Firemancer Collection (Fated Saga Box Set Book 1) (49 page)

“What’s wrong with her?” asked both Colin and Jae.

Meghan did not answer. She tried to get closer to Nona but found it impossible as her faithful Catawitch’s body began twitching strangely. It began with frantic stretching, and then evolved into hitting her head with her own feet, and then even more strangely, into a full on fight with herself. She scratched and meowed raucously, running in tight circles, climbing walls and in general, appearing to have suddenly gone quite crazy.

Colin, in attempts to help Meghan catch Nona, tried to grab the Catawitch, only for Nona to scratch him with her sharp claws.

“Nona!” yelled Meghan. “Please stop this!” She could sense that her loyal pet was in torment, but could not see or sense what was causing the problem.

Then, to the shock of the petrified trio, Nona’s meow turned into a clear, cat-like, girly voice.

They looked on, stunned, as Nona shook herself, and began licking one of her feet, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all. After a moment, Nona looked up at the stunned three.

“Sorry,” she purred. “I’ve been trying to get that out of me for days, now.”

“Nona …you are…talking,” muttered Meghan in relieved disbelief.

“Of course,” she said so only Meghan could hear. Nona added, aloud, “Sorry, Colin, about scratching you. Did not mean to do that,” her cattish voice explained. She hopped onto his lap and began licking his wound. Colin burst out in relieved laughter as Nona healed his arm.

Once finished, Nona turned to Jae.

“Would you allow me to heal you as well?”

Jae, not excited about a trip to the doctor, nodded yes, heartily.

“I guess I should’ve expected you to be able to talk,” breathed Meghan, shaking her head, “after all, the first Catawitch I encountered could.”

“Ugh. Let’s not talk about that Catawitch!” demanded Nona, sounding annoyed that she had not done more damage in their previous fight back in Grimble.

Meghan laughed, immediately understanding Nona’s thoughts.

After healing Jae’s wounds, Nona went immediately back to business and reminded Meghan they needed to go. Nona was anxious about their upcoming journey; Meghan could sense this. Nona wanted Meghan to get started with her training as quickly as Juliska did.

“I still can’t believe you’re talking,” Meghan whispered as Nona bounded out of the cave house and waited for her. Meghan picked up her suitcase, at the same time explaining to Jae what she was doing, asking him to pass the news along to his parents.

It was a strange goodbye, and although temporary in the twins’ minds, they both felt an unexpected appeasement at being out of each other’s lives for a time.

Meghan heard Nona call for her and she departed. After, Colin and Jae sat in the kitchen. Both were deep in thought and neither paid any attention to the other, when they heard a stone door creak open, startling them both.

An old, withered hand shot out of the door, holding a piece of paper.

“Corny,” whispered Colin, eagerly grabbing the sheet. The door abruptly slammed shut. “Thank you,” Colin said, unsure Corny could even hear him.

He examined the page. It made no sense, but Colin could not help but smile eagerly. He hoped whatever Corny was trying to tell him, the answer would come soon. This time, he was listening.

##

##

Amelia Cobb bent down to the ground, hovering over a puddle of newly fallen water.

“Speculo.”

She whispered the incantation, and there, in the puddle, appeared a murky and distorted face. She had to pass along the frightening news of the Projector to her informant.

“I am sorry to contact you so abruptly, but there is news. News that cannot wait!”

The informant, a male voice, spoke back.

“Has something gone wrong with the plan?”

“Not exactly. But the plans may have to change.”

The informant waited, breathlessly, checking his surroundings to be sure he was truly alone.

“Go on,” he said. “It’s safe to speak.”

“We have become aware of something that changes everything. A …Projector has emerged, not yet in full power, still a child.”

The murky face in the water stammered, speechless for an entire minute.

“I know,” continued Amelia. “This is a circumstance none of us expected.”

“What has been decided?” asked the informant, remembering that the tradition was to kill these children before they could reach full maturity and thus, come into full, unstoppable power.

“We cannot come to a unanimous decision. However, we needed to warn you. By this point, the Grosvenor and all in the magical world will have discovered this information. Eventually, this knowledge will come to those of you who travel, too! Everyone will know about this child. Everyone will be hunting the Projector… whether to kill or conquer.”

The informant acknowledged this.

“I will pass this information along to the rest. We will follow whatever decision you make, Amelia Cobb, rightful Banon to the Svoda Gypsies.”

Amelia’s comforting smile waved through the puddle rings. Her silhouette vanished, leaving the informant alone.

“How grave,” he muttered, “that a poor child is out there fated to die, because of a limitless magic that cannot be controlled.” He scurried to warn to his fellow informants.

##

##

Colin glanced at Meghan’s empty bed. This would take some getting used to. As much as he enjoyed the fact that he would have more time on his own, not having his sister around still made him uncomfortable. He wondered if he should be more worried about it. Would Juliska allow Meghan to return once her task with Ivan was completed?

Again, Colin decided he would wait until the task was over to worry about it. He needed to focus on finding Catrina; which led him to his next problem: he needed to use magic to find her.

He grabbed under his bed for Magicante. The pages glimmered as he turned them, searching for what he needed.

“Magicante,” he said to the book, waking it from its slumber.

It yawned its reply.

“Is there such a spell that can hide the fact that I am using magic? From everyone?”

The Magicante sighed in boredom.

“Such a silly question, Boy,” it replied snidely. “Is there such a thing? You already know the answer to that,” the voice trailed off and the pages flipped until reaching the exact spell Colin was looking for.

“Oh, right!” remembered Colin, thinking back to when Darcy Scraggs had used magic against them, back in Grimble, without the Balaton knowing. The book, sensing Colin’s memory of it, added more to the story.

“That snooty girl’s spell only worked for hiding magic from the Balaton. However, this is the spell to end all spells in regards to hiding the use of magic. You cast this spell correctly, Boy, and no one will ever know magic is being used.”

“Do I need to cast it just once?” asked Colin, noticing how short the spell was.

“You need to cast it before you perform any spell,” the book explained, his voice instructively excited. “For example,
Abdo
Emissio. Always add the word
Abdo
before any spell you perform, each time you perform it, and it will be hidden from all.”

“That. Is. Cool.” said Colin, eager to get started.

“Let me clarify, though, it does not hide magic completely. This spell keeps magic from being traced, by hiding the trail of expelled energy that magic leaves behind. If someone physically sees you doing magic on the other hand… well you can put the rest together.”

Just then, Jae walked in.

“Hoped I’d find you in here. Mom wanted me to tell you dinner’ll be ready soon.” He sat down on Colin’s bed, watching as he hid the Magicante. “Have you heard from Meghan yet?”

“Not since that first day. She sent me a leaf letting me know she’d gotten settled in, but would be busy studying. I’m sure she’s having her fill of fun, studying with Ivan,” laughed Colin.

Jae joined in.

After a minute, Colin noticed a new injury, this time on Jae’s hand.

“It’s nothing,” he insisted, after seeing Colin’s questioning gaze.

“Nothing? Looks like a nasty gash, Jae.”

“The doctor gave me some salve. It’ll heal in no time. I’ve just been kind of clumsy lately.”

Colin did not believe Jae’s explanation, and for a brief moment, wished Meghan was there. A sudden case of clumsiness just did not fit.

“We’d better go eat,” reminded Jae.

After dinner, Colin and Jae went outside of the caves and meandered down a path. Both were silent, each rooted within their own thoughts. It seemed like hours drifted by without a single word passing between them.

Colin got a fleeting urge to let Jae in on his secret. He was not sure why he felt such a desire, except for the fact that no one did know, not even his own sister. He’d told no one of Catrina. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how stupid it would be to go gallivanting off to find her without telling someone what he was doing. What if something happened?
It’s the smart thing to do, isn’t it?

“Jae,” he began tentatively, before he could lose his nerve. “Do you recall the girl that is sick, from the Flummer family?”

“Um, yeah, Balloch’s granddaughter, Catrina, right? I heard my dad mention her.”

Colin was not sure how to explain his dream girl situation without sounding nuts. He began with explaining his first encounter with Catrina, back in the Grimble hospital, and told Jae about his dreams, finishing with his encounter with Balloch’s ghost.

Jae perched himself on a nearby slick sided rock, listening without interruption. When Colin had finished he slid down the edge until his feet hit the ground. He stood up, looking puzzled.

“And you believe she is here, somewhere in the Eidolon’s Valley?”

Colin nodded yes.

“I don’t understand how you could have seen her in Grimble, though. She’s from another group. Are you positive it was her?”

Colin nodded yes again, hoping his instincts had been correct to confide in his friend.

“I don’t know how to explain it all, Jae. I just know I’m right. And I need to save her.”

“You could get into so much trouble, Colin,” Jae blurted unexpectedly. “I mean, we don’t know the whole story. Maybe there’s something important we’re missing. Maybe she’s really really sick, like can get everyone else sick or something... maybe you should just forget about it!”

This was not the response Colin expected. His heart filled with dread.Thus far, Jae had always agreed with the twins, if not actually perpetrating their previous troublemaking escapades. Before Colin could argue his side though, Jae’s attitude took an all too familiar turn.

“On the other hand, if she really is in trouble and no one knows, I suppose you’d have no choice, would you?”

Colin could practically see Jae’s mind churning through the information, struggling with what it all meant. He must have been thinking the same thoughts Colin had. How could she be in two different groups at the same time? It went against everything they had been told. Everything they believed true.

Out of nowhere, Billie Sadorus popped out from a nearby path, jogging by. “Gettin’ dark. You boys better be gettin’ home,” she reminded as the sped by. 

They hadn’t realized how late it had become. The duo raced back toward their cave dwelling, reaching the entrance just in time. Off to the side of the dwelling, standing not too far away in another doorway, was the Three D’s.

Colin and Jae were at least thankful that the oncoming darkness would keep them from adding insult to injury. As it was, Irving Mochrie glared and shook his head at Jae and Colin as they entered.

“Sorry, Dad,” Jae apologized rapidly. “We lost track of the time.”

“Time for bed,” was all Irving replied.

As Colin and Jae headed to bed, followed by Mireya, Sheila appeared.

“Oh, good, Colin, I believe these are for you.” She handed him a stack of papers.

“Papers from Corny,” he whispered.

Sheila looked amused as she handed them over.

As soon as Mireya was asleep, Jae snuck into Colin’s cubby and they studied the papers. They moved them around, trying to put them together so they made sense. After a few tries they still spelled nothing. They shortly gave up, leaning against the back wall. Neither was in the mood to sleep.

“If you decide to go searching for Catrina, Colin,” whispered Jae, “I think that you should go during the Feast of the Blest Arcane. No one would miss you for a day or two.”

“That’s true, huh. You said it would be a busy time. It really lasts an entire week?”

“Yes, and good busy, since unlike the retelling festival, it’s not just one big gathering. People have smaller parties and dinners to go to, so it’s an easier excuse if you’re not around. And I can handle mom and dad, I’ll tell them you were invited to dinner with someone else.”