Divided (Book Five) (Fated Saga Fantasy Series)

by Humphrey - D'aigle, Rachel

  Divided

  Book Five in the

  Fated Saga Fantasy Series

  By Rachel Humphrey – D'aigle

  Table of Contents

  Part One

  Part Two

  Part Three

  Part Four

  Part Five

  Part Six

  Part One

  Kay Jendaya stepped down a flight of stairs and into her kitchen, where her husband Milo was sitting near an open window. The aroma of coffee from his mug was mixing with a twinge of maple wafting in from the trees outside. She set down a handful of laundry that still needed folding onto the counter. “I just found the oddest thing in Sebastien's room.”

  “What did you find?” Milo asked, setting down his cup.

  “I think it’s a letter. To us. I've been in his room a few times. I guess somehow I missed it.”

  Milo squished his face as if to say really? “There's only space for a bed and dresser...”

  “Yes, I know how small the rooms are in this house,” she noted. They were still living in a hollowed out tree in the northern Maine woods.

  “Did you read it?” Milo asked her.

  “No. Not yet,” she replied, handing it to him. Her hand shook a little, as if nervous to open it.It clearly worried her that the letter had suddenly appeared, weeks after Sebastien's last visit.

  “Why would he leave this?” Milo mumbled, at the same time grabbing a knife and slicing open the envelope. Once open, a maple leaf shook its way out, floating in the air, activating a message that had been stored within.

  Sebastien's voice spoke to them, sounding as though he were standing in the room.

  “Mom. Dad. I'm sorry to tell you like this, but it’s the only safe way. First, I love you both and hope that one day you'll forgive me.” Sebastien’s voice paused for a moment, sounding as though he were struggling to recite the rest of his message. When he continued his tone was confident. “I'm really sorry, but I can't do it. I just don't agree... not with Amelia. Not with you...” Sebastien's voice trailed off.

  Milo's heart broke with every word his son spoke, but he held the emotion in, so as not to panic his wife.

  “Is that it?” Kay asked, as if her son could hear her.

  Milo glanced at her expressionless face, worried she was not understanding what Sebastien was telling them. She turned her back, folding her laundry, shoving towels into a drawer on the other side of the kitchen.

  Milo was about to step toward her when she spun around, biting her lip in an attempt to stop the tears forming in her eyes.

  Sebastien's voice echoed through the room again. “I fully realize what this means, so I guess I won't be seeing you for awhile... I'm fine. Please don't worry about me, and please don't be mad.” The message ended and the leaf, which had been floating in the air, started to drop to the floor.

  Kay stared emptily into nothing, her son's words still winding their way towards comprehension.

  Milo reached out and grasped the leaf, calmly walking over to the wood stove, opening a burner and throwing the leaf into the fire. He watched it burn and then walked over to Kay, laying his hand on her shoulder. His touch brought her back into reality.

  “He's our son,” she whispered, her eyes swimming in stunned tears.

  “Which is why I destroyed it.”

  “Someone will find out … and then Amelia will find out … and then we'll never ...”

  Milo put his hand gently over her mouth, not allowing to her utter the words he was also thinking and fearing.

  “We will see our son again,” he spoke in a strong whisper. “We go about our business. We act like we don't know.” He waited until she had nodded in agreement before dropping his hand.

  “Maybe he'll change his mind?” she said, her voice already pleading for that moment to have happened.

  “Maybe he will,” Milo agreed. “Until then, we do everything just as we always have. Our goals have not changed because of this.”

  “No. No, of course not. I still want magic returned... I don't want to live in hiding anymore. Sebastien will understand one day that we did this for him, so he could have a better life.” She swallowed hard, nervously handing him Milo coffee mug, simultaneously putting on a restrained smile.

  Kay grabbed the rest of her towels and shoved them into the drawer, then turned back to Milo. “I'll be helping out at the school today. You'd better drink up yourself. You wouldn't want to be late for work.”

  They just stared into each others eyes, wondering how long they could pretend that everything was normal, or, how much time they had until it was discovered that their son had defected.

  ##

  Meghan Jacoby sat on the floor leaning against her bed, staring deeply into the flame of the candle sitting in front of her; the candle held the shape of her brother.

  She whispered, “Colin,” thru barely open lips, but peering into the flames and saying his name did not bring her to him. It did not give her the comfort she sought. Since his forced retreat weeks prior alongside Catrina Flummer, suspected Projector, there had been no contact. Meghan herself had turned Colin in for harboring the girl. She had no idea if he heard her thoughts and chose to ignore them, or just did not hear her at all. She sensed him still, deep in her mind, but she could no longer break through the block he had in place.

  She hoped he was at least listening, and whenever possible, repeated apologies through her thoughts, hoping he would eventually forgive her, or at the very least, let her know he was okay.

  The flame on his candle had shown her other things, though. Scenes from his past, mostly things she already knew, but nothing about his present or future. She refused to give up, though, closing her eyes, focusing all her thoughts on him. “Colin,” she spoke with more force.

  A vision came.

  Not the one she wanted, but she watched anyway as it was unfamiliar to her memory.

  Someone dressed in a thick, hooded cloak peered into a cradle, which rocked gently, three babies sleeping inside. It was crowded, but the infants seemed content.

  “There there. You'll be home with me soon, I promise,” a woman spoke in a soothing voice. It was hard to tell which infant she spoke to, but then she reached down, as if adjusting something and when she pulled back, Meghan gasped, disbelieving what she was seeing.

  Her locket... it was pinned to one of the infants blankets, holding it securely closed. At first, Meghan thought it could not be the same locket. But she examined it closely and every detail matched the one hanging around her neck. She'd never come across another one like it. Two roses, one white and one black, entwining around each other with thorns nestled into the vines that were sharp enough to actually pierce her skin.

  Meghan's thoughts swirled with the possibilities.

  Could this be their mother? Was that Meghan and Colin in the cradle? Where were they exactly? And where was Uncle Arnon?

  The woman stood up, looking across the room. There were rows of cradles, cribs and beds. Orphanage, Meghan realized. Then, as if the vision could not get any stranger, Meghan also realized that she recognized one of the boys sleeping in a bed nearby.

  “Timothy?” she asked, as if he could somehow hear her. “This must have been why he stayed behind in Grimble,” she whispered. “And why he moved on with Uncle Eddy. We had to be his unfinished business, too.”

  She shook her head, still disbelieving. “Timothy died in a fire here,” she recalled. Then she remembered the rest of Tim's story. There had been a woman, searching for someone lost in the fire... “Was that us? Was she searching for Colin and me?”

  Meghan wished she could sp
eak with her brother and tell him what she was seeing. If what she thought was happening was actually correct, then the woman Timothy had told them about... “Was our mother,” she whispered aloud.

  She kept her eyes open, taking in everything. However, inevitable questions filled her mind. Why were they in an orphanage? Was the woman hiding them from someone? This made sense, seeing as their Uncle Arnon had kept them on the move, fearing someone would discover who they were. But who did they need protection from? And what had happened to their mother? Did she really die in an accident like they were told? And where was their father?

  The cloaked woman knelt over the cradle, again hiding the infants from view. She sniffled, as if trying to hold back tears. “I will return soon.” She stood, slipping the hood off her head, revealing her face. “I love you so much,” she said with a pained voice.

  Meghan eyes widened, her heart beating fast. She looked on, watching the vision as if unable to look away. “No...” she let out in a raspy breath, feeling as though she might faint. “It’s … it’s not possible...” It was something she had dreamed of. Something she had thought of often. Something she had hoped deep down in her soul to be true... but it could not actually be!

  The woman that Meghan Jacoby believed to be the twins’ mother was younger than the woman she knew now, but her identity was unmistakable:

  Juliska Nandalia Blackwell. Leader, Banon and Gypsy Queen of the Svoda Gypsies.

  The vision ended.

  Meghan could not speak. She sat on the floor watching the flame on her brother's candle fizzle and die. Nona, her loyal catawitch, had been snuggled up on her feet,but was now upright and statuesque, as she had seen everything Meghan had seen, through their shared thoughts.

  Neither spoke. There were no words that seemed fitting. Meghan's journal sat open on the floor a few feet away. She leaned forward dragging it onto her lap, with pen in hand, but she couldn't even write the words she was thinking.

  “Is it possible?” Meghan eventually asked no one, shaking her head, no, as if to answer her own question.

  “From what you saw,” Nona spoke cautiously, “I- I think that yes, it is possible, however unbelievable it may be.”

  “No one has mentioned that Juliska ever had any children,” Meghan said, finding her voice.

  “I don't imagine that would be a topic one would often speak of,” the catawitch spoke wisely. “Especially if those children were believed dead.”

  “Yeah, you're probably right, Nona. But if that was really us, how did we get out of the fire? How is it that Timothy died, but we didn't? And why would we have been there in the first place? Why did Uncle Arnon tell us our parents were killed in an accident?”

  Nona had no reply.

  Meghan's thoughts strayed now to whom she could ask. Jae Mochrie? Ivan Crane (she shuddered at the thought). Billie Sadorus? She had once mentioned she kept records of Svoda history. Or perhaps the Kalila sisters? They owned the Jackal lantern, reporting the news, surely they would know. Perhaps she could just ask Juliska herself?

  Exactly how did you walk up to someone and broach such a difficult subject? She would have to give it some serious thought.

  There was a knock on the door to her bedroom.

  “Come in,” she answered absentmindedly.

  It was Jae. “Hi. You ready?” he asked her.

  Meghan had nearly forgotten. It was the first day of school. They had been back in Bedgewood Harbor, otherwise known as the Svoda Island, for nearly a month, and it was decided just a week in that school would reopen as soon as possible.

  “Sorry, I lost track of the time,” Meghan replied. “Give me just a second, I'll be right there.”

  “K, I''ll be downstairs... actually, I'll just wait outside,” an inflection in his tone said he'd rather not be inside this house. Nevertheless, this was Meghan's home now. Her bedroom was just down the corridor from Juliska Blackwell … did she now need to add mother to this list?

  Meghan pushed the thought into the back of her mind. She supposed she could understand why Jae would be uncomfortable inside the Banon’s home, seeing as he had been in trouble, and punished by Juliska, previously.

  She hurriedly grabbed the Colin shaped candle and stashed it into a nearby trunk, alongside two other candles she had not yet finished creating; one in the shape of her Uncle Arnon and the other in the shape of Sebastien Jendaya.

  She dropped her journal into her shoulder bag, also filled with schoolbooks, and grabbed a sweater. The weather in Bedgewood Harbor could change in an instant. A beautiful, sunny day could give way to storm clouds and dense fog in mere minutes.

  Meghan raced down the stairs, Nona at her heels as usual. Meghan caught her breath as she reached the bottom, stalling on the last step.

  “Good morning,” said Juliska, eying Meghan questioningly. “You feeling well?” she asked, her voice firm but kind.

  “Um. Yeah. Fine. Just nervous about the first day of school, I guess,” she lied poorly.

  “Oh, I know that's not all this is about...” Juliska chided gently, as if knowing Meghan was keeping some secret from her. Had Juliska started having visions again?She’d told Meghan not too long ago that she had not had a vision in a very long time. But Meghan supposed there was nothing keeping them from starting up again.

  “No, really, just first day jitters,” insisted Meghan, trying to sound like her normal self. “Plus, I didn't sleep well last night. Not helping!” Which was actually true, as she had not slept well since coming here.

  Juliska frowned. “You must hate me,” she sighed, with a look that said ‘I know there is more to this’.

  Melinda gulped, unable to answer her.

  “I am sorry, Meghan. I truly am. I know how frustrated you are with me right now. With this place...”

  Meghan breathed in slight relief. It wasn't her newest vision Juliska was questioning.

  “I do feel just terrible about it. Regardless, we cannot allow anyone to leave the island. It’s not safe, for any of us. I know how desperately you want to find your uncle.”

  “No. It’s okay. I do understand,” Meghan said, scurrying towards the front door. “I have to go. Don't want to be late.”

  “Have a good first day,” Juliska shouted after her.

  Meghan raced through the front door, across the porch, down the stairs, stalking past Jae in a huff, almost wishing Juliska had chosen to remain living in her stone fortress just off the shore. She could have used the cold, salty winds biting at her cheeks to keep her mind from wandering. Instead, Juliska had chosen to live on shore, making it easier for Meghan to attend school, just a few blocks away.

  Jae followed her, neither of them speaking.

  Nona wished Meghan a good first day, taking off to be on her own while Meghan was in school. Now that they could speak to each other, no matter the distance between them, she did not stay with Meghan all the time. Preferring to be out hunting rodents or snooping around … today, she wondered how she might find out, on Meghan’s behalf, if Juliska had indeed mothered any children.

  Meghan sent her a half-hearted reply, saying she’d see her after school. Nona could practically see the scowl etching across Meghan’s face as she spoke the word school.

  “Not a good morning, I take it,” Jae guessed after watching Nona trot away.

  Meghan stopped, letting out a mouthful of held in air. “Sorry, Jae. Didn't mean to be so rude. Definitely a wacky morning. Don’t know yet if it’s good or bad.”

  “Vision?” he asked, as if already knowing the answer.

  She nodded yes apprehensively. However, Jae did not push the subject and they continued on, now reaching the cobblestone streets that wound through the main village. The real Bedgewood Harbor was nearly identical to the replica they had lived in, while in Grimble. The biggest difference: everything had a brighter, bigger more open feel. Having never seen the real thing before, she did not realize how dulled the Grimble replica had been.

  Meghan toyed with just telling J
ae about her vision but decided against it.

  “It's just so frustrating,” Meghan told him instead, “being stuck on this island!”

  “You want to find your uncle. I get it,” he said. “You're so close and yet-”

  “Feel like I am a world away,” she finished, smiling tiredly at Jae. “Thanks for coming by this morning. I don't know why, I just didn't want to show up on the first day by myself.”

  “You lost your appendage,” he blathered indifferently, catching his tongue. “Sorry, that came out wrong... and it’s no bother,” he added, hoping he had not offended her.

  “Lost my appendage... that's one way to look at it I guess.” She blew off Jae's callous remark. “It does sometimes feel a bit like I'm in a dream,” she added. “One of those dreams where you wake up and you’re walking down the street naked, in front of tons of people...”

  “I'm sure Colin's fine, wherever he is,” Jae tried to reassure, although his words sounded like an empty mantra, one that he had repeated many times in the previous weeks.

  “I know he's still mad, but if I could just hear his voice, get some kind of contact, just know he's all right.”

  Jae stopped at the school’s entrance and patted her shoulder. He said nothing else. What more could he say? She had betrayed Colin and he had fled. There were only so many times, or ways, Jae could say, “He'll be okay. You did what you had to do,” before the words no longer held their original significance.

  A shiver rained down her back, giving her the feeling that someone was watching her. She glanced around but saw no one... for once, nobody is staring at me... suppose it could just be those things … she mumbled upon reaching the steps leading inside. She shuddered again, upon the sight of the two life-like statues of Scratchers, flanking each side of the doors she would now have to enter five days a week. Somehow, she had hoped they had been just a Grimble feature, but apparently, someone thought the students still needed this appalling reminder; as if they could forget these terrible creature’s entire lives revolved around hunting down and killing the Svoda.