Playing with Magic (Elemental Trilogy Book 2) (13 page)

“People around here have gone so medieval religious; she will never understand about us,” Rowan said in a whisper.

He nodded. “I can’t wait to leave,” River said.

****

But as much as everyone wanted to go home, two months had passed by. July came in hot and humid for the guys, and just hot for the others. Two long months, and Autumn missed her guys as she saw love bloom around her with Stefan and Shantaina, her brother and Crystal, Aarawn had three he could be seeing, and even Anatha and Davies, which she frowned at.

Autumn walked up behind Mabon as he bent over a pad of paper. She looked around him and saw the drawing of Crystal he worked on. He focused, and his hands gently shaded the right spots. She was entranced with his soft hand movements as they made curves, and the picture came to life.

“It is dead on,” she said, taking a seat beside him.

His face turned red, and he hid the picture. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s good. Did you want to be an artist before the virus?”

He stared at her. “What?”

“You know, what you wanted to be when you grew up.”

“Oh. I didn’t have that option. We are taught to control basic magic. Men are taught to hunt, fight, scout, and all the other basic stuff.” She must have looked like she didn’t understand. He smiled and took her hand. “I’m sorry. I forget you were raised with the normal people. Here, kids are brought up different. If you are magical, you take a bus to regular school. We were homeschooled. We never got to think of normal professions. You take over your family’s business.”

“What is our family’s business?”

“We are elements. We weren’t told exactly what we were. We have always been treated differently than the other kids. We were taught to handle blades, to use our magic as a weapon. And when we got old enough to excel at what they taught us, they were scared of us. Again, treated differently.”

“But after this, when we leave, would you like to do something in the arts?”

“What is out in that world for me?”

Autumn thought about the world before it fell apart. Where he would have had a chance out there. Now he had a hobby. It hurt thinking of it. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “I never had that dream. I just like it. It helps me to relax.”

“What helps you? And you can’t say sex.” He asked and laughed.

“Ha, reading. I love to sit and read a book.”

“When was the last time you read a book that wasn’t something on magic?”

“Too long.” She sighed.

“We are given this stupid magic to learn, and what? Do no harm or do no ill will. What use is it other than that?”

Autumn thought of it, and she looked at his drawing pad. An idea came to her. “Wait! Stay there.” She ran to the sunroom. She grabbed a box, after checking it was in there. In the kitchen, she filled a jar full of water and went back to Mabon.

“Bring your drawing pad out to the back with me.” He didn’t move. “Come on!” She said and went outside. She placed the box on the ground and opened it up, revealing the water colors inside. She placed the jar beside it.

“What are you doing?” He clutched his drawing pad to his chest.

“Not what am I going to do, but what you’re going to do. Give me a piece of paper.”

“No.” He shook his head, clutching the pad harder.

“Mabon, just give me the whole thing!”

He reluctantly handed it over to her. She flipped through pages and stopped on one of her. It was like looking in a mirror. But the drawing of her looked so sad.

“Do I look that sad?”

He nodded. “Sometimes sadder.”

She flipped to a blank page and tore it out, which brought a little squeak from her brother. She placed it on the ground. She got her fingers wet and dripped them on the dry water colors and dipped her fingers in. She looked at her color coded-fingers and rubbed them on the paper.

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Make something.”

“With what?”

“Your magic, dummy.”

“I can’t.”

“There is no can’t. I know death, magic, blah, blah. Mabon, I grow seeds. I create life. How evil is that? Yes, there is darkness to my power, but there is so much good. The same with you. Everything needs water to live. Maybe not Aarawn.” That made Mabon snort. “Use your magic to paint with the water.”

He focused and moved his hand. The water streaked with the paint. “It works.” He stood there stunned for a while. He focused on creating something on the paper as he stood above it.

She watched him for a while then went into the house to look in the library. She looked for a non-magic book and found a good mystery book. She went back out and sat down in the shade as her brother worked on his second page. She opened the book and started reading. It felt good. Normal. She missed being normal.  She was far from normal. But at home she was normal. She was certain that she would be leaving soon. To see her guys. She couldn’t wait.

Chapter 11

“River, I have someone I want you to meet,” Nancy said towards the back of the store. “Come here, please.” He and Rowan were stocking the shelves with some canned goods the scavengers had brought in that morning. They stopped and walked back to see what she had. She smiled at her son. “You’ll never believe who I have in the other room.”

“Who?” he asked reluctantly and turned nervous eyes to Rowan, who shrugged at him.

“You’ll have to find out for yourself.”

“Mama, I don’t like surprises much,” he said as she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the other room. She pushed closed the door behind him.

Dammit
, he thought, looking around the cluttered room.

“Hello?”

“River,” A familiar voice said.

“Yes?” he said, hesitant.

A tall curvy girl came out from behind some boxes. Her blond hair puffed around her head in the biggest rat’s nest he had ever seen. He had no idea who it was until she looked at him with her brown eyes. “Misty?”

She nodded, smiling at him. He saw she had a front tooth missing. “Your mama said you’d be coming back to us. I missed you, and now since we are together again, we can be together forever,” she said, her voice as distant as the look in her eyes. “All that stuff that happened is forgiven. Now, in this world, me and you can be a family and have babies. We will be so happy together.”

River screamed loudly, turning and pulling open the door. He ran out to Rowan. “We got to go, now!” He didn’t wait for Rowan and ran out of the store, pulling him out with him.

When they were a good distance away, River stopped and looked around. “What the hell was that about, River?” Rowan said. “Who was back there?”

“Misty was in the back room. She had matted blond hair and a front tooth missing. She started talking about how we’re going to live together, happily ever after,” he said, his eyes darting around.

Rowan burst into a fit of laugher. After he had laughed himself sober, he turned. “Man, I got to see this train wreck. I never understood why you attracted crazy like you did. Remember your wife?”

River caught his arm. “Ex-wife, because she was crazy, and trust me, it isn’t worth looking at. Plus, I don’t want to go back there until she’s gone. She sort of has that creepy vibe my mom has.”

Rowan’s face softened as he put his hand over River’s. “I thought that since we got here, and you’re just noticing?”

“No. I’ve sort of known something wasn’t right around here. Maybe we should go find the others, so we can think about going home. It’s time. I bet even Autumn should be home by now.”

“Maybe we should find out what’s going on in this creepy town.”

River wiped the sweat from his head with the back of his hand. “We’ll be like the Scooby gang.”

“Yeah, with you as Scooby,” Rowan joked.

“Yeah, and you can be Shaggy!”

****

“Where did Anatha go? We have training.” Pyrus said, looking around the room.

“With Davies,” Autumn and Mabon said at the same time.

Jinks!
They thought at each other.

Aarawn scowled at them.

“Don’t pout, you have like three girlfriends,” Shantaina said.

“But she isn’t your sister, so I can judge.”

“It’s not right,” Autumn said.

“I agree,” Stefan spoke up, “she has a guy back home. And before you say anything about him, I like him. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we have been through a lot in the past five years. We are family. And the fact she is bumping uglies with another guy, makes me somewhat mad.” A hush went over the house when he finished.

“Maybe she wants to stay here?” Aarawn finally said.

“Autumn, do you want to stay here?” Mabon asked.

She shook her head. “No. Like Stefan said. I have family back at home. I love them.”

“That means I will be going with Autumn when she leaves.” Mabon took his sister’s hand, and they smiled at each other. He pointed his finger at her, shooting a little water at her. She laughed, and with a little magic, she made a wreath of ivy on his head.

Aarawn shook his head. “You two are so weird.”

“There is something dark about this place,” Stefan said. “Everyone is living like nothing happened.”

“But we’ve always lived this way,” Shantaina said. “Ever since it was founded many years ago.”

He shook his head. “I don’t like it. But maybe Anatha might want to stay.”

“Stay where?” Anatha asked, walking into the house.

“Here, in town,” Aarawn replied.

“Why would I leave?”

Autumn took in her cousin’s appearance. Her eyes avoided Autumn.  Her skin was pink. It looked like a sunburn.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re red.”

Anatha looked at her arms, thinking of the few hours spent with Davies. Her skin turned redder as the memory of pleasure washed over her.

“You’re getting brighter,” Stefan said.

“I don’t think that’s normal,” Aarawn said.

“That is weird,” Shantaina said as curls of smoke started to rise from Anatha.

“Anatha, you’re smoking,” Autumn said.

She tried to push the magic back, but it wouldn’t cooperate with her. Her mind kept slipping to Davies and his wonderful mouth. A warm shiver went through her. Her body wanted more. He had pleased her so much, but the fire, the passion, it wanted more. Her hands caught fire.

“Whoa!” She said.

“Whoa?” Pyrus said. “No fire in the house, dear.”

“I can’t stop it.”

“What?” Autumn asked.

Anatha tried to force it down, but it wasn’t going anywhere. When Davies brought her to screaming, each time, her magic escaped. She singed his bed, and he laughed. He wanted her to let her magic go. And each time she did, the magic rode her as he did, and she loved it. She loved not being in control. The power, the pleasure, the want, the need. He fed her, and she was very hungry.

Aarawn got up from the couch.

“Don’t touch her,” Autumn said. “Mabon, douse her with water.”

“Not in the house!” Pyrus said as the fire spread up her arms.

Mabon put out his hand, and they felt his power touch her. Nothing happened. He shook his head and reached out.

“No!” Autumn shouted, but too late; Mabon grabbed Anatha’s arm.

“Ouch,” he said as he felt the fire, but it changed. Now it was his magic, cool and moist. It built up as he struggled to keep it down.

“Can you hear me?” Pyrus had gone to stand in front of them, watching them closely.

“Yes,” Anatha replied.

“Mabon?”

“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth. He was fighting with something inside.  Autumn watched her brother, worried.

“Go outside. Shantaina, the door, please.”

She nodded and ran off to the back to open the back door. “Out.”

Anatha and Mabon walked stiffly out of the house, with Pyrus, Stefan, Autumn, and Aarawn a good distance behind them.

“Do you feel it?” Aarawn whispered.

Autumn nodded.

“I’m losing it!” Anatha screamed as she caught on fire. It didn’t hurt. It felt good. Giving in to the magic, letting it ride her. She was pushed back. She looked out of her own eyes, but something else was in charge.

Autumn held on to a struggling Aarawn. “Let me go. I have to stop her.”

“Stop me from what?” Anatha heard herself say, but she didn’t speak the words. “I do love this summer air. Why do they bind themselves like that?”

Mabon fell to the ground, choking. Anatha threw her head back and laughed. “Be a little braver, Water.”

Autumn and Aarawn looked at Anatha, and then at each other.

“Come, my brother and sister,” Anatha said, looking at them. “Come play.”

Mabon stood up. His skin glistened like water. “Alive.”

“Unlike your host, mine lets me come out and play. She has a bag of flesh that makes her forget. I like him. Maybe I will keep him.” Flaming eyes looked at Autumn. “Wake up, sister.”

Her power started to rise. “No!” Autumn screamed as she balled her fists at her sides. She dug her nails into her palms, the bite of pain reminding, helping. She searched inside herself and found her guys. But a voice spoke up.
Let me go.
Let me play.

“No!” The fight hurt.

“You’re going to rip yourself apart,” Mabon said.

Finally Stefan stepped up and hugged Autumn. The pain retreated. The magic went back to the deep well. She breathed, shaken. “Thank you.”

Anatha turned to look at him. Confusion crossed her face. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Neither are you.” He let go of Autumn and walked over to Anatha. “Go back to sleep.” Anatha shook her head.  He reached through the fire and touched her arm. The flames died out, and she stood there breathing hard, looking at him.

“How did you do that?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He touched Mabon, and Mabon took in a deep breath and coughed.

“What the hell was that?” he finally said as he blinked, looking around.

“You just met the elements of Fire and Water,” Pyrus said.

Autumn choked down a sob. “Autumn,” Aarawn said.

“What if it’s true?” She shook her head. “I can’t. I am me!” She ran off inside the house.

“What?” Mabon said.

Stefan touched him. “Give her a moment. When she is ready, she will talk.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Anatha said.

“You need to stop seeing Davies,” Aarawn replied.

“You can’t tell me to stop seeing someone. We might be blood, but you aren’t my dad,” she said and left, going inside the house.”

****

“Hi, Anatha,” Dack said, holding out a flower as he talked to a tree. “Nice day. Would you like to come with me on a picnic?” He groaned as he adjusted his glasses. “I would like to ask you on a date? No.” He shook his head. He stared at the tree, zoning out for a while as he thought of Anatha’s tight ass in her tight jeans. He felt his penis harden and thought of the dreams he had been having lately. Seeing her around town made it worse. At his age, he shouldn’t be masturbating as much as he did. But she was all he saw.  The other night, when his mom was talking on the phone, all that came out of her mouth was Anatha this and Anatha that. Her face became everyone on TV. He went to bed raw and still had to jerk off.

“Who am I kidding?” He asked himself out loud and hit his head on the tree a couple of times. “She likes Davies.  I can do something about him.”

“You think?” Davies asked, walking up behind him.

Dack turned, dropping the flower. “I-I-I d-didn’t mean it.”

“Poor little weird man,” he said as a shadow grew over his face, hiding the small smile that was there. “I can use you to my advantage.”

“Don’t hurt me,” he whispered as Davies walked up to him. He put his hands out as Davies chanted something. “No, please.”

****

Later that evening, when they had rested, Pyrus finally got them all together to go about their teaching. A knock on the door stopped her in mid-sentence. She went to the door.

“Pavana, it’s good to see you,” Pyrus said, letting the older woman in.

“I wish to speak to Autumn,” Pavana said.

“Hold on. Autumn!”

“What did I do now?” she whispered to the others. The others shrugged as she got up from her chair and went to the other room. “Yes?”

Pavana turned her wrinkly smiling face to her.

She has more wrinkles when she smiles
, Autumn thought and held back a giggle.

“I was hard on you when we last met.”

“Hard. Understatement. You put a binding curse on me for a day.”

“And I knew you could break it. But I came to offer you a peace treaty.” She held out a see-through bag that fit in her palm.

“What is it?” She stared at the small object suspiciously.

“Bath salts. I make them myself,” she said and held her hand out closer to Autumn. “Go on. Take it.”

She reached out and took the small bag. The bath salt was a pink color.  She undid the bag to smell it. “Is that lavender and rosemary I smell?”

“It is.” Pavana smiled at Pyrus. “You have been teaching her herbalism.”

“No, she hasn’t. I did know a thing or two before I showed up, and herbalism is one.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy your bath. I have to go,” she said, walking out the door.

“She thinks I’m stupid.” Autumn stared after the old bag.

“Why?” Pyrus asked.

“She just gave me love bath salt.”

“How do you know that?”

She put out her hand so Pyrus could smell the contents. “Rosemary, lavender, cardamom, and yarrow.”