Chapter 6A Chapter by Jamie BrewsterChapter 6 Quinn
followed Ember closely through the woods.
The witch held her hand and moved slowly so that Quinn could carefully
place her feet as she walked. They had
left Juvenis and an anxious Desiree back in the bungalow and were making for a
place that Ember had told her was “sacred.”
“Do
you think you will be able to give me back my sight completely?” Quinn asked as Ember tugged her along. “That
really depends on you,” answered Ember.
“To understand how I heal someone, you need to understand magic itself. There is no mystery to it really, and there
are no dark powers that I possess that no one else can feel or influence. Magic is simply energy that can be directed
towards any aim, be it good or evil.
Witches possess the power to use themselves as a channel for this energy
to flow through. Even normal humans can
feel it and direct it a bit, but witches can bend it and shape it to their will
with relative ease. Because of this, I
can feel things that you can’t. As we
walk, I can feel the energy of the trees and grass and wind. I feel the rustle of every leaf, I feel the
river running nearby, and I can feel the power of the earth under our
feet. To heal you, I will take that
power and channel it to your eyes. For
it to really work, though, you need to feel this energy as well. I can only channel it, you need to accept it
and let it do its work. Here we are.” She
led Quinn out onto softer grass. Quinn
could hear the sound of a river rushing past, and Ember led her closer and
closer to the noise. Then she felt stone
under her feet. “There’s a large,
flat boulder that sits right at the water’s edge,” explained Ember, leading her
out onto it and sitting down across from her.
“I’ve planted certain herbs around it that help with healing. Can you smell them?” Quinn took a deep
breath and tuned out the smell of the river.
“Lavender,” she said
thoughtfully, “And sage. I think… is
that rosemary?” “Yes,” replied Ember,
and Quinn could hear the smile in her voice.
“Anything else? Focus your
senses, separate each individual smell.” “Lemon balm,” said
Quinn deliberately. “And it’s a bit of a
guess, but is there eyebright as well?” “Excellent!” Ember
cheered. “Now, before we do anything
else, I need you to ground and center.
Lay your hands flat on the ground and breathe deeply. Relax your muscles and think only of the sound
of the river and the smell of those herbs.” Quinn did as she was
told, and after a few minutes, she felt herself begin to relax. Her mind felt fuzzy, and her body became
loose and light. After a few moments
more, she felt herself beginning to subtly rock back and forth. Under her fingers, she began to feel slight
vibrations. “Is someone near us
walking?” she mumbled. “No. You’re beginning to feel what every witch
feels all the time. It’s the feeling of
the earth pulsating under your fingers.
I think of it as a heartbeat.
You’re opening yourself up to the earth’s energy " that’s what’s making
you rock back and forth. Now, I’m going
to focus that energy on your eyes. Just
relax and let it flow through you.” Quinn felt Ember rest
her fingertips lightly on her closed lids.
The witch’s touch sent a cascade of shivers flowing down her neck and
back. She felt like she could feel
Ember’s soul brushing up against her; it was the feeling of being warmed by the
sun. The smells surrounding her became
much more pronounced, and she was suddenly able to hear the sounds of tree
branches rubbing together and squirrels stepping on leaves in the forest around
her. She wondered it that was what Ember
felt like all the time. Then she felt a
strange tingling sensation in her eyes.
Ember’s fingers were at once warm and cold, and Quinn could feel the
bridge of magic between their bodies.
She let herself relax, and that energy flowed through her head and down
through her hands and legs into the stone below. It was as though her eyes had been covered
with dirt and much and Ember was gently washing it away. Her head buzzed, and she felt vaguely dizzy. The witch’s touch
pulled her mind out of her body and let her expand her senses to the world
around her. She couldn’t see the trees,
and yet she knew just where every single one of them was. Everything had an aura around it; every
plant, every animal, and even the river itself.
As she turned her attention toward Ember’s presence, it felt as though
she was looking up at a mountain. There
was an impossible amount of energy filling her slim body; she was at once a
single woman and a powerful army. Quinn
detected the smell of mint and grass as her mind brushed with Ember’s, and the
feeling of being warmed by the sun intensified.
She could now picture herself lying alone in a grassy field as a sun ten
times its normal size warmed her entire being.
It was by far the most surreal thing she had ever experienced. Eventually, the flow
of energy ebbed and Ember pulled her hands away. The dizziness suddenly became much more
pronounced. “Lay back,” commanded
Ember gently, and Quinn felt her push her shoulders back so that she was laying
completely prone on the rock. Her braid
dangled over the edge and she could feel it being lightly tugged by the water
below. Slowly, she felt herself coming
back to herself as her senses dimmed back to their normal state. She slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she
saw was a pair of green eyes. They were
even brighter and lighter than she had remembered. Slowly, the rest of the witch’s countenance
came into focus and she could see the enormous grin that Ember wore. Her white hair was loose and flowing around
her face, and her entire being seemed to be glowing. Quinn pulled herself
upright and stared around at her surroundings.
It was difficult for her to focus, but she could see the green forest
and tall, graceful trees. She turned around
and saw the roaring river behind her, deep blue and so vivid to her
long-deprived mind. The rock she was
sitting on had been worn and weathered into an almost perfect circle, and it
was indeed surrounded by the various plants that she had smelled earlier. Quinn, reeling in shock, looked back to
Ember, who merely grinned even wider in return.
Quinn decided then and there that there was no more beautiful a sight
than a genuine smile from her white-haired savior. *** Back
at the cottage, Juvenis was showing Desiree around the barn. “We’ll need to see if
we can get you and Quinn another horse,” said Juvenis as she pushed open the
barn door. “Once she can see better, she
won’t have to share a saddle with you anymore.” Desiree
pushed down the slight discomfort at the thought of not being needed and took a
look around the barn. Like the cabin, it
was small but very well built. There
were six stalls, but only three were filled: one by Jack, and the two others by
Ember and Juvenis’ horses. Juvenis
walked over to a big bay mare and rubbed her nuzzle, murmuring softly for a
moment. The horse gently tossed its head
and nickered in response, and Juvenis smiled. “This
is Bree. She’s mine,” was all she said
before turning to the third occupied stall.
This one contained a massive mare, entirely pitch black except for a
single white star between her eyes.
“This is Knight. Ember raised her
from when she was a filly.” “A
mare named Knight?” Desiree questioned, cautiously approaching the elegant but
imposing beast. “Ember’s a little bit
unconventional,” Juvenis answered with a ghost of a smirk. It occurred to Desiree that Juvenis hadn’t
relaxed her shoulders at all from the first moment she had emerged from the
loft. Desiree wondered if she was
uncomfortable with guests in general, or if she was more bothered by harboring
fugitives than she let on. That being
said, she didn’t let much on at all, so it was tough to make any
assumptions. Those sharp features gave
nothing away. “What
do you do here?” Desiree blurted out.
She immediately resisted the urge to smack herself. Juvenis
quirked an eyebrow. “In the barn? Take care of the horses, mostly.” Desiree
figured that she had better just come out with it, rather than looking like a
complete fool. “I mean, what are you
doing here with Ember? You can’t be
related to her " no offense, but I’ve never seen two people who look less
alike. How did you wind up living with
her?” Juvenis
considered this for a moment, stoic as always.
“We met at low points in both of our lives, and found that dealing with
those low points was easier when we had each other’s company. We have seen no reason to part ways since
then.” Desiree
wasn’t sure whether her question had been answered or not. “Come
with me,” said Juvenis abruptly, and Desiree dumbly followed her to a door at
the back of the barn. Juvenis opened it
to reveal a room that seemed to serve as, from what Desiree could see, an
armory. Swords and knives of all different
lengths and types lined the walls, as well as different kinds of bows and arrows. Some bows were made like the traditional
longbows that Desiree had seen archers in the Royal Guard work with, and others
were the lesser used recurve bows.
Juvenis reached up and took one of them down. “The shorter length
and extra curve gives them decent power while making them easy to carry and
draw,” she demonstrating by grabbing an arrow from a quiver on the floor,
nocking it, and drawing in a split second.
Desiree was impressed. Juvenis
replaced the arrow in the quiver and slung the recurve bow around her shoulder,
walking over to the collection of hanging longbows. “Longbows
are good for distance,” she said fingering the string on one of them. “They’re harder to draw, but much more
powerful. Good for when you want to hide
and take people out from a distance.” “How
much time do you spend hiding and taking people out from a distance?” Desiree
asked warily, but Juvenis ignored her.
By this point, Desiree hadn’t expected any different. Juvenis turned and gestured to the collection
of blades on the far wall. “Ember
makes all of our swords and knives herself,” she said, a hint of pride in her
voice. “She’s teaching the blacksmith in
town the skills that she learned from her father, but I don’t know if he’ll
ever be as good as a full-blooded Whitaker.
Ember is better with swords than I am, but we’re about equal with a
throwing knife and hand-to-hand fighting.”
Desiree noticed that Juvenis didn’t specify who was better with a
bow. She wondered if it was because she
didn’t want to admit that Ember equaled or bested her at everything, or if she
just didn’t want to admit that Ember wasn’t
as good at something. Juvenis considered
the stash of weapons for a moment, and then seemed to come to a decision. “We’ll start with the recurve bow.” She grabbed one in addition to the one she
had around her own shoulder, a quiver full of arrows, and walked back outside,
Desiree hurrying behind her. “What exactly are we
doing?” Desiree asked nervously, looking back toward the woods where she Ember
had disappeared with Quinn. She wondered
for a moment what exactly was being done to her best friend and why she had
just let Quinn go along with it. “I’m teaching you how
to handle weapons,” Juvenis replied matter-of-factly. “And why do I need to
know how to do that?” asked Desiree, feeling vaguely insulted. Did she have any say in her own day-to-day
activities? Who was Juvenis to order her
around? Juvenis turned to
face her, a shadow falling across her face. “Because you have
devoted your life to protecting someone, but I know for a fact that you can’t
even protect yourself. You watch over
the princess like you’re her bodyguard, but you’d never be able to fight off
any kind of attacker. You and Quinn are
now on the run from the law, you need
to be willing and able to physically defend that which is closest to you. If your princess dies because of your
ineptitude, it’s on your shoulders, and your shoulders alone. Now, would you like to learn how to fire a
recurve bow, Miss Brogan?” Desiree stood in silence
for a moment, fighting the urge to spit out an angry retort. Juvenis was right, and she knew it. She couldn’t let her pride interfere with the
safety of her friend and charge. She
silently took the bow from Juvenis’ outstretched hand. Juvenis smiled coldly. “Welcome to real
life,” she said as she shoved the other bow at Desiree. “It’s hell.” Just then, Ember and
Quinn appeared from behind the treeline.
“Desiree!” Quinn called, and when Desiree realized that the formerly
blind girl had recognized her presence without Ember pointing her out, she took
off toward her friend demanding information.
Juvenis approached Ember more slowly, noting Ember’s weary, if amused,
demeanor. “You alright?” she
asked quietly, subtly taking Ember’s hand. “Of course,” Ember
immediately replied, squeezing Juvenis’ hand in reassurance. “You know me.
I’ll be fine in a few hours.” They were distracted
by the appearance of a tiny blonde striding toward them purposefully from the
path by the lake. “Ladies!” Ember
called, pulling Desiree and Quinn from their excited conversation. “Ella’s back.” © 2013 Jamie Brewster |
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Added on August 27, 2013 Last Updated on August 27, 2013 Author
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