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  Mireya picked up her book and bonked Jae on the head with it.

  “I have read this book so many times I practically have it memorized,” she said.

  “Ah, key word – practically!”

  She shot him an ugly face, stuck out her tongue and started reading again.

  Jae let her read in silence, staring at the tent wall while deep in thought.

  His sister had it right. He wanted to do his part, too. He wanted to help. He wanted enough power to make a difference. Perhaps I should take the Banon up on her offer… She did say I was perfect for the job. Jae shook his head in confused indecision. She also said it would be dangerous…

  Jae’s heart raced. We face danger every day! Besides, once Dad knows I accepted a job from the Banon, he’ll have to be satisfied.

  “I’ll be back in a little while,” Jae said suddenly, arising from his chair. He did not give Mireya a chance to question him. He darted through the meadow searching for the tent he needed. He froze just outside the entrance, unsure whether to knock or just enter. A withered hand pulled back the canvas door and a whiff of mothballs struck Jae’s nostrils.

  “Please enter, young Jae Mochrie,” said a voice, from inside. “But only if you are certain.

  For as you have been warned, this choice is final and cannot be undone.” Jae’s heart pounded. All he had to do was step inside. His thoughts took him back to his conversation with the Banon.

  “I have seen your true heart, Jae, and I understand, more than most, what it is you desire.”

  “But, it feels wrong,” he admitted sheepishly. “Like something I should be able to control.” 24

  “Maybe you are not meant to control it,” the Banon posed. “Perhaps your experience of being left behind and fending for yourself was meant to happen, to change the course of your life for the better.”

  Jae had never thought about it that way before.

  The Banon continued.

  “I see it as passion, Jae. And if people did not have passion for power, how would the world ever find its leaders? Power rises to the top, yes. And there’s no argument that many in power are consumed by it. But power is not purely good or purely bad.” Jae was glad he had finally dared have this conversation.

  “I guess that’s true,” he said. “I mean, look at you,” he said with reverence. “You are what we are all supposed to be striving to be like. I guess that can’t be bad.” Juliska just smiled her reply, pleased.

  “I just know I could do so much, if only given the chance,” he told her.

  “I can make that happen,” she replied.

  Now, the choice was up to Jae.

  He could study, graduate, and wait for his Initiation, or he could step through this door and bypass years of waiting for his life to begin. Jae knew no more, other than once he stepped through, the decision was final and that he would face unimaginable dangers. But it also meant skipping ahead and never looking back.

  “Well… I don’t have all day,” the voice echoed out of the tent impatiently. “What’s it going to be?”

  Jae grinned and then stepped inside, letting the canvas door close behind him.

  5

  Colin arrived at Billie’s tent. She greeted him at the door.

  “Hi, Billie. Back with my stuff.” It was not much, just a backpack and a small trunk.

  “Sure am glad ya said yes!” she told him.

  “It was getting a bit crowded at the Mochrie’s,” Colin replied.

  “You make yourself right at home, now. I have a meetin’ to get off to, but I’ll be home around evening.” She winked and then left Colin to get settled.

  Catrina slept through the afternoon. It was the first uninterrupted sleep she had been able to have since Colin had saved her from the cave.

  Evening came and Billie did not come home.

  Catrina woke briefly and Colin told her he would grab them some dinner. When he returned she was sitting up in bed, but still looked tired.

  25

  Catrina yawned.

  “You should get some more rest,” insisted Colin.

  She did not argue.

  “I’ve never felt so tired,” she muttered, sinking into her blanket.

  Colin grabbed another blanket, taking a seat on the ground next to the bed, but sleep evaded him. Instead, he stared dreamily at Catrina while she slept, soundly.

  What would happen once people discovered her? It was bound to happen.

  He feared that moment.

  Would he be able to protect her?

  Did she know why she had been put into the glass coffin?

  He hoped that after Catrina felt rested and recovered, he would finally get some answers.

  He leaned his head, resting it on the side of the bed, and at some point, while watching Catrina, his eyes closed.

  Meghan awoke the next morning to the sounds of a heated discussion just outside her room. Her sleep had been spotty, at best. A terrible feeling had been nagging at the back of her mind all night regarding her brother.

  Before she could even speak, Nona jumped onto the bed.

  “I already took care of it!” the Catawitch said in reply, to the task Meghan had not even officially asked her to do, yet.

  “Still don’t know what I’d do without you, Nona.”

  “Nor I, you,” she returned. “Your dreams were vivid and I agreed with your thinking.

  Therefore, I checked on Colin this morning and all is well. I will keep an eye on him just the same. Trust your senses, Meghan. I do.”

  “I just feel like something horrible is about to happen to him, Nona. But I can’t sit around worrying about him every minute, when I have so much to learn.”

  “Which is why you will leave this task to me.”

  Meghan touched her forehead to Nona’s, saying thanks.

  While dressing, she turned her attention back to the debate going on in the tent’s front room.

  “Our food supply is running dangerously low,” a man’s voice spoke. “And, I’m sure you all noticed the lack of stores nearby. Growing food is our only option. Although, without knowing what’s going on, or how long we will be here, growing may not be a viable option.”

  “It would be viable if you would allow me to use magic,” a female retorted.

  “Yes! The food could be ready in weeks rather than months!” Meghan recognized this voice as Darius Hadrian, from the Viancourt.

  “We have already been over this! We have tested it before. Food grown by magic, lacking the normal growing period, also lacks proper taste and nutrition! It’s not real food!” the first man argued.

  26

  “Would you rather NOT have ANY food?” the woman spat.

  The man sighed, giving in.

  “No, of course not. We cannot go hungry. Banon, Vian Hadrian, I will leave this choice up to you. Sadly, I fear we may have no choice, as it may come down to a choice of low-quality food versus no food.”

  “Even if we do decide to use magic,” began Darius, “there is still the matter of gathering enough magical energy to do so. We still have to address the issue of our weakening magic.

  Our emergency stores are also at dangerously low levels.” The room went silent. Meghan took a quick peek out of her door. The group sat at the long wooden table, facing the Banon, waiting for her to reply.

  “Whatever is decided here today, we must all remain calm,” she insisted. “We have already prohibited the use of magic for the investigation. For now, this will keep the people fairly in the dark as to how weakened we are. There is no need to cause extra alarm.” She paused, pondering for just a moment.

  “Grow the garden, but be sure not to use more than half the magical stores we have left.

  We simply must not leave ourselves without some form of defense… especially if our magic continues to weaken.”

  The man and woman nodded in agreement.

  “Meanwhile, I shall form a hunting party. We can spare a few Balaton, and perhaps they can find us some food in th
e forest.”

  The man and woman departed immediately, followed moments later by Darius Hadrian, leaving Juliska alone. Meghan waited for a few minutes before leaving her room, not wanting to cast suspicions that she had been listening. When she came out, Juliska squelched her concerns.

  “Good morning, Meghan. Sorry. I am afraid you will hear many heated conversations in the coming days. Please, do not worry yourself about it though. Just all in a days work.”

  “Sounds pretty serious, though.”

  “Serious, yes. Something we have not experienced before, no. We will persevere. We always do.” She sounded weary in her reply. “While we are being serious, there’s something I wanted to tell you. Sit, please.”

  Meghan sat down across from her.

  “I feel that I have put a tremendous pressure on you, and for this, I apologize.” Meghan opened her mouth to speak but Juliska motioned for her to wait.

  “I just wanted to impress upon you how grateful I am that you are willing to help us. To help me. Just a little over a year ago, you did not even know magic existed, and now, here you are stuck in the middle of this mess! I also need you to know, that I… that I do not just think of you as a Firemancer, someone that can help me do my job. You are a bright, talented young woman, no doubt.”

  She paused, as if searching for the right words to continue.

  “Sorry, I don’t know why, but this is hard for me to admit. My reputation is not that of the motherly type. I am tough, blunt and do not apologize for it. As I have said before, I must be 27

  if we are to survive. However, I want you to feel as though you can be open with me.

  Honest. To all ends good or bad. I want to be there for you as a person, not just as your teacher.”

  “O-Okay,” Meghan stammered, barely able to choke out her reply. Then, more boldly, she added, “To be honest, I think motherly is exactly what you are. Tough and blunt, sure. You just have a lot more children to watch over than most mothers do.” Juliska looked perplexed.

  “I have never really thought of it like that, Meghan. You are really quite wise.”

  “I guess being a big sister comes with its perks,” she muttered, shrugging.

  “Just as long as you know that I am here for you, too. Whatever you need.” Juliska took hold of Meghan’s hand, lovingly. She then let go and took a deep breath. “I am afraid I must delay our training for a short while, as I must depart. While I am away there is something I would like you to read, in your pocket guide.”

  Meghan hastened into her room and came back to the table with the Firemancer’s Pocket Guide in hand. Juliska grabbed it and flipped through the pages.

  “Here we are,” she said, handing the book back to Meghan.

  “Calling,” Meghan read aloud.

  “Study that chapter thoroughly,” Juiliska ordered. “Tomorrow, we will revisit the trunk in my room and discuss it further. An eager gleam in Juliska’s eye caught Meghan’s attention, and she wished greatly they could go right then.

  Meghan sighed, feeling guilty. Is it wrong to feel this happy, with so many terrible things going on? People are missing. I have the most important task of my life ahead of me. Colin is hiding a girl that someone tried to leave behind in a cave rarely visited by humans.

  The rush of emotion suddenly overwhelmed her and tears streamed down her face. She was thankful, at least, for being alone and crept into her room. After gushing non-stop for nearly an hour, she dried her eyes and drank a glass of water.

  Meghan opened her book and began reading the chapter on calling.

  After awhile her stomach growled, so she left the tent to grab a bite to eat. She hoped to run into Colin but did not see him. Nona did find her though, and followed her home. They curled up on Meghan’s bed and Nona fell asleep as Meghan set in again to reading. Hours passed and day turned into evening.

  “Meetings sure do last a long time around here,” Meghan whispered. “I wonder if I should wait up?”

  “I imagine she would want you to rest,” Nona told her. “Especially if there are to be many repeats of this mornings early meeting.”

  “You’re probably right. Besides, I really want to know what’s in that trunk. Right now tomorrow seems ages away!”

  “Why don’t you read just a little more while I go check on your brother? Maybe I’ll be lucky and scurry up a juicy rodent along the way.”

  “Have fun,” Meghan said, putting her nose back into her book. As the evening air set into the meadow, a chill came over her. Almost as if requested, Pantin Hollee arrived with some 28

  papers to leave for the Banon, and offered to start the stove for Meghan. Within minutes, she had the tent perfectly toasty.

  “Just add a big log in about ten minutes, it’ll keep going well into the night,” she told Meghan.

  “Thanks! You are multi-talented, Hollee!”

  “Part of the job,” she winked and then departed as quickly as she had appeared. Meghan waited the ten minutes and then threw the log into the stove. The heat felt so good that it never even occurred to her to be careful around the flames.

  Her next memory was that of someone shaking her.

  Meghan lay curled up on the cold ground. She had fallen into a vision and then slept through the entire night. Her hand rested against the now cool stove. The fire had died sometime during the night.

  “Ah. Great! You!” she muttered, gathering herself.

  “Yes, it seems I have picked you up off the ground, once again.” Ivan Crane eyed her sternly.

  “Should have known you would find me, seeing as I’m having your nightmare again!” She spoke more harshly than she had meant to. However, frustrations brought on by Ivan keeping his secrets about Jae Mochrie were not what she needed right now.

  “So is there a purpose to your timely visit?”

  “Report for the Banon. She asked me to meet her. I’m a few minutes early.”

  “Awesome,” muttered Meghan.

  “You’re in an even worse mood than normal,” noted Ivan.

  “And you know why!”

  The conversation ended as footsteps approached.

  “Banon Blackwell,” Ivan spoke, bowing his head slightly upon her entrance.

  “Perfect! Ivan. Follow me, please. Meghan, don’t stray far. I will not be long and we must get started right away this morning.” She then disappeared into her room, followed by Ivan Crane.

  While Meghan waited, it dawned on her that Juliska must not have returned home the night before, and wondered what could have kept her busy all night.

  Minutes later, Ivan exited her room.

  “She wants to see you now,” he told Meghan dryly. She did not wait for him to leave and swiped by him and into Juliska’s room.

  “Let’s get right down to business, shall we?” Juliska said, opening the trunk with the two doors. She unlocked the door on the left and stepped inside.

  Meghan tentatively followed. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, as wherever they were, it was dark. Then, it started to lighten, one candle flame at a time.

  As the flames flickered and her eyes adjusted, Meghan realized she was standing in a stone room, like a carved out cave. There were hundreds of thin pillars, and at the top of each pillar was a candle. Each candle took the shape of people, things or places.

  “Welcome to a Firemancer’s lair,” began Juliska. “One day, you will have one of your own.” 29

  Meghan stared in stunned disbelief. She stepped closer to one of the candle’s, which took the shape of a meadow. As she peered into the orange flame, the colors began to shift, turning gold and then black. What stunned her most was the picture that appeared in the flames: people, bustling through a familiar looking meadow.

  “Is this the meadow we are camped in, right now? Is this what’s going on, outside in the meadow?”

  “Yes. It is,” was Juliska’s simple reply.

  Meghan walked through the room, peering into flame after flame. After awhile, Juliska continued.

&n
bsp; “Normally, you would not be shown this until much later in your training. However, the circumstances we find ourselves in force my hand. Moreover, I think you’re ready. This here,” she waved her hand around her head, “is a Firemancer’s most prized possession. Our arsenal if you wish.”

  Meghan listened intently.

  “Not that the visions we have are any less vital. But these flames allow us to see more than just the future.”

  “It feels like spying,” Meghan admitted self-consciously.

  “Only if you spy,” replied Juliska.

  “Huh?”

  “It’s understandable to be confused by this. You must learn, though, that there is a difference between spying and watching over someone. Making the meadow candle was a difficult choice for me. But seeing as my visions are not working, I felt it necessary to use the tools at my disposal to keep a closer eye on things.”

  Meghan tried to understand but still felt as though she was spying on her neighbors.

  “The key, Meghan, as with any power we are handed, is how we choose to use that power.

  As a leader, I must make choices that from the outside do not always appear fair. In time, you’ll come to understand what I mean.”

  “What you say makes sense, I just …”

  “Feel creepy? Nosy? Intrusive?” Juliska asked, knowingly.

  “Yeah, that about says it,” Meghan sighed. “I think I do understand though,” she added. She did feel that she understood, but still did not feel comfortable spying on people. Her thoughts instantly strayed to Colin and Catrina. How could Juliska not have noticed something odd?

  “So what are these other candles?” she asked, moving forward.

  “My greatest assets, Meghan. Fire is our most valuable tool, weapon and mode of communication. I assume you read the chapter on calling?”

  “Repeatedly,” Meghan answered.

  Juliska motioned Meghan to approach a candle.

  “Is that… is that Pantin Hollee?”

  “Yes. When I need my Pantin, I simply go to her flame and call for her. This can be tricky, as most people are unaware of the Firemancer’s call. They hear it as more of a distant echo or 30

  thought, like a dream. Hollee, however, is aware of calling, and expects it at any time, day or night.”