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  “Seeing the destruction his discovery had caused, Babiin spent the remainder of his life making amends for his actions. He created a group of warriors that wandered the earth for many years, painstakingly collecting and destroying the stones, and those that used them for harm.

  “But it was during this time that nine of the most powerful Vetala learned an awesome truth: The Mazuruk Stones could give them the immortality they had so long desired. Using their innate powers as Energy Vampires, they could combine the magical energies from a single Stone, into another, fusing them together. They did this with hundreds of Stones, until they had built a Stone large enough to contain the magical energy required for immortality.

  “Babiin Balick and his followers learned of this plan too late. They set out to stop it, but fate had determined otherwise. The nine remaining Vetala, from the Shogharne Territory, simply needed to touch the Stone simultaneously, and its power would be permanently fused with their own, filling their life force completely.”

  At this point Jurekai Fazendiin’s mother stopped and looked at him, as if to ask if she should continue.

  “Yes, Mother,” he told her. “If I want the truth known, I want the entire truth known.” She nodded and began to speak again.

  “The Stone was then hidden, its location only known by the nine, to ensure that it could not be destroyed. For if it was destroyed… their immortality, and thus their lives, would end.”

  Colby breathed out in disbelief. He had known his father was immortal, but could his immortality end? Did this also mean that his father was one of the nine original immortals?

  He had often heard of him spoken as the original… if this were true, Colby again desired 57

  greatly to know how this affected his own life. Nevertheless, he waited, knowing the story was not yet finished.

  “The immortals made the choice to go into hiding, allowing the rest of the world to wage their war. Babiin Balick continued to wage his own war, which lasted long past his death.

  Eventually, after many years, his followers tracked down and destroyed the remaining Mazuruk Stones. There were unexpected casualties, however. The biggest being the near eradication of magic. The next being that the battle had lasted so many years, that new generations had been born and died, having no knowledge of magic.

  “The world was changed, magic no longer at the forefront of everyday life. As time passed, so did the knowledge of what once was. The few remaining humans that still held onto their magical powers feared for their lives, as magic became myth. Which when happened upon, was reviled as evil to be purged from the earth.

  “In order to better their odds of survival, the smaller magical clans joined forces. You will know them today as the Svoda Gypsies. Many of Babiin Balick’s followers’ descendents make up a good portion of the Gypsies members. His own bloodline remains true to his cause, still today.”

  Jurekai interrupted his mother’s story at this point.

  “It was Babiin’s own son that cursed my mother’s soul,” he added. “Cursed her to live without a physical body, so very, very long ago.”

  “But father,” Colby interrupted, “with all your power and knowledge, you could not find a way to free her?”

  “Not yet, Son. Please finish Mother, so that he knows everything.”

  “About two hundred years ago, the very Stone that gave the nine immortals their power was discovered and stolen by the descendents of Babiin Balick. They tried to destroy the Stone, to no avail. Then, it was stolen again, by one of the last living Projectors. One of the few able to tame the power, for he was more than human, and a human mind is not capable of controlling that sort of power. He made claim that the Stone could not only heal an uncontrollable Projector’s powers, but that it could also be made to either heal or destroy all remaining magic.”

  Colby’s father interrupted.

  “Whoever controls this Stone, controls everything, son.” He nodded to his mother to finish her story.

  “The Projector who made these claims hid the Stone. It has not yet been located. It is believed that he left vital clues to the Stone’s location in a book called the Magicante, a book that was written by this Projector. After his death, about fifty years later, the book disappeared from all knowledge.”

  “That is,” interrupted Jurekai Fazendiin again, “until it popped into the hands of this young boy, Colin Jacoby.”

  So this is why my father wants that book so badly. Colby finally knew why he had been seeking out this book.

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  “What you must take from all of this my son,” his father said, “is that the Magicante is a vital piece of the puzzle. It will lead us to the Stone. Without this Stone, my immortality is at stake. Without this Stone, our legacy is at stake. Without this Stone, we cannot live in peace, as in the wrong hands, this Stone could be made to destroy all magic… including ours. We can be overthrown. We are not invincible.”

  Colby was beginning to comprehend just how old his father truly was. And now he knew that his father could die… but again, what did this mean for him?

  “There is one other point you must understand, my son. I was the clan leader that Babiin Balick approached so very long ago. It was I that discovered our path to immortality. I will not allow all I have worked for all these years, to be undone! With the Magicante I can find the Stone. With the Stone, I can control all magic. With the Stone, I can remain immortal, forever. Alas, I am not an ignorant man. And this… this is why I brought you into the world, my son.”

  Colby could not speak. He could scarcely catch his breath.

  “You are descended from an immortal bloodline. My bloodline. The most powerful ever to exist. Your birth guarantees that a Fazendiin will remain, even if my life is ended.”

  “What do you mean?” Colby asked.

  “A child born to one of the nine immortals would be passed on this immortality through the blood, making them a true immortal. You, my son, cannot die.” A million questioned rushed through his brain.

  Can’t die! But I am aging… will that stop at some point? If we find the stone, will I be the most powerful person in the entire world? Will I control … everything? If I am injured, will I just heal?

  The stained glass window returned to its original form.

  “Thank you, Mother,” Fazendiin spoke softly. He then turned his attention back to Colby.

  “There is no one else like you in this, or any other world, my son. Your potential is limitless. But, you are still young, and have much to learn. I will not have any son of mine, no matter how powerful he will become, live in ignorance or arrogance. I made that mistake once, and look at what happened to this world.”

  “Yes, Father,” was all Colby could respond.

  “I will make you a king, my son. You will become my greatest achievement.” 10

  Dew blanketed the meadow, casting glistening shadows upon the trees as the sun beamed down. A full day had passed since the Stripers had arrived and made their claim that a child Projector was somewhere nearby.

  59

  Meghan met up with Colin and Catrina and headed for breakfast. On their way, she described a vivid dream she’d had the night before.

  “I think I was hearing Colby’s thought’s,” she said after awhile. “Or maybe I was seeing bits of his dreams. I still don’t know why I can do that, but it’s so strange that the subject of my dream was Projectors, and we are now possibly dealing with one. Plus, he is not giving up his quest for your book, Colin. I wish my dream would have told me why!” she added in frustration. “Of course, I don’t even know if what I dreamt is actually real.” Colin leaned into Catrina, whose voice only he could hear.

  “Really?” said Colin. “That is definitely strange.”

  “What?” Meghan asked, annoyed. She wondered if this was how she and Colin had always come across when they would have secret conversations around Sebastien. She now understood why he would get irritated when they did it.

  “Catrina says the details in yo
ur dream, regarding how the Grosvenor came to be, are accurate, according to what she has heard.”

  “How would she know? In my dream, this seemed like very privileged information,” Meghan started to question. She also recalled reading in a schoolbook that it was unknown as to how the Grosvenor came to be. She did not get an answer as Jae came running up to them, appearing distressed.

  “You guys haven’t seen Corny have you?” he asked.

  “Corny? No.” said Colin.

  “Thought he never came out of the dark?” Meghan added.

  “Usually doesn’t. I went to give him breakfast this morning and he wasn’t in his room.

  Mom’s worried, so I told her I’d look around.”

  “We can help if you want,” offered Meghan. “I hope he didn’t get confused and wander off into the woods.”

  “If he did, we’ll never find him,” worried Jae.

  “Um. Guys. Search over!” Colin then said, pointing.

  Corny Tibbett shuffled his way into the camp cantina. He searched the crowd, his eyes stopping on Colin Jacoby. He trudged his way over to Colin, ignoring both Jae and Meghan.

  His grizzled face looked pale, even underneath the layers of tangled facial hair.

  Then, surprising everyone in the camp, Corny did something he had not done in many a long year. He spoke.

  “I just wanted to see… one time… for myself.” His voice sounded weak. His gaze then darted to the empty space next to Colin, in which the invisible Catrina Flummer stood.

  Colin panicked.

  Can he see her? Is the spell not working?

  Corny took hold of Colin’s shoulders, his eyes casting between him and the invisible Catrina.

  “Hope or death?” he then asked in a whisper only they could hear.

  Colin did not respond. His mouth fell open, as if to try, but nothing came out. He did not know what Corny meant or how to respond. Corny then let go of Colin and backed up a step.

  60

  “My part in this play is now finished,” he muttered.

  Corny Tibbett then closed his eyes and slumped to the ground. Dead.

  Colin, Catrina, Meghan and Jae just stared at his body in disbelief, almost expecting him to get back up again. Surely he could not die, just like that.

  Soon the crowd gathered around his body, wondering what to do. Corny had no actual family to contact. The Mochries were the closest thing he had. In just minutes, Balaton arrived to file a report on what had happened and carried away the body.

  It did not take long for them to close the report.

  “Poor, crazy old man,” one of the Balaton spoke. “I knew him many years ago, when I was just a young boy, before he lost his family. He was a kind man. Such a shame to see him this way. Although, I guess dying of old age is better than some of the other alternatives…” He then followed his fellow Balaton out of the cantina.

  “Please pass my condolences to Jae,” Catrina whispered to Colin. “I know they were not really close, but his family did care for Corny for quite a long time.” Colin passed along her message, adding his own as well. Inwardly, he felt bad for never making good on his promise to do something nice for Corny. In addition, he worried that he had lost an ally. A crazy ally who was obviously much smarter and more in tune with daily happenings than anyone suspected.

  “I guess I’d better go find my parents,” Jae said. “If they somehow haven’t heard already…

  news travels fast…” he sped off.

  “Maybe the poor man’s finally at peace,” Meghan said. “Still, wacko. Why did he need to find you first,” she asked her brother. “And what the heck did he mean? Hope or death?” Colin had not realized she had heard Corny say it.

  “I honestly have no clue. He really freaked me out there for a minute though. I thought he could see… you know …”

  “Did seem like that, huh.” Meghan agreed.

  “It’s okay, Colin,” Catrina told him. “Whether for some reason he could or not, it does not matter now, does it?”

  “No. You’re right. It doesn’t matter now.”

  The news of the sudden death of the caravans’ craziest man did not take long to spread.

  Later, in the evening, nearly all Svoda made an appearance at Corny’s hastily prepared funeral, to pay their respects to this once respected and sane man.

  Colin was surprised at how many people had known Corny before he had ended up a hermit who preferred to live in cramped, dark places.

  The funeral also dampened the group’s already dulled spirits. Because regardless of his last few years, Corny’s life and death were just another grim reminder of the toll this life took on them all.

  Meghan rushed off as soon as the funeral was completed. Jae stayed by his parents’ side, accepting condolences for Corny’s passing. Most people just praised the Mochries for taking him in and caring for him. Colin heard comment after comment saying things like “I don’t 61

  know how you did it these last few years…” or “What patient people you must be…” and

  “You really made a difference in his life, gave him a reason to live.” For some reason, all of these comments bothered Colin.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Catrina, seeing the obvious frustration.

  Colin could not express his thoughts clearly and just shook his head.

  “What is that?” Catrina suddenly asked him, pointing.

  Colin jerked his head to look where she pointed, just as an eight-legged shadow vanished behind some nearby bushes.

  “Pajak! Juliska’s pet,” he told Catrina.

  “Is it spying on you?” she asked.

  Colin did not reply. Was it safe to? Was his every move being watched? Did they know about Catrina? Did they know that Corny had somehow helped him, even in his seemingly crazy state of mind?

  “I need to get out of here!” Colin suddenly blurted. “I feel like I can’t… breathe.”

  “Let’s go then,” she said.

  “Where to? It’s not safe to leave the meadow.”

  “Maybe your book can help us with that.”

  “Actually… you’re right!” he exclaimed. “If I can make you invisible, why not myself too!” He then proceeded to use the same spell on himself as he did on Catrina and they rushed hand in hand out of the meadow. He was sure, now, to always add the Abdo before using any spell, to keep the traces of magic hidden from anyone who might be tracking it.

  “We could have just stayed,” she said, after a short walk through the dense forest.

  “I know. No one can see or hear us. I just needed to get away from there.”

  “Sad about Corny?”

  “Sad. Confused. Torn. About Corny, about…” he paused, sitting on a fallen log. “Catrina, I need to know. Do you know who left you in the cave? Or were you telling Ivan the truth when you said you didn’t know.”

  She sighed.

  “The truth. But I have my suspicions,” she added.

  “Juliska Blackwell,” he confirmed.

  “Yes. But not just her, there were others, too. I don’t think she acted alone.”

  “But why? Why would they do that to you? You’re harmless!”

  “Not everyone might agree with that Colin.”

  He stood and took her hand.

  “You can trust me with anything,” he told her. “If they think you’re the Projector, I will prove them wrong!”

  Catrina’s eyes began to moisten.

  “Oh, Colin. I…”

  A branch snapped nearby. Instinctively, Colin grasped Catrina and started running. They stopped only once they had run so far, that they began to fear they might get lost. Colin wondered if maybe getting lost wouldn’t actually be a good thing.

  62

  “It’s pretty dark in here,” noted Catrina.

  “We’ll be okay,” insisted Colin. “I’ll find the way back.” A rustling in the tree above his head startled him.

  “Bird!”

  The mysterious bird human rested on a branch, in
bird form. It nodded hello and then flew down.

  “I guess I should stop being surprised when you pop in to visit,” Colin said, feeling slightly more cheerful. Bird chirped his response in a manner that Colin somehow understood meant he was trying to tell him something.

  “You could just transform?” Colin suggested. To his and Catrina’s surprise, Bird did transform, but at a distance and behind a tree.

  “Sorry. I can’t let you see me,” he spoke. “But there’s something I need to show you, and I can only see you in bird form, as you have a cloaking spell on you.”

  “I’d forgotten about the cloaking spell,” said Colin. “It honestly didn’t even dawn on me. So you can see us, in your bird form, but not your human form?”

  “Yes. Correct.”

  Colin and Catrina had the same terrifying thought. Pajak was not human.

  “We’ll worry about that later,” Colin whispered. “What do you need to show us, Bird?”

  “Stay cloaked,” he first warned. “No matter what, do not show yourselves.” The flapping of wings overhead indicated that Bird had transformed back into his flying form. He flapped and pointed his beak, motioning for them to follow.

  They trudged carefully through the woods, following Bird. They did not follow a path, so progress was at times very slow. Eventually, however, the forest began to lighten. Bird flew to a low tree branch, next to Colin’s face. He pointed his beak toward the light, still chirping.

  Catrina smiled.

  “What?” questioned Colin.

  “His chirping is musical. I’m starting to understand what he’s saying,” she said.

  “How?” asked Colin.

  Before she could answer, voices echoed into the forest.

  “He is warning us again, to remain cloaked,” whispered Catrina, “as we are not alone.” They crept cautiously ahead.

  “Another meadow,” Colin noted.

  “Stripers,” Catrina then added. “What are they building?”

  “I can’t tell from here. Let’s get a little closer,” he said.

  They crawled as close to the edge as they dared, being careful not to snap any branches or rustle any bushes. They might be invisible, but so could be the chameleon-like Stripers, and now that they knew the invisibility spell had limitations, they knew they should not take unnecessary chances.