“So that’s why they have stored magic,” said Colin. “If they suddenly find themselves needing more than they can collect, they have extra.” He was thinking of the magical belts lined with vials that he had seen a few times.
“Yes. Having to use a lot of magic all at once requires a lot of energy. If they are unable to reach out far enough, to get more, they have to resort to their stored supply,” explained Arnon.
“The Tunkapog,” continued Kanda, “are a little different. Our people access magic differently. We were not born with the ability to collect and use this magical energy, within ourselves. We do, however, possess the ability to create magic from all the living things around us. Think of it sort of like the Svoda’s stores of magic, but on a larger scale. You’d be surprised what the perfect mixture of seemingly simple things you walk past every day can create. Beauty, serenity,” she waved her hand around the tropical room they sat in currently, “healing sickness and injury, causing sickness and injury, or even death.”
“Okay, I get those differences,” said Colin. “So what about the Grosvenor? What can they do? Why is everyone so afraid of them?”
Milo spoke up first.
“The Grosvenor are dangerous. Never doubt this. They are very old and with this age comes great wisdom.”
He saw a confused look on Colin’s face.
“I don’t mean great like in good great. Just great as in you can’t even begin to imagine all the knowledge they have collected and have at their disposal.”
“Ah. Okay.”
Arnon continued the explanation. “The biggest thing they have going for them is their immortality, Colin. What you must understand is that their immortality is not naturally given, but magically created.”
“So can it be magically taken away?” he asked. Arnon looked as though he didn’t want to answer him, knowing that Colin wanted to know this not just for the destruction of the Grosvenor, but the possible destruction of himself, should it become necessary.
Kanda answered.
“There is a belief that if the Immortality Stone could somehow be destroyed that their immortality would be stripped... but keep in mind, the Projectors who hid the stone found no way to destroy it. They could only hide it.”
He knew this. Jasper had told him. Still, it made things seem just the slightest bit less hopeless.
“The Grosvenor,” chimed in Milo, “are really no stronger than anyone in the magical world. What makes them so dangerous is their knowledge and the many, many, many years they’ve had to harness and use this knowledge.”
“Plus, they’ve got that super hard to kill thing going on,” added Colin.
“Yes. There is that.”
“And even if one could find the Immortality Stone,” spoke Kay in her soft tones, “the danger just bringing it out into the open would create would be...” she couldn’t find the right word to express what she meant.
“Devastating,” said Arnon. “That stone in the wrong hands would wield terrible power. Just the thought of more Grosvenor being created should be frightening enough...”
“That stone is nothing but trouble,” agreed Milo. “No one in their right mind would even consider using it! That is, of course, if it could even be found.”
“Let us hope that day never happens,” added Kay, yawning. “Oh my. I think it’s time to say goodnight.”
She and Milo departed to their dome house just next door.
Colin, Catrina, Kanda and Arnon left the tropical room and headed back into the main room.
Colin didn’t move to head to bed.
“You have more questions?” asked Arnon.
Colin opened his mouth to ask but stopped. He wasn’t sure exactly how to ask the next question. Arnon took a seat at the long table, motioning for him to sit. Catrina and Kanda did as well.
“Are Projectors really more powerful than the Grosvenor?” he finally asked.
Now that Kay and Milo had gone home, he could speak more freely.
“My time with Jasper was cut short and I know he had tons more to teach me. I understand that I have this continuous stream of thought combined with the ability to pluck any one of those thoughts and just make it happen, but how? How do I have that power? What makes me that way?”
Arnon shot a look at Kanda, hoping she had a good answer, as he didn’t know for sure what did cause Projectorism.
“I don’t have an exact answer about that, Colin,” she admitted. “But I can share what I have heard, what I have been taught on the subject.”
Both Colin and Catrina listened eagerly.
She took a deep breath, contemplating her words carefully.
“Remember when I talked about limitations of storing magic within the Svoda?”
“Yes.”
“It is like nature knew that each individual should only be able to harness, store and use so much power,” she explained. “Some are born with the ability to store a little more or less than others, but in rare circumstances, such as yourself Colin, someone is born that does not have this natural containment system. So the older you get, the stronger you get, and you don’t have this system in place to set those limits, it is permitted to grow and expand exponentially.”
“Basically, you’re saying I was born missing something.”
“In very simple terms, yes.”
“But no one knows what that something is?” asked Catrina.
“Not that I or my people are aware of. And to be frank, I don’t think it’s a subject that’s been researched much in recent years, as you’re the first Projector born in a very long time.”
“So maybe when Jasper said I needed to get myself under control before I was sixteen, he was being super cautious? Or is it really seventeen that’s the real birthday I need to worry about?”
“I don’t know as we will ever know that for sure,” said Arnon, sadly. “After Projectors became feared, they were killed as young children to avoid any possible chance that they would reach maturity. I think it might serve best to believe that you must be in control all the time, even now. Birthday or not, if you focus on the now and don’t worry about the future, well, maybe you just might have a fighting chance.”
Colin blew out a breath.
“Sorry, that did not come out as encouraging as it sounded in my head,” added Arnon.
“I think you’re right though. Jasper did tell me to live in the now. In the moment. Maybe that will better help me once the change does happen. I mean, maybe I won’t even notice any change if I just heed what he did teach me.”
“I think that is very wise,” agreed Kanda.
“I haven’t brought it up yet,” added Arnon timidly, “but the truth of the matter is, Colin, that the date we celebrate your birth, isn’t really your true birth date.”
Colin’s eyes opened wide.
“When we plucked you and Meghan from the orphanage we picked a date that seemed reasonable to the age we guessed you were. The orphanage had no information as to your real birthdates.”
“So whether it’s sixteen or seventeen, it really doesn’t matter. For all you know, I could be sixteen tomorrow!”
“It is possible,” said Arnon. “I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier I just... I just felt like I was bombarding you with so much, all at once.”
Kanda stood up. “I think we must also say good night. You both need your rest too.”
She and Arnon disappeared into one of the bedrooms. Colin remained at the table.
“You’re not going to be able to sleep are you?” Catrina asked him.
“No. I don’t feel remotely tired.” Nevertheless, he followed her into one of the rooms. She curled up on the bed and closed her eyes. He pulled a blanket over her and then slid to the floor, leaning up against the bed.
He closed his eyes reaffirming the connection with his second soul, knowing that the inevitable questioning thoughts were going to start digging their way out. He let them slip away, let the book do its thing. There were no more answers f
or him here. He had gotten all the questions answered that he could.
He didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep until he felt someone jiggle him awake. It was Catrina. She had a weary look in her eyes, like she wasn’t entirely awake yet. Or perhaps it was that his own eyes were blurry from just waking.
“Come! Hurry! It’s time,” she told him.
“You mean the battle? I thought it was still days away?” He jumped up and followed her out to the main room.
“Nashua decided now was the time to strike,” explained Arnon, upon seeing Colin. He was strapping a belt over his shoulder lined with vials. He shot a deliberate look at Colin.
“I’m okay. I can keep it under control,” Colin promised, seeing the worry in his uncle’s eyes.
“All right. Be careful. Try to stay close to me. We have no idea what kind of fight they will put up.”
Colin stepped out of their tent to find himself ducking to avoid a giant shadow flying overhead. He looked up.
“Is that an eagle?”
“Of sorts, yes,” replied Kanda, who was striding to join them.
The eagle was much larger than a normal eagle, its wings stretching at least thirteen feet in length. It joined another group of eagles already circling overhead. Colin and Catrina gasped as a man not too far from them started to shake uncontrollably. His body moved so quickly that he started to blur.
“What’s wrong with him?” asked Catrina.
The shaking man heard her and replied with a blurred grin. A shadow arose behind him, two wings bursting out of his back. He crouched and then lunged into the air, his body no longer human but eagle.
“They’re all people?” asked Colin, amazed.
“Yes,” answered Kanda. “I guess I forgot to tell you the part where each of my people has the ability to take the shape of an animal. The eagles will fly overhead. Our hope is that they can penetrate the magical barriers more easily. We don’t believe she would be expecting an attack from the sky.”
“What do you turn into?” asked Catrina, hoping she wasn’t being too forward.
“Perhaps one day I’ll be able to show you,” Kanda said in her mischievous manner. “I only let it out during very unique situations.”
“Like when you saved my life from the Scratchers,” muttered Arnon approaching her.
“Yes, like that,” she replied playfully.
Colin wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Kanda’s inner animal was, especially if it was more scary than, or could overpower, the Scratchers.
Colin was about to step forward when a large furry shape ran by.
“Definitely turn into more than just eagles,” he whispered, wide eyed.
“And your animal forms are all very large,” added Catrina, her eyes filled with wonder.
To their left was another group of animals. Gray wolves, black bears and cunning-faced wolverines; all oversized and each menacing. They were intermingled with Tunkapogs shouting orders.
“We hope that the animals will give them pause. Make them stop before a battle can really begin,” said Kanda. “We do not prefer to battle. We will use every option available to us to end this attack, peacefully. But we are prepared for battle nonetheless, and I don’t think anyone wants to go up against the wolverines.”
“Yes, they do look quite menacing,” agreed Catrina.
“I would have thought the bears, or even wolves,” said Colin.
Kanda’s eyes gleamed sharply. “Sometimes, it’s the smaller things that you really need to watch out for.” She winked at him and turned as a massive shadow approached. A bright smile spread across her face as a huge wolf jumped into view. It was not gray like the others, but snow-white; so white it was nearly blinding to look upon its fur.
“My brother, Nashua,” said Kanda.
The wolf sauntered over and shook itself. A moment later the man stood before them, dressed in clothing made of the same snow-white fur. He embraced his sister and nodded curtly to everyone else.
“We are ready. Let us hope this ends quickly and smoothly.”
Nashua’s body started to shake and a moment later, the great white wolf had emerged once again. He took his place at the front of the line.
“So where exactly are we going? And how are we getting there?” asked Colin, as they stepped into the line amongst people, wolves, bears and wolverines.
“A portal’s been created, that will take us very close to Amelia’s hideout in the northern Maine woods. We will go by boats, the same way we came here,” explained Kanda. “There is a river not far from our destination.”
“Magic never ceases to amaze me,” mumbled Colin. “There’s so much I don’t know, don’t understand.” As he spoke this, Catrina was not entirely sure whether this worried him, or whether this excited him with all the possibilities he still wasn’t aware of.
They arrived at the shore, but the canoe they had paddled in on was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the army boarded shallow, long wooden boats that were wide in the middle, coming to points at the ends. Even the eagles landed and traveled by boat, as it was the fastest way to their destination.
“So,” started Colin as he took a seat next to Catrina, “just how far away from this hidden hideout are we really?”
“If we were driving from Cobbscott,” said Arnon, “about six hours. They are very near the top of the state and hidden deep in the woods there. There are no roads where we are going and their hideout will be protected by magic.”
“Thankfully,” added Kanda, catching a seat next to Arnon and across from Colin and Catrina, “we believe we can break this magic.”
The Jendayas grabbed seats on a bench just next to Arnon and Kanda, passing each other nervous looks.
“Are you positive you want to return like this?” Milo asked Kay. She nodded nervously.
He turned to Colin.
“We are hoping that by returning, we can talk a few others into joining our side, or at least, make them see reason that Amelia must be stopped.”
“But we will be seen as defectors to Amelia,” said Kay. “We betrayed our friends by leaving them. It won’t be easy.”
The boat moved forward with a slight lurch. The army was moving. Colin got a chill and shivered. Not because of the cool air, but because he was about to enter into a battle. Something he had never really trained for, something he didn’t like doing, especially since he didn’t know how his Projector powers would react. Nevertheless, this was something he felt certain he needed to be a part of, in some way.
They headed down the river, nearing a cavern of trees. Colin wasn’t sure what he expected but as they went under those trees they were instantly gliding along a different river. Even though Kanda had said there was a portal, for some reason he had expected the trip to take longer.
They were no longer in the sunny warmth that belonged to the Tunkapog’s home, but instead, deep in the woods, floating down a small river surrounded by tall pines. The air was cold and an eerie quiet sent another shiver down Colin’s spine.
The boats nearest the front were coming to a stop and pulling to shore. The eagles were taking flight, heading out to scout the area. The animal troops separated into their groups and shuffled off into the woods, already having their orders.
The people still in human form waited along the shore, tightening and adjusting magical belts looped around their shoulders and waists, as their leader, Nashua, transformed from white wolf to human.
He did not speak, but motioned for the army to follow him. They stalked through the woods towards Amelia’s hideout. They stopped, each following the gaze of Nashua, as he looked up toward the eagles. An odd look caught Kanda’s eye.
“What is it?” she asked her brother.
“The eagles, they’re saying the encampment is empty.”
“Empty? Could they have moved?”
“Or did they somehow get warning we were coming?” asked Arnon. He turned to Milo and Kay. “Do you have any ideas where they might go?”
“No
idea where they would go,” Kay answered. “There was never any talk of moving.”
“Perhaps one too many people defected who knew their location?” suggested Milo, his voice ridden with guilt.
“Let us continue. See if we can find any clues,” said Kanda.
“I’m sure they’ve been careful,” said Nashua, disappointed, “but we’d be stupid if we didn’t at least look.” He motioned for all to keep moving toward the hideout. The great wooden gates stood wide open and they were able to just walk right in.
Seeing as the imminent danger was no longer prominent, those shifted into their animal forms shook themselves back into their human forms.
Colin wasn’t sure if he felt relief that there would be no battle, or despair that he would have to wait even longer to see what this Amelia Cobb was planning for him and his sister.
After everyone was inside the gated hideout, no one was sure what to do. The place was deserted. No signs of life.
“I don’t think we are going to find...” Nashua was unable to finish. Wish a swish and a slam the great wooden entrance slammed shut and at once, they were ambushed.
It was a set up. Somehow, Amelia had been ready for them. From seemingly out of thin air groups of Amelia’s followers appeared, palms facing the intruders, aimed and ready to strike.
“So much for hoping things would go smoothly,” said Colin, making sure Catrina was behind him.
And then, she appeared.
A line opened up down the center of her people. Amelia walked down the middle, climbing atop a granite rock in their center, which protruded a good ten feet into the air. From her perch, she could easily look over everyone.
No one spoke for what felt like a perilously long minute. It seemed that no one wanted to make the first move.
Taken (Book Six) (Fated Saga Fantasy Series) Page 12
