King 03 - Restless (16 page)

Tasmyn, you know I think a lot at night, when I’m trying to sleep. And I was thinking that you might be worried about my family, our friends, about them… holding anything against you. You shouldn’t worry. No one is upset with you. My mom and dad, Lela—they’re worried about you. They miss you. And guess what? I love you. Call me.

Our so-called winter had been mild this year, even for Florida. Now the days were growing longer again, and today the air was downright warm. I pulled into the gravel lot at Lake Rosu and admired the palm trees swaying on the banks. I knew there was at least one hungry alligator living in the lake—or at least I’d been told there was one—so this was as close as I wanted to get to the water itself.

Marica hadn’t arrived yet. I considered my options and decided to go back to the clearing for a little more fire casting practice. It beat sitting in the car twiddling my thumbs.

I followed the path, watching carefully for any bugs or snakes. When I reached the boulder and made the turn into the woods, I was especially jumpy. I tried not to think about what might be watching me from within the trees. I’d never made this walk by myself; I always had Michael or Marica to protect me from creepy crawly critters.

Once the trees gave way to the grassy opening, I went in search of the rocks I’d used last time. I found them easily enough and was just about to put them in position when something caught my eye. 

It was a circle of burned grass, but it wasn’t from my last session of fire casting. I frowned as I looked at it more closely. This ring was much larger. On the edge of the scorched grass were several odd bundles of sticks. I poked one of them with the toe of my shoe. I couldn’t tell what it was.

I put down my own stones in the form of a triangle several feet away. Standing at the edge of the trees, I closed my eyes and began centering my mind.

I was proud of the flames that crackled within just a few moments. But now that I was warmed up—I giggled at my own pun—I wanted to try some freehand fire. 

I backed to the other side of the clearing and began the process all over again. I remembered Marica’s wall of fire and pictured it, then conjured up how upset I’d been with Rafe and how much I missed Michael. 

A loud
whomp
startled my eyes open. About three feet from me, a huge flame shot to the sky. I jumped back, surprised and not a little proud of myself.

“Well done.” I startled again at the sound of Marica’s voice. “So you’re practicing as instructed.”

I grinned. “And look, ma, no stones! I did this one all on my own.”

Marica nodded. “So I see. And what will you do now?”

I shrugged. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, the fire is beginning to spread. See? And you don’t have the stones to contain it. So how will you put it out?”

I knit my brows together. I hadn’t thought ahead far enough. But the last thing I wanted to do was burn down the Lake Rosu woods.

“I don’t know. Can you tell me?”

Marica shook her head ever so slightly. “No. But I can show you.” She took a deep breath then grew very still. I felt a swell of energy come from her and then incredibly, water welled up from the ground around the flames.

The water trickled to the base of the fire, and immediately it began to shrink. Within a few moments there was nothing left but smoldering grass. 

Marica turned to me. “I applaud your initiative in trying something new, but it’s wise to look ahead. You must be able to predict the outcome of every magikal action.”

“I guess it’s like driving a car without knowing how to use the brakes,” I ventured.

Marica smiled grimly. “And the results can have a similar consequence.” 

I nodded slowly. “So what are we doing today? What am I going to learn?”

“We’re not going to work here today. As you’ve so kindly demonstrated, the most logical element to conquer after fire is water. We need to work by the lake today.” 

“Why the lake? You just brought water out of the ground, right here.”

Marica shook her head. “Yes, I did. But that’s significantly more difficult to do, and you need to be able to control it before you can conquer it. I called forth that water from deep below the ground. That will take some time.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “But before we go to the lake, can I show you something?”

Marica lifted an inquiring brow.

“It’s over here. See the burned circle? That wasn’t me, not this time or last. Were you here without me?”

Marica shook her head. “No. I haven’t been here since Monday, with you.” She swept her gaze around the clearing as though measuring something. “It was a group. The witches of King.”

I was more intrigued than surprised. I remembered the day Michael had told me the long history of the supernatural in King, the stories of the carnie families who had settled here years ago. He had mentioned something about the witches still meeting even now, about circles being found in the woods…

“Do you know them?” I asked Marica.

She shook her head. “I know their work. I know they are active here. But their goals are not my goals, and we don’t practice together.” She turned toward the woods, indicating that this conversation was ended.  I followed her thoughtfully.

Marica didn’t slow down when the path opened into the parking lot. She headed straight for the lakeshore, and after only a small hesitation, I followed her.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I questioned.  “Aren’t there—you know, dangerous things in the lake?”

Marica wasn’t paying much attention to me. Her eyes were fastened on the surface of the lake. She answered me absently.

“Nothing’s going to eat you, Tasmyn. At least not today.” She pressed her lips together in a firm line, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “Watch the lake,” she said softly.

I followed her gaze, but all I noticed were the small waves fanned by the slight breeze. And then there was a difference. The waves weren’t the same. There was a churning, and I wondered what kind of fish was causing it. 

The column of water rose suddenly and inexplicably. My mouth dropped open as I gasped. 

Marica was still concentrating deeply, but now a small smile played about her lips. “Do you like dancing fountains, Tasmyn?” Before I could answer, the column in the center of the lake began to move. It bent and formed a rainbow shaped arc. All around it, small shoots of water appeared and began dancing in a circle.

“That is… incredible,” I breathed. “How? Will you show me?”

“Water is more temperamental than fire. Water must be coaxed. Focus on the lake. Imagine the water, see yourself as one with it. Don’t use energy, not yet. Unlike fire, which yearns to join with you and come into existence, water must be… seduced. Dance with it for a time, and then see what you can do.”

I was more than a little puzzled, but with a shrug, I found a point of focus about halfway across Lake Rosu. I thought about the water, chilly and dark. I pushed the thoughts of alligators and water moccasins from my mind and tried to imagine the waves dancing. I conjured my memories of swimming, the air bubbles swirling around me, the odd joy of looking up at the sky through the surface of the water. 

And slowly, slowly, I felt the connection. The water was part of me, and with just a slight nudge—

A spout of water flew up at my focus point, and I caught my breath. It was beautiful, a feathery shoot. I could still feel the connection, and it made my heart swell with an almost foreign gladness.

“It’s so light,” I murmured. “So different from the fire.”

“Very,” agreed Marica. “Can you move it? Shift it from its place?”

I concentrated, almost shyly asking the water to move, tracking my eyes across the lake. Merrily the spout leaped to the right, and then to left, and to my surprise, a second flume joined it. They entwined and moved sensuously back and forth.

“Beautiful,” I approved. The water pair made one more tremendous leap before slowly sinking back to the surface. I slid my smile to Marica.

“Excellent. For now, you’ll practice with visible bodies of water. You can do this at home, in the bathtub, with water in the sink. Eventually you’ll work on calling forth the water from beneath the earth. It’s more difficult and requires some finesse.”

“So that’s two elements I’ve learned now,” I observed. “Still two more to go. Can we work on earth and air today?”

Marica shook her head. “No. I understand your anxiety to learn it all, but it will not serve you well to be overwhelmed. If you’ve mastered water fairly well next week, we’ll perhaps work on air.”

“Is that like water or fire?” I asked.

“It is completely different. Each element has its own unique requirements and nuances.”

“I think I understand controlling fire, water and air,” I mused. “But I don’t really get where the earth comes in. Is it like throwing dirt or rocks?”

“Hardly,” Marica answered dryly. “Manipulating the earth involves growing things. But be patient, please. I’ll explain that when you are ready.”

Patience wasn’t really my strong suit, I decided. I wanted to know it all, and right now. But I smothered a sigh as she continued.

“We are finished for today. I will see you here again on Monday.” Her eyes skittered away for me, and I sensed a vague discomfort in her. “Do you have… plans for the weekend?”

I shifted my weight from one foot to another, trying to decide how to deal with this. “I’m not sure.  I… I haven’t been in touch with Rafe.” Actually, the last two days had been extremely uncomfortable. Rafe had virtually ignored me at lunch both Thursday and Friday.  I felt his hurt, his confusion and his frustration, but I hadn’t been able quiet my own inner turmoil long enough to talk with him. I knew something had to give, and I had a sinking feeling that it was going to have to be me again.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll make the right decision… for you.”  Marica gave me a quick, tight smile before she turned to leave.

Hey, Tas. I don’t think I’ve told you how much I dream about you. I do. Every day I rush to get my homework done so I can go to sleep early. My roommate thinks I’m weird. But when I’m asleep, we’re together, and we’re happy. And you love me as much as I love you. Call me, Tas.

I drove home through the gray light of dusk, a rare lightness in my spirit. Usually I left my time with Marica somewhat exhausted and a little depressed. I wasn’t sure if it was using my powers that drained me or if it was that my lessons so completely took my mind off Michael and the rest of the mess that was my life these days.

Wistfully I imagined what I might be doing right now if Michael and I were still together. I would have been so eager to call and tell him about how I made the water dance. I wasn’t sure he’d understand the attraction and excitement of casting fire, but I thought he would like my water play. It felt so right and so positive.

I drove past the road that led to the Brooks’ home, and a small twinge of guilt struck my heart. I knew Rafe was hurting, but I’d let my anger shield me from feeling his pain too deeply. He wasn’t going to make the first move this time. If I didn’t do anything, neither would he. I faced an endless age of silent sulky lunchtimes with Amber desperately trying to put a happy face on everything.