“And how am I supposed to know this answer?” Colby retorted.
“The other day, I heard you say a name, a name I recognized. Jurekai Fazendiin. Why do you know that name? Do you know anything about him?”
Colby did not answer right away. When he did, his voice was not so kind. “Why do you want to know this?”
The way he spoke, Meghan knew that Colby did know something.
“Please, Colby, can you tell me what you know about this... man?” She wasn't sure man was the right word to use.
“I should have guessed talking back to you would be a mistake,” accused Colby, at the same time, severing the connection between their minds.
Meghan let out an aggravated sound that grabbed Bird's attention. He chirped for a moment, to which Meghan replied tiredly, “Yeah, yeah, whatever, all in good time, now is not the right time… blah blah blah.”
Suddenly the smell of something burning filled her nostrils. Puffs of smoke floated up over her body. She jumped up, shouting, “Oh, perfect!”
Nona rolled up the bed sheets easily extinguishing the flames that were catching.
“Singeing the sheets again. Just what I need,” Meghan chided herself.
“It’s okay,” insisted Nona. “It’s not like they can hurt either of us.”
“I know. I know. I just cannot go back to losing control like this. Not again. Not now.”
Meghan heard a strange sound in her mind. “Are you laughing at me?” she shouted back. Apparently, Colby was still listening, just not replying, and had let his guard down, laughing heartily at her.
“Not funny!” she spat out grumpily.
Bird threw her a questioning look, which she ignored.
“Humpf!” she rattled, sliding down next to her bed on the floor.
She folded her arms defiantly. This was going to be a long night.
CHAPTER 44
Colby sat at a table, eating a dinner of chicken stew.
“What a dumb girl,” he laughed in between bites, enjoying the distraction she was currently providing. It seemed the worst her temper was, the clumsier she got, which for some reason he found funny. Colby could not remember the last time he had laughed.
“Your father isn’t one for humor,” his catawitch, Elisha, purred from a seat nearby.
“No. Definitely not. But he doesn’t have time for humor. He has a world to take over,” he boasted. Elisha purred wickedly in approval.
“Why do you think the girl wanted to know about my father?” he asked, after another bite of stew.
“Search her thoughts,” purred Elisha, equally eager to know.
“Can I do that?” Colby asked. “Force my way into her mind without her knowing?”
“Why not,” egged Elisha. “She tries to get into your head all the time.”
“Yeah, and I’m not keen on that,” he reminded her.
“Fine. Then sit here and keep wondering. Not like we’ve got anything else to do.”
“Yeah, this sitting around and waiting is driving me crazy. I might as well be bored and in school!”
“It’s not that bad,” exclaimed Elisha. She hated school as much, if not more so than Colby.
Colby let down his guard, allowing the girl’s thoughts into his mind again. Meghan caught onto his thoughts about school. “Sounds like you love school just as much as I do,” she told him haughtily.
Colby frowned. He really needed to find a permanent block to keep this girl from his mind, no matter that now and then she was good for a laugh. Before Colby replied, or asked why she wanted to know about his father, he slipped the block back in place; there was a hefty knock at his door. He did not want her to overhear any of his business conversations. He put down his spoon before saying, “You may enter.”
It was KarNavan, leader of the Stripers… the treasure hunters.
“Any news?” asked Colby in complete seriousness.
“None. We still wait, Young Master.”
“We could be waiting for months at this rate!” shouted Colby impatiently, standing up from the table.
“We have no choice. The Projector must out himself by using magic in public before we can track him. Once he does, Young Sir, I guarantee, we can be there in mere moments.”
Colby frowned again. And KarNavan knew why.
“My apologies, Master Colby. I did not mean…” he was cut off.
“I’m getting tired of your apologies, KarNavan. I’m only working alongside you because my father asked it of me. Do not call me young again or I will find a way to sever this trust he seems to have in you.”
KarNavan stepped back, throwing up his hands in feigned surrender. “There is no need. It will not happen again. I will report again tomorrow unless anything new develops.” He turned to leave, the look of malevolence on his face. Spiny brat his inner voice screamed.
Once out of the room he shut the door, body dissolving and blending into the background of the crumbling quartz wall he was marching past.
They were holed up atop a hill in an abandoned fort, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. All that remained of the fort were a few crumbling walls, the remnants of an old building and a bunker, in which Colby remained at all times while waiting to track the adult Projector.
KarNavan sauntered to the edge of the fort, where his second in command awaited him.
“What of the boy?” Ardon asked, her voice impatient.
“We bide our time,” KarNavan decided. “Let us speak no more of it now.”
She nodded and returned to her meal.
This had better pay off KarNavan thought to himself. He looked around at the anxious hunters hiding in the encampment. Going up against a Projector surely meant lives lost. Plus, he trusted Fazendiin to honor their arrangement about as much as he trusted any arrangement he had ever made.
CHAPTER 45
Colin pricked his finger with a needle. “Ouch. Stupid needle!”
Catrina cleared her throat from just a few feet away. He looked, instantly calming himself upon seeing her face. She emanated patience and compassion.
“You're nearly finished,” she pointed out.
“Who had any idea that making a book by hand would be so difficult,” he said, putting his attention back to the pages he was sewing together.
“It’s not worth doing unless it’s worth keeping,” Jasper said from behind him, appearing on the deck from below.
Colin decided his cramped fingers needed a break and he set the pages down for a moment to stretch.
Jasper glanced down and noticed a smudge of blood on the outside page. “It’s also worth noting that a little blood doesn't hurt either,” he winked and took a seat at the table where they ate their meals. Jasper always cooked, by hand, from scratch, using things he had picked from the garden growing all over the deck of his boat.
“So, we are really in the Bayou?” said Colin, leaning up against a moss-covered wall near the middle of the deck.
“You were expecting something more exotic?” Jasper hinted.
“I guess. I guess I didn't expect I was so much closer to home than I thought.” He could not help think of popping up in Cobbscott, Maine, and seeing if his Uncle Arnon was there, or even still alive. But that was not an option. He could not get past Jasper’s protection cloak, even if he really wanted to.
“To my credit, although we are floating through the Bayou, the boat just magically shifts between inlets. Frankly, I think the boat’s bored, as I do believe we have been floating repeatedly down the same river for days now.” He spoke in a manner which claimed the boat was its own entity, making its own choices of where to float.
“I hadn't noticed,” Colin said, taking a glance toward shore.
“We have passed by that same deserted houseboat four times that I've seen,” spoke Catrina, pointing over the edge of the boat.
“Do we pass by any houseboats with people living in them?” asked Colin.
“I'm sure we do,” Jasper answered. “But they won't see a thing. They mi
ght perhaps feel an unexplained breeze pass by them, if they were close enough.”
“So the barrier that cloaks the boat keeps us hidden from the outside world completely?” Colin asked.
“Sure enough. We could stay on this boat for an eternity and no one would be any the wiser. This isn't the only place I live,” he reminded. “With all my long years, I would surely go mad.”
“How old are you?” asked Colin, hoping he wasn't offending Jasper by asking.
“I really don't know. I lost count after four hundred or so.”
Colin's jaw dropped.
Jasper looked into Colin's eyes, whispering, “Your future, too.”
If Colin's jaw could have fallen any lower, it would have. He slammed his mouth shut after a moment, befuddled. “I won't age?”
“Yes, you will. Let’s just say it’s like every year for a normal human would be more like a day to you, age wise.”
Colin gasped. His eyes grazed Catrina.
“Don't worry, you can stop others from aging too, if you so chose.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” repeated Jasper. “But, keep in mind, as easily as you can prolong a life, you can just as mercilessly take a life.”
Colin felt lost. Stretched between the world that was, and the world that would be. He really had no idea what lay ahead for him, or Catrina. But he would not lose her, no matter what. Even if it meant staying on this prison of a boat his entire long life... he would not lose her.
The thought was equally relieving and terrifying. A relief, because he and Catrina were safe, for now, but terrifying in that it made him feel like they were prisoners.
“It’s nothing personal,” Jasper explained, understanding some of the emotions flickering in Colin’s eyes. “But being the only living Projector, well, I gotta do my job. Make sure you are trained correctly. Having you here with me is the only safe way. I outed myself twice already. Once when I sold you that book, back at the Blue Moon Festival, and again when I rescued and brought you here.”
“What do you mean, outed?” asked Catrina.
“The magic Projectors produce is highly potent, and therefore, highly traceable. Once I leave the confines of any space I have cloaked, I am out in the open for all to find. For all to discover that I am still alive. Just my simple act of saving you has most likely triggered alarms to those that might be watching. Someone out there is bound to know I'm still alive.”
“So you risked your life, saving us?” asked Colin bleakly.
“Oh, not so much. They may have discovered I'm alive, but they'll never trace us here.” He held no concern in his voice so Colin and Catrina tried not to worry, but they both felt guilty for Jasper’s having to come out of hiding, but also grateful that he was willing.
“Jasper,” spoke Catrina hesitantly.
“Yes.”
“If you have been around for hundreds of years...” she stopped.
“Go ahead,” Jasper coaxed.
“It just got me to thinking, because I heard a song once that described a group of warriors that hunted down magical Stones, a group I know Projectors were a part of and seeing as you have been around for so many years...”
“You thought I might know more about them. And just say old, it’s what I am.”
Catrina laughed. She liked Jasper. Even though for all intents and purposes, he was kind of their prison guard.
Colin twisted his head between them, having no idea what they were speaking of.
“I do in fact know of this group, as it just so happens I was a founding member.”
“Really? Can you tell us more? I've always wanted to know more than the song told.”
“How about, you tell us first, what the song did tell you, and I will fill in the blanks.”
“Okay. Well,” she started, pausing to think. “The song spoke of a foolish man that did a foolish thing, and to make amends for that foolish thing he created a group of warriors that roamed the world searching out and destroying magical Stones. Stones that the foolish man had let loose upon the world, thrusting it into chaos as the Stones could suck magic from the living, leaving them defenseless, and magicless. Basically, it was talking about the war that changed the landscape of the world, completely. The war that almost wiped out magic.”
“Oh, wait. I have heard a little about this,” Colin remembered. “Jae mentioned it when I first met him.”
Catrina finished, “It also made claim that these Stones were how the Grosvenor were created, and that not all the Stones were recovered or destroyed.”
“Ah yes, I can see why people wanted you out of the picture,” Jasper said. “No offense, of course.”
Catrina just laughed. Colin had a hard time finding it funny but listened intently to what Jasper had to add.
“So here's the entire story. The man who started the group was Babiin Balick. And indeed, he was a fool, a fool who discovered a dangerous thing. A thing that nearly wiped out all magic. It started with one Stone recovered from the body of an ancient beast, now extinct, called the Mazuruk. Similar to the modern day cow.” Jasper stood now, pacing in circles as he spoke.
“Babiin discovered, by accident, that this Stone had the ability to suck magic from other living things. He tried to sell the Stone to the highest bidder and this is when the original world war began. A war you will not read about in any history books. Sadly, not even in the magical world. As you can imagine, when the secret got out and everyone knew what these Stones could do, and how to get them, this kicked off a mass slaughtering of all Mazuruk. Village stood up against village, neighbor against neighbor. It was a regular free for all, and whoever possessed the most Stones had the most power... and… kept their magic.” He paused before continuing, taking an excited breath.
“If this was not bad enough already, a clan of Vampyre, known as Vetala, got their hands on the Stones. They were once called the Shogharnes, a vicious clan if ever there was one.”
“Vampyre?” said Colin. “Like the Grosvenor once were? Someone told me they were energy suckers, could suck the life out of any living thing.”
Jasper nodded but did not expand on the subject, continuing with the story.
“The Shogharnes raged across the land, devouring village after village, collecting the Stones, stealing magic, collecting power, vowing not to stop until they had collected every last stone, and controlled every last bit of magic. This is where I come into the story,” noted Jasper.
“I was a young lad then, just thirty-four,” he joked, “when this Babiin Balick sought me out to join him. He explained he was responsible for what was happening and that he wanted to be the one to end it. But he could not do it alone. Having nothing else to do at the time, and not being particularly fond of the Shogharnes, I agreed to help him.”
Jasper took a sip of coffee before continuing.
“There were hundreds of us to start. All brave men and women, hoping to defeat this new and powerful enemy of the Shogharnes. Inch by inch we raided and overcame, collecting back these dangerous Stones, at the same time, using them to our advantage against our enemies. It took many years and we lost nearly every warrior before it was over... I say over, it’s never really been over. More like on a long delay.”
“So the Grosvenor have just been biding their time to do what? Finish this battle they started all those hundreds of years ago?” asked Colin.
“More or less. As to why they have waited so long, I cannot say. But, we did put a little crimp in their original plans,” Jasper added with a satisfied sort of grin.
“Do tell,” said Catrina.
“The Shogharnes had been collecting thousands of Stones. Their plan: to merge them all together and create one stone, large enough to hold enough power to make themselves not only all-powerful but also immortal. For you see, they discovered that the Stones not only sucked and stored power, making the bearer stronger, but they as Vetala, could suck the energy from those Stones into themselves.”
“That's how they
became the Grosvenor,” confirmed Catrina.
Jasper nodded. “Yes. They used the Stones to make themselves immortal. They didn't all make it though...”
“The crimp you put in their plans,” assumed Colin.
“We waged our final battle, using every bit of magic we had collected in the previous years’ battles. Only nine of the Shogharne clan remained when it was finished,” he spoke, with no regret.
“So there's nine Grosvenor?” Colin asked, aghast at what Jasper was telling him.
“As far as I know, they are all yet alive. I suppose waiting for the right moment to come out of hiding. Personally, I think the Grosvenor may have realized some folly, some downfall, or it’s also possible they’re just simply cowards who fear to lose their power. Losing their power is definitely their worst fear.” He took a deep breath, adding, “The real crimp is that we stole the Power Stone. Now known as the Immortality Stone. Sadly, we could not destroy it. It was too powerful. Nevertheless, it is hidden, very well. They'll never find it.”
“What happened to all the rest of the Stones?” asked Catrina.
“Destroyed! I'm happy to say. It took years for us to discover a way to destroy them. Alone, the Stones were not strong enough to withstand destruction. And we knew we had to do it. It was that or face another war because of them. Now, that said, I cannot honestly say that all Stones were destroyed. I would bet my long, long life that there are yet Stones out there, and someone is just biding their time to use them.”
“How did you destroy the Stones?” asked Colin curiously.
Jasper chuckled. “A rather simple thing. So simple, it took us years to try it. Fire,” he explained. “The fire purified the stone, draining it of its power.”
“Huh,” was all Colin could say. It was a fascinating story, and yet frightening because it was all true, never mind still ongoing.
“How about lunch?” said Jasper, as if nothing important had been discussed. Colin assumed Jasper was bored with the story, probably having retold it many times over his four hundred and whatever years he had been alive.
Catrina offered to help set the table and hopped up off the deck floor. Jasper disappeared below deck.
The Map, The Dagger, and The Vampyres (Fated Chronicles Book 2) Page 40