Firemancer Collection (Fated Saga Box Set Book 1) (33 page)

“You may leave. Send in the next student,” she spoke harshly. Upon leaving, Colin sent Meghan a thought.

“I’m on my way out, you’re next, okay.”

“About time! You were in there longer than anyone,” she replied, her inner voice quivering.

“I was!” he exclaimed, not realizing.

“Thirty minutes, Colin! I’ve been going crazy, and if it took you that long, I’m doomed.”

“Don’t think that way,” he pleaded as he passed her. “Remember to reach out and feel the energy flowing around you, and then focus it on the task.”

Meghan did not answer, and Colin could sense an impromptu desire for her to plug her nose.

“Musty Mothballs?” he sent her. “The examiner is Tanzea Chase, from the Viancourt.”

“Name,” croaked Tanzea, again not looking up from her papers.

“Meghan Jacoby,” she answered, as calmly as possible.

Tanzea looked up. “Ah, yes, I have notes here, let’s see. Where are those?”

Meghan, if possible, grew more anxious, thinking,
What notes? Did Colin have notes?

“Here we go, that’s right, the Firemancer,” Tanzea smiled with smug approval. “You may not be aware, Ms. Jacoby, but most seers do not thrive at hands on magic. I have been instructed to test you, but that you have already passed. Unusual, yes, but it has been decided that your studies will be aimed toward that of your talent. You will be informed of your course direction at a future, yet to be determined date.”

Was it possible to have such great luck? Meghan had not known that being a Firemancer meant she would not be as good at normal magic. “What a relief,” she whispered, and then wondered,
Was it Juliska
?

“Your exam today,” interrupted Tanzea, “will consist of moving this pile of pillows to the square.” She pointed to a pile of pillows half the size of the other students, and to a square only two feet away. Meghan, feeling little pressure now, was able to get the pillows off the ground, only a few inches, but off the ground, and moved them into the square where they plunked down with a soft thud. She grinned, satisfied.

“Okay, you’re finished, send in the next student.”

Meghan nodded and hastily exited the school.

“That was fast,” said both Jae and Colin, who had waited for her outside the school.

“I did it though, moved the pillows up in the air and two feet into the square.”

“Two feet, two
whole
feet,” mocked a voice from behind.

Colin and Jae wanted to question her about this, too, but it would have to wait. Darcy Scraggs emerged from the school.

“What. An. Accomplishment! Look everyone, Little Miss Two Feet.”

“Ignore her,” insisted Jae, motioning for the twins to follow him out of the schoolyard. Taunts of  “Little Miss Two Feet,” echoed as they departed.

“Did they really only ask you to move it two feet?” asked Jae, after they had left the school grounds.

“Yes,” said Meghan, horrified to realize how easy her test had been. “Plus there’s more,” she admitted, afraid to continue.

“I should hope so!” said Colin angrily. “I had to move the pile around the room, hold it in the air for an entire minute, and then she asked me to write the Svoda goals on the dang chalk board, without using my hands.”

“You did all that?” questioned Jae.

“Yes, I think she was trying to tire me out.”

“But, you weren’t tired at all when you came out,” exclaimed Jae.

“No, I wasn’t.”

“How do you do that? It would be incredibly draining to think of the answer and write on the board at the same time.” Jae spoke with a twinge of jealousy.

Meghan felt humiliated. She had hardly done anything at all. Plus, she knew she had already passed.

“So what exactly happened?” breathed out Colin in a frustrated tone.

“The teacher said she had been instructed to pass me and that since I was a Firemancer, I needed to have my studies arranged as such, and that I couldn’t be expected to have the magical
prowess
of others.”

“That makes sense, I guess,” said Colin, still a little confused. “It at least explains why you’re not making any progress.” It came out harsher than he’d meant it to, but Meghan ignored it.

“Well, it’s over. For us, anyway,” said Jae, sounding exhausted. “Mireya still has one more day.”

“So even though she knows she’s failed, she keeps going?” asked Colin.

“Practice,” was all Jae answered.

The twins sent another leaf that evening to Uncle Eddy, telling him the tests were over. The rest of the week went by much faster and at the end, when all exams were finished, pass or fail, it was as if the entire village of Bedgewood Harbor let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Chapter Four

It was Halloween, which meant that Thanksgiving and Christmas were not far behind. To the twins, this meant they did not have much time left with Uncle Eddy. However, with exams finished, they hoped to spend more time in Grimble. The perfect place to spend all hallows eve; the ghosts went all out to celebrate their favorite night of the year. It seemed that nearly all Svoda came out of the wagons to celebrate in Grimble, too. The twins hoped to see their uncle, or Timothy, but neither ever appeared.

“I can’t believe your father missed this,” hiccuped Sheila Mochrie, slightly lit on brandy. “It’s so nice to have a little fun.”

The twins and Jae agreed.

“Why couldn’t your dad come, Jae?” asked Colin.

“Behind at work I guess. Ivan’s not here either.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” huffed Meghan. “He doesn’t remind me of the type to appreciate fun.” The three laughed, listening to Sheila softly humming to herself. At the end of the night, as they neared the wagons, Sheila called out to a woman walking nearby.

“See you tomorrow at the SLC, Verna. I’m thinking pies this year.” The woman named Verna waved in agreement and disappeared around a corner.

“Pies for what?” asked Colin.

“For Thanksgiving. The SLC, it’s an initiated Svoda thing, totally boring. They get together to plan the holiday’s feasts each year.”

“Cool,” replied Colin, mostly thinking about eating pies.

“How could you possibly think of eating?” barked Meghan, her stomach sloshing with sugar.

“I didn’t eat that much,” replied Colin.

Having a sugar filled gut brought back memories of Sebastien; they would often pig out on junk food together. Meghan blocked her thoughts, trying not to think about Sebastien, but weakened. She recalled the kiss she had snuck on him the very night she and Colin had come to live with the Gypsies.

“I wonder what he’s doing right now,” she muttered to herself. “Most likely he’d be home. I’d probably be emailing him…” She missed him terribly.

“Personally,” she said, shaking off the pain, “I’m in no hurry for the holidays this year.”

“No, me either,” agreed Colin. Neither twin was thinking of food at that moment, only of moving on, and leaving Uncle Eddy behind.

Once again, harsh reality had dampened a moment of fun.

##

##

The days leading up to Thanksgiving were much more relaxed around the Mochrie house, and a festive atmosphere enveloped the entire village. The day before the holiday, the twins received a leaf from Uncle Eddy, asking them to visit.

“I didn’t realize the Svoda would celebrate Thanksgiving,” commented Meghan, as they stepped into Grimble.

“It’s a part of history that in your world is a little
changed
,” he said. “It had to be, in order to keep magic protected and secret. You’ll understand more tomorrow. It’s actually a big day for us.”

Timothy appeared. “Hi guys.” They chorused hello back.

Uncle Eddy decided that enough time had passed and it was safe to meet up at the old mill again. He was happy to see them and Jae, but still did not allow Colin to travel with the Magicante. Jae surprised the twins with ghost candy and they played with Timothy, high in the air. He laughed hysterically, unable to remember ever having so much fun.

“I wish this day would never end!” said Colin, catching his breath.

“I don’t suppose there’s a candy that can make this day repeat?” asked Meghan, agreeing.

“No, wouldn’t that be a nice one though,” thought Jae, grinning happily. The twins thought he looked happier than he had in months.

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” said Uncle Eddy casually, “but like it or not, the day is ending.” The twins were about to protest, when a bush outside the mill rustled; someone was out there and it was not a ghost this time.

“Show yourself!” demanded Jae, running out to investigate. The twins cautiously followed. They saw a hand letting go of a branch, hiding a face, and the trio jumped into the bush, attempting to catch the spy, but no one was there.

“Where could they have gone?” questioned Jae. No one answered. Uncle Eddy and Timothy searched from the air. They found nothing.

“When we first came out,” said Colin, “I swear there was a face in that bush.”

Their uncle had the same concerned look as Jae.

“I’m afraid too many eyes are upon us,” said Eddy. “Colin, keep that book safe.” Eddy turned to Jae. “I want to personally thank you for helping Meghan and Colin, Jae. I realize this must be a burden. I know your rules are strict.”

Jae shrugged, not appearing concerned. It was something the twins had forgotten, even though they had just taken exams reminding them of how strict the rules were. Could this be what was troubling Jae? Meghan felt confident this could not be the whole problem, not by the severity of her nightmare, but she would be sure to write it down.

Their uncle vanished, and Timothy, as usual, escorted them to the wagons. The three walked in silence, having had their perfect day, again, ruined.

Their brooding ended hastily as they found themselves being ambushed, again. It was the Three D’s, and in the same location as before.

“Trouble is not even close to what you three are in,” sneered Darcy Scraggs.

“Do you think it was them spying on us just now?” sent Meghan to Colin.

“I can’t picture them spying and not getting caught,” he shot back.

“Colin, this is the second time they have ambushed us in the same spot. I don’t want to give them credit any more than you do; however, they might at least be smart enough to spy without getting caught.”

“Touche,” he answered. “So how do we find out how much they know, then?”

“Still working on that,” she replied.

The twins and Jae stood back to back to back, watching the three girls circling them. Timothy fretted overhead. Jae looked sick. The twins could tell he was thinking that this time, they did know something. Colin was determined not to crash out of the picture again, and tried to calm his nerves.

“So Darcy, going to let Miss Hadrian do all the talking for you again? It’s always so much fun listening to her,” said Meghan.

Dulcy reeled with anger and started to open her mouth, but Darcy motioned for her to shut it.

“Why do you always need to make her more upset?” asked Colin.

“I’m trying to keep her sidetracked while we think of a way out of this, and hopefully not make things worse for Jae in the process.” Meghan kept her gaze on Darcy. “What is it now that you think we’ve done, Darcy? You claimed you knew something before. Far as I can tell, you’re full of crap.”

What followed next was not what any of trio expected.

An enormous blast of air swept Meghan off her feet; she flew backwards, her head barely missing a tree branch.

“Darcy! You’ve done magic against someone,” shouted a stunned Jae. “What is wrong with you?” Jae was expecting the Balaton to show up any second. Being caught off guard, she hit him next, leaving Colin standing on his own.

“I have every right to use magic on you three! You’re hiding something. I’ve had some very interesting conversations with a certain member of the Viancourt, and that certain member cast a spell, allowing me to do magic and not… get… caught,” she taunted. “I suggest you turn over what you’ve been hiding!” She aimed the demand at Colin, who was wide eyed with fear. “Oh, don’t worry. I know you don’t have it on you, but I expect you to deliver it to me by tomorrow! Then the authorities can deal with you, and you,” she spat at Jae, who assisted Meghan off the ground.

“Why are you doing this, Darcy? Do you hate my family that much?”

“It’s not a matter of hate, Jae. It’s a matter of survival. You and your family have gotten lazy. You’re becoming a hazard to the group.”

“So that’s it. You and a few select others think my family is holding you all back. How so, exactly?”

“You three know so little,” she sneered, shaking her head.“Dulcy, Daveena,” she ordered, snapping her fingers for them to follow her. They followed without further instruction. “Don’t forget! By tomorrow! Or you’ll all be… homeless,” she jeered malevolently.

Something snapped inside Colin. He faced the Three D’s backsides and raised his hand to strike. Jae realized instantly what he was about to do, and at the same moment Colin sent his spell, Jae shouted one to block it.

“Emissio,” yelled Colin.

“Obstructo.” Jae’s spell found Colin’s, blocking it from hitting its target.

“It’s not worth it, Colin,” rushed Jae. “If that spell hit one of them, we would be in serious trouble.”

“I’m sorry Jae, I couldn’t help myself.”

“If I coulda, and got away with it, I would’ve done it myself!” he said bitterly.

The three sat down on the ground and waited for the Three D’s to fully disappear. Timothy floated back down.

“Are you all right? Do you want me to fetch Uncle Eddy?”

“No, its fine, Timothy,” said Colin. “I don’t think we should worry Uncle Eddy about this.”

Timothy floated next to Colin’s ear.

“Is this another secret?”

Colin nodded yes.

Timothy swirled high into the air in delight of having a second secret. Jae examined the scene; Nona licked a small cut on Meghan’s arm, which went through her shirt. Colin hadn’t been knocked down, so he was fine, physically speaking, and Jae was a bit disheveled, but uninjured.

“I’m afraid I don’t have enough energy to heal your arm, Meghan. I feel drained here.”

Healing wasn’t something Colin was ready to try yet.

“We don’t look that bad,” said Colin. “We do need to come up with some kind of plan though,” he suggested.

“Any ideas?” Meghan asked Jae. She lifted her arm, wincing; her cut was about two inches long but not deep.

“I did have a thought,” said Jae. “It’s possible, not likely, but possible she’s just still angry over not being able to expose you.”

“Hm, revenge, sounds fun,” Meghan said sarcastically. Nona attached her body to Meghan’s arm and began licking her wound again.

“What I’m wondering, more than anything,” said Jae, “Is how a certain Viancourt member got hold of a spell that can hide doing magic against another person. I wasn’t aware anything like that existed.”

“Isn’t that one of the rules though?” asked Meghan. “Can’t you use magic against someone with permission from a Viancourt member?”

“True, yes,” said Jae. “But it would still be known. It wouldn’t be hidden. They’re allowing her to do it under the radar. No one knows it happened except for us and them.”

“That doesn’t bode well,” said Colin.

“And of all the people to give it to, why Darcy?” wondered Meghan.

“When we say
certain
Viancourt member, we are talking about Garner Sadorus, right?” asked Colin.

“That would be my guess,” muttered Meghan.

“If Garner wanted information, say for example, about two new strangers that Darcy would have easier access to…” suggested Jae. “Remember the day you first met Uncle Eddy, when you had the ghost candy, Colin?”

“The person on the roof,” he recalled.

“I can’t be sure of course, but this could have something to do with what you saw.”

“Lots of interesting questions we’ve got here, too bad we don’t have any answers,” droned Meghan.

They stepped through the wagon doors into Bedgewood Harbor; they stopped, glancing around, but things seemed normal. The three D’s were nowhere in sight. They walked towards home and just before arriving, Colin noticed something astonishing.

“Meghan, look,” he grabbed her arm from where Nona had finally just detached herself.

“It’s gone, the cut, it’s not there!” Meghan picked up the Catawitch, snuggling it to her face. “Nona, did you do this? You are by far, the coolest cat ever!”

They tried to forget about the horrible afternoon as they entered the Mochrie house; once in, it was not too difficult to do. Sheila and Mireya had spent the morning decorating the place in autumn colors. The smell of pies baking wafted invitingly from the kitchen. They decided there was not much they could do over the holiday about the Darcy situation; they’d have to let it play out. One thing they could say for certain: Colin was not turning over the Magicante today, tomorrow, or any other day!

The rest of the day managed to be quite pleasant, with Mrs. Mochrie serving up a most delicious pre-holiday feast, which Ivan missed, and Irving interrupted, with exciting news.

“I’ve been promoted!”

Everyone cheered and congratulated Irving on getting his management of the bank back. The twins hoped it wasn’t a sick joke by Garner Sadorus, to give Mr. Mochrie back his old job, only to strip it from him again once he had ousted his son, and the Jacoby’s.

##

##

Thanksgiving arrived and the Mochrie house was full, being that both Irving and Ivan were at home, rather than at work. The entire Svoda village was shut down, even the hospital; there were no patients.