Chapter 14

After leaving the guards behind and taking Meave with them, they walked for several hours until Allister found a location he was satisfied with. While Allister and Jack set up camp, Adara and Kali went to look for food while Liona and Foster sat down with Meave.
“So you are a gypsy, right?” Liona asked curiously.
The woman nodded. “I am. I am also sorry if I did anything bad to you while I was taken.”
Foster laughed. “Yeah, I think I can forgive you even though you almost burnt me to a crisp. That’s okay though, you were possessed, it wasn’t you.”
Meave smiled back. “I promise you I don’t remember anything. What I don’t understand is how it was taken out of me. In the stories a Taker can only be freed by the dark one who controls it or a very powerful wizard. Did your Jack do it?”
Liona and Foster exchanged glances before Foster said quietly. “Jack didn’t do it. We don’t really know how it happened, Lilly here just refused to kill you and all of a sudden you were normal.”
Meave’s attention turned to Liona. “Are you a witch also?”
“No, I’m not.” She said, feeling a little frustrated. “I don’t think I did anything, maybe we just got lucky.”
Meave only shook her head. “There’s no getting lucky with daemons. Gypsies, we remembered the stories, because we knew one day they had to come back. No matter how hard anyone tries, the magic will always come back. It is beyond our control, beyond anything we could ever understand.”
Liona only frowned. “I just don’t understand. I’m not magic, I don’t have any powers.”
“Exactly how far back do the stories go?” Foster asked, turning towards Meave. “Are there any about a human coming from some sort of different world?”
Meave nodded. “Of course. Haven’t you ever heard the story of Ulanda?”
“Was she one of them?” Liona asked.
“Yes.” Meave said. “James was not the first to wage war with the magic, you know. There was an Emperor in the East who did the same thousands of years before James ever thought of the idea. Ulanda led an army of magic beings against the emperor and won, and the reason she was able to do so was because she came from a world much different than ours. She was sent to save the magic, and she was more powerful than most every magical creature in this world.”
Foster nodded slowly, looking over at Liona. “Really now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Tweak, we’re not like that.” Liona said defensively. “We can’t be, it doesn’t make sense. We don’t have powers, we all came together, and we’re not fighting some sort of King, we’re fighting the leader of the underworld.”
Foster shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking us, Lilly, so much as you.”
Meave looked over at Liona, frowning. “Are you from a different world?”
“We are, and Kali too.” Foster said, looking away. “Just when I thought this couldn’t get any crazier.”
“I don’t get it.” Liona said, still frustrated. “How do the Gypsies know all this and the tree folk didn’t? I thought they were supposed to be the wisest or whatever.”
Meave only shook her head. “Perhaps in the West, but the East is much different. Gypsies travel, we know stories from many different parts, and the East has the longest memory.”
“I thought the first forest was in the West.” Foster said, also becoming confused. “That’s where we went, right?”
“Westerners can be very conceded at times.” Meave said, smiling. “There is one first forest here. There are four of them, one in the West, East, North and South.”
Foster rolled his eyes. “So much for accurate information. You know he’s going to drag us to the East now.”
“Indeed” Allister said from beside them, and they all jumped slightly at the sight of the cat creature. “To find that book we’ll need to know more information. Perhaps there’s another one that Marion gave the humans in the East.”
Foster made a face. “You knew there was more than one forest?”
Allister only shrugged. “I’d heard rumors, but I’ve never been outside of the Western boarders. I didn’t know for sure.”
“Let me guess, we start tomorrow?”
Allister smiled down at Foster. “You learn fast, bothersome one.”

* * * * *

After the group ate dinner, Foster asked to take a walk with Liona and Kali. Allister was nervous that something would happen, but the three humans assured him they would not go far. In all honesty, they had not had time to really talk since they’d met up with Kali back at the Elf town. For all that had happened, they were slightly overwhelmed and wanted very badly to be away from all that reminded them of their grim situation.
“You can’t say you didn’t want this.” Foster said, shrugging as they walked away from camp.
“I know.” Liona said, sighing. “I mean I still do, it’s just this whole mystery about me is really annoying. I don’t have powers yet people keep saying I can do things.”
Kali shrugged. “I sort of count that as powers.”
“Didn’t you hear Meave talk about the Ulanda girl?” Foster said, shrugging. “She had abilities, she led an army, and she was more powerful than almost any creature in this world.”
Liona shook her head. “That does not mean that I do too. Darius didn’t have any powers.”
“Yet he opened a portal.” Kali said. “I count that as powers too.”
Foster shook his head. “What’s so wrong with you having powers, Lilly? Isn’t that kind of cool?”
“I don’t know.” She said, shrugging. “I guess when I pictured it I never had powers. I was…more of a spectator. I just wanted it to be real. Besides it kind of sucks when you don’t even know what you can do or how to do it.”
Kali nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. But let’s face it, Lilly, you’re like the next Xena warrior princess or something.”
“Oh, don’t even go there.” Foster said, rolling his eyes. “You could have said Joan of Arc, but no, you had to go for the chick in leather on a bad T.V show.”
Kali pursed her lips. “Hey, that show wasn’t half bad. Xena kicked ass.”
“Buffy was way better.” Foster countered.
“Well excuse me, Mr. Grumpy Pants, do you see any vampires around here?”
Liona shook her head. “Oh, God, don’t even say that. With our luck one will show up.”
“True.” Kali said. “Hey, what is this?”
The three teenagers stopped as they realized there was a large stream just a few feet in front of them. Liona frowned.
“Did Allister know this was here?”
Kali shrugged. “He didn’t say anything about it. Maybe we could get some water while we’re here, we should go back and grab the canteens.”
Liona shook her head. “We need to go.”
Foster frowned. “Why?”
“It’s dark, and the stream is here.” Liona said, beginning to feel panicked. “There could be a-”
But Liona didn’t have time to finish. Before they had time to process what had happened, a mutilated woman appeared in front of them, seemingly standing on the water. She wore a white dress, and to Liona’s horror, they could see right through her bloody limbs. The teenagers stood, frozen, as the woman glared coldly at them and suddenly opened her mouth to scream.
Just as soon as she prepared herself, her vision went blank, her body felt as if it were being ripped to shreds, and before she could feel the pain the pain was gone. She felt something hard and wet beneath her, and she struggled to wake up. When she opened her eyes, she felt as if her heart would stop.
“No.” She whispered, tears coming to her eyes. She sat up to look around her, and sure enough Foster and Kali lay just beside her on the bathroom floor.