Lives of Magic (Seven Wanderers Trilogy) (12 page)

Seth only scowled.

“But he doesn’t like to,” Garrison added. I could understand how the argument I had heard last night would have come from them.

I tried to smile supportively but that was the last thing I had wanted to hear. I would rather think that Seth’s ability was to turn into a pile of goo than to sense my feelings and thoughts.

A waitress came over to take our orders and I realized I hadn’t even seen a menu, though I was starving. Kian and I ordered whatever the other two were having. Once he was sure that the woman was gone, Kian leaned in conspiratorially.

“How much do you remember?” he asked. “Really? Specifically.”

Seth and Garrison looked at each other. It was nearly a full minute before either answered.

“Bits and pieces of a former life,” Garrison replied. His smile had vanished and he looked troubled. “We figured it was somewhere in Western Europe. I remember …” he ran a hand over his face, “just everyday things, I guess.”

He was obviously holding something back, but Kian didn’t press him; instead, he changed the question.

“But what do you remember of why you are here?”

“There was a war that was going to destroy everything?” Seth answered, but it sounded more like a question. He frowned at the table, recalling the memory. “Magicians.”

“And Romans,” Garrison added.

“And Romans,” Seth said. “I have this nagging feeling like everything was over. We were all going to be destroyed. I’ve been dreaming about it for years. Just the most horrible feeling of everything being for nothing.”

Silence stretched at our table as I remembered how I had felt in my dream when I was running. I knew that feeling well. I wanted to reach out and hold his hand but today the modern-day Gwen was in charge, and she wasn’t that daring. Last night’s outburst from past-life Gwen had shown me just how much I needed to always keep myself — or her — in check.

“There was something special about us. I guess it was the magic. But we still couldn’t fight something like them and the Romans too. I’ve been dreaming about feeling like we lost,” said Seth.

Garrison nodded.

“And I remember being with you, Gwen,” Seth said.

W
hile my heart skipped a beat and I searched for something to say, opening and closing my mouth like a fish, Kian ignored him completely.

“How long have you known?” Kian asked Garrison, pointedly ending whatever conversation Seth’s comment could have caused.

“A few years,” answered Garrison, and it was Seth’s turn to nod.

I didn’t know if I felt jealous or lucky. Was it good that I didn’t have to live through years of these memory attacks and magic without knowing what to do about it? Or was it bad that I could have been preparing myself for this moment, and didn’t know?

Kian looked around to make sure no one was listening. “You did have magic, and you were special,” he said. “And you couldn’t win against the magicians. Mistakes were made. You were weakened from fighting the Romans. Now this world is in danger.”

The gravity in his voice brought me back to the shack in the woods, lying in pain and looking into his eyes. Was that really less than a month ago?

I sat and listened patiently as Kian retold the whole story of our past. In a way, it was good to see Garrison and Seth nodding along. While my memories and abilities had convinced me I wasn’t on some reality TV show, I felt validated that someone else was going through the same thing. It offered some credibility for my having run off chasing the memory of someone now sitting in front of me. Again, I longed to reach out and take hold of him.

Control yourself
, my own stern voice warned in my head.

“You all have different talents,” Kian was saying, “and the key to unlocking those talents is to regain the memories of your past lives and sync those lives with your own.”

“And the phone?” I reminded him.

Seth and Garrison didn’t have to pry every little piece of information from Kian’s locked-down mind. I had already done all the work. He shot me an I-should-tape-your-mouth-shut look.

“Magicians help our cause,” was all he said. “They brought me here to find you. They keep the magical plot a secret. They finance our efforts.”

His face looked like he was sucking a lemon. Why was it so terrible to explain? I assumed Kian did not like being bossed around by whatever magicians were helping us.

“Why bother hiding it?” Garrison asked. “Can’t anyone do anything about them? Surely going after a few magicians would be better than cleaning up all the mess they’re making?”

Kian shook his head. “To destroy the magicians is difficult. They are influential in this world, and respected. It would also take all the strengths of this era and would mean the destruction of the world itself. Probably, nothing would be left.”

It was grim, but we absorbed this new information while the grey clouds rolled in. News of the pier incident still played across some TV screens in the corner of the restaurant.

We ate our food, each lost in our own thoughts and occasionally stopping for Garrison to ask Kian more questions. Seth and I kept quiet, though I felt as if he stole glances at me over his omelette.

When the waitress came to collect our plates, Kian followed her to pay.

“Not very happy, is he?” Garrison asked, staring at his back. I only realized it was a question directed to me when I saw both of them staring.

“Oh.…” I thought of what to say to avoid telling them he was in a bad mood. “He just takes a while to get used to new people,” I replied. They both seemed happy with this, though I felt I had just made Kian, the two-thousand-year-old, sound like a cat.

We walked back to the hotel, where Kian had gotten a room for Seth and Garrison next door to ours. He didn’t seem as paranoid about them either running away or going crazy with memories, but still wanted them nearby. They were taking leaving their lives very well. I guessed that’s what happened when you had years to prepare yourself and a friend with whom to share your experience. A pang of jealousy reverberated in my chest.

I was worried Kian’s foul mood would mean another walk in silence, but Garrison wouldn’t let that happen. He spent the long walk telling us how he and Seth had met while on a school trip to a museum. They were from different schools but had recognized each other at once.

“Friends ever since,” Garrison said.

Seth had little input in the story but now eyed the flags all around us as we walked by an office tower. They flew at half-mast after the incident at the pier.

“The tsunami the other day …” he began, but Kian must have sensed his question.

“Yes,” he said.

“Why don’t we just fight them now?” Garrison asked. Even I knew the answer to that.

“You’re not strong enough,” Kian replied.

“But you know who they are,” Garrison pressed.

Kian looked at him sidelong, not appearing very pleased. His face flickered between irritation and that sour lemon look he wore earlier.

“Yes,” he said, and before Garrison could open his mouth, he added, “but I will not tell you.”

Garrison relented and I could have sworn I saw a smile flit across Kian’s face. He saw me looking and quickly replaced it with a frown.

We reached the hotel and Kian gave them the key to their room, pointing to the left of ours. I felt red flood my face as they noticed Kian and I shared one hotel room. If they thought anything about it, they didn’t say anything.

Regardless of the sleep I had, I was exhausted. We had agreed to meet for dinner, but as soon as I lay down I couldn’t move. A million and one questions floated across my mind about the new additions to our group. How much did they know? Did their memories shake them like mine? And how did I feel about Seth?

Kian settled onto his bed and kicked off his shoes. He was either very quickly absorbed in his book or pretended to be absorbed in it by the time I looked up. Though I had many questions, I felt like I needed to talk to Garrison and Seth in private. Kian might know more about my past life than I did, but I wanted to find out on my own terms.

“I think I’ll go over there,” I said, starting to get up. My body protested.

“Don’t.”

Kian’s intervention was surprising. A small part of me was happy to lie back down, but the other part was riled at being bossed around.

“Why not?” I asked. I may have snapped a bit.

Kian must have realized I didn’t appreciate his tone, so he put his book away and sat up. “Let them relax. You need to relax too.”

He was easy to agree with when I was this tired.

“Fine,” I said, making it sound angry on purpose. I lay back down and in an instant was lightly dozing. Knowing Kian was a few feet away, watching over me, made me feel eerily better.

Stockholm syndrome,
I thought and smiled.

A hard knock on the door startled me into a sitting position. I was up before I was fully awake. I saw quickly that evening had fallen and Kian had closed our curtains and turned on the light.

He walked past me to answer the door.

“Seriously,” he said with a slight smile, “relax.”

I tried to sit and soothe my pounding heart with calming thoughts. Garrison and Seth piled in, looking like I felt. There were bags under their eyes and they moved as if with heavy limbs.

While Kian held the door open, a procession of squawking girls dressed in little itty-bitty dresses filed past. They yelled and screamed and laughed all for no reason. One wore a tiara and held balloons that said “Birthday.” They eyed Garrison, Seth, and Kian as they milled past, giggling and squawking some more. I remembered it was Saturday. I did not want to be on the street.

“Room service?” I suggested.

The other three nodded.

As Seth came to sit next to me, Kian plopped down on my bed, blocking his way. I frowned at him. He had only ever come close to this bed when he was saving me from one of my memories. The memory of the last time threatened to send a flush up to my cheeks, so I pushed it away.

Seth and Garrison sat on his bed, and within the hour we were eating burgers and French fries while watching a movie. It was a nice respite into the realm of normal, until the movie ended and Garrison turned to me.

“So Gwen,” he said, “what can you do?”

I nearly choked on a fry. Sputtering, I sipped my soda, stalling. “What do you mean?” I asked finally.

“What are your abilities?” Garrison asked. When I still didn’t reply, he continued. “For example, mine involves using my magic to move objects. That’s pretty common, I guess, applying the energy like a force. Seth can affect people’s moods, read them, and convince them.”

Seth still scowled at this. I understood that he was not happy with his mental connection or powers of persuasion.

“She can alter matter,” Kian said.

It startled me, and I turned to him, staring.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he scolded. “You are capable of it. You’ve seen some of what you can do. Sinking through the asphalt, creating fire … Recover your past self and you all of your powers will be returned.”

What if I don’t want those powers?
I thought rebelliously.

Kian had meant to be encouraging but I was beginning to frighten myself. If I had even a percentage of the power it took to cause a tsunami, then I thought it better to go without.

Eventually, Seth and Garrison left, and Kian reverted back to silence. I couldn’t sleep when I was so annoyed, so as he took out his toothbrush I blocked his way to the bathroom. I placed my hands on either end of the doorway and did my best to stare him down. Kian’s eyes flashed.

“What are you doing?” he asked. There was an undercurrent to his voice that almost sounded like panic.

“What’s the matter with you?”

It felt good to confront him. A thrill shot down my spine, but it was followed by self-doubt. What if it was all in my head? Taking a steadying breath, I continued. “You’ve been quiet ever since we met them. Is there a reason you dislike Seth so much?”

I had hit a nerve. Kian’s face fell and he stared at the floor intently.

“I don’t dislike him,” Kian said quietly. “It’s just that …”

“Just what?”

His eyes held electricity as he looked up at me. A vibration hummed between us like the air had been charged. Was this magic?

“I am just afraid to lose you.” Kian opened his mouth to say something else and then reconsidered, closing it again. “Whatever you think you know about him, you’re risking losing yourself in the process. Your life is split between the present and the past. Who is to say which is more important? Besides, you’re different too,” he accused.

My head spun with what he had just said. Lose me? I didn’t know he had had me to begin with. The vibration pulsed between us and I had to ignore it to think clearly. When I looked up at Kian’s face, I knew how I truly felt.

“You’re not going to lose me,” I said. “I’m still myself. Maybe you just need to remind me of it sometimes.”

He smiled and my heart melted. I longed for him to take my hand again. Kiss me again. Hold me again. But instead he pushed me aside like one would a sibling.

“Good,” he said, shutting the bathroom door.

Our routine began. In the morning we would walk around New York City, and Seth and Garrison would show Kian and I the places they liked to go. They had given up on school and had to duck on several occasions when they were about to run into teachers or friends who thought they had flitted off to Europe. Kian’s mood eventually improved.

Sometimes, he would have us use our magic when no one was around. He remained tight-lipped about the magicians, but I noticed he ignored his phone more often when it began to ring. He would occasionally answer it and run off to take the call in private, and those days his mood would be ruined for good.

We waited patiently for our next move, practising some simple magic and trying to piece our memories together. Seth and Garrison didn’t have much to add. The main story, the reason for our existence, had been clear in their minds, but we didn’t have time to get into much else. Kian would always think of another lesson to teach us or another errand we had to do.

Seth, Garrison, and I got to know each other, though Kian never left my side. I waited over a week to sneak a moment alone with Seth. Our initial meeting had been like an explosion that had died out quickly. Now, I wanted to know what the smoking embers held for us.