Firemancer Collection (Fated Saga Box Set Book 1) Page 4

  Meghan turned away.

  Colin muttered desperately, “Wake up already!”

  “Still no idea how to accomplish that feat,” she yelled back, at the same time noticing that the little girl in the tree had disappeared.

  “Hey, the little girl, she’s go…” Meghan did not complete her sentence as Colin gasped and made a small, half attempt at a tug on her arm.

  Colin stood beside her, his eyes wide with fear. Meghan turned around, one slow step at a time, afraid of what she would see.

  There in front of her, staring back through the ball of flame was Meghan. She froze, horrified, as she watched the other her engulfed by the flames. Although the other her did not seem to be in any pain.

  Meghan could not believe what she was seeing! Her image edged closer, extending her burning arm. Meghan backed away, shaking.

  “Colin!” she called out.

  There was no answer. She hastily glanced around. He was gone.

  The on fire Meghan was nearly engulfing the real Meghan, who discovered she had backed into a tree. A voice, her voice, echoed out of the flames.

  “Do not be afraid. These flames will protect you.”

  “Protect me from what? The only thing I need protection from is you. Oh why can’t I wake up?” she said, exasperated.

  The flames thrashed at her skin, but to her amazement, they did not burn her. She closed her eyes, waiting to feel herself burning alive in her own dream.

  When she finally dared open them, the second Meghan was gone and she alone stood with the flames engulfing her. She stretched out her arms examining the flames licking at her skin, amazed that they did not burn. Even more confusing was that the flames felt like a protective shield that coated her entire body.

  “This is by far, the strangest dream I have ever, ever had!”

  Meghan jumped, startled, when the little girl suddenly appeared in front of her. She held out her hand to touch Meghan.

  “No, you’ll hurt yourself,” screamed Meghan, backing away. The girl laughed, her own hand bursting into flame.

  “Now, I am no longer alone,” she said playfully. “I am sorry, though,” she added, her face turning sour.

  “Sorry?” questioned Meghan, confused.

  “For what comes next,” she whispered gravely.

  A speechless Meghan watched as flames engulfed the girls’ body, and seconds later, her silhouette dissolved into the smoke and flame, leaving Meghan alone.

  Meghan closed her eyes again, this time hearing voices in the distance, calling her. Her mind followed them and when she opened her eyes, she was awake and on the floor of her bedroom, drenched in sweat. Uncle Arnon knelt on the floor next to her, with Colin beside him, looking half frightened to death.

  Meghan struggled to find her voice, asking for water. Colin ran for a glass. Her uncle helped her sit up and examined her arms and legs.

  “What are you looking for?” she managed to ask, still catching her breath. She wondered if Colin had told him about the dream. Then, she wondered if Colin had actually been there at all.

  “You fell off the bed, just making sure nothings broken. Must have been some dream. You okay?”

  “Yeah, except, I feel kind of beat up.” Every muscle in her body ached, and flames still burned hot in her mind.

  Colin arrived with the water.

  “I made it extra cold.”

  It was hint enough to confirm that he had indeed been stuck in her dream. After making sure she was not physically injured, Arnon sighed, relieved, and then ordered the twins back to bed. As soon as their uncle was back in his own bed, she sat up.

  “Colin,” she said through her thoughts.

  “Are your dreams always that fun?” he asked her.

  “Very funny, Col. It was so real. I never have such vivid dreams. You disappeared. What happened?”

  “Uncle Arnon woke me. You had fallen off the bed and he came running in. You were flopping around having some sort of seizure or something.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the thought of wobbling around on the floor uncontrollably as others watched.

  “What happened after I left the dream?” Colin asked cautiously, unsure he wanted to hear it.

  “The flames overtook me, the other Meghan disappeared and I became her, in the flames. Strange part is, the fire didn’t burn me. And then, the little girl came back and said…” she hesitated.

  “What, what did she say?” Colin asked impatiently.

  “She said, ‘I am no longer alone’ and something about being sorry about something.” It was starting to become fuzzy in Meghan’s memory.

  “What does that mean?”

  “How do I know?” she snapped back, silently.

  “Sorry.” He waited for her to continue.

  “If I had to, Col, I’d swear it really happened.”

  “I would say its official now, we have been at camp for a hardly a day and already it’s the strangest summer we have ever had.”

  Meghan could not argue with that fact.

  “I’m tired now,” she muttered. “Night, Col. Going back to sleep.”

  “Okay, and a, no more dreams, or at least, leave me out of it, huh?”

  She did not reply, and secretly hoped it would never happen again. She tossed and turned, the dream refusing to leave her thoughts, the heat of the flames still nagging at her subconscious. With each passing minute aggravation kept her from falling asleep and annoyance replaced confusion and concern.

  Colin also had trouble falling back to sleep. His thoughts reeled through various topics, but none more so than how he had ended up in his sister’s dream. He must have hooked onto her thoughts while they were sleeping. It had never happened before, but their ability had changed over the years, so why not again?

  Then, an alarm went off in his head. How would they control this new ability if it happened while they were sleeping? Would and could this happen every night?

  It was a devastating thought. Not only because of the interruption in their sleep, or being forced to participate in his sister’s dreams, but that his dreams were the one place no one, including his mind-reading sister, could ever get into. It was his only safe place. The only place he was completely free.

  He could not allow it to happen again!

  “How do I stop it, though?” he whispered. “How do I control something that happens while I’m sleeping?” Unsure of how to control this new step in their abilities, he attempted to clear his mind, hoping it would be enough. He tossed and turned, pulling the covers over his head, and waited impatiently for sleep.

  Sebastien arrived the next morning and the trio headed to the lake, not too far from their favorite sideways growing tree. They looked forward to a morning boat trip. In minutes, they arrived and found Kanda’s boat, tied up at a dock near the shore.

  “It might take all morning just to get that knot out,” said Colin, sighing.

  “Nah! I can get it out in no time!” Sebastien promised, setting in to untying the mess of rope that was keeping the boat attached to the dock. After fifteen minutes, he had made little progress, and the trio’s excitement waned.

  A presumptuous voice startled them from behind.

  “I could help you with that,” the voice called out.

  A boy the twins recognized, as the dangly haired Gypsy boy they had made eye contact with, leaned against a tree, with his arms loosely crossed.

  The trio gawked awkwardly at the scrawny boy, but did not answer.

  “Okay,” the boy said smugly. “Do you not need any help, then?”

  “Sorry,” said Meghan. “You startled us.”

  “It’s just that, I’m pretty good with knots,” the Gypsy boy continued.

  “I can’t seem to make any progress,” said Sebastien, stepping aside. “Be my guest,” he said, motioning for the boy to give a try.

  The boy knelt down, first looking over the knot, then hid the rope from view. Just a minute later he stood up, rope in hand. The stunned trio clapped their
hands, astounded at how dexterously he had done it.

  “Wow! Thanks!” said Meghan, smiling at the boy.

  “Was nothing,” the boy insisted.

  “My name is Meghan by the way, and that is my brother, my twin brother, Colin. And this is our friend Sebastien.”

  “That’s cool, name’s Jae. I’m staying in the camp too. You might have noticed all the wagons.”

  “Yeah, we saw them,” piped in Colin. “We were eating breakfast when you guys arrived in the camp. I really like the music you play on those strange looking guitars, too.” Colin realized he had said a mouthful and was afraid he had given away the fact that they had been spying. His face turned beet red and he cast his gaze to the ground.

  The Gypsy boy did not seem to care.

  “We were about to paddle around the lake. Would you care to join us, Jae?” asked Meghan.

  His gaze shifted back and forth between the campground and the boat, apparently struggling with the decision.

  “Okay, I’ll come,” he finally answered. “But I can’t stay out for too long.” Sadness replaced any smugness in his voice. Then almost as instantly, the sadness disappeared.

  “How about I paddle?” he suggested as they hopped in. “I haven’t had the chance in ages.”

  The twins certainly did not mind. This meant they could sit back and enjoy the ride, as they knew Sebastien would insist on taking the second paddle.

  They shoved off from the dock, heading toward the middle of the lake. The water was clear and cool, with patches of fog still rolling off the surface, fighting to survive as the sun rose higher in the sky. Minnows swam near the surface, toying with the lake spiders as they glided across, leaving tiny waves of water in their wake.

  Colin sat in the middle of the boat, with Jae in the front, leaving Meghan and Sebastien sharing the back seat. Meghan watched him row, thinking to herself how well he did it. Every motion was smooth and effortless. She did not linger in her daydream long however, as Colin broke in, teasingly.

  “You like Sebastien. You like Sebastien.”

  Meghan’s temper was instantly hot, but she ignored him.

  After awhile, chirps and buzzing, from frogs, insects and birds, replaced the rolling fog. Thankfully, the sun beaming down frightened away the mosquitoes. Otherwise, they would have spent the entire day swatting instead of paddling or relaxing.

  “So, we heading in any particular direction?” asked Jae, after they reached the lake’s center.

  “My votes for the marshes,” said Sebastien. “Sometimes there’s large lake turtles in there.”

  “Turtles?” questioned Jae tensely. “How large exactly?”

  “I’ve seen a couple close to two feet,” boasted Sebastien.

  The smugness returned, with Jae’s under-his-breath reply, which none of the three could decipher.

  “What was that, Jae?” asked Meghan.

  “Hope we get to see one,” he stated, clearly not repeating what he had actually said.

  “Be careful as we get closer, it’s easy to get tangled in the plants,” Sebastien warned.

  Jae signaled back, okay.

  Meghan lifted her hand out of the water, which had been skimming the surface, having no desire to feel slimy plants against her skin.

  “So, Jae,” she started, “where is your caravan from?”

  Colin was glad she had finally asked, seeing as he had wanted to, but had not dared.

  Jae answered the question as if he had rehearsed the answer a hundred times.

  “Traveling is our life. We are not from any one place.”

  “Have you always traveled around? Because we have since we were two, with our uncle,” explained Colin, growing more comfortable with the new stranger.

  “I can’t believe you would do so by choice,” said a clearly baffled Jae. “Wouldn’t you rather live in just one place?” Disbelief now replaced the arrogance in Jae’s voice. Then, again, he changed his mind. “I mean, I can understand why your uncle would choose to travel, there really is no better way to live.”

  Meghan, Colin and Sebastien were mystified by Jae’s incessant turns in attitude. Colin explained his own position on the subject.

  “Cobbscott is the only place we visit for any real length of time; four entire months every summer. It is definitely my favorite place, but living here year round would not be fun at all. Once the campground closes for winter, the town shuts down. It would be quite boring, cold and snowy. Mostly, though, I like traveling because that means Uncle Arnon is my teacher, and I do not have to attend normal school.”

  “Definitely right on that count!” agreed Meghan, adding, “I have no idea how people survive real school. Although, I suppose one day it might be nice to live in just one place, when I’m older maybe. Can’t imagine where I’d want to live, though.”

  The conversation ended and the rowing ceased as the boat came to a slow stop. The foursome listened and watched for anything interesting in the water, the surface of which was still and glass-like. Colin noticed that all the minnows and lake spiders had disappeared.

  “Ah let’s go! This is boring,” blurted out Meghan after too many minutes of nothing. They all agreed.

  Sebastien and Jae started to paddle, but the boat refused to move.

  “What’s going on?” asked a frustrated Sebastien.

  They searched the water below, anxiously. A low moan echoed from underneath the boat. Meghan sat down, grasping her seat.

  “What was that?” she muttered.

  “Nothing to worry about, I’m sure,” reassured Sebastien, still looking over the boat’s edge, alongside Colin.

  “We need to get free!” yelled Jae, suddenly sounding panicked.

  Meghan, Colin and Sebastien started to reach Jae’s level of panic when bubbles of foamy water began surging up the sides of the boat. The surge splashed Colin’s face, which daringly still dangled over the boat’s edge.

  “There’s something down there,” he said, stumbling sideways as he tried to sit back down.

  “Grab him!” shouted Meghan. “He’s gonna tip the boat!” Jae gently lunged forward and steadied Colin, stabilizing the boat.

  Sebastien picked up his paddle and attempted to get the boat moving. Jae joined him, but the boat did not budge.

  Colin stood back up and from a more distant vantage point, carefully looked into the water. More bubbles burst to the surface. “There is something down there!” he insisted, plunking down onto his seat.

  “What exactly do you mean by something down there?” asked Jae, with growing agitation.

  “Look for yourselves!” Colin challenged, gripping the edge of the boat, hoping not to fall out.

  “There’s nothing in these waters, it’s a lake,” argued Sebastien.

  “Just telling you what I saw,” said Colin, determined not to move from his seat.

  Meghan sat next to Sebastien, her eyes peering over the edge, afraid she might actually see something down in the water, but was straight back in her seat when the boat began rocking violently.

  The moaning below the boat resonated so much that it felt as though the boat might vibrate into shreds. More bubbles escaped to the surface, boiling around the walls of the boat. Sebastien and Jae stopped paddling. They needed all their strength just to stay seated.

  Jae looked as if he might be sick.

  “This is my fault,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have come.” No one responded. They were too frightened to care what Jae meant.

  The boat began to rise up out of the lake. Water seeped in through a crack forming in the bottom. Meghan screamed and fell into Sebastien’s lap as the boat lurched to the side. There was no time for embarrassment over falling into his lap, as seconds later, the four passengers were tossed out of the boat and into the frigid, slimy-plant and leech-filled water.

  Meghan and Sebastien surfaced beside each other, looking more plant-like than human. Meghan choked on a slimy weed that found its way into her mouth.

  Jae had already st
arted swimming to shore.

  Sebastien helped Meghan clear the tangle of plants surrounding her and they followed Jae.

  A voice rang out in Meghan’s mind. “Sis,” it called, hesitantly.

  “Colin!” She sensed fear in her brother’s mind and swam faster. Sebastien made it to shore with Meghan right behind. He started to help her out of the water when his hand dropped, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

  “I know I look like crap right now, but give a girl a break, huh!”

  Sebastien could not speak. He could only point over her head, at the lake. She stood at the waters edge and turned around.

  “Impossible!” she whispered, nearly falling back into the water. The boat was broken, split down the middle and partly sunken, with Colin sitting upright, seemingly on the surface of the water.

  “I’ve landed on it,” he whispered ominously, pointing below the surface.

  “Keep very still,” said Jae with growing unease.

  “How do we get him out?” cried Meghan.

  The water around Colin began to bubble again.

  “Grab onto something,” ordered Sebastien.

  “What would you suggest I grab onto exactly,” Colin shouted.

  Something began to surface, lifting Colin completely out of the water.

  A monstrous set of antlers appeared, covered in lake plants, followed by a massive muscular body. Colin straddled the animal’s back. It had to be seven feet tall, the antlers nearly six feet wide.

  Recognition seemed to hit everyone at once.

  It was a moose, just a moose.

  “I should’ve known,” Sebastien said, relieved. “What else that big would be underneath the water around here?” The moose continued chomping on food, unnoticing of the boy sitting on its back or the youngsters standing on the shore.

  “At least the sun is still shining,” he added. “Gonna be a long walk back home!” His laughter tripled as he helped the slime and now leech covered Meghan onto the bank. She pulled him back into the water for it, and then once on the bank, started pulling off leeches, grumbling with each new one she found.

  Jae fell onto the ground, rolling and laughing, seeming the most relieved of all. He bounced off the ground and swam back out to assist Colin, keeping his distance so as not to startle the moose.