Taken (Book Six) (Fated Saga Fantasy Series) (17 page)

“A
re Projectors really more powerful than the Grosvenor?” he finally asked.

Now that Kay and
Milo had gone home, he could speak more freely.

“My time with J
asper was cut short and I know he had tons more to teach me. I understand that I have this continuous stream of thought combined with the ability to pluck any one of those thoughts and just make it happen, but how? How do I have that power? What makes me that way?”

Arnon
shot a look at Kanda, hoping she had a good answer, as he didn’t know for sure what did cause Projectorism.

“I don’t have an exact answer
about that, Colin,” she admitted. “But I can share what I have heard, what I have been taught on the subject.”

Both Colin and Catrina listened eagerly.

She took a deep breath, contemplating her words carefully.

“
Remember when I talked about limitations of storing magic within the Svoda?”

“Yes.”

“It is like nature knew that each individual should only be able to harness, store and use so much power,” she explained. “Some are born with the ability to store a little more or less than others, but in rare circumstances, such as yourself Colin, someone is born that does not have this natural containment system. So the older you get, the stronger you get, and you don’t have this system in place to set those limits, it is permitted to grow and expand exponentially.”

“Basically, you’re saying I was born missing something.”

“In very simple terms, yes.”

“But no one knows what that something is?” asked Catrina.

“Not that I or my people are aware of. And to be frank, I don’t think it’s a subject that’s been researched much in recent years, as you’re the first Projector born in a very long time.”

“So maybe when Jasper said I needed to get myself under control before I was sixteen,
he was being super cautious? Or is it really seventeen that’s the real birthday I need to worry about?”

“I don’t know as we will ever know that for sure,” sai
d Arnon, sadly. “After Projectors became feared, they were killed as young children to avoid any possible chance that they would reach maturity. I think it might serve best to believe that you must be in control all the time, even now. Birthday or not, if you focus on the now and don’t worry about the future, well, maybe you just might have a fighting chance.”

Colin blew out a breath.

“Sorry, that did not come out as encouraging as it sounded in my head,” added Arnon.

“I think you’re right though. Jasper did tell me to live in the now. In the moment. Maybe that will better help me once the change does happen. I mean, maybe I won’t even notice any change if I just heed what he did teach me.”

“I think that is very wise,” agreed Kanda.

“I haven’t brought it up yet,” added Arnon
timidly, “but the truth of the matter is, Colin, that the date we celebrate your birth, isn’t really your true birth date.”

Colin’s eyes opened wide.

“When we plucked you and Meghan from the orphanage we picked a date that seemed reasonable to the age we guessed you were. The orphanage had no information as to your real birthdates.”

“So whether it’s sixteen or seventeen, it really doesn’t matter. For all you know, I could be sixteen tomorrow!”

“It is possible,” said Arnon. “I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier I just... I just felt like I was bombarding you with so much, all at once.”

Kanda stood up. “
I think we must also say good night. You both need your rest too.”

She and Arnon disappeared into one of the bedrooms. Colin remained at the table.

“You’re not going to be able to sleep are you?” Catrina asked him.

“No. I don’t feel remotely tired.” Nevertheless, he followed her into one of the rooms. She curled up on the bed and closed her eyes. He pulled a blanket over her and then slid to the floor, leaning up against the bed.

He closed his eyes reaffirming the connection with his second soul, knowing that the inevitable questioning thoughts were going to start digging their way out. He let them slip away, let the book do its thing. There were no more answers for him here. He had gotten all the questions answered that he could.

He didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep until he felt someone jiggle him awake. It was Catrina.
She had a weary look in her eyes, like she wasn’t entirely awake yet. Or perhaps it was that his own eyes were blurry from just waking.

“Come! Hurry! It’s t
ime,” she told him.

“You mean the battle? I thought it was still days away?” He jumped up and followed her out to the main room.

“Nashua decided now was the time to strike,” explained Arnon, upon seeing Colin. He was strapping a belt over his shoulder lined with vials. He shot a deliberate look at Colin.

“I’m okay. I can keep
it under control,” Colin promised, seeing the worry in his uncle’s eyes.

“All right. Be careful. Try to stay close to me. We have no idea what kind of fight they will put up.”

Colin stepped out of their tent to find himself ducking to avoid a giant shadow flying overhead. He looked up.

“Is that an eagle?”

“Of sorts, yes,” replied Kanda, who was striding to join them.

The eagle was much larger than a normal eagle, its wings stretching at least thirteen feet in length. It joined another group of eagles already circling overhead. Colin and Catrina gasped as a man not too far from them started to shake uncontrollably.
His body moved so quickly that he started to blur.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Catrina.

The shaking man heard her and replied with a blurred grin. A shadow arose behind him, two wings bursting out of his back. He crouched and then lunged into the air, his body no longer human but eagle.

“They’re all people?” asked Colin, amazed.

“Yes,” answered Kanda. “I guess I forgot to tell you the part where each of my people has the ability to take the shape of an animal. The eagles will fly overhead. Our hope is that they can penetrate the magical barriers more easily. We don’t believe she would be expecting an attack from the sky.”

“What do you turn into?
” asked Catrina, hoping she wasn’t being too forward.

“Perhaps one day I’ll be able to show you,” Kanda said in her mischievous manner.
“I only let it out during very unique situations.”

“Like when you saved my life from the Scratchers,” muttered Arnon approaching her.

“Yes, like that,” she replied playfully.

Colin wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Kanda’s inner animal was, especially if it was more scary than
, or could overpower, the Scratchers.

Colin was about to step forward when a large furry shape ran by.

“Definitely turn into more than just eagles,” he whispered, wide eyed.

“And
your animal forms are all very large,” added Catrina, her eyes filled with wonder.

To their left was another group of animals. Gray wolves,
black bears and cunning-faced wolverines; all oversized and each menacing. They were intermingled with Tunkapogs shouting orders.

“We hope that the animals will give them pause. Make them stop before a battle can really begin,” said Kanda.
“We do not prefer to battle. We will use every option available to us to end this
attack
, peacefully. But we are prepared for battle nonetheless, and I don’t think anyone wants to go up against the wolverines.”

“Yes, the
y do look quite menacing,” agreed Catrina.

“I would have thought the bears, or even wolves,” said Colin.

Kanda’s eyes gleamed sharply. “Sometimes, it’s the smaller things that you really need to watch out for.” She winked at him and turned as a massive shadow approached. A bright smile spread across her face as a huge wolf jumped into view. It was not gray like the others, but snow-white; so white it was nearly blinding to look upon its fur.

“My brother,
Nashua,” said Kanda.

The wolf sauntered over and shook itself. A moment later the man stood before them, dressed in clothing
made of the same snow-white fur. He embraced his sister and nodded curtly to everyone else.

“We are ready. Let us ho
pe this ends quickly and smoothly.”

Nashua
’s body started to shake and a moment later, the great white wolf had emerged once again. He took his place at the front of the line.

“So where exactly are we goin
g? And how are we getting there?” asked Colin, as they stepped into the line amongst people, wolves, bears and wolverines.

“A portal
’s been created, that will take us very close to Amelia’s hideout in the northern Maine woods. We will go by boats, the same way we came here,” explained Kanda. “There is a river not far from our destination.”

“Magic never ceases to amaze me,” mumbled Colin.
“There’s so much I don’t know, don’t understand.” As he spoke this, Catrina was not entirely sure whether this worried him, or whether this excited him with all the possibilities he still wasn’t aware of.

They arrived at the s
hore, but the canoe they had paddled in on was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the army boarded shallow, long wooden boats that were wide in the middle, coming to points at the ends. Even the eagles landed and traveled by boat, as it was the fastest way to their destination.

“So,” started Colin as he took a seat next to Catrina, “just how far away from this hidden hideout are we really?”

“If we were driving from Cobbscott,” said Arnon, “about six hours. They are very near the top of the state and hidden deep in the woods there. There are no roads where we are going and their hideout will be protected by magic.”

“Thankfully,” added Kanda, catching a seat next
to Arnon and across from Colin and Catrina, “we believe we can break this magic.”

The Je
ndayas grabbed seats on a bench just next to Arnon and Kanda, passing each other nervous looks.

“Are you positive you want to return like this?”
Milo asked Kay. She nodded nervously.

He turned to Colin.

“We are hoping that by returning, we can talk a few others into joining our side, or at least, make them see reason that Amelia must be stopped.”

“But we will be seen as defectors to Amelia,” said Kay. “We betrayed our friends by leaving them. It won’t be easy.”

The boat moved forward with a slight lurch. The army was moving. Colin got a chill and shivered. Not because of the cool air, but because he was about to enter into a battle. Something he had never really trained for, something he didn’t like doing, especially since he didn’t know how his Projector powers would react. Nevertheless, this was something he felt certain he needed to be a part of, in some way.

They headed down the river, nearing a cavern of trees. Colin wasn’t sure what he expected but as they went under those trees they were i
nstantly gliding along a different river. Even though Kanda had said there was a portal, for some reason he had expected the trip to take longer.

They were no longer in the sunny warmth
that belonged to the Tunkapog’s home, but instead, deep in the woods, floating down a small river surrounded by tall pines. The air was cold and an eerie quiet sent another shiver down Colin’s spine.

The boat
s nearest the front were coming to a stop and pulling to shore. The eagles were taking flight, heading out to scout the area. The animal troops separated into their groups and shuffled off into the woods, already having their orders.

The people still in human form waited along the shore
, tightening and adjusting magical belts looped around their shoulders and waists, as their leader, Nashua, transformed from white wolf to human.

He did not speak, but motioned for the army to follow him. They stalked through the woods towards Amelia’s hideout.
They stopped, each following the gaze of Nashua, as he looked up toward the eagles. An odd look caught Kanda’s eye.

“What is it?” she asked her brother.

“The eagles, they’re saying the encampment is empty.”

“Empty? Could they
have moved?”

“
Or did they somehow get warning we were coming?” asked Arnon. He turned to Milo and Kay. “Do you have any ideas where they might go?”

“No idea where th
ey would go,” Kay answered. “There was never any talk of moving.”

“Perhaps on
e too many people defected who knew their location?” suggested Milo, his voice ridden with guilt.

“Let us continue. See if we can find any clues,” said Kanda.

“I’m sure they’ve been careful,” said Nashua, disappointed, “but we’d be stupid if we didn’t at least look.” He motioned for all to keep moving toward the hideout. The great wooden gates stood wide open and they were able to just walk right in.