Lives of Magic (Seven Wanderers Trilogy) (15 page)

I couldn’t figure him out. For all that I felt like I knew him down to every wrinkle, his character was a mystery.

The next hour or so passed mechanically. We landed, went through border control — where I explained at length that I was visiting family whose address or hometowns I couldn’t remember — and got our bags. Waiting at the carousels for our luggage to arrive, all eyes were glued on the televisions.

New York had been hit by a horrible hurricane. Apparently it had gathered so quickly in the Atlantic that very few people had seen it coming. We knew better.

A lot of the city was flooded, included the memorials set up for victims of the recent tidal wave on the piers. The entire east coast was flooded, and the images of houses and cars being swept away were projected from a hundred different locations.

Kian had said the magicians dragged on the weather and threatened to pull the Earth apart with their powers. It was part of their plan to cause enough havoc to gain control. The images I now saw on the TV were horrible. In the last six hours, cities were nearly drowned and blown apart. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was my fault. Had I given them the strength?

“They shook the mountains, and they crumbled,” Kian said under his breath. His voice sent a shiver down my spine. He stood behind me and leaned in close. I felt the vibration again between us. “What were once great snowy peaks now remain as foothills. Many villages were buried and many people died, and the great king lived to regret his decision about casting all of his warriors into death and an uncertain future. But the greatest tragedy would be if all was for naught, and the magicians will inherit the Earth.”

He looked around to see if Seth and Garrison were nearby, saw that they had gone to stand at the other end of the conveyor belt, and wrapped his arms around my waist in a quick hug. He rested a cheek on the top of my head, and while the gesture would have made me swoon, his words buried themselves deep into my skin. He held on to me as if he knew I would not be around much longer.

“L
et’s go.”

Kian dragged me away from the TVs and we all piled into a taxi van after handing our luggage to the driver.

The all-night flight had taken a toll on me. It was early morning in New York but already the afternoon in England. I was feeling exhaustion setting in, so I leaned my head against the window and got ready for a nap. It was only three o’clock in the afternoon but the sky was a sleepy kind of grey, and Seth and Garrison, who felt warm next to me, bunched me in. The motion of the car lulled me to sleep.

To my dismay, we stopped five minutes later. I opened my eyes to find an airport hotel.

“Really?” I asked sleepily.

Instead of answering, Kian paid and got out of the van, motioning for us to do the same. We waited, silent and exhausted, as he got us keys and we went upstairs. We had a large family suite in the airport hotel, which looked more like a spacious apartment. I tossed my stuff into a room I assumed would be mine and came out to the living room, where Kian was turning on the TV.

“Why are we here?” I asked sleepily.

The news coverage of the hurricane could be seen on every channel as he flipped from one station to another. The images were steadily getting worse and worse. I saw numbers on a scrolling marquee on the screen, but didn’t want to think what they represented. Casualties? More deaths that could have been avoided if we could just get our act together faster?

Seth and Garrison came into the living room as well, settling down on the couch. It was two teenaged boys, a two-thousand-year-old grumpy man, and me. Great. An itching for action came over me.

“Let’s go!” I was half shouting and half groaning. I had reached the level of exhaustion that makes you slightly crazy. “Things aren’t getting any better!” I waved an arm at the TV. Seth and Garrison just looked from Kian to me, and back again. I was about to start yelling again when he finally lowered the remote control and turned.

“I don’t know where to go yet,” Kian said simply.

He sat in an armchair next to the couch. His stony demeanour was driving me insane. “The magician who has been in contact with me is silent today — he must be busy with this.” He motioned to the screen.

“Well —” I was going to yell at him to think of something else, but he cut me off.

“Besides, you need to rest,” he said.

“I’m fine!”

The three of them cast unconvinced glances in my direction.

“You look kind of pale,” Seth said.

“And crazy-eyed,” Garrison added.

I was getting too irritated. I went into my room and slammed the door, glancing at the mirror next to the bed. I was indeed pale, and my eyes were bloodshot and puffy from lack of sleep. This had to be one of the longest days of my life.

I climbed into the bed with my clothes on and promptly fell asleep.

The wind and branches whipped my face. I wasn’t running anymore. I was riding. I looked down to find a brown horse with a pale yellow mane. The ground was blurring past me. It made my head spin so I looked ahead to where a man rode in front of me on a black horse.

Slowly, the trees cleared and I could see greenery up ahead. I rode through onto a hilltop. My heart skipped as the man ahead descended off of his horse, and I thought it might be Seth. The mind of my former self stayed stoic. I felt nothing. The contrast was jarring. Confused, I realized I was getting more of a presence in my memories. I could feel myself be myself. It was a small comfort as I sat, still a useless passenger in my own former body.

The man turned and it wasn’t Seth. He was older and had thick brown hair that was windswept behind a widow’s peak. His eyes were blue but there was something heavy about them. He was handsome enough, but I couldn’t figure out who he was. My past life wasn’t giving me any indication. He came closer and took my hand. I got off my own horse and followed him to the edge of the cliff. He spoke to me.

At first I felt myself staring blankly at the sounds coming out of his mouth. I certainly didn’t understand this. Then, slowly, the meaning began to form in my mind.

“You have to understand why we do this,” he said. “Everyone is beginning to see the war is lost.”

“We still have time,” I replied.

The man’s eyes hardened. “You are my wife and you will do as I say,” he said.

I pulled my hand from his grasp. “Do what you want, but my magic belongs to this people and I will not use it against them,” I said. “Husband, you will offend the gods if you go ahead with this.”

He stared at me then waved his arms at the land below the hill.

“Look at them!” he whispered fiercely. “The Romans have conquered the world and they do it with their gods. Ours are too weak!
You
are too weak!”

He pulled me close and held me even as I struggled.

“Do not be as blind as our foolish king. I do not want to see my family ruined. Sent away into slavery. I am doing this to save you.”

He pulled me towards the edge and I saw the vast camp below. Canvas tents, dozens of horses, hundreds of men, wagons, and supplies. The fires that burned were cooking meat from our lands. They were using our water to drink, and our wood to build. Deep inside, the old me finally awoke and was furious. Something bubbled in my heart. The sight was shocking
—
there were so many of them. The familiar feeling of helplessness crept up on me.

“Gwen.” A hand was shaking me awake. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Nothing,” I replied. “A dream, but I forgot it.”

I opened my eyes. Seth and Garrison were standing over me, while Kian was at the door. I could see the flickering light of the TV from the living room.

“You were saying something totally incomprehensible,” Seth told me. He looked concerned, and I still marvel at how our shared secret brought three complete strangers so close together.

“Yeah — I don’t know, I was having a dream, but I don’t remember,” I said again.

I didn’t know why I lied. Well, that is a lie. I lied because I couldn’t keep things straight anymore. My grip on my past-life — let alone reality — was totally slipping.

I came out to the living room to watch some show about pawnshops. We watched TV and paced the room until night fell and eventually everyone went to bed. We had a few meals throughout the day, but I was too distracted to notice. I tried to fall asleep but the dream was playing over and over in my head.

Married?
My thoughts were going around in circles. I thought I was supposed to be with Seth!
Okay, married …
But was I a traitor? Was the man in my dream a traitor? I kept thinking about the Romans and how many there were. I knew, somehow, that our population was small. Their huge numbers could easily swallow us up. This was a truth I couldn’t deny.

When the shadows cast by the ceiling fan began to take on shapes of their own and started to turn into menacing figures, I decided it was time to get up. Tip-toeing so as not to wake anyone, I crossed the hall to the bathroom and got into the shower.

The hot water felt relaxing after I had spent so long sitting in the plane and on the couch. I stood with my back to it, letting it pour over my head and trying to empty my mind of any thoughts at all. After a few minutes, the water became cold. I danced around to avoid it and turned the hot water tap completely up. Still nothing. The water was freezing now. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Even in a hotel, they run out of hot water.

I felt a gentle pull at my body and especially my eyes — a little like vertigo. I stumbled for only a second and then realized what was happening. I was falling into a memory, and I already knew which one.

I was back to the waterfall from my very first memory. I felt the rocks underneath my feet and the weight of the water as it fell onto the back of my neck. This time, I stepped out from underneath the water and saw that mysterious person. My eyes blurred and stung from the downpour, but in the haze of the summer day, I could clearly make out an older version of Seth coming towards me.

He was standing on the bank, beckoning to me. The difference was striking. The older Seth had a beard, he was more muscular, and there was something different about his walk. Confidence. His broad shoulders matched his height and I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The hunger I felt deep within my body scared me. Despite my feelings for the Seth I knew, I had never felt this.

I stepped towards him, unable to stop myself. My heart melted when I recognized the glint in his eyes, which, over two thousand years later, I would see in New York City. The modern me celebrated as I received confirmation that I had been right. I was supposed to be with Seth! What about the other man? What about my husband? I pushed those thoughts away when another interrupted my stream of thoughts. What about Kian?

The past me wasn’t concerned. I made my way over to the bank. It took me a shockingly long time to realize he wasn’t clothed. My inner self wanted to cover up and avert my eyes, but my past life just stood there. I felt the muscles in my face smiling at him. I loved him.

We were in a forest clearing and while I stood in the freezing water of what I saw to be a small waterfalls cascading over a larger hill, past-Seth stopped coming towards me and sat on the bank. He was still pronouncedly naked, and I saw my hand come up to motion him towards me.

He remained seated on the bank and smiled at me, laughing a little. I wondered if it was normal to just hang out naked in the ancient world. Clothes were probably much harder to come by.

Eventually, my past self got fed up and began wading through the shallow water towards him. I felt every rock as my feet found the safe places to step in the murky water. Some were slippery, some were sharp. A few times I grabbed some reeds to help me make my way to the bank and I felt them stinging my hands.

I was seated deep inside my past body, shocked at my own brazen daytime nudity and frolic in the water. I held my breath for what would happen next. My past life finally approached past-Seth and I saw the Roman uniform
—
just like the ones I’d seen in my previous dream
—
lying on the ground behind him.

Uh-oh.