I decided not to ask any further questions because I did not want to know. I suspected Garrison’s happy and upfront exterior masked something else.
“What about you?” I asked Seth.
He smiled at me then looked away. “You know …” He shrugged. I realized he shrugged a lot, as if not wanting to commit to anything he said. “Same things. Trails. Horses. Rivers. You.”
The way he said it sent shivers up my spine. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing. Kian pulled around with the car. It was audible from around the corner of the hotel since the car sputtered and squealed.
When we stared, he called out the window.
“Only one they had left!” he said defensively.
“Well, here’s to finding a new addition to our group!” Seth had squeezed my hand and walked away, while I felt his touch ringing up my entire arm.
What kind of magic is this? I wondered as I let it warm and soothe me. Idiot, I told myself. You’re swooning.
Kian had been in a better mood the night before, and I had a wonderful sleep. I managed to stay awake during the car ride out into the country. Unfortunately, that meant putting up with Garrison’s complaints.
After two hours, the green farms began to be rather boring and I searched the car for anything to occupy my interest. After I had read the safety instructions on the back of Seth’s visor about ten times, Kian finally stopped the car.
We were in a small parking lot in the middle of nowhere. The town was flat, though there were a few hills a short way away. As far as I could see, there were only some brown brick row houses, a street lined with white shops, and a small white church backing out onto an old cemetery.
One of the shops in the white street was a fish-and-chip shop and Garrison and Seth quickly rushed in that direction. I followed with Kian on my heels. I tried smiling at him, and my heart sang when he acknowledged me, but his return look was nearly a grimace. He was preoccupied. I thought back to the argument on the phone. If Kian did not want to come here, why had he?
The store looked like nothing had been updated in the last fifty years. The counters were rounded and white. The chairs were cheap metal. Behind the counter, a man of retirement age stood over the fried fish in various tin heating trays.
“One, please,” Garrison said, coming up to the counter.
His eyes were wide and I smiled to myself, remembering that he was still a teenager who liked to eat, despite being an ancient magician.
“Of which?” the man asked.
“Anything! Everything!”
The man continued to look at Garrison, waiting for an answer. Realizing his joke hadn’t reached the right audience, Garrison gazed up at the menu behind him.
“Haddock with peas and chips?” he asked. The man nodded and got to work.
“Me too, please,” Seth added.
“Two more,” Kian said, ordering for me as well.
“Where are you visiting from?” the man asked while working.
“New York,” Garrison answered.
The man tsked about big cities and crime, then gave us our food and advised us not to go outside to eat because the church’s procession would be coming out soon.
“Procession?” Kian asked.
The man turned to him for the first time and his eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re also from New York?’ he asked.
“Yes,” Kian answered without a moment’s pause.
“Hm,” was the only reply, then, “There’s a wedding today. A lot of people come in from neighbouring towns.”
We took our food and went to sit down at the small metal tables. I kept feeling a pull at my chest as if I should be somewhere else but wasn’t. That nagging feeling like when you’re missing an exam or someone’s birthday. I was missing something.
I was so wrapped up in myself that I didn’t even notice the others looking just as I felt: bothered. There was something important and we were missing it.
“Why do you think French fries are called chips here and not in America?” Garrison asked absentmindedly.
“Because I don’t think the English like the French very much,” Seth replied, stuffing a piece of fried fish into his mouth.
“But did the French actually invent this? I didn’t know they were big on potatoes,” Garrison replied.
I smiled. It was just like when I had found them arguing about comic books or whatever they had been discussing. Their friendship was evident and even as I basked in it, it made me feel quite alone.
I glanced at Kian, who was picking through his food with his fork. Just like a heron examining its spoils. A thought slowly formed in my mind.
Just like when I found them.
I remembered the tugging sensation, pulling me closer to their location as if missing finding them was like missing your own wedding. Before I could open my mouth, Seth beat me to it. He dropped the piece of fish on his fork and stood so suddenly that the table shook.
“What —” Kian began, but he followed Seth’s gaze into the crowd of people rushing out of the wedding like a flood.
There were hundreds of people all dressed in extravagant hats and fancy dresses. A mass of white, which must have been the bride, descended large stone steps with her groom as people cheered for them. A vintage car waited for them at the foot of the church.
We all stood staring out of the window. I realized we must look crazy to the old man behind the counter, but I was too busy scanning the crowd to care.
Where are you? I mouthed as I stared into the sea of people.
“There,” Seth said, pointing. “That one.”
Chapter Twenty-One
We rushed out of the small shop as one. Faintly, I registered the old man asking us if we wanted our food wrapped up. I felt bad for being rude, but I was no longer in control. It was both frightening and exhilarating.
Just like when I had been pulled to Seth and Garrison at four in the morning, so was I being dragged to the wedding to find our fourth.
It was like gliding on air. I realized my friends were around me, but I couldn’t feel myself approaching the church. The only way I knew I wasn’t flying was because I could hear my footsteps on the ground.
The dragging on my body finally stopped as we reached the church and mixed with the wedding guests. I felt heavy, as if moving now took extra effort. We waded through the crowd, getting a few curious glances here and there, but people were mostly too busy to really notice us.
I still hadn’t seen who Seth had pointed out.
“Who is it?” Kian asked. He was leaning over me to see the crowd. He even stood on his tiptoes, putting a hand on my shoulder to steady himself. His proximity made me warm. In the unseasonably hot November weather, I had chosen a plain tank top with jeans, while everyone else sported jeans and a t-shirt. We were hardly dressed for a wedding.
“Her,” Seth said, trying not to point too obviously. I felt like a computer scanning a document, trying to take in every detail to not miss anything.
“Big hat! Big hat!” Seth said impatiently.
Our swivelling heads turned left and right.
“They all have big hats!” Garrison complained.
Finally, as my eyes surveyed the crowd, they locked on one girl as if my mind refused to move forward until I acknowledged her.
“Ooh! Her!” I blurted out. This got me more curious stares from people nearby.
The new member of our strange little group was a plain-looking girl who stood about fifty yards away from us. She was our age, as was expected, but was several inches taller than me. I realized she probably matched Garrison’s height since she was on eye level with the older man she was speaking with. I assumed he was her father.
She wore her long brown hair straight and it hung nearly down to her waist. It was draped over one shoulder on a pink outfit that looked more like a business suit than wedding attire. On top of her head sat a matching hat with pink lace and netting. Full red lips and big dark eyes accentuated her long face.
&nbs
p; Garrison, Seth, and I all rushed forward at once, causing a bit of a melee in the crowd of wedding guests.
“Wait,” Kian ordered.
A small magical pull kept us back and I wasn’t sure if he had used magic. I didn’t even know why I was rushing. What was I going to do? Be the one to break the news to her? I hoped she knew the deal already, or else we were probably in for a wait in this little town.
Kian squinted at her dubiously. His hand had left my shoulder and it caused me to glance back at him. To my surprise, he looked at me with the smuggest expression I had ever seen. His mouth was twisted to the side and I saw dimples I had never noticed before. He seemed genuinely happy.
“What’s up with you?” I asked. His expression made me suspicious. He hadn’t looked so giddy when we found Seth and Garrison, and that was basically a two-for-one.
He glanced to see if the other two were looking, confirmed they weren’t, and scooped me up in a quick hug. I resisted for a moment, only due to absolute shock, but then let him spin me around and put me back down.
“What’s gotten into you?” I blurted out.
I felt like a memory foam mattress. His touch left an impression on me even after he’d let go. I smoothed my shirt down where his hands on my waist had bunched it up.
“Nothing,” he said, avoiding my gaze, but the smirk remained.
I looked back to the girl, who was now talking to two older women. She appeared to be in a pleasant conversation when she excused herself and headed back inside the church. I thought I saw her stumble somewhat and remembered my own experience in Oregon. She was in for a surprise.
Seth and Garrison looked to Kian for the go-ahead, and he nodded once. I felt like part of some secret government mission. We subtly, as subtly as one can be in a small town where everyone knows everyone, steered our way through the crowd and into the empty church.
It was a small building, purpose-built for the town. One half was constructed from large grey stones while the other was panelled wood. Must be an add-on. We walked from the back to the front, checking the pews and vestibules. Nothing. Tucked away to the side of the church, only one place remained to look.
Seth, Garrison, and Kian gathered outside a short hallway, which led to two sets of doors. One had the word “ladies” marked outside of it. They stood and expectantly looked at me.
“Really?”
They all continued to look pointedly. I sighed.
“Fine.”
I opened the door slowly and walked into the women’s washroom. The girl stood at the sink, dabbing her face with a wet paper towel. The small room smelled musty and the windows let in a chill. Despite that, sweat was pouring down her face as she dabbed frantically at her make-up.
I coughed slightly, not knowing how to proceed.
She turned, startled. I saw the confusion in her eyes. The panic. I remembered what that felt like. It had sent me off the edge of a cliff. A sense of pity washed over me as I realized she didn’t know what was happening, followed by guilt at being the one to turn her life upside down.
“Relax,” I told her, trying to sound soothing. The panic was infectious, though.
She still stared, confusion and fear warring on her face. That’s when I made the mistake of moving closer. She grabbed my shoulder and shoved me against the wall so hard that my head hit the wall and I was stunned into immobility for a few seconds. Her height and broad shoulders had overpowered me. I hadn’t even put up a fight.
She bolted past me into the hall, leaving only her strange pink hat on the washroom floor.
I scrambled to keep up and ran out into the church on wobbly legs but was only faced with my confused-looking friends. None of them had managed to grab her as she caught them by surprise and burst into the church and out the doors. Upon seeing my face, Kian realized what had happened and set off after her.
“Why is the first response to run?” he called as he jogged to the doors.
I knew he referred to my initial reaction upon seeing him. Fear.
I had been gripped by fear. Maybe a small part of me knew that everything was about to change and my life would get a lot more difficult. Either way, it had been panic and fear driving me that day.
I set off after Kian, waving for Seth and Garrison to follow me. We were out of the church and around the building before I saw Kian again up ahead. I ran through the cemetery, skipping and hopping to avoid graves and loose stones. It was larger than it had appeared from a distance.
“What’s going on?” Seth huffed.
We were jogging to try to keep up, but it was a half-hearted effort. The girl was fully running and I knew Kian would catch her eventually.
“Ow!”
Garrison fell over a rock and landed with a thump on a gravestone. He picked himself up before we could react and waved for us to keep going. The ground still held dew from the morning and his jeans were stained green from the fall.
“I’m fine — just dangerously exercising!”
I smiled even as I was running out of breath. I could now see Kian ahead of us running into a wood. The cemetery was fenced in, and the black iron gate was too far out of our way. Ahead of the other two, I spotted the gap in the fence.
“There!” I shouted and pointed, running ahead. Feeling like a proper spy in a chase scene, I put on some speed. Then, in an instant, I was sailing through the air.
I knew my foot had hit something hard, but it took a few seconds for the pain to set in. I hit the ground, making something ring in my foot, up to my ankle, and all the way to my knee and thigh.
I tried to stop my fall with my hands but had strained my wrists and now those hurt too. Then, the dull ache began in my foot and quickly grew to an all-out flaming pain.
“What the hell was that?” I wasn’t shouting at anyone in particular, but Seth answered as he ran up.
“There was about a foot of the old stone wall through that iron fence,” he said. I just stared at him but he smiled. “That’s why there was a gap there.”
Garrison arrived and they both asked me a series of questions to which I could only answer that yes, it hurt. Since neither of them had any medical training whatsoever, I eventually got fed up and snapped, “Can you please just stop fussing and help me move?”
I tried to keep the irritation from voice, but if I failed neither of them seemed to notice. They were a good team. They gave each other a quick glance then Garrison moved back as Seth scooped me up in one fluid motion. He was stronger than he looked. I was shocked into wrapping my arms around his neck.
I remembered when Kian had first found me and slung me over his shoulder. Always the gentleman.
Even with my weight, Seth walked towards the woods in step with Garrison. I looked at him and realized too late that our faces were shockingly close together. Something sparked. My memories? Or were they dreams? Even bearing in mind what Kian had said, I could have sworn I saw an image of us in Seth’s eyes. He blinked and it was gone. I realized I was staring.
“What?” His smile felt so familiar. I could melt in it.
Maybe he wasn’t the man he would grow into — or was — whatever. And maybe he had been an enemy in a past life — or I was — I couldn’t keep it straight anymore. But either way, we had a history.
“Gwen, you feel —” he began. We were just entering the woods and the footing was getting tricky. Garrison took the lead.
“Heavy?” I asked. I began scrambling to get out of his arms but he held me tight. Again, his strength surprised me.
“No.” Seth adjusted his hold on me and kept going as if nothing was weighing him down. “Powerful.”
I remembered his ability to feel emotions and manipulate them. Could he feel magic too? Was I powerful? I had a thousand questions, but only one made it out of my mouth.
“What does it feel like?” I asked.
The woods were quiet and I felt the need to speak in hushed tones.
Seth’s dark eyebrows knitted together in a frown. His long eyelashes were
downcast, checking his footing along the roots and branches littering the ground. He contemplated for a bit, then looked at me with a sideways smile, reminding me of Kian’s smug look.
“Like you’re electrified. Buzzing. Vibrating. There’s energy coming off you. I guess it’s magic.”
I remembered what Kian had said about feeling vibrations coming from me. He first got me to explore my magic when he had forced me to concentrate on it. I had felt the humming inside my bones, then my muscles, and then I had pushed and pummelled it to fit into my body.
Was it seeping out now? Through my skin and onto the people around me? Kian had said he felt trapped by it — Seth seemed to enjoy it. I let that thought fester until we reached a thin path.
Kian stood staring up at a tree. I couldn’t begin to guess the type, but it was large enough for the girl to be sitting atop a branch about thirty yards off the ground. Pink tatters from her outfit filled the tree like ornaments. Her pink shoes with one-inch heels lay on the ground, spread far apart. I assumed she had thrown them at Kian. He saw me looking at him and the shoes.
“My training in arms has taught me to duck well,” he said sourly.
I smiled at his joke. He really was happy about something.
“Hurt yourself?” he asked, eyeing my foot. His eyes darted between my injury and Seth holding me.
“Who’s there?” the girl shouted.
Seth stood still with me, but Garrison approached. Craning his neck to look up, he called up to her.
“Hello!”
“Who are you?” she asked.
There was definite panic in her voice and I felt truly sorry for her. I wanted to touch her head like Kian had touched mine and let her just see it all for herself. If she didn’t know by now, she wasn’t going to believe any of us.
I looked up at Seth. He was the whole reason I had come with Kian. The memory of him drove me to find out more and now I didn’t know what either of us were meant to do about it.
“My name is Garrison,” he said slowly. Garrison was treating this like a hostage negotiation or talking somebody down from a building. “We just want to talk to you. What’s your name?”
Lives of Magic (Seven Wanderers Trilogy) Page 16
