JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (26 page)

Nathan
was able to put Kalani to sleep instantly during the demonstration. All he had to do was say the word
sleep
, concentrate on one thought, and hold a pillow at the same time. I was supposed to concentrate, say the word
sleep
and press both of my hands toward the ground. That was the sign language part. It signified someone lying down to sleep. But I was failing.

“Nathan, I
am
trying! That’s all I’ve been doing since we started. It’s just not working,” I complained.

“
Try
again
,” he repeated. “You completed a spell this morning, and you weren’t even trying.”

“That was probably just dumb luck,” I muttered.

“Ramsey….”

“Oh, all right,” I mumbled. “I’ll try again.”

Nathan nodded, and I looked at Kalani intently. All I thought about was her falling asleep. I made the motion with my hands. “Sleep,” I commanded.

Nothing happened.

My shoulders slumped. “Maybe I’m just not fairy enough to do this.”

“That’s not true. Rosina said you could, so you can. You have to believe in the magic you have.”

“But I can’t do it!” I cried. “I’m even wearing the stupid family ring!” I put my right hand in front of his face so he could see the golden band around my finger. “This is supposed to come easily to me, but it isn’t. Something must be wrong with me.”

Nathan sighed heavily. “There is nothing wrong with you.”

“Then why can’t I perform a simple spell, Nathan? On purpose?” I added.

He didn’t reply, appearing to be deep in thought. I looked over at Kalani.

You are fine
, she said.

I had told Kalani all about being half-Golden fairy when Nathan and I came home from school. She deserved to know and I knew I could trust her. I didn’t need to tell Razi because Zora had already told her. I wondered why. Zora hadn’t even told Addison about me. Maybe it was because the bond between dragon and “owner” was unbreakable and completely trustworthy.

“I don’t know about that,” I replied to her comment.

“I’ve got it!” Nathan shouted.

His yell made me jump backward and almost fall over. “Nathan, what did I say about startling me?”

“I don’t remember,” he retorted, eyes sparkling with amusement. “Remind me again?”

I rolled my eyes. “Because you obviously have memory problems, sure.
Please do not startle me
,” I said, making sure to lengthen every word. Nathan laughed as I fixed my messy hair. “Now, what is it?”

“Maybe you
do
have some elfen parts thrown in when it comes to spells.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean, maybe instead of concentrating on what you are trying to do, think of a thought that always gets you focused. Just as you would when you want to control your ability.”

“So let me get this straight. You think that I’m able to perform spells half like a fairy and half like an elfen?”

“Precisely.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds insane,” I remarked.

“You are one strange creature, Ramsey.”

“Hey!” I yelled, smacking him on the shoulder. “No offense,” he added.

I rolled my eyes and hit him again.

He sighed. “Just try it, okay?”

“Fine.” I took a deep breath, trying to center myself and clear away any frustration still lingering inside of me.

“So what is the thought you will be pondering?” he asked curiously.

“That’s none of your business. I think we’ve had this conversation before,” I reminded him.

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“It would be extremely awkward, for one,” I explained.

“Try me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “No way.”

I tuned his pleading out and thought about the one thing that could get me focused:
him
. I closed my eyes and pictured his face, his smile, his sarcastic attitude, and his eyes – the eyes that had struck me from the beginning. Then I did the hand motion.

“Sleep,” I commanded once again.

I opened my eyes to see Kalani’s own eyes closed, puffs of smoke rising and falling to signify her snores.

“I did it!” I cried, jumping up in exhilaration, which jostled Kalani awake.

“See? I told you!” Nathan said.

I put my arms around him and hugged him tight, instantly loving the way I seemed to fit perfectly in his embrace. “Thank you so much,” I said, breathlessly.

“You’re welcome,” he said after a brief pause, releasing me slowly. His eyes unfocused for a moment and then he cleared his throat. “Now…try again.”

“Why?” I asked.

“To make sure this isn’t just your famous luck,” he explained.

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I have skills.”

“Then let’s see them,” he suggested, smiling wryly.

I nodded and performed the spell again. It worked perfectly. Nathan was the key to my success. Knowing this didn’t surprise me in the least.

“Let’s try another spell then, all right?” he suggested.

“Okay,” I readily agreed. “Which one?”

“How about a future spell?” he asked.

I frowned. “That sounds difficult.”

“It is,” he admitted.

“What makes you think I can do it?”

“I think you can do any spell now that you know
what
to do,” he explained.

I was impressed by the amount of faith he possessed. “I’m glad you have so much confidence in me.”

He laughed. “Look the future spell up in your journal and give it a try so I can learn if my confidence in you is justified.”

I nodded and opened the journal, flipping through pages until I found the right spell. Underneath the heading were simple instructions:

To see into the future, cover your eyes with your hands, concentrate, and say “show me the future.” Keep your eyes closed until the vision leaves you. Be careful not to open your eyes during the vision; it could leave you blind.

“Wow, that’s a little scary,” I said.

“What?” Nathan asked, peering over my shoulder. The warmth of his breath made my stomach drop, and I had to close my eyes for a moment to maintain my control. Not that I wasn’t losing it already….

“If I don’t keep my eyes closed during the vision, I could become blind.”

“Then don’t open your eyes,” Nathan said simply.

I glared at him. “Well it’s still scary.”

“Just do the spell, Ramsey,” he said, closing the book. “You’ll be fine.”

“Okay, but if I lose my sight, it’s your fault,” I told him.

“Yeah…I’ll take my chances.”

Scowling, I said, “Thanks. I’m
so
thankful to finally know how you feel about my safety.”

“What was that theory about elfens and sensitivity?” he joked.

Knowing the banter wouldn’t end until I started the spell, I shook my head and closed my eyes, covering them with my hands. I thought of Nathan, and made sure it was strong enough to hold my attention. I thought about the way he hadn’t stopped caring for me when he found out my secret. He worried not because he was afraid of me, but afraid
for
me.

“Show me the future,” I commanded.

It was like I was watching television, almost the same way I saw someone’s memories. A picture came into view almost immediately. The vision was of a dark, dingy-looking room, sort of like a prison cell. Lying against the wall was a dark-haired elfen I didn’t recognize, though her face bore a slight resemblance to Brielle. She seemed to be older than sixteen and she looked dirty and pale, as though she had been without light for years. Her eyes were closed like she was sleeping, her chest rising and falling slightly. But her condition wasn’t what really caught my attention and almost made me open my eyes.

I saw myself as well, lying against the wall next to her. There was something strange about me that I didn’t understand; glitter and sparkles hovered in the air around me, like I had an aura that shimmered. Before I could look closer, the vision disappeared. My eyes were once again peering into darkness.

“Did it work?” I heard Nathan ask.

“Oh yeah,” I said.

“What did you see?”

“Me and some elfen I don’t know inside of a dark room,” I told him.

“That’s it?”

“Basically. Other than weird glittering stuff around me,” I explained to him.

“Interesting.”

“No, Nathan, it’s not interesting. What I saw was the future. I will
be
in that room. It did
not
seem like a great vacation destination.”

He nodded, understanding what I was getting at. “What do you think the vision means?”

I shrugged, at a loss for words to explain. “I don’t know.”

“Do you think what happened to Zora will happen to you? You told me she was held in the dark room of a barn.”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t have the same feeling. I don’t know how to explain it, but I could tell this room was colder…
different
. Anyway, that barn was burned to the ground.”

“Then where do you think you were?”

“I don’t know,” I said, feeling a chill sweep through me. “I do know one thing, though. If I ever come across the elfen from my vision, I’ll be sure to stay far away from her. Maybe then I can avoid being trapped in such a horrible place.”

I spent the next week and a half working with Nathan on various spells. Kalani and Razi helped out when I needed someone to practice on, and Nathan was always there to offer encouragement or insightful thoughts. I was advancing in the art of spells every day. Sometimes I struggled, but I always trudged through the difficult parts until I was confident in my ability to perform each spell. When performing easier spells, I was able to do away with the words and use only the hand motion.

I stopped thinking about school. My mind was elsewhere, like the coming Winter Solstice and learning fairy spells. Because the Elf Realm only graded students on their ability class, the class that mattered to the individual, I didn’t have to pay much attention in my electives. Those classes were only meant to prepare students for adulthood. We had projects, but they weren’t graded and were assigned as a way to make students learn and apply themselves outside of the classroom. We passed or failed ability school according to how we progressed with our individual powers.

I never once stopped thinking about the Element fairies and their threats, but I knew I couldn’t do much about it just yet – because I had no idea where they were hiding – so I tried to focus on learning spells. They were my only defense.

Brielle was preparing to return to Tarlore. She wanted to stay for our new “school,” but Queen Taryn insisted that she return for reasons concerning the recent developments in the war. She would leave when school ended on the nineteenth of December. I had only four more days to spend time with her, and I didn’t know how long it would be until I saw her again.

Ellie often stayed over, partly because the house was too empty with Zora gone and partly because we just liked spending time together. Ellie had a way of getting me that came awfully close to how Nathan and I got along. She knew not to put any pressure on me if I didn’t want to talk about certain subjects, like my growing intimacy with Nathan, but she was always open to listen when I was ready. And even though I had known her only a short time, we both seemed to understand each other perfectly when it came to our thoughts, feelings, and actions. I was surprised that she hadn’t figured out my secret yet because of how well she seemed to read me. She wasn’t immature, but she wasn’t as controlling as Zora. She was the perfect balance and became more of a sister to me every day.

I received a letter from Zora describing her time in Tarlore with Addison. They were looking forward to Cass’s visit and spending most of their days shopping in the city or enjoying what the palace had to offer. Addison was only required to report to the Queen each morning and night – unless there was a special request for her presence – so she had enough free time to spend with my sister. Zora promised she would come home as soon as Stellan left. I didn’t know what our relationship would become when she finally returned. Now that I knew my secret, I wondered where we would go from here as sisters – half-sisters – and what issues we would face.

Stellan would arrive two days after school ended on Sunday the twenty-first. Every day I anticipated his arrival. Not seeing him for so long made me feel like he wasn’t real, like he was just a character in one of my old fantasy novels. I needed to be reminded of his importance in my life; I couldn’t just toss him aside because he wasn’t here.

I had only a few more days of waiting. Maybe then I could actually sort out my feelings for him…and for Nathan, even though I dreaded the thought of it. I was a little nervous for Stellan’s homecoming, considering he didn’t know my secret and our time apart had led to my bond with Nathan, but I knew having him back was my only hope at straightening out my mixed emotions.

Large feasts were planned for each day of Stellan’s visit. Aaliyah had delicious meals planned, which Ellie and I helped her plan and arrange. I learned that Ellie wasn’t very close to her parents, so Aaliyah, as with Zora and me, became like a mother to Ellie as well. Aaliyah could take care of anyone.

The question was, would I be able to take care of
myself
when the Element fairies finally made another appearance?

***

It was the last Tuesday before the Winter Solstice, and I was feverishly practicing spells with Nathan. We didn’t have much time before Stellan arrived and the lessons would end, so I was taking full advantage of every moment.

But the productive day ended soon after I tried the future spell again.

I was watching myself standing in my room. Then something flew toward me, but I couldn’t tell what or who it was because it all happened so fast. I could detect the flutter of wings, but nothing else.

A flash of fire appeared but didn’t hit me; it hit someone else. I saw myself rush over to the someone, but his or her face wasn’t visibly recognizable. I was hit with some kind of heavy object, the handle of a knife or a pipe of some kind. Again I couldn’t tell exactly what was happening because nothing was clear. But even as the picture grew dark, some inner voice told me not to open my eyes yet, so I waited. Soon a new picture came into view.

I saw myself in the dark room again with the same elfen as before. This time I could almost feel the injuries I had received in the process of bringing me there. This vision was so intense, so unlike the previous one, that I almost opened my eyes.