Awakening

by Catrina Burgess

  “Lift your shirt,” she demanded. “Ah, I see.” She closed her eyes and ran her hand over his side.

  He flinched as her fingers made contact with the bandages.

  “Whatever did this it went deep. There’s damage to both the muscle and tissue. Was the weapon enchanted?” she asked.

  “No. It was a regular switchblade,” he answered.

  She nodded as she walked to a shelf and she started to search through bottles. She came back with a white cloth and a glass container filled with orange liquid. She put the bottle and cloth on the table in front of him. “I’ll use my abilities first, but after you’ll need to use this.” she pointed at the bottle. “On the wound. Once a day. Just dab it on. It will cost you extra.”

  Luke reached into his jeans and pulled out more coins.

  She grabbed them out of his hand, and her eyes sparkled as she counted them. “Yes, yes, that will do.” They also disappeared into the folds of her skirt.

  I wondered if whatever was in the bottle was actually some sort of medicine, or was instead a ploy for her to make more money.

  As the thought crossed my mind, she turned and frowned in my direction. “I’m not a fake. Madame Luludja is the real thing, child.”

  Were my thoughts so easy to read? Had the events of the night frazzled me so much my defenses were down? Was the old woman so powerful she could break through my mental barriers? The gypsy closed her eyes and reached out, and her right hand covered Luke’s bandage. Minutes ticked on, and nothing happened. Then suddenly a loud sigh left the woman’s mouth and, as it did, a soft buzz filled the room. The drapes rustled ever so slightly as if moved by a breeze, but there were no open windows I could detect.

  Gypsy magic was decidedly different from my family’s. We drew our energy from the earth or from the sky. The gypsy had some kind of medallion in her left hand. The tighter she clutched it, the louder the buzz and the more the drapes fluttered. Was the piece of metal the source of her abilities?

  As quickly as they had started, the buzz and breeze were gone. The room stood silent. The old woman stumbled a bit as she moved away from Luke, catching her balance on the back of the chair.

  She spoke without turning in my direction. “No child, my magics don’t come from any object. But it helps to focus, helps bring me focus, you understand?” She looked directly at me. “We’re not so unlike, your people and mine.”

  She turned and faced Luke. “It will itch as it heals. The marks will close in about three days and then you’ll only have a small scar. But a scar can be attractive on a man.”

  Luke lowered his shirt and stood up. He reached out to the old woman.

  She grasped his hand in hers.

  “Thank you, Mother, I appreciate your help. May you be well,” he said.

  “And you,” she replied.

  I stood up. So that was it? We were done? I turned and headed toward the door. I had my hand on the door handle when the old woman caught up with me, her fingers digging into my shoulder. She might be old, but her grip was like steel.

  She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Child. I know what happened. It wasn’t right what happened, but you must trust him.”

  At her words, I spun around.

  She motioned toward Luke. “If you want the power, you must tell him your story. Let him in. He has to be able to see the very essence of you. To lead you down his dark path, he must be able to read your heart and soul. It’s the only way. And child, be careful, they’re looking for you.” From within the folds of her skirt, she brought out a red velvet pouch tied with black leather. She reached out and put it in my hand.

  I was too shocked by her words to respond. I had no choice but to take the pouch as she forced it into my hands.

  “For your protection. Take it. Keep it close to you.” Her eyes suddenly looked unfocused. “I see you swimming at the edge of a great darkness. The awakening is coming upon you, child. It’s going to try and consume you. The pouch, the protection, it won’t be enough, but it may help.”

  We stood next to each other in silence, as if frozen, as the seconds ticked away. I could hear my breath coming out in short rasps. I looked over at Luke. He was watching us. I wasn’t sure if he’d overheard what she’d told me.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm my thoughts. I looked at her and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “I don’t have any coins to pay you, for the pouch.”

  She reached up and patted my cheek. “Don’t worry about paying me. Stay alive, child. You must save yourself, and whatever you do, don’t forget who you are.”

  I clutched the bag to my chest and ran out the door.

  * * * *

  “Where’s the fire?” Luke asked, coming to my side. He’d followed me out of the store and had to jog a bit to catch up.

  He must be feeling better if he was running--it wasn’t something he’d have been able to do prior to seeing the healer.

  “The place freaked me out.”

  “The place or the healer?”

  “A bit of both,” I admitted.

  “What did she say to you? At the door when she gave you that pouch?”

  I still held it tightly against my chest. “It was nothing.” I looked over at him, and he raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, it was something. A warning. She said, ‘The awakening is coming upon you, child. It’s going to try and consume you.’”

  His expression turned grim.

  “What is the awakening?” I asked, not quite sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

  “In gypsy lore it’s considered a time when you open yourself up to the spirits--when the dark magics run wild in your blood. That’s when you need to be especially careful. For the spirits and the magic, they can take you over, they can overwhelm you. They can change you.”

  “Swell,” I mumbled under my breath. Another thing to worry about. I might finally learn the dark arts--only to be consumed by them?

  We walked the rest of the way to the corner in silence. A cab headed in our direction. Luke raised a hand and stepped off the curb to flag it down.

  He opened the cab door for me, and I scrambled in.

  “So what now?”

  “We go back to the apartment, and we check on Darla.”

  “And after that?”

  “You go home and then come back in a few weeks when my uncle is back, and he can get you started on your training.”

  I looked at him in shock. “You said you could help me.”

  “Colina, I know what I said.”

  “You took my money. You promised to teach me,” I forced the words out between clenched teeth.

  “I did, but it was a mistake. I should never have promised to teach you. Only the elders in the guild can do this type of teaching. Men and women that have been practicing the dark arts for years. For me to teach you, it wouldn’t be safe. The gypsies aren’t wrong. Dealing with the dark arts can be dangerous.”

  I shook my head and tried to calm the panic I felt rising within me. “I can’t wait a couple weeks.”

  “Why?” he demanded.

  I turned and looked out the window of the cab. I said in a quiet voice, “You said you’d teach me.”

  “It’s just a few weeks, and then my uncle will be back.”

  I didn’t know how to make Luke understand that I was out of time.

  * * * *

  We made it back to the apartment. Darla fussed over Luke. Luke looked annoyed, and I tried to stay out of their way.

  I was still trying to get my head around what Luke had told me in the cab. If he refused to teach me, I would have no choice but to go out on my own and try to find someone else to guide me in the dark arts. But who? If I left this place, where would I go? Home was no longer an option. I could demand my money back and head out into the streets. At the thought, I felt panic in the pit of my stomach.

  You could tell him the truth. The words whispered across my mind. If I told him the truth, then he’d understand why I was so desperate
to learn. He might be convinced there was no time to wait, why it had to be done now. I wanted to tell him the truth, I really did, but I didn’t know if I could.

  I suddenly felt cold all over. I hugged my arms around my body and walked over to the row of windows. It had started raining again. I stood at the window looking out at the storm. Sheets of water blown by high winds slammed against the walls of the buildings and the street below.

  The old woman’s words kept coming back to me. She wanted me to tell him, but I didn’t know if I had the courage to speak about what had happened.

  Luke crossed the room. He was moving without pain now. He stood next to me and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Can you get me a glass of water?” I knew I was stalling. The last thing I wanted to do was relive it all.

  He looked surprised at my request. “Sure.”

  I turned back to watch the storm. A few minutes later he was at my side again, a tall glass of water filled with ice in his hand. He reached out and offered it to me.

  I took it and sat down on the window sill. “Thanks.” I tried to organize my thoughts. I looked around the room. “Where’s Darla?”

  “I don’t think she’s over last night’s ordeal. I suggested that she should lie down for a bit.”

  If there was ever a time to clear the air, it was now when we were alone. I didn’t think I could get through it all with an audience. “The gypsy said I should tell you…everything.”

  He sat down next to me. “Tell me.”

  “You keep asking what brought me here, and I admit I’ve been reluctant…” I swallowed hard. “But it’s not because I didn’t want you to know. It’s just because I didn’t know if…if…” my words faltered.

  He reached out and clasped my hand.

  I forced myself to continue. “It’s only by a quirk of fate that I’m even here. If I hadn’t been in the pantry looking for something…” My voice broke off again. I looked out the window, watching a tree sway in the wind. “It’s funny. I can’t remember now what I was looking for.”

  I put down the glass and leaned my forehead against the cool glass of the window. “It was Sunday. Family dinner. We did it every Sunday. Everyone helps out with the cooking.” I sat up and looked at him. “It’s always been one of my favorite days of the week because we would all be together.” I leaned back and picked up the glass of water and took a long sip. I put the glass down and took a deep breath. I could do this. I could finally get it out. I just had to say the words.

  “If James…my brother, his name is James.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “His name was James.” It took a few moments for me to find my voice again. “If James hadn’t been at the pantry door giving me a hard time. If he hadn’t seen the men...James told me to stay hidden. He didn’t give me a choice. He shoved me inside and closed the doors.” I opened my eyes, and a sob escaped my mouth. “He knew I would have left the pantry and fought, but I couldn’t. James placed a spell on the doors.”

  I realized that tears had started rolling down my cheeks. “James, his parting words to me were the tail end of a whisper of a spell.” I barely spoke the last words.

  Luke reached out and took me in his arms. My chin rested on his chest. I choked back a sob and forced the rest of the words out. “The spell kept me in and kept the men from hearing my fists pounding against the door. They couldn’t hear my screams,” I spoke the words against his shirt. “I watched through the door slats…James rushed the men, but he was too late. He couldn’t save them.”

  A sob broke through and then another. “My people don’t practice war magic. We focus on healing, keeping people alive. We learn some defenses, but nothing that would stop someone like the powerful wizard who lead them. He blew through my father’s defenses like they weren’t there. He was strong, like one of your kind.” I pushed myself away from Luke and looked him in the eye. Tears were streaming down my face. “He overpowered my father and he…he slit my father’s throat. And then…then they shot my mother. The blood, there was so much blood…”

  Suddenly I was back there. I heard the screams of my family in my head. Blood poured from my father’s throat. The smell of it clogged my nose and mouth. I watched the light leave my mama’s eyes as the bullet tore through her head. I started to gag and nausea rose from the pit of my stomach.

  Strong arms encircled me tightly again.

  “They must have known you were healers if they used guns,” Luke said. “It would have been too great a risk to try and shoot a wizard.”

  I wanted to finish the story, to tell him what happened to James, but I couldn’t force those words out. So instead I sat there, my body embraced by his strong arms, my head resting against his chest. I listened to the beating of Luke’s heart. It was soothing. I felt comforted and safe for the first time since the nightmare had happened.

  He broke the silence. “How did you get out?”

  “It took a day and a night before someone came and freed me from my prison. But I’m still not free from the living hell that my life has become.” I pushed away from him and looked him in the face again. “My family is gone. And someone is after me.”

  “What do you mean someone is after you.”

  “At the funeral, the same men, I saw them…they were there. I didn’t know what to do. It put my clan at risk to stay around. I couldn’t lose anyone else, so I ran and kept running. Away from everyone I know… away from my home. I’ve no idea why they killed my family. The only thing I can do is become powerful. Learn the black arts and become a death dealer. Whatever price I have to pay to get to the top of the magic food chain, I’m willing to do it.”

  “I knew there was something. But I never imagined…” his voice trailed off. He reached out and grabbed my hand. “Revenge isn’t a reason to become one of us.”

  “How about survival?” I demanded. “I’m the only witness to their crime. My father is the most powerful of our clan. If he couldn’t protect us, then no one in my family can. The only way I can survive is to become one of you.”

  He suddenly stood up with a burst of energy. “You don’t want this. Believe me when I tell you, this isn’t something you want to bring into your life.”

  “You did. You became one,” I said quietly.

  He turned and glared down at me. “The guild brought me up. I knew what to expect from the time I was young. There were no surprises. I went into it with my eyes wide open.”

  “I know I can do this.”

  “You don’t understand. You don’t even know what the rituals entail. You’ve not asked the things you’ll have to do.”

  “I told you that I’ll do whatever I have to.” I meant it. Whatever it took. Whatever trials I had to go though, I would see my family’s death avenged.

  The fear had left his eyes, and anger had taken its place. “You think you’re willing to do anything, but you aren’t.”

  “I can. I will. I have to. Whatever trials you send my way, I’ll do them.”

  “Even if it means you have to die?”

  I looked up at him shocked by his words.

  “Yes, die. In the first part of the ritual, the initiated has to commune with the spirits.” He reached down, pulled me to my feet and grabbed me by the shoulders. “And how do you think this is accomplished? You have to die. You have to go to the other side and be brought back.” With each word, he shook me a bit harder.

  I didn’t try to break free. Instead, I tried to comprehend what he was saying. “Brought back…so I’m dead for just a short time?”

  “Yes, killed and then brought back. If we do the ritual correctly. If everything goes like it should. But if something goes wrong…” His fingers dug into my skin.

  I pulled away from him and rubbed my shoulder. “Someone has died and not come back?”

  “There have been times when the ritual hasn’t worked, when they lost the initiate.”

  “Lost, you mean…” I forced the words out. “There’s no other way?”

  “To wi
eld this kind of power you have to make a sacrifice.”

  I said through clenched teeth, “My family was murdered. Someone killed my family, and now they’re after me.”

  “You can get protection. Go into hiding until it blows over,” he pleaded.

  I shook my head.

  He reached out grabbed me roughly with his hands again. “You don’t want to do this.”

  I forced myself back out of his reach. “I don’t have a choice.”

  “You’re prepared to die?” he demanded.

  “And be brought back to life. Yes.”

  “I don’t even know if my uncle will do it.”

  “I told you there isn’t time to wait for your uncle.”

  Luke frowned. “You can’t expect me--”

  “Someone is coming after me. I don’t have any protection against them,” I whispered.

  He turned away from me. “I won’t do it.”

  I grabbed his arm and forced him to turn back toward me. “You have to. You said you would!”

  He clenched his fists. “I won’t do it!”

  “You said you wanted me to come back, you were going to teach me. It would have been tonight at the witching hour.”

  “I was going to scare you a bit. Deter you from going down this path, give you back your money and send you on your merry way. I only took it and told you that I would teach you because I saw the desperation in your eyes. I was worried you’d find someone else to teach you. Honestly, I was hoping my uncle could change your mind about learning the dark arts. I thought that once you realized all that it entailed, the path you’d have to take, you wouldn’t go through with it. I should never have told you I would teach you.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You were never serious about teaching me?”

  “No.”

  “I need you to help me,” I pleaded.

  He shook his head. “You can’t expect me to do this. I don’t even know if I can.”

  “You know the ritual…”

  He cut me off. “Yes, but if it’s not done right…If something goes wrong…”

  “Then I die for real,” I whispered.

  “I won’t do this.” His hands clenched and unclenched at his side.