by John Victor
Natalie stood up grudgingly. She was still tired. She wanted more sleep. "Is it not early?"
"Are you not ready for your surprise?"
Natalie jumped up from the bed and ran into the bathroom. The tub looked the same as the one she saw her parents in. She shrugged her shoulders. It's just a coincidence. She poured cold water on her body and watched as the goose bumps rose. She loved the feeling. She quickly dried her skin with a towel she found on the door. She came out feeling refreshed. She was eager to see what was outside the house. She had not been given opportunity to explore. She picked the silver colored gown that Joy left on the bed for her. Throwing her clothes on, she jogged to the living room.
Evalle was there, waiting for her. She was hungry. That could wait. Evalle led her out of the house. Natalie was amazed. The place was beautiful. Where is this place? Heaven? No, I couldn't have died. No one killed me. Natalie walked faster as everyone turned their faces to look at her. These people. They were the ones whose powers filled the whole place.
Natalie was glad. She was in a place where the lawmakers could not get to her again. She promised them she would have her revenge. She meant it. Jasper had joined them on the way and they walked in a fashionable manner. Natalie wondered if they were only taking her for a tour or they wanted to show her something.
“Don’t worry. You will soon know.” Jasper snorted.
Natalie stared in disbelief. He can read minds?
“Oh, yes I can. I guess we still don’t know each other. We’ve not had time to talk.”
Evalle looked at Jasper. “Are you talking to yourself?”
He chuckled. “I’m talking to her.” He was pointing to Natalie. She blushed.
“How? I didn’t see her talking.” Evalle said as she stopped to block them.
“I read minds.”
Evalle gasped. Had he been reading her mind just as he read Natalie’s? She looked at him again. Suspicion was written all over her face.
“Don’t worry. I can’t read your thoughts. Your powers are too strong. They are blocking me off.
They continued moving. The house they were going to was in front of them. They held Natalie by her hands and led her to the door. Evalle knocked.
The young man she saw before, opened the door. His eyes went wide immediately he saw Natalie. “Mom! Dad!” the elder ones rushed out at the sound of their son calling out for them. They saw Natalie. They jumped. Margaret went to hug her daughter. Tears streamed down her face. It showed different emotions.
Natalie didn’t understand what was happening. She thought they were dead. She was glad that she met Evalle, and felt better when she saw her parents.
They took her into the house. Evalle received a thousand hugs and she knew she was going to receive a million when the other sorcerers hear about it.
Natalie expected to be offered a drink but she wasn’t offered any. She was only asked about what happened to her when she disappeared. She couldn’t even remember it all. She could only tell about Evalle and how she met her. It was a strange occurrence. Evalle had been jogging down the road. Natalie remembered that she wore glasses at that time. Evalle bumped into her. The books she was carrying fell. Their eyes locked. After apologies, they parted ways.
CHAPTER 8
The day was filled with various events. The people were happy. Natalie had learnt that she would not be eating for a week. She was displeased by the idea, but since she badly wanted to increase her powers, she had to follow suite. Everyone was grouped according to their magic.
The fire magic, wind magic, mind readers. Natalie learnt that the mind readers had another amazing ability. They were able to bend minds. Twist the minds to what they desire, thereby paralyzing their prey.
Evalle was the only one that was general. She spent time alone, sitting on the floor and meditating. Magic swarmed everywhere like flies.
At noon, they all went to the middle of the city. They sat on the floor and closed their eyes. They were hungry and tired. They began to feed. It was like regeneration. Their powers come back to them in multiple fold. The feeding was exhausting but nourishing. Evalle was sitting at their front. Her powers gushed in and out of her, just like the others. It was a great experience.
Evalle never felt so alive. After feeding, they all returned to the battle ground, to continue their training sessions. Victor and Margaret were surprised at how much power, their daughter possessed. Her brother, Darius, was in awe. How did she grow? Natalie herself was surprised.
The day she was in rage had been the day she realized her magic, to some extent. She was going to discover it all. She knew there was massive amount of Magic buried inside of her. She used her mind to play with the wind. She was going to tour the place. She had just learned how to take the air away from people's nostrils. A weapon of destruction.
The earth sorcerers were also very powerful. They manipulate the landscape and cause massive destruction. The combination of all will result in chaos. Natalie was assigned to teach her family, she was going to start the next day. She used her magic to tour the land. The wind went out of the barrier.
Magic could go out, but none could come in. Flesh also couldn't leave the barrier. Natalie felt something. The presence was strong that she wanted to withdraw. It was darkness. It enveloped a section on the outside of the barrier. She wanted to investigate more. The darkness wanted to force it's way in. It couldn't. It turned in her direction.
Natalie shook where she was sitting. She released her grip from the wind. What she had just seen was scary. She knew if she tried to bring the wind back, the darkness may strangle her of her powers before she could escape. She had to tell someone. Evalle. She stood up and wiped the sweat dropping from her face.
The dark creature was disgusting. Eyes that had been replaced by large holes. A big hole in the stomach, smell of rot. Dead like features. Decaying skin. She left her training territory and ran to where Evalle was.
* * *
On her way, she remembered when she was in prison. She had met different people. She was sure that they would be good on character. They possessed entirely different magic. Natalie frowned. She had another idea she was going to give to Evalle. To build a very large and powerful army. The lawmakers and dark sorcerers would be furious.
Natalie got to Evalle faster than she thought she could. With her superhuman speed and the help of the wind, she felt unbeatable. Natalie was loving everything. She never thought she could end up that way. Evalle stood up when she felt Natalie approaching her. She sensed fear and excitement. What is going on? Not long after, Natalie came to her and stopped. "Evalle, Evalle." She panted.
"What's wrong with you? What happened?"
"I was exploring with my powers when I left the barrier. The evil ones are trying to get through. I think they've found us already."
Evalle opened her mouth. The words couldn't come out. "The barrier is strong enough to keep them at bay till we are ready for the plan." She was sure. It couldn't fail. Not now. She sat down on the floor and Natalie did the same.
"I think I have an idea for us to expand our army." Natalie smiled. It eased the tension.
"And what is that?" Evalle asked, getting a bit excited.
"Do you still remember the prison you came to pick me from?" Natalie asked.
"Yes. I remember vividly." What's with the question? Don't tell me its what I’m thinking.
"Okay. When I was in prison, the cells around me were filled with people that possess magic. Their magic is very different from ours. I would say WEIRD. But it is very nice and useful. It's brilliant. I was just thinking. Maybe you could bring them here."
"I can't take them all at a time. We are not even sure if they are good sorcerers."
"I am sure. No evil sorcerer was captured. Those ones are like ghosts." Maybe you can go in days."
"If they find out that the prisoners are missing, don't you think they'll kill the rest?" Evalle asked. "We have to take our chances. Nothing goes without giving."
>
Evalle looked at Natalie again. "Okay, I’ll go. Follow me to my house." Natalie followed Evalle closely. In seconds, they were at her house.
* * *
Evalle brought out a ring from her bag and slipped it on her finger.
"What's that for?" Natalie asked.
"Invisibility."
"Wow, cool. I now see how you escaped."
"Yes. It helped a lot." Evalle hung a compass on her neck and touched the surface. "Take me to the prison of the good sorcerers." A large portal appeared. Evalle told Natalie to wait behind for her arrival. It was not going to be an easy task. Evalle jumped into the portal and began running. She disliked relying on her physical strength.
The journey seemed longer than the first. The portal had taken her through a different route. It was boring and tiring. No one to talk to. Just speed. Evalle met herself at a familiar place. The prison from which she rescued Natalie. She was at the other side. Maybe they moved them because of the previous experience. Evalle could see the end of the portal. A huge prison cell. Why is there a large cell for a person? She dropped from the portal and activated her invisibility ring immediately.
No one had noticed her. She was grateful. The room was occupied by about eleven people. They looked worried, and sad. Evalle saw colors on them. When did she start seeing auras? They all had the same dull color. She believed they were the ones. She had to talk to them. She stopped when she noticed a police officer in the room.
She moved behind his back and thrust her hand into it. It came out from the other side. The prisoners looked in fear, when they saw a fist sized hole in his stomach.
"Do you people have magic?" Evalle said, still staring at the portal. She was surprised it had not closed. Her invisibility ring was still on.
One of them managed to whisper. "Yes."
Evalle could see their auras brightening because of fear. She removed the ring and showed her full form. They were staring at her. She signaled to them. "Follow me fast!" She knew the ones who do not possess magic could not enter the portal. And those with evil magic too. The people followed Evalle into the portal which became visible immediately she removed her ring.
She watched it close slowly behind them. It had given them enough time.
She heard people enter the cell. Evalle and the others were still running, but she could see the police officers at the mouth of the portal. A very brave one jumped in. He was burned at the spot. His body fell back to the floor and his mates watched in terror.
The portal closed finally and Evalle felt safe. She was tired. She was leading the people back home. She could see her living room ahead. She smiled. Natalie was still waiting for her. Evalle told the others to hurry. She got to the end of the portal and jumped. The others jumped down too. The portal closed immediately. The other sorcerers saw Natalie.
She was familiar. She was the one who had miraculously escaped on the day of her death. So this was what saved her. Evalle told them to sit down and make themselves comfortable.
Natalie was shocked. "How did you get them all at once?"
"They made the job easier." Evalle said as she smiled. It was evening already and training was over. She told the people to relax. She herself felt drained. She thought about the portal. Why was it open for long? She noticed her tired state before she could understand. The portal was using her powers. That was why she could not use her powers inside. Evalle had instructed Natalie to go home. She was going to take care of the rest.
The people were grateful to the ladies for their help. Evalle was going to question them later on. She wasn't ready for that yet. She shook her head as she went into the kitchen to prepare some food for her guests. They were just arriving, so they would not partake in the magic feeding. They could start the next day, if they are deemed fit.
* * *
She put some noodles in boiling water and spiced it with some ingredients she brought from the city. Not long after she served the, the food. She could see their auras again.
They were very happy and thanked Evalle for her kindness. Evalle sat beside them. She was already feeling dizzy, but she could not sleep when eleven men were in front of her. One of them was looking at her as he munched his noodles. They were exciting to watch, but she was not interested.
Immediately, they all dropped their plates and sat down for discussion. "Can you please tell me the magic you use, and show me?
One of them stood up. He called himself Austin. “I am a seer.”
"What's that?" Evalle asked.
"We can see the future. And change it. It depends on how strong the sorcerer is." The man smiled.
"How strong are you?"
"Very strong. He puffed up his arms and showed a bit of muscles. Evalle chuckled.
They were funny people. Evalle looked and listened as they explained and displayed their magic. She had never seen the likes of them before. She thanked God that she heeded the advice of Natalie. She just saved eleven souls, and added them to her team.
If the bad ones had gotten them, it would have been a great loss. She took them outside. There was a large house very close to the city center. They moved closer to it. Everyone had retired to their houses, so there was no one to stare at them. Evalle rook them to the house and gave them the keys. She had already briefed them about what was happening.
They were going to stay together. Houses were not sufficient. Even Natalie lived with her parents.
Evalle left them. She was heading to her house. She could feel that she was getting stronger. Even her compass was exhibiting her strength. She still wondered how the compass came to her. This was all bound to happen. She got to the house and stretched. Her pets had been occupied by whatever they were doing that they didn’t notice her enter the room. Evalle was very stressed; taking care of animals, leading a group of people and thinking of new ideas to win the war. She needed her family back. She laid on the bed and stretched. Her bones made crack sounds. She closed her eyes and slept.
CHAPTER 9
Evalle woke up to see everyone gathered in front of her door. They were about to warn her about eleven intruders they had found in the city. She reluctantly stood up from the bed and cursed herself silently for not remembering to involve Jasper. The men would be terrified. Evalle changed her clothes and washed her face. The banging was becoming more furious. She wanted to scream for them to behave themselves and she would address them later. She knew they might not take it the way they took Camilla in. She was stressed, they were fueling it.
Evalle could see them better. The whole city came to her door. The eleven men were kneeling in front of the door, trying to explain. The people didn’t want to listen. Evalle came out of her door and stared at everyone, then at the eleven men. They were crying. She felt sorry for them. She made them to go through of it. She rescued them and left them to face humiliation. Where is Natalie? Evalle looked around. Natalie was nowhere to be found. Evalle was furious. Why would Natalie leave when she needed her the most.
The people wanted answers. Jasper’s gaze was so intense that Evalle forced herself to look away. He thought she was a traitor already. Hadn’t she gained their trust? Evalle looked at the massive crowd. Staring at no one in particular, she began to talk. “Good morning everyone.” They gave her the look she hated. The staring unblinkingly. How did they do it? “Yesterday, Natalie, the recently rescued daughter of the Evans found something. It was the evil sorcerers. They are wandering around our barrier. They want to force their way in. these eleven people you see here, were also rescued from the prison.” They were still staring.
Evalle had to continue. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you yester night. It was already very late and most of you had gone to hibernate state. It was wrong of me not to have informed you. I’m sorry.” She looked at them again. Jasper did not say anything. She thought of it as weird. He was just staring at her and turning his direction to the men. Was he reading her mind? Evalle knew that if she was general user, the MESTRAECHs, she should be able to read
his mind too. Her recent discovery about auras was exciting.
A man in the crowd shouted. “Finish telling us what you were saying.”
Another man followed suite. “Why did you bring them here?”
“including the impersonator of Evans.” A lady screamed.
“You want to chase us away by bringing the people we don’t know. So they can kill us and take away everything we’ve labored for. That’s very selfish of you.”
“We thought you would be better.”
Evalle was confused. She looked at Jasper. He looked like he was in support of their claims. Evalle almost collapsed. She was already mad. She was going to read his mind.
* * *
Jasper was confused. He didn’t know who or what to believe. He wanted to leave his skin and run away. Evalle could sense it. She could feel it. She felt very sorry for him. The people were still talking and making silly accusations when Evalle saw something. An angry Victor Evans was stepping out of the crowd. What was happening? Evalle told the men to get up and hide in her house. Victor was in rage. His wife and son were behind him. Where was Natalie? Evalle didn’t see her anywhere. It was then she spotted something behind a house.”
Evalle had been blind. She knew Natalie would have defended her. The front of her house was already turning to a circus. The Evans were initiating a fight. She didn’t know what to do. The Evans claimed they had not found Natalie. Evalle wondered if she had been dreaming. She used her magic again to search. It was no more there. She was no longer there. Evalle was scared. Something was wrong. Something was happening and the people were making a fool of themselves in front of her house. Evalle heard loud screams from inside her house.
