Carrier of the Mark

by Leigh Fallon

  Adam rolled his eyes again.

  “Today? I thought we were still on day two of induction?”

  “Yes, but you need to start training immediately. Rían will be starting slow. Don’t worry; you’ll knock ’em dead.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  He gave me a wry smile. “Do you think I would hand you over for training if I didn’t think you were up to it?”

  I gave him what I hoped was a confident smile in return. “Of course not.”

  “Megan, hello,” Fionn’s voice called from the hall as Adam and I walked into the house. “I’ll be with you in just a second.”

  “Okay.”

  Adam turned to me. “Hungry?”

  “Um, sure.”

  Áine was already in the kitchen, making some crackers and cheese. She smiled at us as we walked in. “Want some?”

  “That would be nice,” Adam said. He put the kettle on and took down some cups from a cupboard.

  “I’ll have one of those if you’re making it,” Rían said, as he sauntered in and sat down on the bench at the other side of the table.

  “Hi, Rían,” I mumbled, sitting down opposite him. I stared at the back of Adam’s head, willing him to turn around and rescue me. As if on cue, he brought four cups over.

  Rían took his cup and started drinking. Why on earth was he sitting here? Was this his idea of making an effort?

  Thankfully Randel flew in, distracting me from Rían. He landed on the table and started pecking up the cracker crumbs. “Randel! How are you?” The big black rook looked up at me. “Have you given up on spying on me in the shower?”

  Áine laughed. “I had a word with him—told him it was a tad inappropriate.”

  I put out my hand to stroke the bird. “May I?”

  “Go right ahead.” She scratched his head. “He loves the attention.”

  I ran my fingers over his glossy black feathers. “Well, aren’t you a gorgeous boy?” I asked as he eyed me appreciatively.

  “Watch it, Randel; she’s mine,” Adam warned the bird. “Don’t go getting any ideas.”

  Randel stretched out his wings and cawed at Adam. We all burst out laughing, easing the atmosphere.

  “Right.” Fionn walked into the kitchen. “All of you. Come with me.”

  We followed him into the sitting room. I sat down on one of the couches and Adam joined me. Áine curled herself into an armchair. Rían flopped on the other large couch opposite me, beside Fionn. As soon as we were all settled, Fionn cleared his throat and began talking.

  “Megan, the visit to Dublin has been moved up and we’re going to begin your training today. I need you to understand that this will be an exhausting and potentially dangerous process.”

  I squeezed Adam’s hand. “I understand.”

  “I will also have to make arrangements with your father so you’ll be able to travel with us to Dublin next week. Do you see any problems there?”

  “It should be fine. I’ve been talking about colleges with him, so I’m sure I can work something out.”

  Fionn’s tone turned even more serious. “Megan. Please understand that you cannot tell your father anything about the Mark. The situation is still very fragile, and we can’t risk anyone knowing of our whereabouts or your existence. It is absolutely imperative that we stay hidden. The Dublin Order is not even going to tell the council about you, not until we discover whether you are able to evoke your power. There is no point in drawing attention to ourselves before we need to.”

  “The council? What’s that?” I couldn’t believe there was yet another group of people involved in this.

  “It’s basically the ‘voice’ of the Order. The council is made up of senior Order members from around the world. But you don’t need to worry about them for now.”

  I took a deep breath. I could not, and would not, let Adam and his family down.

  “We will start training immediately,” Fionn continued, “and then travel to Dublin this Saturday.”

  I looked over at Áine, who was nearly jumping up and down in her chair in excitement.

  Rían, on the other hand, sat quietly with his head slightly drooped. He leaned his elbows on his knees with his hands under his chin, apparently lost in thought.

  “Megan,” Fionn said, pulling my attention back to him. “We will all be helping with your training, but Rían will be your main teacher. He has had to employ specific measures to channel his excesses, and we feel we can use this knowledge to help you find your trigger.”

  “Where will we do the training?” I asked.

  “Here. It’s isolated enough not to bring attention to ourselves and, more important, it’s safe. If need be, we can move to a more remote location.”

  I nodded. “So what do we do first?”

  “I was thinking we could start out gently,” Fionn replied. “Maybe Adam, Áine, and Rían can give you a little demonstration and see if you pick up on anything.” He smiled at me encouragingly as Adam pulled me up and kissed the top of my head. The five of us walked to the yard and continued down past an ancient turret and out a small gate into the fields beyond.

  “Go on, Áine; show us your stuff,” Adam said.

  Áine dropped to the ground, digging her nails into the earth. “Watch this,” she said.

  The sun had just about set. The last glow of its fading light illuminated the turned earth of the field that stretched out before us. A cold, gentle breeze blew down the valley, catching Áine’s hair and lifting it slightly from her face. She closed her eyes and started humming a little tune. At first nothing happened. I looked around from face to face, to see if they were seeing something I didn’t, but they just kept looking at her. Then I felt a vibration under my feet and nearly lost my balance.

  “What was that?” I asked, righting myself.

  “It’s okay. Look.” Adam put his arm around my waist to keep me steady while the earth shook beneath our feet. The rich brown soil that stretched out before us seemed to quiver. Suddenly, a haze of green moved up the valley, like a swarm of locusts charging toward us. I took a step back.

  “Keep watching,” Adam whispered.

  The green haze crept closer. It wasn’t insects. It was seedlings, millions of them, popping out of the ground at amazing speed. They moved past us and back toward the house. I looked over at Áine again. The seedlings were curling their way around her, entwining themselves in her hair; they seemed to caress her entire body.

  “That tickles! Stop that.” She laughed, opening one eye and untangling a sprout that had worked its way up to her ear. She looked up at me. “Well, what do you think?”

  I looked at the field of lush growth in amazement.

  “You did that?”

  She nodded and gently removed the sprouts that were still hugging her. Then she stood up and came back over to us.

  Adam smiled at me. “She’s quite something, isn’t she?”

  I was awestruck. “That was seriously cool. How did you do it?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I feel warmth in my chest and in my head; then it gets warmer and it just sort of flows from me. I let my energy know what I want, and … well, it does it.” She put her arms out and swept them from side to side, then dropped down onto her knees again. She pushed her hands with the palms facing down into the earth. As she did, the entire field of seedlings retracted and disappeared under the soil.

  “What did you do?” I asked as the green field turned back to brown in a wave flowing off into the distance.

  “It’s not their time. They need to sleep until spring,” she said, smiling fondly over the field before returning to her feet.

  I looked at this girl; she had such a strange and awesome power. How could I ever come close to that kind of beauty and effortless control?

  Fionn looked to me. “Did you feel anything? Any strange sensations?”

  “I don’t think so. But I don’t know what I’m supposed to be feeling or even what to expect.”

&
nbsp; Adam rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry. It will probably come to you when you least expect it.” He looked over at Rían. “You want to give Megan a demo?”

  Rían shrugged. “Sure.” He closed his eyes and held out his hands to the sides, his fingers splayed and curling upward, as if he were holding something in each of them, gripping it tight. Suddenly his eyes flashed open. They glowed an unusual color, like the green had been tainted with orange. Then twin balls of a strange blue-and-green flame ignited in his hands.

  Frightened, I took a step back. He strained out his hands and pushed them up into the air like he was lifting a heavy weight. The fire shot up and out of his hands, then danced in the air in an erratic pattern around him, leaving glowing trails in its wake. His strange burning eyes followed the flames’ every move. They worked their way around us, then filled out until we were surrounded by a roaring, crackling circle of fire. I could feel the sweat running down my skin.

  “Rían, that’s enough,” Fionn shouted.

  Rían scowled and pulled his arms in toward him. The flames condensed into balls and shot back into his palms. Then he squeezed his fists shut over the flames, and they were extinguished with a hissing sound.

  I couldn’t look away. The danger and the strength of Rían’s power had me trembling. Áine’s power was awesome, magical—pretty, even—but Rían’s felt darker somehow.

  Rían slowly opened his eyes. They had returned to their normal green color, dark and distant.

  Áine walked over to her brother with her hands on her hips. “Impressive, Rían. You’ve been practicing, haven’t you? Are you trying to outdo me?”

  He smirked. “Shut up, little sis, or I’ll incinerate your precious sprouts.”

  It was a joke, I knew, but I still shivered a little at his threat. If he wanted to, he could destroy everything that Áine brought to life.

  Fionn walked closer to us. “Did you feel anything this time, Megan?”

  I shook my head. “Sorry. I don’t think so.”

  Adam, still holding my hand, took a step forward. “I guess it’s my turn then. Just something small, to see if we can get your magical juices flowing.” He smiled at me. “Try to feel what I feel. Focus on the connection in our fingers.”

  I tried to home in on the feeling of Adam’s hand in mine. He lifted his left hand, held it out to the trees, and closed his eyes. Then he grasped at the air like he had just caught something. In that instant, all the individual droplets of rain that were hanging on the leaves and branches around us flew into the air. There were thousands of them, maybe millions. The delicate evening light reflected off them, making each one sparkle like a diamond. They hung in the air totally motionless. Then Adam moved his hand gently and the droplets danced. They stopped directly in front of me. I reached out my free hand to touch them.

  I definitely felt something moving through me from Adam, but I couldn’t identify it. Each droplet I touched was wet, but had form. It didn’t burst or break ranks. It just bounced back into position.

  “Now watch this,” he said with a grin.

  He snatched at the air with his hand. A wall of water shot up from the bottom of the valley. The water floated high above our heads, until it formed a dark and heavy cloud that made a low rumbling sound.

  Adam grasped at the air again. This time a shimmering mist of water rose above the fields and trees. It looked like fog as it climbed steadily up to join the now loudly rumbling cloud high above us. Adam winked at me and snapped his fingers. The cloud shuddered a little and collapsed into a downpour.

  “Adam, for Christ’s sake,” Rían shouted, before making a run for the yard.

  Áine pulled a tiny umbrella from her purse, and with a quick click, her shelter was complete. She shrugged. “You live and learn,” she said, walking over to Fionn.

  I turned to Adam with my hair drenched and stuck to the sides of my face. “That was so awesome.” Forgetting that we had an audience, I stood on tiptoe and kissed him while the rain poured down on us. “I think I felt something that time,” I whispered.

  The rain stopped. Adam held my face in his hands; then he ran them over my hair and down my arms. With his touch every drop of moisture evaporated, leaving me as dry as I had been before the downpour.

  Fionn coughed. “Adam?”

  Áine made a puking sound. “Yeah, if you could pass the bucket, we’re trying to get her to evoke air here, and not our last meal.”

  I pulled away and looked at them excitedly. “I felt something that time, with Adam. There was definitely a sensation: a coolness that ran through me, like a chill deep inside. I don’t know how to describe it.”

  Fionn moved toward us. “You’re onto something. You need to focus on that feeling. Try to harness the sensation, learn to identify it. It will eventually become more obvious.” He bent down and picked up a small leaf and placed it on my hand. “See if you can move this with your mind. Focus on the coolness you felt. Clear your head of everything except that feeling and the leaf in your hand. Try to remember how you felt at Halloween. Try to recapture the sensations you had that night.”

  I looked down at the small leaf, willing myself to believe I could do it. Adam squeezed my other hand.

  I closed my eyes and tried to feel the chilling coolness from before, to harness it. I visualized the leaf moving, blowing delicately off my hand. I pictured the leaf gone from my palm. Then I opened my eyes.

  The leaf was still there. It hadn’t moved at all.

  “Damn,” I muttered.

  Rían jogged back over to us and stood right in front of me. He held out his hands for me to take them. I swallowed hard. I had seen what they could do.

  He smiled. “Are you chicken?” He cocked his head to the side. “Trust me; take my hands. Let me show you.”

  I looked up at Adam and gave my hands to Rían. They were warm, but not scorching, the way I’d expected.

  His face turned serious. “Close your eyes and feel the heat. Take a deep breath and hold it. Now let the coolness trickle down to your arms, to the heat you feel in my hands.”

  His voice was so calm and reassuring, hypnotic almost. I did as he suggested. I felt my hands getting hot and found the coolness inside me. I willed it to move to my hands and push the heat away.

  “Now, breathe out, and with the air you expel, move the cool energy through your fingers.”

  I did exactly as he instructed. I felt the cool air move through me, and as I did Rían slowly let go of me. I felt like I was in a trance. I heard a gasp and I forced my eyes open. Rían had a small ball of fire in each of my hands and they were being gently pushed away from my palms. He held his arms out and the flames shot back to him. He gave me a huge smile and stepped aside.

  “You did it!” Adam picked me up and spun me around. “You repelled fire.” He kissed me passionately.

  “Again, we’re right here,” Áine said beside us.

  Adam smirked. “Go away, then.”

  Fionn started walking toward the house. “Áine, Rían, let’s go dry off and get dinner ready.”

  Adam smiled at me. “You repelled fire on your first go. You are going to be one powerful girl.”

  “Let’s do it again.”

  He put his arms around me and laughed. “No, no more magic for you today.”

  I laid my head on his chest. “Speaking of magic, what you did before was amazing.”

  “Ah, that was nothing. I’ll show you what I can really do, another day.”

  “I’ll look forward to that. Come on; let’s go for a walk until dinner is ready.”

  He put his arm over my shoulders and we headed off into the trees on one side of the field.

  I looked up at him. “Rían was amazing too. Scary, but amazing.”

  Adam looked back down at me. “I told you. He has a talent. He’ll really help you. But just remember whose girlfriend you are.” He stopped and turned to me with an expression of mock horror.

  I fluttered my hands to my chest. “Well, Rían is devasta
tingly handsome, with that whole smoldering, brooding-eyes thing he’s got going on. Maybe I picked the wrong brother.”

  He grabbed me and pushed me up against a tree. “Oh, I have ways of convincing you that you chose right.” He kissed me with such passion it left me breathless. I felt my legs starting to give way under me.

  “Yeah, that could do it.” I gasped, breaking away and smiling coyly at him. “Could you convince me some more?”

  He leaned his body in closer and put his hands around the tree, holding me. He slowly kissed my throat, then up my neck to my ear and back to my mouth. I melted into him. I never wanted this moment to end.

  “Megan, Adam…” Áine came into sight and she looked at us in disgust. “Guys, Fionn says dinner is ready, but it looks like you two have already eaten.” She started back through the trees toward the house, giggling.

  I flushed with embarrassment, but Adam just laughed. “Come on; let’s go get some dinner.” He held out his hand in front of him, then grasped the air and closed his eyes for a moment. I heard Áine screaming off in the distance.

  I looked up to him. “What did you do?”

  He grinned. “You’ll see.” As we walked toward the house I could see Áine standing in the yard, soaking wet and glaring.

  “You know the rules! We’re not allowed to use our powers on one another. You’re an absolute git!”

  I tried hard to keep a straight face, but she looked so funny standing there in a pool of water, with her hair stuck to her face. Beside me, Adam had tears streaming down his cheeks, he was laughing so hard.

  “Fine! An eye for an eye.” She closed her eyes and waved her arms. Randel appeared from the house. He landed on her hand and she whispered something to him. He launched himself into the air.

  Adam grabbed my hand and started running toward the house. “You didn’t!” he roared.

  “What? What did she do?”

  “Just run!”

  Something hit him on the head with a loud splat. Adam stopped dead. He had a load of bird poo dripping off his hair onto his face. I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it.

  “You think this is funny?” He grabbed me around the waist and tried to rub his head on me.