Chapter Eleven: The Chronicle of Chemmis: Awake

Chapter Eleven

Lindy

Venzu Village – Monday 0540

The wind wiped the hair from my face as I ran to Maxwell’s house. I had so many questions after the trials in the Magic Cave, and I had even more to tell. I knew where the children were. The Mount of Seth was just a three days ride from our village. Maybe, we could make it in two days, if we didn’t stop too long along the way.

Something in the magic had unlocked my powers, I was sure of it now. My mind felt clearer, as I raced past Dillon’s house and made a bee-line for the pathway between two streets.  It was as if I had a head cold before and did not know it. Jumping over a shiny red ball in the park, I laughed, I could finally stick it to Molly Melody at school who had called me ‘Dementia Lindy’ for the past year because I could not remember my visions. The words of the Lamassu and Undine still bothered me a little, but I did not belive what they said. The creatures in the cave we there to trick us, it was all part of the test. I’m sure mum and Maxwell would confirm this when I questioned them.

I was just two streets away from Maxwell’s house when I realized every house I ran past was dead quiet. Everyone must have congregated around the Magic Cave to watch me enter and, they were probably still there awaiting my return. Cutting diagonally across a teacher’s house to get there faster, I jumped through some ones’s backyards. A child’s swing rocked back and forth, and a tricyle lay discarded on its side. The image gave me a shiver reminding of the human ghost town we had learnt about in Earth Studies. High Witch Genevieve had played a scene from a Western movie to reinforce the Earthly superstition. Of course ghosts existed but they never congregated in a run down empty town. Ghosts feed on people’s emotions and could only be seen in places were emotions were in high abundance.  Dismissing the thought as my overtly zealous imagination, playing tricks on me I speed ahead to Maxwell’s house.

Finally at his door, I leaned on the frame and caught my breath. Sweat dripped down my face in rivulets and I wiped it away with the back of my arm. The front door was opened and voices drifted to me from the receiving room.

‘It’s a good thing that she’s going, I don’t know how long I would be able to keep up the lies if she wasn’t,’

It was my mother’s voice and she sounded upset. I stepped into the hallway and was just about to round the corner and tell her about the children, when I heard Rezna.

‘I told you we should have killed her when she was born, but you felt sorry. Now see what has happened,’ he said his voice rough and filled with hatred.

Frozen in place by his words, I could not enter the room. Surely, they were not talking about me.

 ‘Lindy was such a beautiful baby. I couldn’t believe, she was the monster in the prophecy,’ mum said a tremble evident in her voice.

 ‘Now the children have gone missing and the first telling is upon us. You can’t change destiny, she was always going to be evil,’ Rezna said.

‘I know that now.  That’s why I convinced the Council to choose her, so that she could leave the village,’ mum replied.

My heart picked up speed. They were talking about me, my breathing quicken and the room began to spin. I leaned against the wall afraid I was going to pass out.

‘The cave may kill her,’ Rezna said.

‘I don’t know. She is strong, even with Quincy’s bindings she remembered parts of her visions. Without it, who knows what powers may have emerged,’ mum said.

This can’t be happening I thought. My mother was saying I was something evil and had powers. What powers? As far as I knew witches only developed a single power and mine had been non existent before the Magic Cave.

‘Thank goodness Thomas is going with them. He is powerful enough to kill her,’ Rezna said.

‘Yes, it is for the best’ she agreed.

Their footsteps retreated to the back of the house and I still I couldn’t move. I felt as if an arrow had pierced straight through my heart and held me against the wall. My own mother thought I was evil. My own mother wanted me dead. The wave of dizziness I felt a moment ago returned tenfold and the hallway tilted. I closed my eyes and I slid slowly to the ground, as my whole world came crashing down around me. The Undine was right my family had lied to me.

I don’t know how long I sat there on that cold hard floor. How long the ragged sobs filled my ears and tears fell down my face, leaving my shirt soaking wet. My heart ached like it never had before. My whole life was a lie, and now my life was in danger. I had to get up. I had to get out out of this village.

My legs shook like those of a new born foal as I stood up. I felt different. I wasn’t the Lindy who loved her family with all her heart, and wished for the day her powers would come in, so she could make her parents proud. My mother’s words had transformed me. I felt empty, as if all feeling had been drained out of me.

I had to get out of here. Holding onto the wall, I stumbled to the front door.

‘Lindy! OMG! You’re here!’ shouted Dillon as he came running through the front door.

He scooped me up in a great big hug. His strong muscular arms were warm and I longed to sink in them and forget all I just found out, but I couldn’t. My body was rigid, and sensing a change in me he put me back down and gazed at my face. His eyes shown with awe. He thought I passed the test.

‘Tell me everything. And why is your shirt wet?’ he asked stepping backwards to get a good look at me.

I shrugged my shoulders unable to put together a sentence. The shock of my mother’s words held me paralyzed. Was Dillion part of the lie too? Was he really my friend? I rembered making mud castles with him at the age of five. When we were ten, he would sneak me into the gym after school and teach me defense moves.  My mum had vetoed me sparring in school saying my asthma was too bad for such a physical class.

‘Chemmis to Lindy. Hey babe, are you okay?’

I had to get out of here. The words were a broken record in my head. But how? Now that Dillion found me I couldn’t sneak out of the gates before the faeries got here. Then it hit me. If I pretended for just a few more hours to be the old Lindy, I would leave the village with the task force. Then first chance I got I would run. Drawing up what little courage I had, I smiled weakly at him.

‘Sorry the cave… it really… but I got out,’ I managed to say.

‘Oh hey, it’s my fault…’ he said holding up both palms,‘ …the cave messes with your mind.’

I must have been convincing because he stopped frowning at me and grinned from ear to ear, his signature smile.

‘But you did. You’re a fully fledged Witch,’ he laughed.

I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and looked away, wishing I could feel as happy as Dillon right now.  If only this was really my life, and I did not have to flee to save myself. A feeling of dread, wafted over me as I knew every second I was here left me in danger.

‘Yes I’m a witch now,’ I said too sharply but Dillon did not seem to notice.

 ‘Now tell me everything, how did you do it. Did you have to fight the Undine or trick the Kapre into granting you a wish,’ he asked.

Dillon had met the Undine. I wondered what advice she had given him.

‘No, I didn’t meet the Kapre, but I fought the Lamassu and he had to granted me a wish,’

Summarizing my time in the cave I added a few details to the story. I omitted the part about what the Lamassu and Undine had said, but Dillon would never find out the truth. Still it made me remember my promise to free the creatures from the cave. My mother and Rezna’s words had squashed the doubts I had about the creatures’ reliability. The Undine and Lamassu were held captive in the cave and just like me they needed rescuing.

‘Oh wow!’ he gasped at the end of my tale.

 Happiness shone in his eyes and it broke my heart. I was going to miss him so much.

‘Nobody else has met the Lamassu. It must have been awesome,’he said.

‘Absolutely,’ I said managing a weak smile.

I was getting better at hiding my feelings with every minute. Never before had I needed to act with my family and friends, but today I was going to give it my best or die trying.

‘Come on lets, go tell the others.’

Dillon grabbed onto my hand and dragged me around to the back of Maxwell’s house to the Magic Cave where all the villagers stood waiting.

The cheerful sounds of chatter stopped when they saw me. A few ladies held their mouths open with shock and faces shone with amazement as all the villages gazed at me. Suddenly, the rumble of a darbuka drum broke the silence and all the villages cheered in unison. Men hooted and they all smiled joyfully at me. I saw my brother Jacob pumping the air with glee, a few people to my left. I felt my heart swell a little and for a moment, I felt less sad. The villages were genuinely happy for me. I desperately wanted to forget my mother and Rezna’s conversation in the receiving room. Maybe…

Then I found her face in the crowd. Her borrows were furrowed together and when her eyes met mine they widened. She then smiled but her eyes did not echo the smile. I stumbled. It happened. She had said I was evil.

The villagers moved aside like a parting sea, making a path for Dillon and I as we walked up to Maxwell. He was still standing stood at the entrance of the Magic Cave. Quincy was next to him, her face was unreadable, but she gave me a nod when our gazes met.

‘Congratulations Lindy,’ Maxwell said offering me his hand.

I held up my sweaty hand and hoped he couldn’t see right through my facade.  Grasping my hand in his strong brown one he gave it a solid shake. I muttered a soft thank you and he beamed back at me. He held up our joined hands and jeered. The crowd cheered once more. Releasing my hand, he indicated I should stand to his left, between him and Quincy.

‘Vendu People. Lindy has passed the final test and is now a full-fledged Witch,’ he shouted.

Quincy leaned towards me and handed me a wooden box. I took it with shaking hands. The box held a great book, my own Grimoire. The first few pages would be filled with the basic spells I learnt at school and the rest of the book was blank. Golden sided pages on which a witch would document the magic and spells she or he created in the future.

People clapped as I received the Witches graduation award and I felt my resolve soften again. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe, I had misunderstood my mother’s words. And her look a voice whispered in my head. Ignoring the voice I thought maybe I should talk to her. Then I felt an odd sensation, a burn as if something was boring into me my brain, an evil eye. I ran my eyes over the crowd. Right at the back next to High Witch Thomas stood Rezna, his eyes burning with hatred. Thomas was saying something to him and he nodded never breaking his gaze and I knew I could not ask my mother anything.

Everything happened quickly after that. Our horses were packed with supplies for the trip. Jacob came over and threw me up in the air. Friends from school pumped my fist and patted my back marveling at my stories about the Magic Cave. Mendu and Quincy gave us advice on which spells were the best to use in for defense and attack. High Witch Genevieve, checked my packs and helped me re-stock my back pack, giving me a replacement dagger. Luckily, she didn’t ask me what happened to the one I had. My mother did not come to me until the last minute before I walked out the gate.She drew me in a hug, but she stiffened when my skin touched hers and moved me away. I felt like ice, numb to the core. I couldn’t even fake a smile.

‘I’m so proud of you Lindy,’ she said in a strained voice.

If I didn’t know better I would have thought, she was just sad to see me go. However, I now knew what she truly thought of me. So, many little things that I taught odd in the last few years made sense now. She choose to go on so many missions, spending just a few months at home. She had been avoiding me. She didn’t want me learning self defense, and never seemed bothered when my magic fizzled and I couldn’t remember my visions.Thankfully, we were saved from the obviously lengthening awkward moment by my father Jared.

‘Hey hun,’ Dad said giving me a great big hug.

His ten foot frame bowed down to my five feet form.  He squeezed me with a joyful grunt.

‘Dad, you're suffocating me,’ I gasped.

Laughing he let me go and flexed his hard muscles. He had been on night watch almost all week and it was taking a toll on him. At least my father was the same. Love shone in his eyes and I knew he did not share my mother’s feelings.

‘I wish I could take your place on the Task Force,’ he said running a hand through his brown hair the same color as mine.

He had argued with Maxwell for hours after yesterday’s meeting, but the council would not budge. They had selected the Task Force and the team would remain unchanged.

‘It’s okay Dad. I’m a witch now. I’ll be fine.’ I said.

Tears misted my eyes, and I wiped them with the back of my hand. His face brightened and he pulled me too him.

‘Hey, none of that now. You’ll be back before you know it,’ he said.

Glancing at my mother he said, ‘You spoke to Thomas and Genevieve about looking out for her?’

My mother’s mouth turned downward and I leaned back into my father’s chest to block the pain in my eyes.

‘I did,’ she muttered.

She lied. I wanted to scream at her, she was a liar. My head felt like it was on fire, as all the feelings of hurt from earlier came pouring in. I wanted to shake her and ask her why she lied to me my whole life. She had Quincy bind my powers. She thought I was evil.  

‘Hey Lindy, its time to go’ Dillon said, sashaying up to us with his parents.

He looked like a combination of a shadow hunter and a cowboy with his two scimitars on either side of his low swung belt. They peaked out of their cases like twin handguns.One look at my face and he quirked his left eyebrow at me in a silent question. Blowing out a slow breath I managed to calm down a little, and moved away from my parents before I did something I regretted. I shook my head at him and he seemed to swallow his question.

‘Yeah, okay. I’m ready,’ I said.

We walked to the gate side by side, with our parents behind us. Apprehension filled me as a guard opened the Great Gates, but I shut the feeling down. Leaving was good. If I stayed Rezna would have me killed. If I left I had a chance of survival.

The High Witches exited first with the horses. Without glancing back I walked out of the gates and out of my old life.Three faeries waited for us on graceful faery horses that looked as if their hooves barely touched the ground. A female and two males. One of the males appeared younger than the other two. He could be my age I thought, then dismissed the notion when he steadied his edgy horse with an experienced hand. Faeries were immortal. He could be centuries old and will still look like a teenager. His icy blue gaze found mine and held it. I knew those eyes. My stomach flipped and I gasped as everything suddenly went black, then I was somewhere else.

I held a dagger at the chest of a regal-looking lady fey. She starred at me all knowing, as if she knew I was there to kill her. She had the same blue eyes as the faery boy.

‘Do it quickly,’ she said ‘I know you have no choice.’

I shook my head. My hand moving away, drawing the weapon back.

‘No,’ she cried, and yanked my hand forward plunging the dagger into her heart.

Devastated, I let go off the knife and sank to the floor, my hands were stained with blood.

‘Why did you do that,’ I whimpered at her knees.

‘Run, they won’t find me until morning.’ she gasped

I shook my head as my body began to tremble. I stabbed her. She was dying because of me. I was a murderer.

‘I am evil,’ I whispered.

Blood spilled out of the wound, staining her white night gown. I couldn’t move I couldn’t save her.

‘No, you are our only hope,’ she said as her eyes glazed over and she fell to the ground.

The faery boy was still holding my gaze. The lady faery nudged him in the ribs and he broke the contact. I felt cold without his eyes on me, as if his gaze had warmed me to the bone. Frowning, I replayed the vision. I was going to kill someone who had the boy’s eyes. I was going to be evil, just like my mother thought. Biting my lip, I made myself a promise. I was going to leave this group at the first chance I got. Then I would go to the Mount of Seth and free the children. I did not know how, but I was going to do it. I was not going to become a killer. I was not evil. I would escape my fate.