The storm still raged as the school tried to get back on a normal schedule. However the other professors that had taken last term off to discuss the upcoming war could not get back to the school. For all intents and purposes the school was cut off from the whole world. So at the start of the term, the parents who were stuck at the school helped where they could, they had picked up some of the classes, and Edgar, Jane and Sandra were a big hit. Sandra took over Healing class, while Jane took over Creatures, and Edgar took over Martial Arts. So Katy saw them every other day as a student. And all of a sudden they were seeing firsthand what Katy and Deen could do, and Katy could not help but worry about what they thought about it. She had always hid most of the power she felt in classes, but with them there, she didn’t feel the need to limit her powers. But being older more powerful beings, almost all of their emotions and thoughts were hidden. But Katy did sense a lot of pride from all of them. Edgar pushed them even harder in Martial Arts than their vampire professor, but Katy enjoyed it, she was becoming stronger. And if a war was coming even the littlest advantage in physical characteristics would be a benefit. Then one day everything changed, when they least expected it to.
Katy and Deen had gotten up early that morning to stop off at the greenhouses before breakfast; soon they would harvest their first real herbs they could use in their potions. Once they walked out they got the shock they had waited for, the storm had disappeared. They turned right back around and ran to Antonio’s office, where they found Antonio and Edgar in deep discussion. But before Katy could pick up on a thought path, they shut down. But she did hear her name filter through their minds.
“What is it?” Edgar asked and stood up to turn toward them.
“The storm!” Deen stated out of breath.
“What about it?” Antonio asked.
“It is gone.” Katy said as she caught her breath.
“What?” Edgar looked out the window, and sure enough the storm was gone.
“It could be a trick.” Antonio stated as he walked back to his desk and jotted down something on a piece of paper and tapped it with his wand. Katy was sure he just sent a message to the headmaster.
“How will we know?” Katy asked. She wondered if they could leave just for a little bit.
“The headmaster will test it I am sure, and of course the Guardians will as well.” Edgar stated.
“I think you two should go down to breakfast, classes will go on like normal. So, no leaving grounds until end of term.” Antonio stated and he felt Katy’s and Deen’s hopes crash to the floor. “Go on, off to breakfast and classes for you two.”
Katy and Deen went on to breakfast, and then to classes, the parents still taught some of the classes and would continue to do so until all tests were done to see if the storm was truly gone. Soon things were back to normal, it only took about a week of testing, then all the professors that were gone last term were back. And all the parents were on their way home. Things were pretty much back to normal.
One Saturday Katy and Deen were on their way back from Eleball practice, and decided to stop by the greenhouses first, after all their herb garden needed to be weeded before next class. They had just left the greenhouse when they ran into Rob. He was out and about to place bowls of cream for the brownies.
“Hey, Rob, what is up?” Katy stated as she waved too him, the bracelet that Riley gave her jiggled as she did; she didn’t wear it often, but something told her to wear it today.
Rob looked up from his task and rushed over to Katy, he grabbed her arm. “Where did you get that?” He yelled at her.
Katy cried out in pain. Deen reached for his wand and pointed it at Rob. “Let her go!”
Rob stopped and looked at him and dropped Katy’s arm. “Sorry…”
“What was that about?” Katy asked tears in her eyes, and Katy was asked herself why she didn’t blast him, like she had done Riley. It was as if something inside her knew he hid a secret and she would now find out what that secret was.
“I am sorry, but that charm bracelet where did you get it?” Rob kept his eyes on the bracelet.
“My brother gave it to me for my birthday; he said it was my mother’s.” Katy stated, confused why it would matter.
“The charms? Do you know where she got them?”
“I made the Fire charm.” Deen stated; he was just as confused as Katy.
“And Riley made the Air charm, Riley told me that mom already had the other ones, the Water and Spirit, and she made the Earth.”
“Please come with me.” Rob stated and started up toward the castle. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t have another outburst.” Katy and Deen looked at each other, and then shrugged. They figured since they would be in the castle it was safe, after all Antonio and the headmaster were there.
They walked right up to the headmaster’s office. Rob didn’t even knock he just walked in. “Did you know she had the charms?”
Headmaster O’Cuinn looked up from the stack of papers he had been reading and looked at them. “No.”
“What is the deal with my bracelet?” Katy didn’t like being confused. She wanted to know what the deal was with her bracelet, she had enough uncertainty in her life she didn’t need anymore.
“Sit and I shall tell you.” The headmaster stated as he waved his wand and produced three chairs and each took a seat. “First off, I want to say I thought Senka had that bracelet.” The headmaster said, and then added quickly. “I thought it was lost after her death.” All of a sudden Katy knew the headmaster had lied, she didn’t know how, as he had blocked her. But he had lied to them.
“What is this about?” Deen asked.
“When you make a charm from your elemental power, and give it to a person, you give that person a bit of control over you, over their power. You must trust that person not to abuse it or drain you. For example, Katy holds the charms made from the powers of five very powerful witches and warlocks. She controls their powers, at one point it was someone else. Someone made these charms and passed them down.”
“Who? How did my mother get them?” Katy was confused; it was like he wanted to tell her something without actually telling her.
“Things are not always what they seem.” Rob stated. And the headmaster nodded his head in agreement.
“Back to the charms. One is indeed your mother’s, created to hold her power to this Earth, to hold her to the mortal realm.” The headmaster flicked the little green mountain charm. “As for the others, Riley’s made the Air charm, you know and Deen’s Fire charm is now added. If you wanted to you could destroy them and release them from the bond they gave you. Or you could drain their powers for your own use.”
“What happens if the owner drains the other power?”
“They absorb it, forever, unless the bracelet falls in the hands of another, then that person can release the power. They don’t have the other’s power, but they can control the one that does.”
“Where those charms of Water and Spirit used to drain a witch or warlock?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“The person who they were given to abused the trust of those that gave them.”
“Why?”
“They were not who they seemed.”
“What if you don’t want that control? Can you give the drained power back even if you don’t have it?” Katy asked.
“If the charm is destroyed by the one who controls the power then it can be given back to the person.” Headmaster O’Cuinn stated with a half-smile.
“How?” Katy just knew she already had enough power she didn’t want nor need anymore. And to know that one of her ancestors had drained an innocent witch or warlock of their power it made her sick to her stomach. It made her think of the story of Darkness and wondered about Edgar’s timing of the story. Was she Darkness? Was that why she could do the things she could do? Is that why she had nightmares of her life being destroyed? Is it why she felt no sadness in Wesley Solomon’s death? Why she thought all the dark thoughts about destroying Raven Ebony? Was she destined to kill the world she loved?
“You use the element that the charm represents to destroy it.”
Katy looked at the bracelet and thought of something first. She had control over Riley and Deen, she didn’t want that control, and at minimal she needed to make sure they were on an even foot. She set her hand afire, and mumbled the words that Deen stated creates the charm. She did it twice. And afterwards she held two small flame shaped charms. One for Riley and one for Deen. “Deen, here.” She stated and handed him his charm. “We are in each other’s power.” Without a pause to hear what Deen was about to say, she removed the Water and Spirit charms from the bracelet, all that remained on the bracelet was the green mountain made by her mother, the yellow spiral made by her brother, and a small red flame created by her best friend. Katy looked at the purple wave and the deep blue infinity symbol, and knew she was right to destroy them. “Here goes nothing.” With all the power she could feel within her she took the powers of Water and Spirit and engulfed the charms. There was a struggle, Katy could feel it, someone held on to the powers. So she threw the other elements into the mix, and soon her flame engulfed waves of water, bolts of lightning, mounds of rock and the winds helped the flame contain them all. She heard the intake of breathes around her, she knew that what she did, the power she showed, was way to advance for a child of her age. More advanced than even some adults. There was still a struggle, a battle to destroy them; she threw everything she had at them and then suddenly there was an explosion of light as she won the battle and destroyed the charms.
Everybody was thrown back, Katy and Deen sat up and their jaws dropped. There was a cyclone of water which engulfed Rob. It appeared as if the power entered his very soul. Within seconds he fell to the floor.
“Bloody…” he stopped himself for completed the curse when he looked over at the kids. “That was one interesting ride Oeric.” He stated and stood up, and then he held open his hand and engulfed it with water. “That sure was interesting.”
“Are you happy now Robert?” The headmaster asked him, there was still a sadness in his voice.
“I want my revenge. The witch tricked me, I can’t believe I was wrong… she is…” he didn’t finish his sentence as he got a very silencing look from the headmaster.
“You shall have your chance to fight in the war now Robert. Are you to stay here?”
“I will go to the Ondines, as my mother was one. I must gain control again over my power. The Ondines also have my wand.” Robert stated.
“Fine. Don’t do anything rash.” Headmaster O’Cuinn stated as Rob left his office and by doing so, left Katy and Deen even more confused. Rob wasn’t that old, and they knew that someone had made the charms, that someone was connected to Senka.
“Who did that?” Katy asked as she stood up.
“Did what?” The headmaster asked.
“You know what. Who drained his powers, who tricked him? And who was the second victim?”
“I don’t think it is time for you to have that information. I think that it is time you go. And the second victim died when the process to drain the magic was performed. The world lost a very talented and caring warlock. At least now his soul can be at peace knowing his power will no longer be used by the person who drained him.” The headmaster walked them to the door and scooted them out, and closed it on them. But not before Katy noticed the tear in his eye.
“They are hiding something.” Katy stated.
“They who?” Deen asked.
“All of the adults in our lives. They are hiding something from us Deen and I don’t like it at all.” Katy stated as they headed back up to the dorms. “And I am going to find out what.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But I know if we don’t find out this information…” Katy didn’t want to think of the negative consequences.
“Your nightmares may come true.” Deen finished her thoughts for her.
“I won’t let that happen. I can’t let those nightmares become reality. There has to be a t…” Katy almost let it slip that the white being showed her two options. “Another option.”
“Everything will be okay.” Deen said more to convince himself.
“I hope so. But I will find out what they are hiding from me.” Katy stated, but she wouldn’t get the chance; as the professors kept them busy for the rest of the term. And Katy was sure that the headmaster had something to do with that. But she also knew it was only a matter of time that secrets would come to the light. After all she had tried to keep a big one and that had backfired on her.
Kris Charles - Author 