Illuminated Embers

by Jasmine Flowerday

  "The red bush?" Savannah asked Eamon. He shrugged his shoulders and told the others they were leaving. He and the three teens started for the door as shouts erupted again behind them. Before they reached the garage, Lanie joined them, sending deadly glares towards Eamon.

  Chapter 12

  Thalia sat up front with her wand out as Harry drove them to the forest edge with a lot more caution than he used with the Shelby. Eamon, Lanie, Savannah, and Samuel felt the tension and anticipation build in the back of the limo. Once they reached the place where the Prius had failed them, everyone got out and gathered in a circle to firm up their plan.

  "We have almost a couple of hours before the sun goes down," said Eamon. "That will give Thalia, Harry, and me time to get to Rockland Marsh Reserve in Fairview."

  Samuel took out his phone and punched in the location before looking up at Eamon. "Fairview is close to sixty miles away! It says it would take eighty-one minutes to get there from here!"

  "The farther away we lead them, the less likely they will be to come back here," said Eamon. "Harry is going to follow the limo to leave his scent, and Thalia is going to conceal the limo. Samuel! Are you sure you would rather stay with Lanie and Savannah? You can always turn into something else and run with Harry," Eamon said to the boy. Samuel was looking a little less sure of himself.

  "No! I'm fine," Samuel said, stubbornly. "I need to show them where to go anyway. Besides, the stronger the Kite trail, the better this plan will work, right?" He was feeling a little weak in the knees and grabbed a bottle of water from the back of the limo. They were going to need all the hydration they could get.

  Eamon nodded. "The trick will be to find the limo without the Siphons actually seeing it."

  "I can conceal the scent coming from the limo, but as far as we know they will still be able to see it. You will have to stop making your residue away from the limo and still get to it without getting caught!" said Thalia. "It won't help us much if they watch you leave!" She turned on her heel and climbed into the passenger side of the car.

  Samuel changed into his Kite form and shocked Eamon with his magenta colored hair.

  "It doesn't look bad," Eamon said. "Not a color I thought you would have chosen, but you pull it off nicely."

  Samuel responded in grumble talk. When he was more comfortable in his Kite form, he would work on changing his hair color. But for now, he had more important things to focus on. Besides, Savannah had explained to him that Kites were proud of their hair and wore it proudly. They were the only race whose population's hair spanned the color spectrum. Maybe he would get used to it. He had to admit that the color suited him better than Savannah's green hue.

  Harry told Eamon the story of how his friend ended up with the unique hair color in the first place. Not bothering with the tree line this time, Harry stripped his clothes while talking.

  "Harry!" Savannah squealed, before covering her eyes.

  "I'm not going back in that forest until those soul-sucking parasites are out!" he responded, before changing into a wolf. He was wearing his spiked leather collar just in case he caught the attention of any persistent Animal Control employees.

  Glaring at the large wolf in front of her, she said, "You could have at least gone to the other side of the limo!"

  Harry gave her a wolfy grin, stuck his tongue out, and stretched his legs and back, preparing for the long run ahead.

  Eamon tightened his cloak and hat before embracing the three he was leaving behind. He felt the urge to talk with Lanie alone and pulled her aside. "Please be careful, and maintain your focus!" he said. He tucked a piece of her teal hair behind her ear as he looked into her silver eyes. He was falling for her. He could feel it! But he was unsure what her position was. He was sure that the last couple of days hadn't helped his case. It had torn through him when he thought she was dead before, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again. He had always loved her. She was pure goodness in this world, and it would be hard not to. But he had never considered her in a romantic light before, and it was unsettling now. His eyes lingered a little too long on her pretty face before she surprised him with a light kiss that left his lips tingly.

  Smiling, she pulled back and said, "I'm still mad at you, though."

  His cheeks pulled up into an involuntary grin. He promised himself that when this was over, he would take her on a proper date. Then, he slipped behind the wheel of the limo. "At least you are here to protect her this time," he said. Then he pulled away and headed down the road, with Harry trotting behind in a quickened pace. They would have to take back roads so they wouldn't lead the Siphons to a buffet lunch on the interstate.

  Lanie watched as Savannah tried to teach Samuel how to manipulate wind energy. That was the one he would need to use the most during their venture, and he would have to keep it up for awhile. She knew that she and her daughter would be able to handle it. They would be a little extra tired by the end, but Samuel was relying completely on his cell memory to help him come through. This was experimental at best. Lanie knew it was possible because Kane had tried it out a couple of times, but he never tested his limits on it. And his life had never depended on it!

  Samuel knew that the more he and Savannah practiced with his power, the stronger the Siphons would be drawn to this spot. They were laying the trap. As long as he was able to vastly improve before the Siphons woke up and found the magical purple haze that was being created, everything should be okay. They had decided to leave about twenty minutes before sunset. He knew that Savannah could tell by looking at the sky, but he had to use a sunset app on his phone. So far, he had managed to create a swirling wind powerful enough to lift about ten leaves. This was a lot harder than he had originally anticipated. He knew that Morphlings started changing in the womb. Now he was sure that Kites probably started manipulating energy at least from birth. Peering at Lanie, he found a whole new respect for her. She had to deal with both when it came to Savannah. He would be willing to bet his favorite Marvel comic book that their house was a mess of chaos during Savannah's toddler years.

  "It helps if you start by using your hands to grab the purple energy particles that you see," Lanie said, walking up behind him.

  Samuel swiped his arms through the air, and he could see them disperse around his movement. "How? They are everywhere! How do you all even see the rest of the world through this haze?"

  "You learn at a young age to look past it until you need it," Lanie explained. "Pretend you are gently gathering them together. Try a ball of wind first. I think that's the easiest." She showed him how she gently moved her hands to gather the particles into a ball. Soon those particles were glowing and swirling around extremely fast. "You are afraid of the power, but you can't be! These elements are your friends and very much a part of you when you take your Kite form."

  "Wait! How did you know that it was the power that scared me?" Samuel asked. He hadn't told anyone the key element that had halted his change in the park.

  "It scared Kane, too," she chuckled. "The energy will do what you want. As long as you want it to do good, that is what it will do. Once you realize that, you can manipulate it without even moving your hands."

  Savannah stepped back and let her mother take over teaching Samuel. She knew that Lanie had a lot more experience teaching someone how to be a Kite. Taking the opportunity, she stepped into the forest about twenty feet and listened. Still silent. She still got the sickening feeling of evil in her gut, but now she was certain what it was. Now, she was listening for the rustling of leaves or the intense screaming that came from her invisible foe. She knew that no matter what, Samuel would be safe, even if she and her mother had to use their own energy to carry him along. It would just be helpful if he could do it himself, even a little. Peering through the canopy, she gauged the sun's position and figured that they probably had at least an hour before they would need to leave.

  Samuel tried to let go of his fears. It was what would put him in danger after all, and knowing t
hat made it more difficult. What Lanie had told him did help, and he was able to create a small swirling ball of air after that. But now he was trying to blow Lanie's hair back with a gust of wind. The only wind that was moving her hair was the natural flow. He could see the particles moving on their own. It was trippy and beautiful at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he could see the air move towards and away from him with his breathing. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he tried to focus on moving her teal hair again. This time, he tried to will and push the particles that were directly in front of him towards her and created a short burst of wind. It worked!

  "What did you eat?" Lanie asked him, smelling fish in the air. She knew they were too far from the creek to be smelling it all the way out here.

  "We had fish sticks for lunch," smiled Samuel. "It worked! Now when do I get to fly?"

  "I don't know if you'll get there today, but you are making excellent progress!" she said. "For now, you need to focus on using Kite speed to run. The air will be doing most of the work, you just have to manipulate it to help you."

  "How do I do that?" he asked confused.

  "By making it move out of your way and willing it to push you along," Savannah said, rejoining them. The purple haze was getting darker and darker as they worked. He was making progress, but he was already looking a little tired. He was thinking too hard about what he needed to do. She needed to get him to forget and go with Kite instincts, just like he taught her when she became an eagle for the first time. "Why don't you take a break, and let's go for a run," she suggested.

  "A run?" he asked. "Now?"

  "Yup! Race me to that water tower and back," she said, pointing about two miles away. It was positioned on the edge of the forest and was roughly the same direction that they would be leading the Siphons later, so they wouldn't have to worry about having them go off course. Taking her stance, she shouted, "Ready? Set? GO!" and took off, leaving Samuel scrambling behind her trying to catch up. She didn't start out using Kite speed until he caught up with her, then she used the wind to gently push her forward a bit taking longer strides. Waiting until he caught up with her again, she looked over her shoulder and saw him beaming at her, leaving a small trail of the purple haze behind him. Slowly, she increased her speed, and he would compensate until they were toe to toe. She loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair, making it fly behind her. Weaving through the tree line, he followed her until he boosted his own speed, and she was following him. The faster they went, the darker the trail. His laugh floated on the wind, and she could tell that he was having as much fun as she was. It had been so long since either of them had been able to let loose. Pushing herself faster than she had in years, she whooshed past him and grabbed the blue painted steel support leg of the water tower. She flung her body up, landing on one of the cross beams, and smiled down at him as he slowed to a stop below her. "I win!" she shouted.

  "Nice trick!" he shouted up to her.

  "Ready to go back?" she asked.

  "Yeah! I feel great!" he said, grinning.

  She leaped off the water tower and gently touched her feet down next to him.

  "How am I not tired? That's the fastest I've ever gone in my life!" he said, incredulous.

  "Because the wind was doing all the work for you," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "This time I want you to use the wind to push you up and set you back down. We can start with small jumps, but then we will work into larger leaps."

  Following her lead, he noticed the mass cluster of particles behind and under her when she would jump, lifting her higher into the air. He willed the air to do the same for him and found that it came easier than when he had pushed himself to catch up with her during their run. By the time they were halfway back to Lanie, they were able to take one enormous leap to reach their destination. The feeling was exhilarating, and he was sure that with a little more practice, he would be flying. He knew the incredible feel of the wind beneath his wings, but he had never done it without wings before.

  "Wow! That was amazing!" he said, landing next to Savannah a little harder than he had intended. The effect was a bit jarring, but overall, he was okay. "How did you know that I would be able to use Kite speed?" he asked Savannah.

  "You're the one who told me to rely on the instincts from the cell memories," she replied.

  "Awesome!" He spent the remaining time playing with the purple particles, trying to fine-tune his ability the best he could. He made tornadoes in his hands and raised Savannah into the air. He had even figured out how to levitate. Part of him desperately wanted to try playing with the other colors that he could see -- green, blue, yellow, red. It was surprising that not all of the colors in the air were purple. There were so many different kinds of energy floating in the wind. He knew that there would be water in the air, but it didn't dawn on him that other things would be there, too. He tried to take Lanie's advice and look past it by focusing under the haze, but it continued to look like one of his dad's old VHS movies being played, hazy and grainy over everything. He now understood why Savannah had freaked out when she became an eagle for the first time. He had just finished a rather high levitation when the sunset app went off on his phone. Samuel lost his concentration and began to drop before he felt someone else catch him with the wind and set him down.

  "We gotta go!" Savannah said, helping him up into a standing position. She slung the bag she brought that carried bottled water and snacks for their wait and told Samuel to lead the way. Lanie's job was to fly above them and let them know if she saw any movement headed their way.

  Checking his phone, he tried to memorize the map, just in case the GPS wasn't able to keep up with them. Then he took off running. He no longer felt exhilarated. He felt fear coursing through him, as the wails of pained souls pierced the night air behind them. They had sixty miles of this, he realized. Sixty miles of souls begging to be released from their prison. What had he been thinking? Why was he always willing to put himself in danger when Savannah was around? Wanting to be as far away from them as possible, he pushed himself faster and harder. Checking his phone every once in awhile for their location, he checked off the miles in his head -- fifty-eight, fifty-seven, fifty-six. He couldn't believe how fast they were going. At this rate, it would only take them twenty minutes, if that.

  Savannah hated that she couldn't see the monsters. She heard them behind her, but not seeing them put a chill in her bones that she couldn't seem to shake. Impressed by how fast Samuel was pushing himself, she kept pace and didn't have to use any of her energy on him. They tried not to take too many main roads, but sometimes it was unavoidable. They had to dodge in between cars and jump over some. She was pretty sure that she heard a couple of thunks behind them and wondered if some of the Siphons had gotten hit. She knew that it wouldn't stop them, but slowing them down wouldn't be a bad thing. She heard her mother yelling something and noticed that she was flying towards them. Focusing on her mother and Samuel, she almost didn't see the giant blood-red bush in the front of someone's yard.

  Two Siphons appeared in front of Savannah and Samuel, their arms outstretched and ready to grab them. Lanie landed in between the teens and the monsters. She was engulfed in flames and trying to set them on fire, but the creatures ruined her concentration by digging their talons into her sides. Hearing more gaining on them, Savannah used her energy to rip her mother away from them, pink blood seeping out of the holes that were now in the sides of Lanie's tank top. Savannah pushed her mother and Samuel forward as far as she could, before jumping up and flying backward behind the two Siphons. "You have to take her with you!" she yelled at Samuel. "Use more wind particles to lift her up and float her next to you!"

  Scared, Samuel yelled, "What about you?"

  "I'll catch up! Keep going!"

  Using as much purple haze as he could, he willed the particles to pick up the unconscious Kite and float her next to him as he continued the trek. Checking his phone, he continued the countdown -- nineteen, eighteen, se
venteen. "We're almost there Lanie, just hang on," he said to the teal-haired woman, more for his own sake. Glancing back at Savannah, he saw that she hadn't fallen too far behind, but she was still flying backward.

  Listening for the screams of the pained souls, Savannah focused on the two Siphons. There were two voices that called out above all the rest. Vibrating the energy like she had done before, she saw them start to fold in on themselves. They were slowing down as she was backing onto a dirt road. There were freshly sown crops on either side of her, their leaves shining in the moonlight. She could hear the other Siphons making headway as she slowed down to finish off the two in front of her. Then came the fire! The crops and fencing around them burst into flame, and thousands of golden whisps floated away in the breeze.

  Savannah turned in midair, feeling exhaustion and fear take over. She pushed her limits and wrapped Samuel and her mother up using her energy and flew them by her side. She was moving the three of them faster than she had ever gone before. She knew that her eyes must be blazing purple, and the streak she was leaving behind probably looked more like a thick spray paint, but that was the point of this venture. Hearing the wailing fall behind, she continued to push herself, though she was able to breathe a little easier.

  It wasn't long before they could see the forest marshland ahead. Savannah put her mother and Samuel down in a clearing before doing a quick wide circle to locate the limo. At first, she panicked before she remembering that the car was black. Morphing her eyes into cat eyes, she found it with ease. It was about a quarter of a mile south of where she had left her mother and Samuel. Making her way back to the clearing, she used various forms of energy. She pulled roots out and wound them together, brought a thick rain from the clouds, and stuck her hands in the ground to grow some weeds and flowers.