The Book, The Witches, and the Doorway (Fated Chronicles Book 1)

by Humphrey Quinn

  “I can’t believe I just did all that after a battle,” he said as they departed the woods. “My strength never renews so easily.”

  Their gazes grazed the skyline as they walked deeper into the campground. No shadows. No screeches. For now at least, they were gone.

  Meghan walked, deep in thought. Confused over what had happened to her, and to Colin.

  Sebastien, walking next to her, tried to feel his back, not believing the long scratch had vanished.

  Jae held back, walking alongside Colin.

  “I wish I wasn’t leaving tomorrow night. I would like some more time to look over that book again.”

  “Do you think you could learn anything about it?”

  “Dunno, but you guys have helped me out a ton. I wish I could return the favor.” There was silence between them for a moment, before Jae added, “However you did it, Colin, that was an awesome show of force. It took me years of practice to do that. Whatever you do, be careful. You do not want to make any enemies.”

  “You mean, like the Scratchers?”

  “Exactly like the Scratchers.”

  They were silent the rest of the way home.

  “What do we do now?” asked Meghan as they approached their uncle’s trailer.

  “We go home and pretend that nothing happened,” proposed Sebastien, catching on quickly to the secret filled, magical lifestyle.

  “Sounds about right,” frowned Jae.

  “I think I could get used to this magic thing,” boasted Colin.

  Meghan rolled her eyes, half amused at his daring behavior, and half afraid of what it meant.

  A fire lit up the Jacoby campsite. Meghan did not trust the fire, unsure of what would happen if she looked into the flames. When she did finally dare steal a glance, the flames cast no shadows or visions, only warmth.

  Milo caught them approaching. “There you are. We were going to come searching for you soon, thought you might have gotten lost.”

  “Not lost, Dad. Just a little… slow. We didn’t want to rush Meghan.”

  “Oh sure. Blame it on the sicky,” she droned. Sebastien laughed but his gaze stuck to his father. She swore her friend was sending his father some silent message, especially when Milo dropped his head, gazing purposely into the fire.

  When she looked up Sebastien was grinning at her, but there was a tiredness in it. A distance, like his thoughts were miles away.

  What happened was a lot to take in. Just the existence of magic was a lot to take in.

  And yet there was something nagging at her insides. An intuition, just like her vision… there was something more going on here. This wasn’t about Sebastien feeling overwhelmed.

  Arnon told them to squeeze in around the fire. There was a chill coming in that only the warmth of the flames would alleviate. They squished in, thankful for the option not to speak, and simply stare blankly into the flames.

  Meghan and Colin eventually linked their minds.

  “I’m nervous about tomorrow,” sent Meghan. “What if something goes wrong and Jae does not get home.”

  “He has to,” replied Colin, aghast at the alternatives.

  Jae, not making it home and getting stuck behind permanently.

  Scratchers, attacking. Injuring, or even killing one of them…

  “At least you can fight those things off if we need to get away, and you better remember that book this time.”

  Colin was not fond of the idea of fighting again, with magic on his side or not. His heart quickened at the thought. “I will remember the book, but what if I can’t do that again, fight them I mean?”

  Meghan sensed his fear and doubt.

  “Thanks, Colin.”

  “For what?”

  “I know you, and what you did was… well, it was brave. If you hadn’t tried it, I don’t want to think where I might be right now, or if I would even still… be.”

  Colin’s face went pink. A compliment from Meghan. Brave. Him?

  He sent her a silent grin.

  They lost themselves in the flames again.

  Not long after, Jae got up and announced he was going home. Meghan, Colin, and Sebastien watched as he walked away, for what should be his last night with them. It made them sad, but also scared that something might go wrong.

  Colin dozed off, leaning his head against his chair. Sebastien and his parents departed just a short while later. Uncle Arnon awoke the dozing Colin and marched him into the trailer.

  “I will put out the fire tonight, Uncle Arnon,” offered Meghan.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

  “Yeah, it’s actually very relaxing.”

  “Okay then. Just be careful.”

  She nodded. The fire was warming. Inviting. Soothing in a way.

  She poked around, breaking up the burning embers.

  So many thoughts swirled around her head. So many questions she had no answers to. She blocked her mind from Colin’s. She didn’t want to add her pile of crap on top of his. He was pretty confused himself and she could not blame him at all.

  This was the strangest summer they’d ever had and behind it all was a terrifying warning: nothing would ever be the same again.

  Her breath hitched.

  She froze, something catching her eye in the fireplace. Something moving in the embers. She jumped back, poker raised in her hand, ready to strike.

  “What is this now?” she whispered to herself, wondering if perhaps she was just jumpy and had not actually seen anything.

  She gasped as something jumped out of the fire pit, darting to the edge.

  Meghan stared in stunned silence.

  It was a cat, an odd looking one with one white eye and one black eye. It had a slim body covered in fine, almost non-existent hair. It sat at the edge of the hot pit, turning its head side to side, staring at her.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” Meghan asked boldly, realizing she was asking a cat to reply to her question. Then again, it did just jump out of a lit fireplace. Meghan gasped when the cat did respond, actually speaking to her.

  “My master wants to meet you Meghan Chelcy Jacoby,” a cattish, girly voice said.

  “Your m-master,” Meghan had only heard this term used in movies. “And why should I do that?” she asked, keeping her distance.

  “Do not ask why. It is a great honor to be asked, little girl.”

  “Little girl!” Meghan repeated, edging closer to the strange cat. “Now you look here,” she said as loud as she dare, so as not to raise suspicion from inside the trailer. “I am not a little girl.”

  The cat hissed in reply.

  “You can tell your master that I’m not interested! What am I doing?” she berated herself. “Having an argument with a cat?”

  Meghan realized that she was so close to the fire pit she was nearly touching it, and was surprised that it did not feel hot, but rather quite comfortable.

  “Suit yourself,” the cat meowed, pawing at her. “My master may choose to come and visit you.”

  “Visit here? Why?”

  Maybe she was putting Colin’s and her uncle’s lives in danger by not going with this menacing cat. Maybe this master person could answer some questions about what was happening to her and Colin.

  She stepped closer to the cat with a determined sigh. Her legs leaned against the pit. Again, the heat did not bother her.

  “Why should I go with you? And will I be able to get home?”

  “You will have to trust me,” the cat trilled.

  “And why should I trust you? I don’t know you.”

  “I’m leaving. You can either come with me, or stay here,” it purred. Meghan’s eyes rolled anxiously to her family in the trailer, and then back to the cat.

  “Believe me, if you come willingly, this will all go much smoother.”

  “Meaning if I don’t, you’ll what? Take me by force? Hurt my family?”

  The cat just grinned, showing two rows of perfectly straight teeth, except for a set of fan
gs on the top row that looked sharp and deadly. A hiss filtered through.

  Meghan took it as a warning. She either went with this strange cat or potentially put herself or her family at risk in the future.

  “To come, you simply take hold of me,” the cat purred.

  “I’ll burn myself!” Somehow, Meghan knew this was not actually true.

  “I do not think so,” returned the cat. “You and fire, let’s just say, get along extremely well.”

  How did this creature know all of this? When Meghan wasn’t even sure of it. She needed answers. Her hand reached out to grab hold of the cat’s back. She leaned downward closer to the embers popping in the pit.

  “Hold on, it might be a rough ride,” the cat warned. Its body began to dissolve into the fire, and Meghan’s arm fell into the burning embers; it was a strange sensation and she gasped, but it did not burn.

  Something grabbed her from behind, pulling her out of the fire. The cat hissed ferociously, dissolving fully into the flames with a flash of its fangs.

  Meghan fell back and landed on someone. She rolled over onto the ground. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked before looking.

  Jae’s voice answered, startling her. “Saving you from that Catawitch.” He helped her up.

  She wiped the dirt off her and stared into the empty pit. “You know what that thing is?” she asked him.

  “Yes, I caught a glimpse of it from my window. I ran over as fast as I could. You do not want to mess with a Catawitch until you are positive what its true motives are. They are loyal to their masters, good or bad.”

  “But why would it want me? It said its master wanted to meet me.”

  Jae was instantly alarmed. “Its master wanted to meet you?” he was silent for a moment. “This is strange, Meghan. You see, those cats rarely come out of the magical world, they do not belong in this one.”

  “That thing is from the magical world? Your world?”

  “Yes. They are magical cats, loyal only to their masters; so loyal, they can even give up one of their lives to save them from death.”

  “Now that’s a heck of a cat!” exclaimed Meghan. “But that does not explain why it wanted me to come with it.”

  “No, it doesn’t. But I would guess it has something to do with what’s been happening to you and your brother.” He paused again, and advising, “I would ignore it if it returns.”

  Meghan did not think she would care to go, and was glad she had not. “Thanks for stopping me,” she said to Jae.

  “It is the least I can do after all your help. It certainly has not been boring around here. Well, today anyway.”

  “It is odd you say that, Jae, because before we met you, things were always boring around here. None of these bizarre things ever happened.”

  “Maybe after I leave things will go back to normal,” he said, trying to convince himself that his new friends would be safe once he had left.

  “Yeah. Let’s hope.” Meghan secretly hoped it would all go back to normal. She didn’t like all this crazy stuff going on, and especially didn’t like this Catawitch threatening her or her family.

  “See you tomorrow,” Jae said, vanishing into the darkness with a wave.

  “Yeah, tomorrow,” she replied, feeling even more overwhelmed.

  She was hopeful that Jae would get home the next night, but her mind was full of doubt. Why were all these strange things happening? Moreover, what was this new problem of the Catawitch? Why was the magical world, which they had only just discovered existed, sneaking its way into their boring, normal human world?

  Inside the trailer, Colin could not hear Meghan’s thoughts, but similar unanswered questions raced through his own mind.

  There were no answers.

  Later, Colin and Meghan lay in bed, both awake, and both hiding their confused thoughts from each other. Eventually they drew the same conclusion. Whatever was happening to them would have to wait. Tomorrow was a big day. Tomorrow, they had to be sure that Jae Mochrie returned to his caravan, safe, alive, and preferably in one piece.

  CHAPTER 18

  The twins lay in bed early the next morning having not slept at all. They did not speak or get out of bed right away. Hearing movement in the kitchen meant their uncle was awake.

  Meghan sucked in, thinking she should make breakfast and dragged herself out of bed. However, before she got the covers off she blurted out, “What’s happening to us?” She did not sound scared, but puzzled. Colin had been up most of the night thinking about the same subject.

  “No idea, Sis. It is a peculiar feeling though. I feel different, but not wrong.” He shrugged, realizing his explanation did not make a lot of sense.

  Meghan had not yet told him about the Catawitch from the previous night. She took a deep breath and started.

  “Not that this helps answer anything, but last night, another unusual thing happened.”

  “When?” he asked.

  “While I was putting out the fire,” she explained. “I had a visitor. One I am guessing was not a friendly foe.” She told him about the cat appearing in the fire and asking her to go with it to meet its master, how she had almost gone when it hinted a threat at Colin and Uncle Arnon, and how it did not hurt her when she touched the fire.

  “What stopped you from going with the Catawitch?”

  “Jae. He was the one that told me it was a Catawitch. He also said it was a creature from the magical world. His world.”

  “Magical world?” Colin stammered. “But why?”

  “I’m not sure, but I have been thinking about it, and I believe it might have something to do with Jae. All these things started during the time we met him.”

  “And Jae did hint at more enemies out there than just the Scratchers,” reminded Colin.

  “Maybe they are trying to use us, to get to Jae, or his people?”

  “How can we be sure? What can we even do about it?”

  “I think we need to hope that things go back to normal once Jae is gone. I also think Jae might be in a lot more danger than he’s led us to believe,” said Meghan.

  “But the Catawitch’s visit and Jae being in danger, still doesn’t fully explain what has been happening to us,” said Colin, with an inquisitive look on his face. “There has to be some kind of explanation or connection.”

  “Colin,” said Meghan apprehensively. “What if that book was not meant for you, but for Jae? Perhaps someone trying to help him. We don’t really know that much about him when it comes down to it. Maybe he was not as alone as we thought.”

  It had not crossed Colin’s mind that the book was not meant for him.

  “Jasper Thorndike seemed quite keen on me having this book.” He thought for a few minutes more, before saying, “The Magicante did help us escape from those Scratchers, before Jae got stuck behind.”

  “That’s true. Maybe someone wanted to help us then, knowing Jae and his caravan would bring trouble with them.”

  “But who? And why?” he asked. Colin then had a depressing thought.

  “How do we know that when Jasper Thorndike sold me the Magicante, he was not trying to hurt them? We would have been an easy, unsuspecting target. We could have put Jae in danger and not even realized it.” He snatched up the Magicante and asked it, “Are you using us to try to hurt someone?”

  The only response was the sound of interrupted snoring.

  “Was worth a try,” he shrugged.

  “I don’t think the book was meant to harm anyone, although, it is rude enough. I do think Jae might believe something could use us as a target, and I would bet that is why he is still watching us from his wagon window.”

  “Has he been?” asked Colin.

  “That is how he saw me talking to the Catawitch.”

  Colin gazed sadly at his book, looking forlorn.

  “I will miss Jae, too,” she said. “Whatever he’s not telling us, or protecting us from, I hope he makes it home safely.”

  “Oh, I do hope he makes it home,”
agreed Colin. “I was just thinking that doing magic is incredible. I guess I am hoping it will stick around after Jae’s gone.”

  He drew back his curtain so he could be alone, attempting to hide his disappointment. It leaked into his sister’s thoughts though.

  Meghan wanted everything to go back to normal.

  Her brother wanted the opposite. She understood why. But she’d still prefer her boring, normal life over whatever strangeness was happening.

  Colin sulked in his chair thinking back to how he had been able to stop the bullies, and trusting that after tonight, it would not happen again. At that moment, he did not feel strong or powerful. Just the same old version of himself, who always needed his sister to come to his rescue.

  Meghan left the room to prepare breakfast, but discovered her uncle had beaten her to it. It was ready and on the table. Colin did not come out until thirty minutes later and appeared sluggish when he did.

  “Bad night’s sleep?” questioned his uncle.

  “You could say that,” he groaned.

  “You two have had some long days and late nights. I think an early night is in order tonight. Need to get your rest. Rest revives your energy and you both seem short on it this morning. Yup, early to bed tonight.”

  The twins gawked at each other. Had he guessed they were planning to sneak out again? They knew they were facing a major grounding in order to help Jae.

  Unease overshadowed the rest of the breakfast as their fears intensified. Mostly, they feared getting caught, and Uncle Arnon not allowing them to leave, and Jae being on his own against the Scratchers.

  After finishing their morning chores, they headed out to meet Jae and ran into Sebastien.

  “You look as bad as we do,” Colin attempted to joke.

  “Speak for yourself there Bro,” said Meghan.

  “I hope Jae slept better than we did. Let’s get over there!” suggested Sebastien.

  Jae greeted them at the wagon door, and to their astonishment, he looked rested and awake.

  “You guys look awful,” he told them.