Master and Apprentice (45 page)

Authors: Sonya Bateman

BOOK: Master and Apprentice

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“Yeah, I … crap! Where’s Cy?”

I turned in the direction he’d been. The bucket sat in the abandoned red wagon on the lawn, and there was no sign of Cyrus. Shit. He’d probably decided to make himself shiny. I straightened and looked toward the porch. “Ian. Did you guys see where Cy wandered off to?”

“I did not,” he said.

Akila stood and came to the rail. “He was there just a moment ago,” she said, her voice laden with worry. “He could not have gone far.”

“Wait.” Jazz stared at the far corner of the porch. “I think …”

I followed her gaze. There was nothing there. “Uh, Jazz—”

“Hush.” She moved like a sleepwalker across the yard and stopped at the end of the porch. Then she reached out, bent slightly, and rested a hand in the air, about three feet off the ground.

And vanished.

“What are you looking at, baby?” Jazz’s disembodied voice shook a little.

“Frog went under there,” Cyrus said—even though he wasn’t there.

All the breath went out of me. She’d seen him. He was invisible, and she’d seen him without being anywhere near him. That was impossible.

“Cy?” Her voice steadied. “You’re being shiny again.”

“Oh. I forgot.”

They popped into view. Cyrus was scrunched down, staring through the lattice skirt under the porch. Jazz’s hand rested on his shoulder. “He’s gone now,” he said.

Jazz smiled. “He probably went swimming,” she said. “Don’t forget to put your wagon back in the garage when you’re done playing, okay?”

“I won’t, Mommy.” Cy straightened with a smile and wandered toward his wagon.

Jazz made her way back, a shade paler than she’d been a minute ago. “He looked like a ghost,” she whispered. “I could almost see right through him, but he was there. How could I see him?”

I shook my head, too stunned to think straight. “Not a clue.”

“Your eyes,” Akila said.

Jazz and I stared at her. She was smiling. “I knew when I first saw you,” she said. “Your eyes are different colors. It is a trait of some magi … those you call mages. And because the power is in your eyes, you have the gift of vision.”

“But …” Jazz frowned. “If I have these vision powers or whatever, why couldn’t I see Cy before? This isn’t the first time he’s disappeared on me.”

“Because I woke up the earth,” I said slowly. “You said those weird feelings started a couple days ago, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s when I was in the cave with Calvin, and he was teaching me how to use earth magic. He said it was sleeping and I’d have to get it moving before I could access it.”

“Well, at least Cy won’t be able to hide from me now.” Jazz grinned and bumped my arm with a fist. “And you’re not the only one with magic.”

“You mean you’re not the only one without it,” I said. “So, does this mean I have to stop hanging around invisible in the bathroom while you’re in the shower?”

“Gavyn!”

“What?”

She gave an exasperated sigh. “Never mind.”

Before I could decide whether she knew I was joking, Cyrus approached us with both arms clasped around his bucket. “Wanna see my treasure, Daddy?” he said.

“Sure,” I said. “What do you have in there? Diamonds? Hershey bars?”

He giggled. “No! It’s treasure.” He thrust the bucket at me.

I looked inside, expecting blades of grass, or maybe pebbles. The bucket was about a quarter full of tiny green leaves. I scooped out a small handful of them for a closer look. They were clovers. I’d never even realized they grew here. I pinched one free of the pile.

It had four leaves.

“Hey, this is cool, Cy.” How I’d managed to grab a four-leaf one from the bucket, I didn’t know. I dropped it back in and separated another one from my hand, intending to exclaim over it. Wow, a clover. Awesome.

This one had four leaves too.

Huh?
I stirred the clovers in my hand, moving them apart. Every single one had four leaves.

I held one up. “Do they all look like this?” I said.

Cyrus nodded and gave me the
Duh, Daddy
look. “Those are the special ones,” he said. “Like wishing stars.”

“Yes, they are.” I brushed my handful back into the bucket. A sense of wonder filled me, stronger and cleaner than the first time I’d realized I had real magic. Cy hadn’t just escaped the curse. He’d gone completely in the other direction—and maybe some of it would rub off on me too. “You’re a lucky guy, Cyrus,” I said. “This treasure is really hard to find.”

“No it isn’t, Daddy. It’s right here.” He hugged the bucket back to himself. “I’m gonna go find more treasure.”

I watched him head to the wagon. I couldn’t find any words, so I put my arms around Jazz and let myself experience it instead.

Cy was right. It wasn’t hard to find.