Firewalker

by Josephine Angelini

  Juliet frowned, but said nothing.

  “I saw it,” Breakfast said. “They were glowing.”

  Tristan crouched down next to Lily, his face grim. “Where have you really been for the past three months?”

  CHAPTER

  6

  The mug clanked against Lily’s teeth. Her hands were shaking so badly she had to use both of them to steady her tea.

  “What aren’t you telling us?” Tristan demanded.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Juliet mumbled unconvincingly.

  Rowan still wasn’t back yet. Lily had tried calling to him in mindspeak, but he hadn’t answered. She could feel him, though, so she knew he was alright. She could feel his rage and, behind that, his fear.

  “Juliet, I’ve known you since I was five,” Tristan replied. “And you have to be the worst liar I’ve ever met. What. Happened.”

  Juliet and Samantha shared a defeated look.

  Should we just tell them, Lily?

  Don’t say a word, Juliet.

  “Look, we all know that whatever it was, it wasn’t normal,” Breakfast said, barely keeping hysteria in check. “Rowan and Lily were glowing, and then Rowan frigging disappeared into thin air!”

  “And so did that spooky guy standing across the street,” Una added calmly.

  “Something happened out there. We all know it. We felt something,” Tristan said, looking at Lily. His eyes turned inward and he touched the base of his throat, almost like he was reaching for a willstone. “Just tell us the truth.”

  “And please don’t say it has anything to do with aliens,” Breakfast muttered.

  “Stuart,” Una said, using Breakfast’s real name. “Not the time for a joke.”

  “It wasn’t aliens,” Rowan said. They all jumped and turned to see that he had silently joined them. His jacket was torn, there were scratches on his forearms and face, and his jeans were stiff and smeared with half-frozen sand.

  Did you get him, Rowan?

  I chased him for miles along the coast, then through a town, but he got away. He didn’t come to fight me. He just wanted to let us both know that he was here.

  He outran you?

  Lillian must be fueling him. I don’t know how much energy she can give him or how strong he is, but he was able to stay ahead of me. He couldn’t have done that without a witch.

  How did she do it? I can feel the willstones of my claimed back in your world calling to me. Asking for power. But fueling them across the worlds would be so hard.

  Hard or not, she figured it out.

  Breakfast turned to Una. “They’re doing it again,” he said.

  “You guys talk with your eyes, you know,” Una told Lily and Rowan.

  “Not with our eyes,” Rowan said. “It’s called mindspeak. You call it telepathy in this world.”

  Rowan, don’t!

  “I have to, Lily,” Rowan yelled. “Carrick is here for you—and if Lillian can send him, she can send others. You need a coven to protect you, and you need it now.”

  “He’s right,” Samantha said, breaking the tense silence. “She won’t stop. Neither would you.” Samantha went to Lily and kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, everyone. You’re all welcome to stay,” she said before shuffling upstairs to bed.

  I’m scared, Rowan.

  I know. You need to trust me, Lily.

  “Did you just say ‘coven’? As in, a witches’ coven?” Una asked carefully.

  “Yes,” Rowan answered. He paused.

  Lily sighed and nodded, reluctantly giving her consent. “Go ahead,” she said.

  “Lily is a witch. A very powerful one. When she went missing it was because she was taken to another world. That’s where I’m from—a parallel world where witches and their mechanics, who are the vessels for the witches’ power, run everything. All of you have the potential to be a mechanic like me. I’m going to give each of you a willstone like this,” he said, pulling out his huge smoke-colored stone that pulsed with eerie light, “and train you to be vessels for Lily’s power.”

  Tristan, Breakfast, and Una stared silently at Rowan’s willstone, entranced. They could already feel what their minds were struggling to process.

  “Your necklace,” Tristan said, his voice rough. They all turned to Lily.

  She opened the collar of her shirt and allowed her three willstones to shimmer with her strength. All three of her potential mechanics pulled in deep breaths and held them.

  “Are you sure about this, Rowan?” Lily asked, already craving the stones they didn’t yet wear.

  “It’s the only way,” he replied sadly. He turned to Tristan, Breakfast, and Una. “You must decide for yourselves. No one can force you into this. Do you want to learn more?”

  “What kind of power are we talking about here?” Tristan asked.

  “What kind do you want?” Rowan replied, holding his gaze.

  Tristan smiled slowly. “I’m listening.”

  Breakfast and Una shared a look. Una turned to Rowan. “You had me at coven,” she said in her unflappable way. “Keep going.”

  “Breakfast?” Rowan turned to him. “This has to be your choice,” he said firmly.

  Breakfast nodded. “Just tell me I don’t have to drink blood or worship a goat or anything like that,” he said, grimacing.

  “No. Breakfast—it’s nothing like that,” Lily said, shaking her head and trying not to laugh. “Magic isn’t some creepy cult. It’s more like science. Basically, my body is a crucible and it can transmute matter and energy. I can’t create something out of nothing, but I can take energy from one source, like this heat,” she said, reaching a hand toward the flames in the fireplace. Her willstones pulsed with light and a small witch wind moaned eerily through the room. “And I use the crystals of my willstones to alter the vibration of the heat’s energy. Changing the vibration changes the fundamental nature of the energy without losing any of the power. So, right now I’m changing the heat of the fire directly into physical force. But I can’t use this force myself. I need a vessel.” She gave the force to Rowan. His willstone flared, his head tipped back, and his eyes hooded in pleasure. Tristan regarded Rowan’s reaction intently, intrigued.

  “Follow me,” Rowan said, and led them all outside. “Watch carefully.” He grinned and then it seemed as if he’d disappeared. Everyone looked around, confused. “Up here,” Rowan called. They followed his voice and found him halfway up a tree on the other side of the street. “I’ll move more slowly,” he called. They all watched him jump from the tree, to a rooftop, and then execute a graceful backflip before landing next to Lily.

  “Damn,” Breakfast groaned, almost like it hurt to see something so awesome.

  “And that’s just kid’s stuff,” Lily said. “Right, Rowan?”

  “Right,” he said, smiling at her.

  “You can change any type of energy into any other?” Tristan asked, his excitement building.

  “Yes. And I can alter matter—change it chemically, even without a mechanic,” Lily said. “I can manipulate cells and DNA, heal wounds, and make medicines you’ve never even dreamed of. I can also change the way the light falls on my face.” Lily cast a glamour and heard everyone gasp as they looked at a stranger’s face instead of hers. She smiled and reverted back to her own face. “It’s called a glamour. It’s actually really easy, and it only works in dim light, but it certainly looks dramatic.”

  They went back inside, and Tristan turned to Rowan. “How does it feel when she gives you power?”

  Rowan shared an understanding smile with Tristan, and for a moment Lily saw the two of them connecting as if this Tristan were the one that Rowan had known for years. “I can’t think of many things that compare,” Rowan replied.

  “There’s a downside, though,” Lily warned. “In order for you to become my mechanics, I’ll have to claim you. This is dangerous for you because it means I can possess you. I can control your thoughts, your speech, and even your movements if I ch
oose. I can make you my puppet.”

  “But she’s never done that to me,” Rowan added quickly. “Lily is a very respectful witch.”

  A long silence stretched out as Tristan, Breakfast, and Una thought deeply.

  Lily? Why don’t you ask me to become one of your mechanics?

  I’m sorry, Juliet, but you have no magic. I can claim you, but you wouldn’t be a mechanic. I still want you on my side, though.

  I’ll always be on your side.

  Lily could feel her sister’s sadness and disappointment like an ache in her own chest, and tried to comfort her by letting her feel how much she loved her. Juliet smiled at Lily from across the room and nodded her head acceptingly.

  It’s alright, Lily. I’ll make myself useful in other ways.

  I’ll hold you to that.

  “You were all born for this, and you all know it,” Rowan said, breaking the pensive silence. “Each of you has something inside you that you’ve never been able to shake. No matter how many women you go through”—he looked at Tristan—“or how many piercings or tattoos you get”—he looked at Una—“or how many jokes you tell to gain acceptance,” he said, turning lastly to Breakfast. “You’ve all felt like there’s been a hole in your life.” He gestured to Lily and the three willstones that drew all of their eyes. “There’s the answer.”

  Breakfast wiped a hand over his face and looked at Una. “Well?” he asked.

  “I’m in,” she replied immediately, her eyes never leaving Lily’s willstones.

  “Me too,” Tristan said. He put his hands on his hips and sighed to himself. “Breakfast?”

  “Yeah. Okay. I’m in, too.”

  “We don’t have a lot of time,” Rowan said. He left the room and came back with a neatly folded envelope of silk. He untied the string wrapping it, and revealed about fifteen ovals of lead-colored crystals in varying shapes and sizes.

  “Rowan?” Lily said, surprised. “How did you get un-keyed willstones?”

  “I started growing them as soon we arrived here,” he replied.

  What? Why? Lily didn’t even know how to formulate a question to ask him, she was so stunned.

  “I knew you’d need them,” he replied unapologetically.

  But we were supposed to blend in and be normal here. And I told you that I thought bringing magic to this world was wrong.

  “A witch without a circle of mechanics to protect her is a dead witch, no matter what world she’s in,” he snapped, refusing to engage her in mindspeak. She felt that gray emotion drop like a curtain in his mind. He was avoiding contact to shut her out.

  What are you hiding, Rowan?

  He turned away. “Who wants to go first?” Rowan asked the three anxious candidates.

  “Me,” Breakfast insisted.

  “It will be difficult,” Rowan warned.

  “That’s why I want to go first,” Breakfast replied, stepping forward. “I don’t want to know how difficult and have any time to freak myself out.”

  Rowan coached Breakfast, Tristan, and Una through the pain of bonding with a willstone. Their ordeals weren’t as intense as Lily’s had been, but they still suffered the feeling of being invaded as the willstones attached themselves to their minds. To Lily, it had felt like an infection, as if a foreign thing were trying to claw its way inside her—and then, suddenly, her willstones were no longer foreign, but a new and beautiful part of her. Lily covered her three little hearts protectively and encouraged her friends as she watched Breakfast, Tristan, and Una sweat and shiver through the bonding ritual.

  When it was over, Juliet brought extra blankets into the living room for everyone, but even though they were all exhausted from the bonding, the new mechanics found that they couldn’t sleep.

  “My teeth feel amazing,” Una said, giggling. “I can’t stop running my tongue over them.”

  “You sound so high right now,” Breakfast teased, pulling Una close to him. She didn’t shy away from his touch like she normally did when they were in public. Lily and Rowan exchanged knowing smiles. Touch was one of the senses most dramatically enhanced by a willstone.

  “I think I can see through my hand,” Tristan said dreamily. He was lying on his back on the floor, an arm raised above his face. He spread his fingers wide and peered at his skin. “Yeah, there are my metacarpals and phalanges. I can see my freaking bones. Unbelievable.”

  “I’ll teach you how to look closer so you can see your cells. And then I’ll teach you how to speed up the repair of them,” Rowan said. “Mechanics need their witches for higher magic, but there are a lot of things you can do on your own. Healing on a small scale is one of them.” Rowan looked at Lily and smiled. “Unless you’re trying to heal a witch and she’s blocking you.”

  Lily smiled back at Rowan, remembering how he’d tried to heal her broken ankle when they’d first met, and how she’d blocked him because she didn’t trust him. She’d been terrified of Rowan and had to heal her ankle herself. That all seemed so long ago to her now, and even the memory of fearing Rowan was strange.

  Tristan rolled over onto his stomach and faced Lily and Rowan. He had his willstone cupped in the palm of one of his hands. He opened his hand and showed the softly glowing smoke stone to Lily. She wanted to reach out and grab it. Knowing how tempted Lily would be, Rowan wrapped his arms around her in a hug that unobtrusively held her arms down.

  “What happens when someone else touches it?” Tristan asked.

  “If Lily were to touch it, and if you were to allow it, she’d claim you,” Rowan answered in a low voice. “If I were to touch it, and you were to touch mine, we’d become stone kin. I wouldn’t be able to possess you like Lily can—or you me—but we could share memories and mindspeak with each other. Even some of our energy and power. In order to function smoothly as Lily’s mechanic’s circle, it isn’t necessary for us to become stone kin, but it might be a good idea.”

  “And how long does that last? Being stone kin?” Breakfast asked.

  “As long as you have that stone, and I have this one,” Rowan said, lightly touching the willstone around his neck. “But if one of us were to smash our willstone, the connection would be broken.”

  The three neophytes cringed at the thought of smashing their stones.

  “That sounds awful,” Breakfast said fearfully.

  “Like gouging out an eye,” Una added.

  “For people with little or no magic it would be painful, but tolerable. Their connections to their willstones are weak, as are their abilities to use them. Their memories aren’t perfect, like ours are, and most can barely share mindspeak, even with their stone kin. For them, touching stones is still intimate, but it’s not as intense as it is for us. Our willstones are a part of our bodies and minds.” Rowan’s voice dropped. “I had to smash my first willstone. I wouldn’t recommend it unless your life depends on it. So think before you share your stone with anyone. It’s a vow people like us can’t just walk away from.”

  Breakfast and Una looked at each other and their faces softened. They both reached out at the same time and gave each other their willstones, one hand taking as the other hand received in a mutual gesture of perfect trust. Their breathing stopped, their eyes widened and then closed. Lily leaned her back against Rowan’s chest as they watched Breakfast and Una melt into each other.

  So beautiful.

  There’s nothing like sharing that first moment together. I’m sorry ours was so rushed, Lily.

  Really? I wouldn’t change a thing.

  Rowan tilted his head and looked down at Lily. He opened up his heart before he kissed her so she could feel his love as clearly as she could feel his lips.

  Tristan’s dying inside, Juliet told Lily in mindspeak.

  Lily pulled away from Rowan and saw Tristan watching them. He held out his hand to Lily, offering her his willstone.

  “Claim me,” he said quietly.

  Lily looked at Rowan. “It’s his decision,” Rowan said. “If he wants you to claim him, then I
think you should.”

  “I’m going to see some of your memories, Tristan. It’s unavoidable when a witch claims someone,” Lily cautioned. “But I promise I won’t pry.”

  “Wait—you see our memories? From childhood and stuff?” Una asked anxiously.

  “Not necessarily from childhood,” Rowan answered. “But it’s common for a witch to see formative memories—either choices you’ve made in the past or a current issue you might be facing in your life. It really depends on the claimed.”

  Una bit her lower lip and looked away. Lily noticed that Breakfast took Una’s hand in support, and knew there had to be a skeleton in Una’s closet that maybe only Breakfast knew about.

  Lily looked at Tristan and reminded herself to move very slowly.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  “Do it,” he answered.

  She reached forward and gently took Tristan’s willstone between her finger and thumb. He gasped.

  Lily saw …

  … Lily. I have to go by her house after Little League practice because I left my Hot Wheels in her room. I wish Lily played baseball. Then we could hang out all the time. I hope we’re in the same classes next year. She’s been sick a lot lately and everyone talks about her when they think I’m not listening. It’s like they’re scared of her or something since she had that seizure. I’m not scared of her. She’s the only person who calms me down. I don’t know why, but whenever she’s not around I feel upset. Like something’s missing.

  … Miranda unbuckles my belt. I look out the windows of my car to make sure no one’s around. Shit. There are tons of people still in the parking lot after practice. I really should stop her. Lily isn’t technically my girlfriend, but we did make out yesterday. I wish I hadn’t done that. I’m not ready for Lily. Miranda’s hand finds what she’s looking for and she smiles when I groan, like she’s won something. What an idiot. It’s Lily I love, not Miranda. Lily’s the only person I’ve ever loved, and someday I’m going to marry her. But not today. Miranda’s head lowers down to my lap. A few seconds of feeling whole. It’s only ever just a few seconds, but it’s better than nothing.