Firemancer Collection (Fated Saga Box Set Book 1) Read online

  “I think it’s best to wait for it to go back under, and slowly slide off its back and into the water, Colin. It doesn’t even notice you’re there. You’ll be fine.”

  “Easy for you to say,” replied Colin doubtfully, while clinging onto the antlers to keep steady. “You’re not sitting atop a seven foot tall moose!”

  They waited, while the moose, still acting quite unaware of the human presence, munched on a lake plant. After a few minutes, it shifted itself around and began to sink under the water.

  “I’m not a strong swimmer,” Colin reminded the group, as the moose took him even farther from shore.

  “You’ll be fine. Do what Jae said. Let go and slide into the water,” his sister urged.

  “Remember to kick your legs once you’re in the water,” added Sebastien. Colin cautiously slipped off the moose and tried to maneuver his body so that he was heading toward the shore. Jae swam out and helped him. Once in shallow water Jae let go and they collapsed onto the bank, out of breath, and covered in leeches.

  “Unbelievable,” Jae said to the other three. “I’ve seen a lot of things, but that was definitely different.”

  “I’ve heard stories about moose surfacing next to people out fishing before,” said Meghan, “But to actually see it…”

  “I think what happened here might be a first!” Sebastien told her.

  The echoes of their laughter carried across the once again calm water.

  Meghan helped Colin sit up, and set in to peeling off his leeches.

  “Man these things find blood fast,” said Jae, finally plucking off his last one.

  As they slogged back around the lake looking for an exit that would take them to the road, the twins could not help but notice that Jae’s mood had improved, as they laughed and relived the moose adventure.

  The rest of the day passed quickly and in the late afternoon, the chill of evening rolled in along with patches of fog. Meghan shivered. They had finally come out of the woods, but there was still a good distance to go. Jae ran up to her and offered his somewhat dry jacket. He kept walking, not waiting for any response.

  “Thanks,” she said, lingering her eye on him.

  “Too bad we can’t get fully dry,” said Sebastien, regaining her attention.

  “Hm. Oh, yeah. I know. This humidity sucks. You can’t get anything dry in this weather.” They continued trudging down the road hoping a driver would come by, but it did not look recently used, as overgrown plants attempted to take over the open space. Late afternoon passed into evening and soon, it was nearly dark.

  The later and darker it became, the more Jae’s attention turned to the sky. Unease grew noticeably in his eyes.

  “What are you looking for?” asked Meghan. Maybe we can find out more about those screeching, howly things.

  Jae stalled for a minute but finally answered.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. Just not fond of the dark,” he insisted.

  The twins could not help but notice that his pace continued to pick up though, the closer they got to the campground.

  Many long hours after the moose ordeal had ended, they found themselves, at last, at the camp’s entrance. As they neared the Jacoby camp Jae stopped once again, standing with his arms folded.

  “It was an interesting day,” Jae said. “But I gotta run.” A bit of the arrogance returned as he hurried away.

  “Wait,” said Meghan, handing him back his jacket. “Thanks again for that. If you don’t get into too much trouble, maybe you could hang out again tomorrow.”

  Jae stammered for a moment, apparently taken aback by the request.

  “Wish I could, guys. It’s been great to spend the day with you all, but, you see, we are leaving tomorrow night, and I’ll have to help with the preparations.” He shrugged, then waved goodbye, vanishing around the corner before they could respond.

  “And just like that, he’s gone,” said Colin somberly. Meghan wondered if Jae’s apparent arrogance was blocking the same feeling she and Colin always felt: people never stay around too long, so why get to know them.

  “We need to get home,” reminded Sebastien, after a quiet moment. “Everyone’s probably going nuts worrying about where we are.”

  The twins rolled their eyes knowing he was right. The trio scurried toward the Jacoby campsite.

  As expected, a group had gathered at Arnon’s trailer. Four figures rushed them with instant questions and sighs of relief.

  “Where on earth have you been?” demanded Uncle Arnon, standing next to Kanda Macawi. “You were due home hours ago! We were about to put together a search party!”

  “Why are you all covered in mud?” asked Sebastien’s mother, when Arnon finally took a breath.

  The three took turns explaining, each filling in parts left out by the other, including meeting Jae.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t see him run by,” said Colin. “He was right ahead of us.” The adults shook their heads. None of them had seen Jae.

  With the adventure fully explained, the adults now laughed as hard as the youngsters had after the event had occurred, possibly harder.

  “We will grab you some dinner. You must be starved,” said Kanda, as she motioned Sebastien’s mother, Kay, to follow her into the kitchen.

  Uncle Arnon fell into a chair, still in disbelief. Sebastien’s father, Milo, patted Arnon’s shoulder, and set to lighting a fire.

  The twins, as exhausted as they were, could not help but feel the pat on the shoulder had some hidden meaning they did not understand. Especially when after a minute, Arnon disappeared into the trailer and hushed whispers escaped an open window.

  The twins grew more suspicious when Milo ordered them all closer to the fire, to warm up. The fire pit was too far away to overhear what they were discussing inside the trailer. The hidden conversation did not last long however, as minutes later they exited, serving dinner.

  Once warmed and fed, the Jacoby’s guests decided to head home. After a round of goodnights, the twins watched as the Jendayas and Kanda Macawi faded into the night.

  “I think we should make it an early night tonight,” their uncle said, while putting out the fire. “You guys look exhausted.”

  “I am pretty tired. I think I’ll clean up first though,” said Meghan. She sauntered into the trailer. A moment later Uncle Arnon and Colin jumped as Meghan let out a scream.

  “What is it? Are you hurt?” asked her uncle, worried there was some overlooked injury.

  “Why did someone not tell me how terrible I look?”

  Both the Jacoby men rolled their eyes.

  “We did fall into a lake, Sis. Remember?”

  Meghan did not hear him. She was too concerned with pulling mud-caked weeds from her tangled hair and washing the dark streaked makeup off her face.

  “Ahhh!” she then screamed, again. “Get it off me!” she demanded, pointing at her hairline. “Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!”

  “Well stand still so I can see,” ordered her uncle.

  Colin’s stomach turned when a second later Arnon located the object of her horror.

  “That sure is a doozy!” he said, gently plucking a severely blood-bloated leech from her forehead. He opened the trailer door and heaved it into the woods, being sure to wash his hands afterward.

  Colin washed his too. He had not touched it, but he had been close enough.

  Meghan proceeded to grow more agitated by the minute and disappeared into the bathroom. Before showering, she did a full body search for any lingering bloodsuckers. Thankfully, she found none.

  After bathing she rested at the kitchen table, make-up-less, losing herself in a thought. She sipped on hot blackberry cider, a specialty of her uncle’s.

  Colin took his turn in the bathroom. After finding the still attached leech on Meghan, his uncle had done a search on him but found nothing. Colin did a once over in the shower, just to be sure.

  Back in the kitchen, Arnon sat across the table, watching Meghan intently, trying to g
rasp what she could possibly be thinking. He called her name, but she did not hear him.

  “Meghan,” he said loud enough to catch her mind.

  “Sorry, d’you say something?”

  “I was wondering about your dream last night. Wondering, actually, if that has ever happened to you before?”

  Meghan had almost forgotten about the previous night’s fiery dream, and the hairs on her skin felt instantly singed at the mere memory of it.

  “It was some stupid dream about me and Colin, and another little girl, who was caught in a fire.”

  “A fire. That would be scary.” He lifted his eyebrows, leaning forward.

  “And was that the first time you and Colin have ever shared a dream?” he asked intently.

  Meghan gasped, speechless! She imagined her face must have given away how stunned she was, because her uncle continued without waiting for an answer.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. You did not honestly think I wasn’t aware of your talent did you? What kind of uncle would I be if I hadn’t seen it many years ago?”

  “How long ago did you figure it out?” she stammered.

  “Not long after you came to live with me, actually. You were both so little, then,” he reminisced. “You probably don’t remember this, but the two of you had this special language you spoke, just between the two of you. I could never understand what you were saying. But then one day, about a year later, you just stopped.

  “I noticed little things after that. One or the other of you would respond to a question, or joke, and I was quite certain I had heard nothing said from the other. I caught on pretty quick.” He winked at Meghan.

  “You’re right, Uncle Arnon. I do not remember that at all. I really don’t even remember the exact moment that Colin and I realized we were different, and that not everyone could speak to each other through their minds, like we could.” She paused and added, “I’m sorry we never told you about it. I guess it seems silly now. We always thought you might be angry, or think we were freaks or something.”

  “Freaks! Never!” he insisted. “And do not be sorry, either. I have always been impressed with the way you two kept the secret. And believe me, there are people out there that would unfortunately think you are freaks.”

  Meghan nodded in agreement.

  “So,” Arnon continued. “Was that the first time sharing a dream?” he asked again.

  “Yeah, it was. Why do you ask? And how did you know Col was in my dream?”

  “Curiosity mostly, wondering how your talent will develop. And Colin was clearly spooked, I sort of assumed,” he chuckled, adding more seriously, “You haven’t told anyone else about your secret have you?”

  “Only Sebastien,” she answered honestly, with a tinge of guilt. “He kind of guessed one day, a couple of summers ago. Don’t worry, though! He has never told anyone else.”

  “I assumed as much,” Arnon replied knowingly.

  Meghan still had the look of shock on her face as Colin came out of the shower. His eyes darted back and forth between them.

  “What?” He reached for his head. “Did I forget to rinse the shampoo from my hair again?”

  “Would you prefer to do the honor or should I?” Meghan asked amusingly. Uncle Arnon put out his hand in a gesture for her to go ahead.

  “Our secret,” she announced, “is out!”

  Colin fell backwards, his towel nearly falling off. After regaining his composure, he stood with the same flummoxed expression as Meghan had had, only minutes before.

  “Don’t worry, Col. He figured us out ages ago, even before we did.”

  “I thought we hid it pretty well,” said Colin.

  “That’s what I thought, too,” replied Meghan dryly. She sent Colin a transcript of the last few minutes’ conversation. Arnon seemed to understand this and gave them time to finish.

  “To be honest,” started Arnon, when it looked as though they were finished, “I’ve heard of twins having a secret language only each other can understand, but, I think you guys are a little different, so…”

  “So we shouldn’t go telling people about it,” guessed Colin.

  Arnon smiled. “Since Sebastien knows, that’s fine. He’s a good friend, and I do not think it’s something he would ever use against you.”

  “Sebastien, never,” Meghan defended. “Besides, what do Colin or I have, that people could hold over us, other than telepathy?” she added sarcastically.

  Seeing her uncle’s concerned face she continued.

  “We will, of course, be careful regardless. Because like you said, not everyone is as cool and understanding as you are.” She got up and gave her uncle a quick hug. Before she could let go, Arnon gave them one last warning.

  “I know you are both careful, but just remember that both Sebastien and I guessed, so others could, too.”

  “We will do our best, Uncle Arnon,” insisted Colin.

  Meghan nodded in agreement.

  Colin joined Meghan for a hot blackberry cider before heading to bed. It was a relief to have their secret out in the open; they had always felt guilty for not telling their uncle, but had honestly feared the consequences.

  Meghan finished her cider, moved a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer, emptied the trash, and then washed up a few dirty dishes. As she finished, Colin dropped his empty mug in the sink. She frowned, deciding to leave it there until morning.

  “Off to bed now both of you, long day tomorrow.”

  “Long day?” they asked in confused unison. Their uncle stuttered for a second then changed his phrasing.

  “What I meant to say is, it has been a long day today, and we all have a whole new day to get through tomorrow, which will be longer than today if we do not get our rest, after a long exhausting day like today.”

  The twins eyed him, untrustingly, but went off to bed.

  “Are you starting to get the feeling that Uncle Arnon is up to something?” asked Meghan.

  “Maybe he was nervous about admitting he knew our secret.”

  “Yeah, probably. Or maybe it’s our birthday party!” squealed Meghan, instantly sidetracked by the idea of presents. “I wonder what he’s planning?”

  “Night, Sis,” sighed Colin. He could sense by her wandering thoughts that discussing any topic other than birthday presents would be a useless endeavor.

  “Yeah, night, Col,” she whispered back. She fell asleep minutes later dreaming of what wonderful gifts Sebastien would buy her.

  Meghan’s excitement leaked into Colin’s subconscious while sleeping. He opened the block, just a little, allowing her happiness to envelop him. It was a pleasant way to fall asleep.

  Shortly after, Colin jumped awake, remembering the previous night’s fiery dream.

  “No. I have to keep the block in place! No repeats of last night!” he said, determined. “We have to keep our dreams to ourselves, if nothing else.”

  Chapter 3

  Meghan and Colin waited at the secret path’s edge for Sebastien. It was the first day of the Blue Moon Festival, which only took place during a summer that happened to have two full moons in one month. Mainly, the festival attracted tourists, but locals could often be spotted weaving through the crowds, too. It was a grand festival, with food, music, a flea market (Colin’s favorite) and a few old carnival rides no one was ever sure were safe to ride, but did anyway.

  While they waited for Sebastien, the twins wandered down the camp road toward the Gypsy camp, hoping to catch Jae and say goodbye one last time. He was nowhere in sight.

  Footsteps scraped across the gravel behind them. Hoping it was Sebastien, they spun around, but rather than their friend, the twins were accosted by two tall stacks of packages. In attempts to avoid crashing into the twins, the two people carrying the packages jumped out of the way, causing the packages to fall and scatter all over the camp road.

  An older, stern-faced and unfamiliar boy stood by a familiar one; the familiar face began anxiously picking up his scatte
red packages.

  “Hey guys, sorry,” said Jae, sounding distressed.

  “It’s a wonder you could walk at all, carrying all that,” said Meghan.

  “Let us help you the rest of the way,” insisted Colin, already picking up a package.

  The unknown boy, dressed in a casual sports jacket, had already picked up his packages and was leaving Jae behind, eying him sternly as he walked by, but never saying a word.

  His eyes grazed Meghan’s and she instantly found that she hated him. Could she really know this, so soon after meeting someone?

  “Is that boy always so friendly?” asked Meghan, as he disappeared.

  “Ivan? He’s not so much unfriendly, as all about business.”

  “All about business?” questioned Colin.

  “Hates wasting time, always working, that sorta thing.”

  Meghan offered again to help him back to his campsite.

  “No!” he replied hastily. “I mean, thanks, but I got it.”

  “Are you sure? ‘Cause it’s no bother,” she said.

  “No, I’ll be fine. I gotta hurry, though. They will be expecting me back by now.”

  The twins piled the last packages back onto Jae’s arms.

  “I hope you didn’t get into trouble yesterday for getting home so late,” said Colin.

  “Yesterday?” he appeared deep in thought. “Oh, that. Uh, it was okay.”

  The twins were pleased they had not caused him any trouble.

  “Sorry I can’t hang longer,” he added tiredly. “So many things to do today.” He trudged toward his campsite. “Maybe our path’ll cross again sometime.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” shouted Colin.

  “Good luck, wherever you go next,” Meghan shouted.

  “Thanks. Same to you,” Jae echoed back.

  “Wonder where they are heading with such a big group?” she asked.

  “Can’t imagine,” replied Colin. “It must be a ton of work. It’s a lot with only you, me, and Uncle Arnon. There must be two hundred of them all together.”

  Sebastien materialized from the secret path. “Hey guys.”

  “Finally,” said the twins in unison.