Firemancer Collection (Fated Saga Box Set Book 1) (10 page)

   “My brother watches a lot of Sci-Fi Channel,” Meghan said, as an excuse for her brother’s geeky brain.

   “I’ve heard of that, never seen it though,” Jae said. 

   Colin could have easily gotten them off subject discussing his favorite shows, followed by movies, and then books, so Meghan kept hold of the conversation.

   “So basically, this means you have to stay here by yourself for an entire month. I am sorry, Jae. It is completely our fault. We thought you were in trouble.”

   “It can’t be helped now, besides, maybe the information you gave me will help us better our fight. Still, I have never been away from my family before. We train for these situations, but it is the first time someone has not made it through in time.”

   Colin decided it was time to get back to the twins’ original question.

   “How do you do all this?” he asked, waving his arm and pointing to the inside of the wagon. “And who are you?” Jae sat quietly, as if struggling with an answer.

   “The best way I can answer is to take you back to the beginning. When this world began, ages and ages ago, it was a magical world. Everyone knew of and practiced magic. The short version of the story is that there was a war; one that lasted many years. You could probably guess over what.”

   “Power?” assumed Colin. “It’s the reason for nearly any war.”

   “And this war was no different. By the end of it, nearly every living person had been stripped of their magical powers. There were survivors though, and they banded together, hoping to better their chances of fixing what had gone wrong.

   “Over time though, people forgot about magic and when it showed itself, they started to fear it. The survivors became outcasts, travelers trying to stay hidden from a world that no longer accepted them. They became the Svoda Gypsies, my ancestors.”

   “Wow!” said Meghan. “This is… a lot to take in.”

   “It’s a lot even for me,” added Colin. “I have always hoped real magic existed, but never dreamt it actually did.”

   “Welcome to the real world,” Jae sighed. “It is not a pretty one, but yes, it is very much real.”

   “Oh crap!” Meghan suddenly let out. “Colin, do you realize what time it is?” 

   “You don’t think Uncle Arnon is up yet, do you?”

   “No, but we had better not take any chances. If he wakes up and finds out we are not in bed…”

   “We are grounded for the rest of our lives!” Colin finished, already getting up to depart.

   “Look. It is kind of our fault that you are stuck here, Jae. Whatever you need, we will do our best to help, until the second moon,” insisted Meghan.

   “Absolutely!” added Colin in agreement. “Will you be safe here, in the wagon alone?”

   “I am fine here. Once you two leave, I will make the wagon vanish again. No one from the camp will even know I am still here. It’s just one month. As long as the Scratchers stay away, I’m golden!” he smiled, wistfully.

   “We will come back and check on you tomorrow then,” advised Meghan, as they departed the wagon. Colin waved goodbye and as they stepped onto the ground, the wagon dissolved into nothing, vanishing before their weary eyes.

   The twins tiptoed their way home. Thankfully, Uncle Arnon’s snoring told them he had not awakened during their absence. They covered up the secret escape hatch on the floor. Colin put the Magicante on the bookshelf and the twins climbed into bed. Both were exhausted, and yet found they could not sleep.

   Giving up, Colin sat up, leaning on his elbows. “Sis,” he sent wearily, sensing she was also still awake.

   “Yeah, Col.”

   “If I had to wager, I would bet that these last few days did not actually happen.”

   “I thought we had already figured that out, when you pinched me and I punched you, and we were both wide awake.”

   “I know, I know, but magic. I can’t believe it’s real. Even crazier though is that I got this book today,” he said, stroking the cover as it sat on the shelf. “Maybe I was meant to buy it, so we could help Jae?”

   “I am not sure we helped anything. We got him stuck here,” argued Meghan.

   “Jae didn’t seem overly concerned. His family must be though.” As the twins lay back down, sleep finally came. Visions of dark shadows and bright lights filled their dreams.

   Colin awoke three different times, believing for sure that he had heard Scratchers in the distance. Meghan reassured him that this time, she thought for certain it
was
just an owl, and begged him to go back to sleep. After the third time she yelled into his mind, “We have to get up soon enough as it is, Col, go back to sleep already!”

   ‘Soon enough’ did come too early for the twins. In the blink of an eye, the smell of brewing coffee infiltrated the trailer. The twins, as tired as they may have been, were eager to see Jae.

   “How are we going to work out the Sebastien factor?” asked Colin. “Can we tell him? I hate the idea of lying to him.”

   Meghan had not thought about Sebastien. So much had occurred since they had seen him the evening before.

   “I guess we will have to feel it out, plus, I don’t think it’s our decision to make, its Jae’s.”

   “I suppose you’re right. We should come up with a story as to why Jae is here. Adults are bound to be suspicious…”

   “And ask questions,” Meghan finished his thought. “And he cannot stay hidden in the wagon for the entire month.” She then looked directly at Colin with her warning face. 

   “You better not blow this, Colin! Make something up! Lie! We cannot tell Uncle Arnon or Sebastien, at least not for now.”

   “Why do you always think I will be the one to ruin everything?” he spat back.

   “Because, Colin Jacoby, you have never successfully told a lie in your entire life! You always give yourself away.”

   “I can’t help it. I’m not a professional liar like you!”

   Meghan gasped, and sighed. Yes, she told a few fibs here and there, but it had saved her hide along with Colin’s on numerous occasions. She hid her thoughts from him, embarrassed that she felt mortified by what he had said.
I only lie when I have no other choice. Don’t I?

   Meghan decided to ignore him and sauntered into the kitchen to make breakfast. They hurried to eat and get dressed. Colin even helped Meghan clean up, without her ordering him to. Once they were ready to leave the trailer, their uncle, while still sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, said, without even moving his eyes from what he was reading, “Hope you two had a good time last night. You realize you’re both grounded, right?”

Chapter 5

   To the twins’ bewilderment, Uncle Arnon did not question where they had been the previous night. He did however, find ways to keep them annoyingly busy over the next few days, and did not allow them out of his sight. They desperately wanted to visit Jae and whenever they could, stole glances next door, in hopes he would give them a sign, indicating he was still safe.

   Colin mentioned nervously, at least ten times during their punishment, that at least there had been no sign of the Scratchers.

   Sebastien visited daily, under strict guidelines. They had to be either in the trailer or within sight of the trailer, and always, within Uncle Arnon’s view.

   When Sebastien found out that the twins had been grounded, he was at first hurt, as they had gone on some crazy adventure without him. Meghan was quick to point out that then he, too, would be in trouble if he’d joined them. This smoothed things over, for now. He did try, repeatedly, to get the twins to explain what they had snuck out to do. Their luck held though, and they never found the need to come up with a false story, as their uncle continually had himself within earshot. Sebastien knew they would not talk about it in front of him.

    During the evening on the fourth day of their torturous punishment, Sebastien arrived, toting goody bags full of sugary treats. He emptied it out on the kitchen table and all their faces hungrily drooled over the pile. There were whoopee pies, crème horns, devil dogs, maple sugar candy, bismarks, and three different kinds of fudge.

   After gorging themselves into sickness, Uncle Arnon, chuckling lightly, announced they were no longer grounded. Meghan and Colin assumed that their sickly faces, green from the over abundance of junk food, combined with all the work he had made them do, was finally sufficient.     

   It could also have had to do with the fact that someone needed Uncle Arnon, the handyman, on the other side of the camp, or that he was just sick of being stuck at the trailer watching the grounded twins.

   Regardless, in just minutes, the twins could finally check on Jae Mochrie.

   “Only one problem,” sent Colin to his sister.

   “I can’t ask Sebastien to leave. Maybe one of us could go and the other stay here?”

   “Okay, but which of us does what? And how will the other make an excuse to leave?” They did not mind allowing this problem to stew for a while longer, being that their sugar-filled, rumbling bellies greatly discouraged them from moving.

   Sebastien solved their dilemma by stretching and yawning, over-dramatically.

   “I think I’ll go now. Maybe hit the hay early tonight. Now that you’re not grounded anymore, we can hang tomorrow.”

   “Are you sure?” Meghan questioned their easy luck. Colin wondered if Sebastien had somehow read their minds. Meghan caught onto his thought.

   “NOT!” she yelled back silently, aghast at the thought. Aloud, she said, “It’s still early Sebastien.”

   “Are you nuts, we want him to leave, don’t we?” shouted Colin in her head.

   “That does not mean we should act like it,” she said. Sebastien’s eyes darted between them, realizing they had been speaking without him being able to hear, again.

   “Why don’t you guys tell me what is going on?” interrogated Sebastien. He stood with his arms folded, waiting. 

   “Say something,” urged Colin.

   “Why me? What should I say? Can I just tell him?”

   Sebastien shook his head and left the trailer.

   “Wait,” shouted Meghan, running after him.

   “I realize that being grounded and stuck in the trailer, you couldn’t tell me what’s going on,” Sebastien said. “However, your uncle is gone, and you still don’t want to tell me. And then you sit there and have your private conversations with each other, forgetting that I’m even here!” He turned to leave but Meghan grasped his arm, stopping him.

   “Wait a second!” she pleaded. She had never seen Sebastien so angry. He stopped, waiting for her to speak. Meghan stumbled for the right thing to say.

   “I. Well. I mean. We are not talking about you. You understand that, right?”

   “I didn’t actually think you were,” he said dryly. “But that’s not the point.”

   “What is the point, then?” asked Colin.

   “The point is, you are always doing it, even when you think no one is paying attention. You leave everyone out of your conversations.”

   The twins finally realized that he felt left out.

   “What if we promise to try really hard not to do it?” squeaked Meghan. Sebastien was their oldest friend; they certainly did not want to jeopardize that.

   “Usually, it’s not so bad. This summer though, seems you two have a lot going on up there.”

   The twins were stuck. Did they admit Jae’s story to keep their friend? Their only alternative was to lie, and hope he forgave them if he found out.

   “Lying is starting to get too complicated,” Meghan quickly sent to Colin. Maybe we should just tell him?” She did her best to pretend she was paying attention to Sebastien as she said it.

   “I don’t see how we are going to get through the next month without telling him,” Colin shot back.

   Meghan took lead.

   “Sebastien, there
is
a good explanation. If you would,” she paused, her eyes grazing Jae’s hidden camp. “I think the best way to explain is to follow us.”

   Colin cringed with uncertainty. What if Jae was not home, or did not answer. Sebastien would think they had gone mad. Moreover, they were just as unsure about how upset Jae would be, since they had not visited, after promising to help him.

   Instead of going out to the road, they made their way through the trees separating the two camps.

   “Where are we going?” asked Sebastien.

   “You’ll see,” answered Meghan, as they came into the deserted looking site. “It’s around here, somewhere.” Meghan felt the air for the wagon. Colin followed her lead.

  “Have you gone crazy? There’s nothing here,” Sebastien grimaced.

   “It’s very close, I think.”

   Why could they not find it? Had Jae moved? Worse, had he left and not told them?

   “What do we do now?” asked Meghan.

   “Maybe he can hear us, if we yell.” 

   “I don’t think we can look any crazier,” she mumbled.

   “Jae, where are you?” they called out in unison.

   Sebastien took a few steps back, not wanting to be so close to two people yelling into nothing.

   “Why are you guys yelling for Jae? The camp is empty. They all pulled out a few nights ago.”

   The twins did not answer. The Gypsy wagon, which was indeed right in front of them, materialized. The ornate wooden door flew open and Jae popped into the entrance, smiling.

   “We hope this is all right, Jae,” said Meghan, biting her lip and pointing to Sebastien. Who in turn gaped at the wagon and Jae. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Meghan pulled him up the stairs, coaxing him inside.

   “I had a feeling I might see you again, Sebastien. Welcome to my home away from home,” said Jae, alleviating the twins’ worries.

   Sebastien walked in with the same awe on his face that the twins had shown when they first entered the wagon.

   Colin explained their absence, anxious that Jae might be angry they had not visited.

  “We got caught for being out the other night. Uncle Arnon had us working our butts off! Sorry we couldn’t get over here sooner.”

   “I guessed as much,” said Jae. “I was watching you from my window. It was quite entertaining, actually, watching the two of you working.”

  “Glad we could be of assistance,” said Meghan crossly. She turned to Sebastien, still stunned.

   “I am not even sure where to start. Obviously, you remember, Jae.”

   “Yes, of course, how… are you?” Sebastien asked awkwardly.

   The twins sat him down at the long table close to the stone fireplace and retold the tale of first, following the Gypsies into the woods and encountering the Sctratchers, then escaping via the aid of the Magicante. Throughout the retelling, all Sebastien mustered out were exclamations of, “No way” and “For real,” to “I know I’m sitting here, but I don’t believe it!”

   They finished with explaining the reason they had snuck out and been grounded, and how Jae came to be accidentally left behind, unable to rejoin his caravan for nearly a month. Once their tale was complete, they allowed Sebastien the first word, once he was ready to speak.  

   “Okay, if I have this correct, magic is real, and Jae is stuck here and being hunted by some kind of flying monster that I hope never to encounter?”

   “I think you’re getting the picture,” Meghan replied, patting him on the back. 

   “I am not stuck here permanently, though. When the second moon rises, the door can reopen. I would bet my life my dad will come for me,” Jae said knowingly. Sebastien nodded that he understood, although his face said otherwise.

   “
Our
job
is to make sure he gets there on time, and in one piece,” said Colin.

   Jae showed Sebastien around the rest of the wagon and even though the twins had seen it before, it was still captivating. They made themselves comfortable around the fireplace in Jae’s room.

   “Are you managing okay over here?” asked Colin.

   “To be honest, I am bored out of my mind. Definitely ready for an excursion outside the wagon.”

   “Is it safe for you to leave the wagon, with the Scratchers still out there?” asked Meghan. 

   “I do not think we will see them until it is time for the door to reopen, but if they do show up, I am rested and ready to fight!” he said with vigor.

   “We need a story then,” suggested Sebastien. “A reason that you are at the camp, without parents being around.”

   “Colin and I tried to come up with one over the last few days, but we got nothing!” Meghan told them.

   “Every time we thought we had a story that would work there were always holes. Like someone is bound to recognize you as being from the caravan,” Colin added.   

   “I think I have the perfect solution then,” announced Jae. “Its something I have been working on over the last few days, in between watching you guys working,” he laughed. Meghan, Colin and Sebastien listened intently to Jae’s idea.

   “You see, I know a magical spell that can alter my appearance. Not a lot, but maybe just enough to make anyone question that they recognize me.”

   “You can do that?” Meghan, Colin, and Sebastien asked all in unison.

   “Yes,” he answered smugly.  “At least I can now,” he clarified. “It is kind of hard to explain. You see, it takes a lot of magical energy to keep up any sort of spell, and even more for a transformation spell, but during the last few days of being alone, my energy is surging. I have never felt so strong. Like I could pull off any spell I wanted to!” His eyes filled with excitement.

   “Let’s see it then,” demanded Meghan. “If this works, none of us will be stuck inside anymore!”

   Colin and Sebastien nodded their agreement.

   Jae clapped his hands and winked.

   “Watch this,” he said. He turned his face away from his audience and waved his hand, saying something they could not understand. When Jae turned back around his hair was no longer long, dark and stringy, but shorter, auburn and spiky. His eyes changed from brown to green, and a few freckles ran over his pale-skinned face.

   “Wow! Magic can never get old in my book,” said Colin. The others agreed, amazed at the change.

   “My dad would be so angry if he saw me doing this,” Jae admitted. “I’ve been practicing all kinds of looks he’d never approve of.”

   The twins and Sebastien laughed as Jae spent the next thirty minutes trying out different styles and colors, until finally settling on the original, auburn spiky hair.

   “It is definitely different enough that no one would be able to place you, Jae,” insisted Meghan, wishing she could change her appearance as easily.

   “I think I have come up with a good story as to why your parents are not around,” Sebastien told the group. “We can say your parents work in town during the day, and if you are with us at night, they have been working hard all day and have already crashed for the night.”

   The three waited for Jae to make the call.

   “I think it’s just brilliant enough to work!”

   Sebastien shook his head as the foursome departed the wagon.

   “This is a lot to take in,” he admitted.

   “You had better hope you don’t have an encounter with those Scratchers,” said Colin. “They will make an instant believer out of anyone.”

   “That is certainly the truth!” agreed Jae. “Let’s not think about it now, though.”

   “You’re right!” yelled Meghan, spinning around in circles. “We are all free. Let’s have some fun!” She took off running. The others laughed and followed.

   Later that night, as the twins crawled into bed, Uncle Arnon walked in their room.