Taken (Book Six) (Fated Saga Fantasy Series) (18 page)

S
eeing as the imminent danger was no longer prominent, those shifted into their animal forms shook themselves back into their human forms.

Colin wasn’t sure if he felt relief that there would be no battle, or despair that he would have to wait even longer to see what this Amelia Cobb was planning for him and his sister.

After everyone was inside the gated hideout, no one was sure what to do. The place was deserted. No signs of life.

“I don’t think we are going to find...”
Nashua was unable to finish. Wish a swish and a slam the great wooden entrance slammed shut and at once, they were ambushed.

It was a set up. Somehow, Amelia had been ready for them.
From seemingly out of thin air groups of Amelia’s followers appeared, palms facing the intruders, aimed and ready to strike.

“So much for hoping things would go smoothly,” said Colin, mak
ing sure Catrina was behind him.

And then
, she appeared.

A line opened up down the center of her people.
Amelia walked down the middle, climbing atop a granite rock in their center, which protruded a good ten feet into the air. From her perch, she could easily look over everyone.

No one spoke for what felt like a perilously long minute. It seemed that no one wanted to make the first move.

Amelia’s gaze floated past the Jendayas, ignoring them, as if they were dead to her. She paused briefly on Arnon, Kanda and Nashua, but her gaze stopped completely when she saw Colin Jacoby amongst the intruders.

“You’ve just made my job
even easier,” she spoke, her tone elated. “It’s almost like this was... fate.”

Nashua
stepped forward, wasting no time.

“
We do not wish to fight any of you. You have all been misled,” he aimed his later words at the followers currently threatening to cast spells upon them.

The only replies
were grunts and gazes meant to rebuff what he had said. They were clearly very much on Amelia’s side.

“Do
you think you can just waltz in and talk people into giving up what they’ve worked so hard to accomplish?” She shook her head in an annoyed fashion.

“Have you ever stopped to consider that my idea is not suc
h a bad one? Oh, I know you have your little slice of heaven and you don’t want to live in the real world, but why should that mean that we can’t? Give me one valid reason for not returning magic to the world?” she challenged Nashua.

He remained even and calm as he replied.

“Have you thought about the true consequences of your actions, Amelia? What this change will do to the world? The outside world has changed much since you or I were truly a part of it.”

“And it will change again,” she said determinedly.
“People are resilient; they have proven this time and time again. Magic is a part of them, they’ve just forgotten.”

“I can see that we will be forced to stop you,”
Nashua spoke as if the deed was already completed.

“I was counting on you thinking that way,” Amelia retorted. “So I made some last minute ch
anges. Moved up my timeline a little.”

The Tunkapog army was getting restless. They didn’t like being in a position of defense, but their gazes were certain of t
heir success should Nashua give the word for the battle to begin.

Amelia nodded to one of her followers close by. Something behind Amelia started to creak and groan. Colin saw a cart being magicked down a dirt trail. There was something quite
large covered and hidden inside the trailer.

“Thank you,
Colton,” she smiled. “And now, you will all,” she addressed her people as well as the Tunkapog, “see that my plan will succeed. That magic will be returned. And that you,” she aimed towards Nashua, “cannot stop me.”

“She hasn’t even
told her followers what she’s doing,” whispered Catrina to Colin. “Look, they have no idea what she’s about to do.”

Amelia’s followers eagerly watched and waited for her to continue. Colin wondered if with t
heir attention pinned to her, he could slip away and see if there was some possible chance of escape for the Tunkapog.

E
ven as he thought it, he was too eager to find out what was hidden underneath the massive canvas. Something drew him to it. He wanted desperately to see it. To touch it. There was a dark power hidden under that canvas, of that he was certain.

He inhaled, gasping.

Arnon, Kanda, Catrina and those around him tossed him questioning looks. Arnon and Kanda were afraid he might be choosing the worst possible moment to lose control.

This was not the
time or place to be ousted as the Projector. Arnon felt guilty over letting Colin come.

“I know what it is,” Colin whispered
ominously, so that only Catrina could hear him. She waited breathlessly for him to explain.

He leaned in closer.

“She has the Immortality Stone!” he told her.

“Are you sure? How do you know?”

“I don’t know how I know. I just do. Maybe it’s because Projectors hid it, and I have some connection with it... it’s definitely the stone.”

“We have to stop her!” Catrina said a little too loudly.
Again those around them tossed them looks that shouted,
either explain or shut up!

Amelia nodded again at the man named
Colton and at her command, he tore off the canvas; it flitted through the air and onto the ground, revealing what was inside.

It took only a moment for the
realization to kick in, throughout the Tunkapog army.

The realization took a little longer to spread throughout Amelia’s followers and some had to be told, as they did not know what it was they were looking at.

Inside the cart was the Immortality Stone. It was even larger than Colin had pictured it in his mind. The fact that it had once been thousands of small stones was no longer clear, as it looked smooth, polished almost, to a clear glass-like finish.

The Tunkapog now knew just how insane Amelia was, and to what lengths she was willing to go to actualize her plan to return magic. There would be no reasoning with her. They prepared for battle
.

Those that had retaken human form shook themselves back into their animal forms. Shrieks, growls and snarls rose up in a great cry as they prepared to strike.

Colin wasn’t sure what to make of it yet, but a few of Amelia’s followers had lowered their palms, no longer at the ready to attack. He wasn’t sure if it was shock or pure disbelief that this was how she planned on returning magic to the world.

“Are you completely without reason?”
Nashua suddenly spat at her. “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to bring such a weapon out into the open? With so little protection!”

“Oh, come now,” replied Amelia, her voice unconcerned. “I have protections. But this,” she pointe
d down at the Immortality Stone from her perch atop the granite, “this is how we will return magic. This stone can steal magic, but it can also heal magic.”

A few in her group cheered, ready for the plan to move forward, but some did not. Questions rep
laced their sureness.

Colin thought that
they must know how wrong this was. If it fell into the wrong hands? What was he thinking, it already had!

“And now, there’s just one more little thing I need to do.” Her gaze again stopped on Colin.
“There will be no need for war,” she spoke darkly. “As I have another weapon at my disposal. And once I activate it, no one will be able to stop me. Not today. Not ever.”

“There is no other weapon more powerf
ul than the one you so moronically have sitting on the ground next to you!” said Nashua, his patience running short.

“Oh, I beg to differ,” she said. “The children of an immortal at my side...”

“What?” said Colin, loud enough for all to hear. “You actually think I would join this crazy scheme you’ve got going?”

“You don’t have to join, willingly,” she added, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

Now, more of her followers had dropped their palms, no longer ready for a battle. Amelia took no notice. They started to pass each other looks of confusion. This was clearly not what they had expected to happen! They had always been told that Meghan and Colin Jacoby were special and that they were needed, but what exactly was Amelia doing?

Fear that maybe she was going to
o far started to spread.

Though still at the read
y, it was starting to look as though the Tunkapog might only have to battle Amelia herself. Her followers had fallen into an immediate crisis. Was this what they really wanted? Is putting the entire world at risk worth returning magic? Was taking over, controlling and stealing the lives of two young people the right thing to do?

Amelia
reached into a pocket and put something in each of her hands. She started to chant, her hands rising in the air as she did.

“Stop her!” shouted
Nashua. He didn’t even know what she was doing but he didn’t want it to happen.

But when his forces attempted to move forward and climb the granite rock they found they could not. She had barricaded herself in some sort of protective shield.

“Find a way to bring it down!” he ordered.

A group of Tunkapog threw vials of potions at the shield,
which rebounded off and into the crowds of people. Shouts cried out as something nearby blew up, throwing shards of wood and dirt into the air.

Amelia continued chanting.

“I’ll stop her,” Colin asserted angrily. He stepped forward raising his palm, ready to blast away her shield. The Jendayas started to move forward intending to help but Arnon caught them and held them back.

Colin cried out and doubled over.

Arnon glanced at Catrina and she back at him.

Amelia continued
chanting; now crushing the vials she held in each hand, the contents inside running down her arms. The substance was rust colored, and had the consistency of blood. It began to seep into her skin, leaving behind popping red veins.

“You’re mine,” she said, looking down at Colin again.

Colin could not catch his breath and he felt the connection with the Magicante stuttering, not because of any over abundance of thought, but because the connection was being broken.

He looked up at Amelia. Was she causing this?

He felt something tickling his ear and realized it was the book. It had separated from his body and was unfolding, slumping to the ground. Catrina figured out what was happening and raced forward.

“Stop
this!” she pleaded. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Catrina reached down and pulled Colin around. She lost her breath when she saw his eyes. They were stark white. Colin stood up, looking right through her as if she were not standing there in front of him.
As if he did not know her.

“Amelia,” begged
Arnon, rushing forward. “Please don’t do this. You really don’t know what you’ve just done.”

Amelia saw the book, Colin’s
own personalized Magicante, lying on the ground. She knew it wasn’t the book she’d had Jae steal for her, and she had not even thought for a moment that the book had come into Colin’s life because of what he was. She of all people should have known that nothing is coincidence. Not when fate is on your side. 

“A well guarded secret
,” she spoke evenly, sounding as though her battle was already won. She showed no fear over what Colin was; only deluded jubilance that he was now under her control.

She glanced over her people and their questioning gazes.

“See? We are fated to win this! We are fated to return magic. We now have the most powerful magic at our disposal.”

They just looked at her as if they did not know her. And at Colin as if he needed to be strung up and hung!

Now everyone knew.

Colin was th
e Projector.

His secret was out and out in a big bad way!

A gush of wind swept through the hideout and with a snap and a whip, someone else arrived, standing right next to Colin.

Meghan Jacoby.

“At last,” said Amelia with a satisfied tone. “It’s amazing what a little blood can do.” She held up the empty vials.

Meghan and Colin Jacoby stood s
ide by side, silently and white-eyed, giving no indication that they knew or remembered who they were.

“I took a little of their blood as children,” said Amelia. “It was the only way to determine their true heritage and once we found out they were children of an immortal, well, I started devising this little plan. Took many years to perfect my spell but as you can see...”

A flame suddenly flickered nearby, out of nowhere.

Nona, Ivan and Sebastien arrived, falling to the ground.
They stood up, speechless at the sight they beheld.