out her one true desire: power.
She came in alone, first aiming her attention at Curtis.
“Good morning,” she said to him as if they were old friends.
He tipped his coffee mug towards her in reply.
“I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind and would like to rejoin us?” she asked him.
“Sorry,” he replied.
Jae noted that he actually sounded sorry.
“Very well.” Her eyes landed on Jae. “Hello. I hope you’re feeling better. I’m sure you must be confused. My name is Amelia Cobb, I believe you know me as the leader of the banished Svoda.”
Jae just nodded.
“May we speak?” she asked him politely. “I think I can answer many of your questions.” She motioned for him to follow inside to a nearby room. It was sparsely furnished, just a table and a few chairs, with a small fireplace and cooking utensils.
“Please, sit,” she told Jae.
He did so, still not speaking. She took the seat across from him.
“I hope you feel rested,” she said.
“Um, I guess.”
“Jae, I’m not going to make more small talk. You’re an intelligent young man... made a terrible mistake, a mistake of youth, but you’re not an idiot. Which is why I brought you here. You see, I think we can help each other.”
“I don’t see how I can help you,” Jae responded. “What I am is wrong.”
“With that, I agree. But it was not you that made you wrong. This was done to you. Juliska used you as her puppet. Yes, I can see in your face that you feel responsible but I think your actions prove you feel true remorse for your choice.”
“You mean by trying to kill myself.”
She nodded.
“I still don’t see how this helps you,” Jae said. “I won’t use what I’ve become to hurt anyone else.” Even as he spoke this, he knew that transforming into the beast was inevitable. He could not control it for long.
“You misunderstand me. What I need from you is information, not your services.”
“What kind of information?”
“Information to help me end Juliska Blackwell’s reign of terror.”
Jae’s first concern was for his family. He had no idea what was happening on the island but he had no reason to trust Amelia.
“So let’s just say that somehow you take Juliska out of power, what then? What happens to everyone?”
Amelia stared for a moment. Clearly she had hoped this would go much easier.
“They know the truth,” she began. “They will be free.”
“Free like me?” he asked, disliking her vague answer.
“You are not my prisoner, Jae. But you must understand that with your condition, I cannot allow you to wander.”
“So you take Juliska out of power and everyone just goes about their lives. Do they stay on the island? Do they come here? What if they don’t want you as their leader? I’m assuming that’s your plan, to be Banon...”
Amelia sat back and huffed, her friendly demeanor quickly dissolving into impatience.
Jae continued. “What I think, is that I am a prisoner here. And I’ve just been demoted from Juliska’s puppet to your puppet. Except I’ve decided I’m cutting the strings. I’m not playing by anyone else’s rules anymore. You should have just let me die. And frankly, what’s to stop me from transforming and just flying away from here?”
Amelia laughed, standing from her chair. She looked down at him, shaking her head.
“Clearly I misjudged your intelligence. You do realize that if you transform, Juliska will know you’re still alive, don’t you? You are bonded to her until your death... I thought you knew that, seeing as you threw yourself over that cliff.”
Jae didn’t respond.
“What exactly do you think will happen if she finds out you’re still alive? Do you think she’ll just kill you? End it all on your behalf? Put you out of your pathetic misery?”
Jae still did not respond. When he had thrown himself off the cliff, it had been to end his misery and to pay for what he’d allowed himself to become. He did not know, had never been told about, the bond.
He knew what he had become was for life, but not that Juliska would know if he transformed. How stupid could he be? Of course this would be true. Of course Juliska would create a bond. He really was a prisoner here. If he transformed she would know he was still alive and he would be forced back into her service. It was only a matter of time until this would happen. He could already feel the anger surging inside him, screaming with the urge to transform.
Even with all this looming over him, he could not give in to Amelia. He would not put his family or friends in any more danger than they were already in. He didn’t trust this woman, any more than he did Juliska Blackwell. Were all leaders this corrupt? Was there anyone that wasn’t taken in by the need for more power? He folded his arms in defiance.
Amelia understood his silent message and turned to leave. Before she did so though, she stopped and turned to him, her voice overly pleasant as she spoke.
“Just one last thought to leave you with. If you could break the bond that Juliska has over you, would you? You can never take away the monster inside of you, but if you could control it, yourself, would you choose to?”
Jae knew he had instantly given himself away. Was it possible to break the bond? He looked down, hiding his face with his dangly hair.
“Just so you know, the bond is breakable, Jae Mochrie. You help me, I help you. Just think about it.”
CHAPTER 7
Meghan watched in terror as her friends disappeared from view leaving her alone with Colby. He let go of her and sank to his knees, holding his head like it hurt. His thoughts invaded hers and she struggled to focus, or even open her eyes. She reached out and grabbed onto him, fearing she would lose her balance and fall off the small piece of earth remaining under their feet.
“Colby, you have to get a grip!” She tried pushing his thoughts out of her mind to focus on her own. Colby sensed what she was doing and shifted focus off his own thoughts, latching instead, onto hers. It was like a motor roaring to life and with a whirl of chaotic movement they were no longer standing on the small mound of earth surrounded by a deep pit of nothingness, but in a familiar location she never thought she’d return to: Grimble.
The ghost town where she and Colin had met their Uncle Eddy, a ghost who had waited in the afterlife to tutor them just as they started living in the magical world of the Svoda. Except she was watching herself, and Ivan. What is this? A memory? It couldn’t be real, they’d already lived this moment.
Colby blinked a few times, getting his bearings and catching his breath. The rumble of thoughts was gone.
“What is this?” asked Colby, at first confused. “Wait, I remember this.”
“What did you do?” she demanded angrily. “How are we here?”
“I- I think I latched on to one of your memories and now we are, I don’t know, stuck in it.”
“Perfect,” she mumbled. “Like I needed to relive this.”
“It was the first time we met,” Colby reminded her.
“Again, like I need to relive it.”
“This was one of the first jobs my father sent me on.”
“One in which you killed Ivan, and tried to kill me. Or do I need to remind you of that fact?”
Colby looked at her. “Knowing what I know now, I guess I’m sorry about that last part.”
“Knowing what you know now? You guess you’re sorry!” she repeated. “What? Now that you know me you wouldn’t have tried to kill me?”
He did not reply, but watched as the memory unfolded. Nona, Meghan’s loyal Catawitch, was running straight past them in a hurry to get somewhere.
“I didn’t know it, but Nona was racing to get help,” Meghan explained impatiently. “I thought for a minute she had abandoned me.”
“Ha! Like that could happen.”
“I know that now,” she retorted. “She was actually racing to free someone, someone that helped me. Saved my life.”
“You mean that boy that transformed from a bird... yeah, that actually caught me off guard. Didn’t expect that. Did you know it was bird boy that delivered the book to me, just moments before that happened?”
Meghan sighed. “I wasn’t totally sure, but I suspected as much, seeing as he admitted he had attacked my brother and stolen the book. I guess Nona let him out and he did the exchange and it looked like he left after.”
“Guess he decided to come back and save the day,” Colby mumbled bitterly.
“Hey, so, since we’re stuck here, what did he trade you for anyway?”
“I don’t think I can tell you that.”
Meghan rolled her eyes and watched herself and Ivan hiding in the dirty rag-filled bins near the ghost huts. She gasped when Nona came striding back into the woods, hopping around the other side of the hut. Seconds later, she saw Sebastien walk into the woods. Nona had released him from the cage Meghan had locked him inside of. He had flown alongside Nona and then transformed out of his bird form and was holding Colin’s stolen book, Magicante.
He used magic to form a cloak over his body. He was just a few feet away from her hiding spot in rag-filled bins and she had no idea. Without thinking, she started to follow him through the memory, toward the mud huts, and watched as he made the exchange. Colby followed her.
She ignored the parts of the memory she already knew and followed Sebastien back out of the huts, watching as he magicked away the cloak and opened the documents. He read the pages and with each line he read, his face became paler, his expression confused.
Taken (The Blood Spell, The Fugitives, and The Firemancer's Son) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 6) Page 5