Lives of Magic (Seven Wanderers Trilogy) (11 page)

“G
wen?” Kian’s voice interrupted the argument.

I had been listening intently and only then realized that Kian had walked on ahead without me. He came back looking puzzled.

“I think I’m hearing people talking,” I said.

What would have sounded insane to anyone else made Kian’s eyes light up with excitement.

“We might be near someone!” he said. If he were anyone else he would have been jumping up and down. “Which way?”

Trying to drown out the argument, which still went on even though I had lost track, I followed the voices like a hound on the trail of a fox. Several times I made us turn around and go back, and we ran into two dead ends.

About twenty minutes later, I knew I had found the place. Nearly running, I felt my body being pulled to an all-night coffee house. Like a puppet on a string, I felt dragged along, certain that I no longer controlled my feet. I hadn’t believed Kian when he told me I’d just know, but I did. This was it. The next one of my kind was in here.

My bare feet made no noise on the pavement as I ran across the road and skipped to avoid stepping on painful pebbles. I felt like a fish on a hook. The voices had shushed in my mind but had been replaced by a pulsing need to reach whoever had been speaking.

Before I even got to the door, my imagination caught hold of me. I thought of how good it would feel not to be the magically impotent one anymore. I couldn’t wait to actually feel like I knew what I was doing, as it became someone else’s turn to learn they were on their second life and had to escape power-hungry magicians.

We entered the coffee shop where about twenty young people were sitting in armchairs and at wooden tables. They were drinking coffees and either reading or chatting. A few faces were staring at computer screens. No one was arguing about anything. I looked around, but I couldn’t guess whose voices I had heard.

Am I in the wrong place? Am I too late?

The shop was decorated to look like a wooden parlour room, and I felt the grain of the wood panelling on the walls with a finger as I walked around suspiciously, eyeing every customer. Kian was hot on my heels and I could practically feel him breathing down my neck. I finally snapped at him when he asked, “Is that him?” for the tenth time.

“Will you please just give me a moment?” I whispered furiously.

He shrugged and backed off, but only a little bit. He still followed me around. I wondered how long it would take before people would notice that we were circling like vultures. I would have given up and left but the dragging feeling on my insides, which was acting like a compass, would not subside.

I walked up to the cash register. “Can I get something with a lot of caffeine?” I asked the barista.

The buzz in my head was turning into a warm, fuzzy feeling. It was lulling me to sleep.

“Espresso?” the guy at the counter suggested with a smile.

My eyes widened as I recognized the voice. Kian saw my face and gawked at the teen too, who, now that I noticed, looked to be exactly my age.

We were, of course, not very subtle.

“What?” The teen stepped back, looking ready to run.

An all-night café in New York City must get its share of crazies, and I had just turned into one. When neither of us said anything, and the silence became awkward, I turned to Kian.

“
Well
?”

Just then the back room door opened and someone else came out. He wasn’t dressed like an employee and carried a backpack. As I turned around, the world seemed to turn with me. Everything blurred except for him. In those few seconds, I couldn’t even describe what he looked like. It was like I was seeing through all that, and into the past.

The world fell away as I saw into all the memories I had recovered. It left me dizzy on my feet. He was the missing piece. As if one eye had been hidden throughout any recollection I had had of my past life, I now saw him there — at every moment that was worth remembering.

We were older then. He was a man with a beard and eyes that held every shade of green and brown. I couldn’t tear myself away from those eyes. His black hair made his face look all the more pale, and I was bombarded by the weight of the entire emotional spectrum crashing down on me. I remembered my dream. This was who I’d been running for.

Moments passed and I was shocked to realize that I still stood in the coffee shop. It seemed strange that the universe hadn’t
actually
melted away as it had in my mind. My heart was pounding in my chest as the stranger walked over to me. He probably looked like an ordinary person to everyone else, but to me, he practically glowed.

As he set his backpack down, I noticed the same angular features, the same pale face, and a familiar mop of black hair above his face. I thought I was going to fall through the floor again when he smiled at me. It was a small, hesitant smile, but with the next step it grew to a big grin and the familiarity of it nearly killed me. Another step and he was within reach. I suddenly remembered my booziness and my make-up, which was most likely smeared, but it was a passing thought.

He was standing right in front of me. He paused for a just a second and then grabbed me in the tightest hug I’ve ever received in my life. It was like an elastic band had been wound around my heart, keeping me calm and contained for my entire life. It burst now as I was squished against his chest, where I could feel his heart beating as loudly as mine. He hugged me more completely than I could imagine and my face was buried in his sweater. I felt tears well up in my eyes and a huge sense of relief, though I didn’t know why.

I don’t know how long we stood there until he released me. I turned to find Kian and the other teenager absolutely wide-eyed.

“Gwen?” Kian said slowly. To my surprise, his low voice was nearly a growl. His body language suggested suspicion.

“My name is Seth,” the stranger said. It didn’t seem to fit quite right, but I couldn’t think of any other name to call him.

“I’m Garrison,” said the one behind the counter. “I think you’re looking for us?”

I didn’t understand. I stepped back, staring from one to the other.

“Both of you?” Kian asked.

Garrison nodded confidently, and a wide smile spread across his face. “We knew someone would eventually come looking. I guess you’re the welcoming party,” he said, rocking backwards and forwards on his heels.

I squinted at Garrison and tried to imagine him as he once would have been, without the apron or the cash register. There was something vaguely familiar about his curly brown hair and lanky stature, but I was trying and it could have been my imagination. He was tall and skinny, but his round face held friendly dimples.

Seth was another matter. I knew him and I felt that conviction in my bones. His dark hair and pale skin brought me back to a place of stormy skies and wind.

Kian turned to Seth and me. I felt glued to his side, like I couldn’t be close enough to him. Moving an inch would be like losing him all over again.

Get a hold of yourself,
I scolded.

“You know each other?” Kian asked skeptically.

We nodded. I noticed they were the same height when Seth left my side and moved towards him. Kian’s wide eyes and behaviour suggested that he had had no idea what this reunion would entail. A flutter of panic brushed over me as I imagined him as clueless as me. Surely that wasn’t possible.

“Who are you?” Seth asked him. “I don’t know you.”

I had been travelling with Kian long enough to know that the statement upset him. His shoulders drooped slightly. Something turned off in his eyes, and he was the stony-faced kidnapper I had first met in Oregon.

“I was sent here to collect you,” Kian said in a monotone. “You need to tell me what you remember of your past. We can begin working to recover your full strength so that you may succeed in your mission. More importantly, the magicians from your past will try to steal your magic. They need your power, and you need to get stronger before that happens.”

I was relieved but annoyed to see that neither Seth nor Garrison were the wide-eyed novices I’d hoped they’d be. They looked at each other warily, but with understanding.

“Can we outrun them?” Seth asked. My jaw dropped. He spoke like all of this was old news.

“Only for a while,” Kian replied without emotion.

“No more waiting, right?” Garrison said to Seth, taking off his apron and motioning for a waitress nearby to take over.

“Where are you going?” she called, but we were already near the door.

“I quit,” Garrison called back.

Great. Everyone was a professional except for me.

On the street, I put my shoes back on while Kian, Garrison, and Seth talked. I felt pretty useless when I realized how much they knew. While I had been terrified, the two new additions to our group were excited.

Garrison was loud and outspoken. He questioned Kian about every aspect of our past lives, including where we were from and what happened to us. I felt a bit better when I heard that neither of them fully remembered anything, just bits and pieces. They had led different lives but were able to put pieces together to form the story Kian had told me.

Seth listened more than spoke. I observed him and noticed Kian’s eyes slide back and forth between him and I even as Garrison bombarded him with questions. I don’t know how long we stood on the street, but when Kian had run out of ways to dodge Garrison’s questions he announced that we should all meet in the morning. We agreed to a place, and I reluctantly left Garrison and Seth walking in the opposite direction.

The distance between this new stranger and me was like a cold gust of wind. As Kian practically dragged me back to the hotel by my elbow, I felt the brush of loneliness creeping up my side where I had stood next to him.

I vowed to think over everything that I’d felt that night. Kian’s words about living my own life were prevalent in my mind. I didn’t know this person, and he didn’t know me. If I let my feelings for him control my life now, then where would it end? Would the past Gwen take over and forget myself as I had been my entire life? But those kinds of feelings had never happened to me before. How could I just throw them away? Seth was the reason I had come with Kian in the first place — he meant that much to me before I had ever even seen him.

No
, I scolded myself,
I don’t know him.

This train of thought went around in my mind until it made me dizzy and I lay down in my dress. I placed my arms over my eyes to avoid the light while Kian moved around. The sun was rising, I hadn’t slept, and I was emotionally drained. He finally shut off the light and I heard him lie down. I was worried about being able to sleep, but the alcohol was still in my body and caused a warm feeling in my stomach. Soon, I was asleep.

In the afternoon when we finally woke up, Kian was in another dark mood. I could sense it from the moment I got up. We got ready in silence and walked down to a small restaurant Garrison had picked the night before for lunch. It was strange meeting for food to discuss escaping magicians. But the only thing on my mind was how Kian was avoiding me.

He sped past busy streets, full of people either selling something or rushing somewhere. I had to struggle to keep up with him. When I nearly lost him, I jogged to catch up and stopped in front of him. He looked down at me as if surprised to see me there.

“Hey!” I called to him. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing,” was the short answer.

I ran around him and stopped again. He turned to me with an annoyed frown.

“What happened between you and the one named Seth?” he asked. His hands on his hips could have been comical were I not irritated and out of breath. “Do
you
know
him
?”

Was this jealousy? Crazy, ancient jealousy? I decided that lying would get me into more trouble later.

“I do,” I said meekly. I still didn’t know what I had seen and hadn’t had the time to properly think about it. “I remember him. It’s like all of my memories are about him.”

Kian’s eyes narrowed further, making his nose look even longer. He was like a bird staring down the mouse he would have for dinner.

“What?” he asked quietly. The word came out like a whip and I instantly felt like I had done something wrong.

“What?” I retorted, defensive. “I’m just saying that … the few memories I’ve had … seem to revolve around him somehow. I just know it.”

I would spare him the long-winded explanation of feeling it by the ache in my heart.

Kian walked past me in a huff.

We got to a small restaurant with aluminum tables and chairs arranged in a wide room. The metallic counter up front was busy with people ordering their meals. It took me only a second to locate Garrison and Seth sitting at a round table near the back.

I made my way over, feeling Kian’s glum presence at my back. I still hadn’t figured out what was wrong with him, but it would have to wait.

“Hello, fellow time travellers!”

I jumped and immediately turned around to see who had heard. No one paid attention. Garrison was smiling widely and waving to us enthusiastically. His tall, thin frame was eclipsed by a giant backpack. He looked like a twig supporting a cocoon. I realized that I liked his plain brown hair and honest face. If this was someone I knew in a past life, I could bet that we had been friends. Behind him, Seth was carrying a similar backpack and smiled, but hesitantly.

“What did you tell your parents?” I asked.

Kian and I took seats as Garrison flung an arm over Seth’s shoulders.

“The truth. Magicians trying to steal my magic. Need to escape. Recover a past life, you know....” Garrison said as his eyes met mine. I hadn’t understood the joke. Kian and I stared at him blankly.

“Tough crowd,” he muttered, turning to Seth. “My talented friend helped convincing them that we were taking the last year of high school off to travel Europe. And that it’s okay.” He smiled wider. Seth shrugged.

“Oh come on,” Garrison chided, “it’s a gift and you knew you’d have to use it!” He turned to me and explained, “Seth can influence emotions and thoughts. He can also sense them and hunt them down!”