Five: Out of the Dark

by Anderson, Holli

  Halli and I walked down the trail that lay outside our hidden refuge. The scenery consisted of rocks and bare hills—okay, maybe not completely bare, there was a lot of sagebrush and a scattering of white and yellow wildflowers that were quickly fading as autumn approached. I saw some pine trees here and there, but they were sparse. The trail was lined with rocky dirt and dried grass. The trail followed a winding creek with some bigger trees growing near it along with tall, green grass along its edges.

  We climbed a nearby hill and saw nothing but the same terrain for miles—it was odd to be able to see for miles, to not have trees block your line of vision in every direction. We didn’t explore for long, as we found each new bend in the trail or each new hilltop presented us with the same bleak terrain.

  The others had started to stir when we returned to the refuge, our eyes adjusting to the dim lighting provided by several rocks Alec had infused with illumination spells.

  Joe was awake, sitting with his back against the wall of the cave and drinking water from his eco-friendly aluminum bottle. “Glad you’re back. What do you think of Cowiche Canyon, girls?”

  “It’s very … wide open,” Halli said.

  “Yeah, it’s hard to believe we’re still in the same state. Lots of rocks and sagebrush, very few trees,” I added.

  “Lesson number one for the day—Warlocks, including Brone, have a very hard time transporting, or portalling, into places with sparse vegetation. It also makes it most difficult for him to trace our use of magic. Because we have a more pure magic, we don’t have to rely on things of the earth or Dark Magic to perform a spell. When Brone, or one like him, makes a portal, he uses the roots of the trees to channel the magic—like a telegraph from one to the next. If there’s a large gap between the roots, the magic is cut off and the portal ends where the telegraphing stops.

  “Remember how I mentioned last night that Warlocks are no respecters of Mother Nature? The use of living vegetation to magnify the Dark Magic drains the life out of the source plants—if the same group of roots or plants is used more than once or twice, the entire chain will die. Brone often draws power from the living plants of the earth to add strength to his spells, thus killing the plants.”

  “I understand why you brought us here, then,” I said. “He won’t be able to portal here or track us easily. If he does show up, his magic won’t be as strong because there isn’t a lot of plant life for him to draw from.”

  “That’s right, Paige. I worry a little about the growth along the creek edges, so we all need to stay clear of there—especially when we’re practicing magic. It’s likely that even though he doesn’t know for sure where we are, he may come looking here, as it is one of the closest areas with this terrain.”

  “Does he know about the refuge here?” Seth asked. The worry in his voice made me think about the violent demise of the Mt. St. Helen’s refuge.

  “No, I’m almost positive he doesn’t. We only used this one once and it was when Brone was wreaking havoc over in Hawaii.”

  “How long can we safely stay here?” Johnathan asked.

  “Not long, I’m afraid. Even though I doubt Brone will come after us again this soon, it’s better to be safe. His previous actions, and his grievous injuries, would indicate that he’ll spend some time recovering and regaining his strength. He’ll probably start recruiting a bit more heavily now that he knows the Quinae Praesidia are back in action, too. My guess is we’ll be free from his harassment for at least a few months, but, like I said, it’s better to be safe. We’ll spend a few days here training and preparing—regaining our strength. We won’t be portalling out this time. It took too much out of me and I grow weaker magically by the day. We’ll have to hoof it to our next destination.”

  “Why can’t you just teach us how to portal?” Seth asked.

  “Oh, I plan to do just that. However, portalling is tricky, and if not done correctly, can have disastrous results. Like being trapped in the darkness between realms … forever.” He shuddered. “It must be practiced and perfected before attempting it, and we don’t have the time for that.”

  “Okay … but, can’t we take a train or something?” Alec asked.

  “Ahh, if only we could. That used to be an option, but today’s trains are packed with electronics and run by computers. Six of us on a train would blow the system apart before it got up to full speed. I’m afraid we’re stuck walking until one or all of you become proficient in portalling.”

  “Well, let’s get on with the training, then. I really don’t like the idea of trekking to … where is it we’re going next?” Alec asked.

  “I have a few ideas, we can discuss them and decide as a group before we set out,” Joe said.

  “How do we know where we should go? I mean, you said we’re here to protect people. How do we know who needs us the most?”

  Joe smiled. “Good question, Halli. I asked my trainer the same thing. Her answer? There are forces involved that are much greater than we are. Wherever circumstances took us, wherever we ended up on what seemed like a whim, wherever our decisions took us—that’s where we ended up being needed. It’s like the Five are drawn to places where dark forces are strong at work. Wherever the five of you decide to go is where you’ll need to be.”

  “That’s a lot of responsibility. What if we’re wrong?” Halli asked.

  “You won’t be. It’s part of being who you are. Quinae Praesidia.”

  “So, what you seem to be saying is that we’ll travel a lot. No settling down anywhere,” Johnathan said.

  “That’s right, Johnathan.” He let that settle in our minds for several seconds before changing the subject. “Is everyone ready to get to work?”

  We spent the rest of the day outside the confines of the cave, practicing and training. Joe was right; we had no idea how much we didn’t know. Cowiche Canyon was not a deserted place; apparently, it was a semi-popular trail to hike. Joe avoided the hikers by leading us in an endurance run that took us away from the popular trail and off into the unused back country. We rested briefly and drained half the water from our bottles before setting wards and beginning practice.

  Joe explained that although we could all do all the spells he was going to teach, each of the Five has a different strength. He set out this day to begin discovering ours. He already knew Halli’s was hand-to-hand combat; he said he’d put her in the octagon with any UFC fighter out there and apologize to the guy later for ending his career. He was certain my strength was in channeling attack spells—the fact that I could hit a small target with killer accuracy without the use of my channeling rod was an unusual and valuable strength. We tested my accuracy against the others for a good two hours. I never missed a target no matter the size. And I didn’t use my channeling rod once.

  During this session we were able to discover Johnathan’s strength. Basically, his strength was … strength. The strength of his spells, that is, although his physical strength is nothing to ignore, either. He can throw a spell with more oomph than any of us. More than Joe or the other four in his group could back in the day, too. Joe said he was ninety-eight-percent sure that Johnathan’s spells were stronger than Brone’s Demon-fueled spells. This revelation made Joe almost giddy.

  After lunch, the wind kicked up, blowing dirt and rocks all over us. Miniature tornados—Alec called them dust-devils—sprung up around us, throwing aforementioned dirt and rocks into us like missiles. The experience wasn’t very pleasant. I suggested we move off the top of the hill we were training on, but Joe had other ideas.

  “Now would be a great time to test your defensive spells,” he yelled above the howling winds. “Let’s see who can block the wind from reaching us. Use a shielding spell.”

  We’d practiced a little bit with this, shielding spells came in handy when someone was throwing stuff or shooting at you. They could be used to block magic spells like those Brone had used on me in his lair, but they took too long to produce—I would have been fried like a piece of bacon before
I could even begin to produce one. We hadn’t been able to discover a quick way to conjure a defense spell on our own; I hoped Joe was going to show us one.

  I was still trying to picture in my head what results I wanted from the spell before I even attempted to construct it with my will. The dirt clods and shards of rock hitting me in the head were distracting.

  Before I could even begin to form the spell, the wind stopped—I no longer felt the pelting of objects.

  I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate, but as soon as I realized the wind had stopped, I opened them. My jaw dropped when I realized the wind hadn’t actually stopped—it just wasn’t hitting us. Dirt and twigs still whipped around us as if we were covered in a dome of impenetrable glass. I looked around to try to figure out who was responsible for our sudden peace and comfort, convinced it had to be Joe. I was wrong, but it was easy to see who’d done it.

  Joe gaped at Seth, who had a smug little grin plastered on his face.

  “Seth? How did you do that so quick?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Something just clicked in my brain. I bet I can do it faster next time.”

  “Okay, let’s test that theory,” Joe said. “Drop the shield, and when I say ‘go’ we’ll see how fast you can erect it again.”

  The shield around us dropped; the pelting began again with a vengeance.

  “Go!” Joe yelled.

  Less than a second. Wow. That was unbelievable.

  “Well, it looks like we’ve found your strength, Seth.” Joe smiled.

  “Awesome! I love my strength,” Seth pumped his fist in the air.

  “It still isn’t fast enough to defend against a magic fireball, or an everyday bullet—but there are ways to make it faster. Probably the greatest thing about your talent is you can share it with your colleagues here,” Joe said.

  “Yeah, I know, I already did. See?” Seth gestured to the dome of protection surrounding us.

  Joe shook his head. “There’s another way you can share it, Seth. We can make shield bracelets that are infused with your shields and your friends can wear the bracelets and tap into them to construct shields of their own, almost as quickly as you can. It’s an invaluable tool and will invariably save the lives of you and your friends.”

  “That’s so cool. When can we make the bracelets?” Seth asked.

  “Tonight. The materials should be available in the refuge.”

  “Okay, okay,” Alec said. “It’s a cool talent. Let’s figure out mine now.”

  “We may not be able to figure it out tonight, Alec. But no worries, we’ll know in time what your special strength is.”

  “What’s your strength, Joe?” Halli asked.

  “My strength … was … wards. My wards were impenetrable by even the most diligent and nasty of enemies. My illusion wards fooled even myself sometimes.” He shook his head. “But, my strength is a strength no more. Let’s get on with this. We still have a couple hours of daylight. We’d best make good use of it.”

  “Well, what other strengths are there? I mean, can’t we just try them all until we find mine?” Alec was determined to know his strength right then and there.

  Joe laughed. “Alec, Alec, Alec … show some patience, my boy. There are innumerable talents. Let’s just continue on with my lesson plans and we’ll come across it eventually.”

  “Ugh,” Alec groaned.

  I stole a glance at Johnathan. We stood close together in the confines of Seth’s shield. Johnathan’s muscles were tense, his jaw worked back and forth as he ground his teeth. “Drop it, Seth.” He growled through clenched teeth and turned away from Seth. Joe caught a glimpse of his yellowing eyes and frowned.

  “Huh?” Seth scrunched his eyebrows together.

  Johnathan’s nostrils flared in and out and he closed his eyes.

  “The shield,” I said quietly. “Drop the shield. Johnathan needs some air.”

  “Oh, yeah, right.” Seth stole a glance at Joe and dropped the shield.

  Once again pelted by wind and dirt, I turned to Joe and said, “He’s just a bit claustrophobic.”

  Joe watched with brows furrowed, his mouth turned down in a frown, as Johnathan jogged a short distance away. “Okay, let’s take a break.”

  After a short time-out we learned and practiced various spells like levitation, paralyzing spells, reflecting spells, and even an invisibility spell that didn’t really make us invisible. It just made us blend in with our surroundings. We hadn’t come across Alec’s strength by the time Joe announced it was time to head back to the refuge.

  Alec’s disappointment showed in his sour mood. We jogged back to our new temporary home—Joe insisted we exercise our bodies as well as our minds and magic, and increase our endurance along the way. Alec took off from the rest of us and sprinted most of the way. I bet he had the world’s biggest side ache before he reached the cave. The quick-paced run had at least one good side effect—it made Alec too tired to be ornery.

  Joe woke us early the next morning and we headed off in a different direction than the day before—jogging, of course. Alec was in much better spirits, sure that his special powers would be revealed today. He made it sound like he was a budding superhero.

  “What’s our plan for the day, Oh Captain, My Captain?” Alec asked Joe when we’d finished our run.

  Joe raised an eyebrow at him. “Today, you’re going to begin to learn how to portal. This spell takes time and practice to learn and no one is to even think about attempting it with themselves or another person until I am completely convinced that they’re ready. Do you all understand?” He looked at Alec.

  “What? I know … I won’t try it without your prior authorization, Sensei. I promise.” He crossed his heart just to prove it.

  Joe shook his head with a sigh. “Just remember, the consequences of a portal-gone-wrong are both horrifying and permanent.” He looked each of us in the eye to make sure we understood the gravity of his statement.

  He proceeded to explain that you could only portal, safely, to somewhere where you’d been before. That statement, of course, brought on a round of questions, starting with Alec.

  “So … it is possible to portal somewhere you haven’t been … it’s just not as safe?”

  Joe’s exasperated sigh actually echoed across the canyon. “Alec … it is possible. But highly dangerous. It’s just too hard for your mind to form the correct picture for the spell to build upon. And while I’m thinking about it, don’t ever try to portal somewhere make-believe—like, say, Willy Wonka’s chocolate river or Alice’s Wonderland. That’s one of those mistakes that’ll land you eternally in between.”

  “Between?” Halli asked.

  “Yeah, between. As in between here and there—floating endlessly in nothingness, neither here nor there. Not a fate I would wish on anyone … well, almost anyone.

  “We’ll start by portalling small objects and go from there.” Joe began pulling small twigs from a dead bush.

  We practiced moving the twigs by picturing them in the place we wanted to open a portal to—which, in this case, was down the hill by a lone pine tree we’d paused at on our way up there. It was a difficult spell to master, that was for sure. I would have the picture planted firmly in my head. But when I would go to open the portal, infusing the spell with my will, the picture would crumble and I’d have to start all over again. There were more than a few twigs, I’m afraid, that ended up in the between because of me.

  We all struggled with this new skill—all except Alec. It seemed he’d found his strength. While the rest of us continued to work on moving lightweight twigs, Alec was moving rocks the size of Halli. Joe was astonished at the speed of which he caught on to this most difficult spell.

  Joe caught a lizard and had Alec portal it to the tree. He did it without a problem. The rest of us were pretty much on our own at this point; Joe was fascinated by Alec’s strength in portalling.

  “Now, try moving the rock further, like to the creek we crossed a mile or so aw
ay,” Joe instructed Alec.

  “No problema, Coach.” Alec concentrated for only a few seconds before the rock disappeared. We all ran the mile back to the creek to see if it had arrived there safely—and there it was.

  This went on into the afternoon. The rest of us were able to move our twigs and even some small rocks to the pine tree. Johnathan was able to move larger objects, but didn’t even come close to the accuracy of Alec. Alec didn’t lose an object in the between even one time. Even so, I was still shocked when he asked Joe, “Hey, Chief, how about you let me portal myself back to the cave when we’re done?”

  Joe studied him in silence for a minute or two. I couldn’t believe he was actually considering it. “Well, it is your strength. What do you guys think?”

  “No way,” I said. “It’s too big of a risk.”

  Halli agreed with me.

  “Paige, he hasn’t screwed it up all day, not once. I think he’ll be fine,” Seth said.

  I shook my head and looked to Johnathan to be the voice of reason.

  I should have known the boys would stick together on this. They lived for danger. Johnathan half smiled at me apologetically before saying, “I think we should let him. Seth’s right, he’s been spot-on all day.”

  “Joe, you can’t seriously be considering this!” I argued.

  “Actually, Paige, I am. If Alec wants to take the risk, knowing the consequences if he messes up, I say he should. He is amazing at this.”

  “Whatever … just don’t come crying to me when you’re stuck in the between forever, Alec,” I said with a huff.

  Alec took extra time constructing his portal. He closed his eyes and then … poof … he was gone.

  We all ran back double time. I was sure we’d find Alec, lounging and gloating, waiting for us in the cave.

  Johnathan reached the entrance first and we all came huffing and puffing in behind him. I searched the inside of the dim cave for any signs of Alec. He wasn’t there.