by Cate, Marnie
“You might be right,” she said. “We should focus on building your endurance before we attempt this.”
With those words, the blade she had created faded away into wisps of smoke. Walking around me, she began to inspect me.
“You need to work on strength—mental and physical. You need to build your endurance,” Blaze said. “You have been given a special gift to be able to call to all of the elements and you need to keep connecting to maintain this gift. Do not depend on the one that comes easiest to you.”
Thinking about her words, I reflected on my connections. I still felt a strong pull to Water. I was very confident in my ability to create rain and water balls but I felt like I should not connect as much. Cole's connection was to water. Shouldn't I leave that for him? As I continued to overthink my reasons for my focus on fire, a strong wind began blowing.
The warm air carried Breeze, Miles riding on her back grinning from ear to ear. Gently landing on the ground, Miles hopped off and she shifted to her human form. Walking hand-in-hand towards us, Miles smiled and waved to us. He appeared so small as he walked next to Breeze.
“My magic is not bad,” Miles shouted excitedly to us. Smiling at Breeze, he asked her something that I could not hear. Leaning down to him, she kissed both of his cheeks.
Running to me, he threw his arms around me and I could smell the woodsy scent of the trees. His time with Breeze raised his spirits.
“Mara, I can do the most amazing things now. I no longer need to use the dark magic,” he said.
Grasping my hand, he said, “Watch, I can show you. Come with me.”
Dragging me away from the picnic blanket, he commanded, “Stay here and don't move a muscle. I need to concentrate.”
“I will do my best not to scream,” I promised.
A stream of white tendrils emitted from Miles' fingertips and slowly began to weave around my ankles and legs, travelling up to my waist. The silky feeling of the air as it touched my skin made me move.
“Please stand very still for me, okay,” he advised. Closing his eyes, more lines of air encircled me.
“Can I talk?”
“No, no talking,” he said with a serious look on his face. Squinting his eyes, he started whispering as the strands of air multiplied.
I found myself surrounded by the streams of air. Twisting and turning around me until I was being lifted off the ground. Fighting back my urge to ask him to put me down, I sucked in a deep breath of the warm air and closed my eyes. I felt myself going higher and higher, spinning around. The spinning stopped. When I was finally brave enough to open my eyes, I found myself held in the sky above the tops of the trees. Below I could see Miles' eyes were still tightly closed as if he was concentrating very hard. The elementals stood smiling up at me. Well, three of them were smiling. Blaze wore a pleased expression that could almost pass as a smile.
“Please don't drop me, Miles,” I said.
As if he heard my words, I found myself lowering. If his magic failed to work, I was confident that I could be able to call Air on my own.
When I landed, Miles ran over to me and threw his arms around my waist. “I'm not bad. I don't only have that magic in me. I have good magic, too,” he said.
“I am so happy for you Miles. I never thought you were anything but good. Your other magic is not bad…it's just different. You probably don't want to use it though,” I suggested.
“Oh, I know. Breeze explained everything to me. We don't want to make that magic strong,” he agreed. “I should never practice using it ever again and I am only allowed to use it if I need to protect my family from harm.”
“That sounds very wise,” I said. “Miles, I am so glad that you are with us and that you are my little brother.
Squeezing me back, he whispered, “I love you, Mara.”
Pulling away from him, I suggested, “How about we clean up our picnic and we go make dinner. I am sure by the time Elliott and Cole come home they are going to be hungry.”
“What should we make them?” he asked with a serious thought on his face.
“I will leave that up to you. We can make whatever you want,” I said.
“Goodbye everyone,” Miles said to the elementals. Stopping at Breeze, he threw his arms around her tightly.
“We will see you later, Miles,” she said sweetly and kissed him on the cheek. “Remember everything I have taught you.”
“Oh, I will,” he said, as he quickly ran off.
When Miles was out of earshot, I questioned the elementals. “What are we going to do about the other magic? Is it safe to let him keep it?” I said. Packing up the picnic items, I continued, 'We can take his magic away but then he will be defenseless."
“We could take it away but we have learned from you that may not be the right thing,” Blaze said, taking the cloth that Mile's magic had burned. She folded the cloth into a small square and repeating the process until it was small enough to fit in her hand.
“Instead, he keeps his magic. The light and the dark will stay within him. We must make sure he is supervised when he is using it. Breeze will be staying close to help him learn how to control it. As always, we are near if you really need us.” As if in emphasis, the square of cloth she was holding erupted into a small fire. Clasping her hands together, she snuffed out the flames. When she opened her hands, silver embers floated in the air.
“Soon Meg and Miles should be asked to protect the magic,” Daisy insisted. “We cannot wait again for the time to be right. They have already seen both sides of the magic.”
“They are too young,” Bay countered. “They are not ready—”
“You are wrong. They are ready to decide. They must know the truth of their gift and be prepared.” Blaze's words trailed off and I wondered what she wasn't saying.
“You are all correct. They are young but I don't think we can wait as long as you did to tell me,” I said. “She will be back again and they need to be prepared.”
“I told you that she was back,” Blaze said proudly. “Now go help your brother.”
As I walked away, I turned back to see the four of them standing in a circle. Small bubbles of lavender, red, blue and green filled the center and rose above to the sky. Then, they were gone.
Chapter 9
By the time Miles and I returned from our picnic and began to fix dinner, our family had begun to trickle into the kitchen. All were sweaty and dirty from the day's activities.
My mind raced. Snowystra had spoken to Miles as if she was responsible for his magic. She was not going to leave any of us alone. He wouldn't harm any of us intentionally. But, one accidental use of it could hurt someone gravely. Meg would… I need to warn Meg. “Meg,” I called. She did not answer.
“Dad,” I called to my father. “Where is Meg?”
“She decided that she had to check on the lavender bushes,” he said, popping out from his bedroom. “She has been fussing with them every day. You know as well as I do that the plants on our property are the best cared for in Starten. I keep telling her that they are fine but once she gets something in her head…”
“She's outside alone?” I said feeling panicked. “Miles, dinner is under control. I want you to go with Elliott and clean up. I am going to get Meg for dinner.”
“Is everything okay, Caterpillar?” my father said, with a look of worry on his face.
“I am sure everything is fine,” I said, trying to hide my fear. “Dinner is ready. We just need the table set. We will eat when everyone returns.”
“Okay, Mara,” Miles said as he took my father's hand. Turning back to me, he whispered, “This has been the best day ever.”
As the door to my father's bedroom closed, I felt the cold chill blow through the house and over me again.
Trying to control my emotions as I quickly walked out to the backyard, I found my sister standing by the picnic tree. She was far from the lavender. Why would she be at the oak tree?
Standing very still, I watched her. My heart
raced as I realized that Meg was talking to someone in the shadows. Meg held out her hand as if accepting something.
“Meg, what are you doing out there?” I shouted.
She continued to face the forest, talking into the air as if she was in a deep conversation.
Calling out to her louder this time. “Meg, come in the house right now!”
Turning only her head in my direction, she stared at me with a blank, emotionless look on her face. It was as if she didn't recognize me. Snowystra.
“Meg, step away from her,” I cried out, racing to her. Snowystra stepped out of the shadows confirming my fear. Not thinking, I did the first thing that came to mind and I cast a stream of fire at Snowystra.
My attack had no impact. Instead, it only seemed to please her. Laughing, she stepped away from my magic and continued her conversation. Holding out a small black box to Meg, she spoke to her so softly that I could not hear the words she was saying.
“Get away from her, Snowystra,” I screamed, as I formed a blade of fire in my hand.
Having no idea how I was going to use my summoned weapon, I just ran with all of my might. When I reached Meg, I slashed at Snowystra's hand. Sparks flew as I struck her, causing her to drop the container. A silver fluid began to run from the cut I had made.
Instead of attacking me, she just laughed. Gripping the blade as if I was skilled enough to use it, I grabbed my sister and pulled her behind me. Backing away from her and taking a defensive stance, I forced all of the elemental magic I had inside me at the dark goddess. The strong wind, waves of water, streams of fire and shaking earth only made her laugh.
Her sinister laughter continued. She held up her hands. “You have delighted me again with your passion, Marina,” she proclaimed over the strong winds. “You will be a wonderful addition to my family when you come to your senses.”
Spinning around, she continued her maniacal laughter until her body dissolved into black and silver dust. The dust coated us and her taunting cackle carried in the wind as the glittery fragments of her disappeared.
“Mara, why are you holding a fire sword?” Meg questioned.
Dropping the sword to the ground, it sizzled and vanished into a puff of smoke. Hugging my sister tightly, I said fighting back tears, “You can't go out here by yourself, Meg. You can't be alone where we can't protect you.”
“Why were you talking to her?” I said, holding her face in my hands. Meg stared at me with a confused look on her face. “Didn't I warn you to run away if you saw anyone you don't know?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” she stammered. “I was just out taking care of the lavender. They haven't looked as healthy this past week. They don't like the cold.”
Pausing as she turned around, she realized that she was nowhere near the lavender bushes.
“Wait, why am I here? I was checking Gram's lavender,” she explained. “I was just checking to make sure they were okay.”
“She must have a spell on you,” I said, putting my hands on her shoulders to focus her attention on me. “You need to listen to me. You can't run off like this anymore. You cannot go off on your own.”
“Who put a spell on me? All I was doing was checking to make sure everything was growing,” Meg said through her tears. “Why am I not safe here?”
“Meg, I can't lose you. I can't lose another person I love,” I said. Even through her shirt, I could feel how cold her skin was. “I need you to listen to me when I say you cannot wander off on your own now. Let's get you home where it is warm.”
Pushing me away, she shouted, “It's not fair to tell me that I can't do something I have always done and not tell me why.” Changing her tone, she continued in a quieter voice, “I am not a baby. You can tell me what is going on.”
“Meg, you are a little girl. You don't need to worry about everything that is going on,” I said changing my tone to reflect hers. “You just need to trust me. When it is necessary, I will tell you what you need to know. You just need to enjoy being a little kid.”
“I am not a baby. I am sick of you treating me like I am a dumb kid. You are not the only one that has magic. I have strong magic like you,” Meg said with fire in her eyes. “It's time you stop treating me like I can't take care of myself and stop treating me like I don't know what has happened. You are not the only one that saw them die. I was there, too.”
Her words hit me hard. We had not talked about that night. She was right. In my grief, I hadn't considered that she had witnessed the attack my mother launched on me and the fight that had ended both our mother's and our grandmother's lives. Meg had been so strong through the burial and all of the changes to the way we were now going to handle our day-to-day lives. I hadn't taken the time to talk to her about her feelings or to discuss what she had witnessed.
“Meg, you are always going to be my little sister,” I began to explain. Stopping when her eyes narrowed on me. I started again. “You are always going to be my baby sister but that doesn't mean I need to shelter you. You are right. We went through these past months together and, through it all, you have been a strength, not just for Miles but also, also for everyone. The time has come for me to accept that you might be able to protect yourself.”
“So tell me what is going on,” Meg insisted. “I can handle it, Mar. I know more than you think and I can't protect myself if I don't know what I should be scared of.”
“I know,” I said, taking in a deep breath. She was correct. She needed to know what we were up against. But, I didn't exactly know what we were facing. How was I going to explain something I didn't understand to a child? “I do need to stop keeping things from you. Let's get you home and warmed up. Then, I will tell you everything I know.”
“Don't you think we will all be better off if we don't have so many secrets?” Meg said, sounding more mature than the nine-year-old standing in front of me.
“You are right, Meg.” I admitted. “The secrets have harmed us more than helped us. Soon, you will have the answers you want.”
As we walked back to the house hand-in-hand, a small bit of white floated by my face. I turned and found that Snowystra was behind us. Standing by the tree, she stood in a flutter of snow watching us. Entering the house, I shut the door and frantically latched all of the locks as if it would keep her out.
“The danger you are worried about is out there, isn't it?” Meg murmured.
“No one can get to us right now, Meg,” I said, trying to hide the fear I was feeling myself. We would need more than solid wood and some latches to keep us safe.
Chapter 10
After dinner, my father suggested we settle in the living room while the kids got ready for bed. I brought a plate of zizzleberry cookies from Gram's reserves for dessert. Cole had chosen one of the chairs across the room from me. The feeling from his dismissal this morning hit me again. As our eyes met, he gave me a short smile and said, “We need to talk about the wedding.” Without waiting for my response, he continued, “At the very least, we should start working on the invitations. The day is going to come quicker than we think.”
Trying to hide my surprise that he still wanted to marry me, I responded, “The cookies won't take very long to bake. The hardest part is going to be writing out the small tags to tie to the treat bag.”
Many years ago, the tradition of baking heart shaped cookies and sending them to the invited guests became the norm. The type of cookie was determined by the likes of the bride and groom to be. Half of each heart was made with their favorite. Zizzleberry and peanut butter cookies would be sent to our guests.
Before we could continue, Meg and Miles joined us. Meg looked so sweet and young wearing her favorite nightgown, fluffy robe and pink slippers. Miles wore his robe over his button up pajamas. He had combed his hair over and looked like a little old man.
Motioning for Miles to come by me, I said, “I found out this afternoon that Miles has been keeping a secret. Did you know that Miles has a connection to the magic also?”
With wide eyes, my father and Cole directed their focus onto Miles. Meg bit her lip.
“Well, technically Miles has a connection to two kinds of magic,” I corrected myself. “The dark magic he inherited from our mother will not be used but he has been blessed with the gift of Air. We will see him practicing.”
“I am sorry I didn't tell you,” Miles said. “I didn't want you to send me back. Please don't be mad at me.”
“No one is mad at you, Miles,” my father said. “You are part of our family and you are never going back to them. Ok?”
Miles nodded. The tight look on Miles' face relaxed and he yawned.
Picking Miles up, Cole said, “I think your big day has worn out Miles. We will have more time later to talk about the house. Come on kid. You can show us your Air magic tomorrow. Let's get you off to bed.”
Unable to fight back another yawn, Miles rested his head on Cole's shoulder, barely able to keep his eyes open. Muttering he said, “Will Meg come with me?”
“Meg will be up in a little while, Miles,” I said. “I am sure Cole won't mind staying with you until she comes to bed.”
“I'll clean up the kitchen while you guys have your talk,” my father said.
Taking Meg by the hand, I said, “Come along. We have more things to talk about.”
We entered Gram's room and I directed Meg to climb up on the bed. Removing the silver chest that had been kept underneath the mahogany bed, I held it in my hands and thought of the last time I had held it. Presenting the box to Meg, I tried to recall the exact words my grandmother had said to me.
“This box was given to me by our grandmother. Each of the names on this chest are of women that have promised to keep the ancient magic safe from those who would misuse it.”
Tracing my finger along the names, I remembered the feelings that had stirred inside me when I was presented with the box. The strong emotions that I had felt the first time returned. The names Genevieve, Mae and Eliza were still etched on the cover but now my name was also there. Touching each name again, all but one felt warm. Stopping at Eliza, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Before it had been ice cold. Now there was no feeling at all.
