The Secret Life of a Magicker
It all started with a contest in the newspaper, a contest asking kids to submit their best creative essays for a chance at a grand prize. Millions of kids submitted entries, but only a select few would receive the grand prize or one of the runner-up prizes. Tony had written a story involving a prince turned into a dragon by an evil wizard who wished to marry the princess and therefore wanted the prince out of the way. Tony didn't think it was anything great and figured he'd probably gotten the idea from being around his superhero obsessed friend, Baby John, too often. However, not a week later, he received a letter from one Gavan Rainwater that invited him to attend Camp Ravenwyng for the summer. According to the letter, Ravenwyng was a creativity and leadership camp, and only a few select individuals were invited to attend. It turned out that Tony's parents had gotten a similar letter and thought the camp sounded like a great opportunity. The next day, Tony's mother took him to get the items on the rather strange supply list he'd been sent with the letter: A Field Guide to Herbs, a book on Celtic mythology (any book, the list said), a jeweler's loupe (a small magnifying glass used by jewelers to examine gems), and a handful of star charts. The shop keeper also tried to sell them a crystal ball and runestones, but Tony's mother flatly refused to buy either item.
The day came to head off to the camp, and Tony's mother was making sure he had everything he needed, while his father drove, calm and relaxed. He had everything specified on the list, plus a secret item he didn't mention to his mom: a small bag of runestones he had sneaked back and bought, secreted away among his clothing so that it wouldn't be found. The bus to camp wasn't hard to spot: it was white with a large coal black wing on its side. They parked a few slots away, a tiny frown line between her eyes. "Not many here." His mother did not look much happier as she stepped out of the car. "Do you think it's safe? It doesn't look very ...very . . ." Tony got out quickly before his mom could think those second thoughts he could see settling in like wispy clouds. He grabbed his bags. "It's fine! New tires and everything, Mom. Look." He kicked one as he passed, headed to the curb where he'd spotted a pile of backpacks and bags. A tall, older boy smiled faintly as he approached, and pointed at the stack. "Throw it anywhere for Ravenwyng." He watched as Tony did so, then turned his attention back to the Gameboy in his hands.
The man at the fore of the bus came around to meet them, smiling. He stood and watched as the driver swept a baseball cap off his waving, dark brown hair and bowed. "Gavan Rainwater, at your service." He looked at Tony then, his vivid blue eyes shining with laughter. "Said your good-byes? Have all your gear?" He wore a tie-dyed shirt that brought out the brightness of his eyes, and faded jeans, and his hair curled down to his shoulders. He leaned on a cane, the carved silver wolf's head cupped in the palm of his free hand although he did not look the least bit crippled. The wolf's jaws held a large crystal in its teeth. Tony stared, a little uncertain. "I am speaking to Tony Wyzek?" "Ah. Yes, sir." "Ready to go?" Gavan tapped the side of the bus gently, knocking the wolf's snout against the raven wing. "Hello and well met!" He beamed at Tony's mom as she came around the side of the bus. He bowed with a flourish. "Your sister drove you?" He smiled past Tony at Linda, and he could hear his mother make a flustered noise as they shook hands and Linda explained that, no, she was his mother.
Rainwater answered, "No? Really?" as he shook hands all around. Linda's face pinked, while Tony looked over the other campers. Barely a handful waited. The tall boy was quite clearly the oldest, by several years. A long-haired Asian girl, her face intent on a paperback book held in her hands as she sat cross-legged against the school grounds fence seemed to be waiting by the Ravenwyng gear; he wasn't sure. He could not catch the title of her book, but the cover looked like it was a fantasy of some kind, a flowing white horse and a minstrel or someone leaning against it. She looked up, smiled faintly, then went back to reading. Two boys his age or a bit older sat on their sleeping bags, bolstered by the chain- link fencing, steadfastly ignoring everyone around them. They were playing cards, attention riveted on the colorful squares in their hands, looking up once and then back to their game as though nothing else were more interesting. One had flaming red hair and the other looked as wide as he was tall, but in a muscular way, and grunted every now and then over a card. Another van pulled up outside and a boy got out with two young women, one older than the other. Tony watched as Gavan greeted them and apparently also flattered the women as well. The boy came to stand near Tony and introductions were made. Tony learned his name was Jason Adrien, and that the women he'd come with were Joanna and Alicia, his stepmother and stepsister.
A car chugged in next to the bus. With a battered fender and dings all around, it smelled hot, and before it was fully parked, the girl inside had the door open. "Wait for me! Wait!" she cried out, all arms and legs, and dark golden- brown hair bobbing in a ponytail. Her hair caught the late afternoon sun in streaks of platinum. Her camping gear left the car in an avalanche, her body caught in the middle. Breathlessly, she kissed her mom good-bye. "I'll write! I promise! Lots and lots." Her mother seemed an older version of the girl—heartshaped face, no freckles, though, her own golden-brown hair pulled back at the nape of her neck. She laughed. "Slow down, Bailey, they're not even loading yet!" She laughed again as Gavan Rainwater took her hand. "I really recommend you keep her away from caffeine for a day or two," she said to the counselor. He smiled. "Madam, your daughter is enchanting." "That's one word for it." She tugged on Bailey's ponytail in a fond way. "I talked with an Eleanora. Isn't she here?" Gavan Rainwater gave a slight bow. "She is most definitely here. She left in search of drinking water, I expect her back any moment now." He produced a small slip of paper out of nowhere. "Well. One lad still expected, one Henry Squibb, and then we're off!"
Jason bent to help Bailey. She bent over at the same time, knocking their heads with an audible clunk. He staggered back a step. Bailey's face turned red as she stammered an apology and they both reached for the same bag, her hand grabbing his wrist instead. She jumped back as if burned, and practically fell over the young woman who had appeared by the front of the bus. "Good heavens." She caught Bailey by the shoulders and steadied her, dusting her off. "Everyone here yet?" Gavan bowed. "Even as promised, the incredibly talented Eleanora Andarielle." The young woman flushed slightly and gave the group a little curtsy. She wore black from head to toe, although her skirt had small white flowers sprinkled on it, and the gauzy material looked thin and light. She wore a barely seeable white underblouse, a billowing long-sleeved black blouse over it. "Not incredible, just a bit thirsty." She wore a very large and apparently heavy music case over one shoulder. She put a slender hand out to Bailey's mother and then to Linda. "So pleased to meet everyone." Bailey leaned close and whispered, "What did we get for counselors? Rejects from a Grateful Dead concert? He's in tie-dyes and she's a Victorian Goth." He glanced at the counselors. Indeed, they seemed a world away from the khaki-and sandal-dressed adults standing at the other end of the parking lot, clipboards in their hands and whistles round their necks, tanned legs showing under their shorts. The noise of one of the sleek buses firing up and preparing to pull out at the other end of the lot almost drowned out her soft voice. As it passed them, Tony could hear voices already raised in a chanting song, punctuated by cheers and laughter. "Not everyone has to look alike!" he shot back at Bailey. "True." She nodded sagely. "You don't look like anyone I've ever seen before." As if overhearing, Eleanora apologized. "Forgive my attire. I was giving a dulcimer concert earlier." She tapped her music case. "Oh, dulcimers!" Joanna clapped her hands together. "What a beautiful instrument to master." "I'm afraid I've far from mastered it, but the tea seemed to go well. I may not look ready to be a camper, but I'm sure we're all eager to hit the road. Thank you for trusting us with your children." Gavan knocked on the side of the short bus and threw open the luggage bay. "It's getting late, ladies and gentlemen. Let's start loading while we're waiting." He stood by while those sitting got to their feet, stretched, and began to toss their bags into the bays. Tony sat near the middle of the bus, across from Jason and Bailey, who started playing Monopoly. She was beating him soundly when they both looked up and saw that the Ravenwyng bus was the only one left.
The empty parking lot suddenly came ablaze with headlights and a honking horn. The headlights blinked frantically in the late afternoon sun as they pierced the gathering shadows. Doors opened. A jumble of family members popped out like bees swarming out of a hive, depositing their charge at the bus steps, he red of face and panting. He seemed to be Tony's, Jason's and Bailey's age. His short, spiked brown hair, glasses, and round face gave him a slightly bewildered owllike expression. "You're late," Eleanora said quietly from her corner of the front seat. "But not very!" Gavan countered cheerfully. "And, look, it's almost the cool of the evening." He opened the passenger door to the front seat. "Need a hand?" The camper huffed and puffed on board, trailing bag after bag, slung from his hands, around his shoulders, waist, and neck. The owlish lad plopped down next to the older boy although the bus was still half-empty. "I'm Henry," he said cheerfully and stuck his hand out. "Henry Squibb." "The other smiled faintly. "Jonnard Albrite," he said, and shook Henry's hand. "Call me, Jon. You just barely made it." "Got that right. Dad wouldn't stop for instructions!" Henry let out a rolling laugh, and Jason instantly liked him. Bailey grinned, too. He waved cheerfully at the reading girl. "Ting!" She looked up, her mouth curved, and she waved back. "That's Ting Chuu," Henry announced cheerfully. "Ting is Chinese for graceful. I met her at the Imagination Festival." He tugged his windbreaker around his chunky form, getting comfortable on the seat as the bus engine started with a roar and began chugging. "Is everyone a winner?" A snicker came from the back of the bus. "I see a bunch of losers." Before anyone could protest, Gavan called out, "We're off!"
With a lurch and a hum of tires, the vehicle shot forward, and Jason saw the beige blur of his hometown slide past. The vehicle surged along the highway as the sky darkened in a blaze of pink-lemonade clouds and a layer of blues, deepening where it touched the foothills. Eventually tired of Monopoly, both Jason and Bailey put their heads back and must have dozed. Tony read until it grew too dark, then took to staring out the window. Jason woke and stared, disturbed. The countryside seemed to be flying past, but a look over Gavan Rainwater's shoulder showed the speedometer well within the speed limit. The crystal in his wolfhead cane caught the slant of the late afternoon sun and sent prism light dazzling into Jason's eyes. He sat back and rubbed his right one a little. They could not possibly be headed the right way. Nor did any other car or truck seem to be on this highway. And that was truly incredible. Roads in Southern California simply were not empty. Not unless they headed off across the bleak desertlands or something but that would be headed east, not north to the mountains. And, by his calculations, they wouldn't arrive till the middle of the night or later. Bailey had a small denim knapsack and hugged it to her, before loosening the flap. "Hungry?" He shook his head. She pulled out a granola bar, unwrapped it, and began to pick at it delicately. "While crinkling the bright foil, she bent her head and said, so only he could hear, "This trip has a time of its own." He looked at her. "That's impossible." "Cross my heart, hope to barf." Bailey finished half her bar, rewrapped it, and neatly put it away. "We're going nowhere fast." Bailey saw the worry on Jason's face and looked out the window, too. She frowned and whispered, "Told ya." He didn't like the fact she'd been reading his mind. Bodies to the rear shifted uneasily as well. "Hey, man, we're in the middle of nowhere."
A small green sign appeared, coming into view. Roadrunner Way off- ramp, it notified, 3/4 miles. There was no way of determining if the sign was correct or not, as the highway itself was turning in and around small golden hills, browned by the sun and summer heat. As he peered toward them, he thought he saw a small, dun-colored dog trotting down the road. It swerved and dashed away as the car roared past. No homes out here, it could not have been anyone's pet. Coyote? His glimpse was too fleeting to tell. As they turned down a gradual slope, the off-ramp of a much smaller road forking off came into sight, along with a faded and battered sign proclaiming: Gas Food Lodging. Someone had X'd out Food and Lodging. Eleanora frowned. "We're lost," she said softly to Gavan. Tony could barely hear her. "Nonsense. There's nothing out here to get lost on." Her head came around sharply and she whispered something that sounded like Dark Hand that made Gavan look thoughtful. But Tony was almost sure she couldn't have said that, because it made no sense. It immediately became very quiet. Jason found himself nearly asleep again, his chin jerking as he almost tumbled into a dream. His eyes did not want to stay awake. He pinched his kneecap and, though it smarted, the pain flung his eyes wide open. He found himself staring into a great dark mountain and the road ending abruptly at its foot. Gavan murmured something to Eleanora. She answered back softly and leaned out of her seat to put her hand on the wolfhead cane. The car shuddered as if on rough road. Gavan struggled with the steering wheel. They bumped from side to side. The vehicle's lights beamed yellow rays into inky shadows. Tony found himself holding his breath. Bailey jerked at Jason's elbow. Her eyes opened wide. "We're gonna die!" She covered her face with her hands and let out a squeaky shriek. Eleanora looked around at them. "It's just a tunnel." But her voice seemed strained as if she could barely find the strength to say another word. Her hand quivered, and the wolfhead cane trembled in her hold. The bus danced and swerved on the dusky road. Tony stared into the night. He could see no tunnel's edge in the massive rock ahead. Only pitch-black mountain dead in front of them. He took a deep breath. They plunged into a cold darkness.
The tunnel swallowed them whole. The car bucked and tossed in the coldness. Jason scrubbed his eyes against the nothingness. It flowed past him, slimy and cold. Bailey shivered against his shoulder. He inhaled. "Come on, Eleanora. Forget about your shoes and give me all you've got," Gavan muttered. Eleanora gave him an annoyed look, then frowned. The crystal in the wolfhead cane seemed to be the only light left. The silvery head seemed to glow with warmth, and the crystal flared. It let out a tiny flash and then, suddenly as if ejected, they shot forward and out of the tunnel. Bailey hiccuped. Henry Squibb let out a shaky laugh as pale light flooded in through the windows. Someone whooped from the back of the bus. Not only was it not total darkness ...it was no longer evening, though close to dusk. Gavan slowed, dirt and gravel crunching under the tires, as he turned down a lane edged by wilderness. Thick with evergreens and other trees, and a jagged ridge of true mountains off to the east. A very blue sky with lowering purple clouds. A cardinal winged past in a streak of scarlet. Bailey said, "Go tell Dorothy we're not in Kansas anymore." Her head swiveled about, taking in a forested area that obviously got far more rain than any forest in Southern California. Jason was beginning to understand what she meant. He sat on the edge of the bus seat. Eleanora settled back with a sigh, dropping the wolfhead cane. Gavan called out cheerfully, "We'll be just in time for the first campfire!" He drove in under a swinging white sign over a sagging metal gate, white paint flaking and edged with rust. Faded dark letters read CAMP RAVENWYNG, with another version of a bright-eyed soaring raven. The gate didn't look as if, even closed, it could hold fast. The terrain itself sloped gently as the road wound uphill. He could spot large cabins, roofs peaking through small clusters of trees and shrubs, the buildings grouped by twos and threes. The road broke into a very big clearing with three very large buildings, and Gavan pulled to a stop next to several other battered but evidently reliable old buses, their sides white with dark-winged logos.
They piled out, as Bailey would say later, like rats off a stinking ship. The redhead punched his friend in the shoulder and said, "Hey, Stef. This is a dump." "You're a dump, Rich." Stefan thumbed his nose. He stretched his chunky body. "At least we're finally someplace." He ran his hand through his spiky brown hair. "Maybe we can pan for gold or something." He snickered. He ignored the small crowd of campers and adults standing outside what appeared to be a large barn, the buildings old and weathered. "Although I gotta admit it doesn't look like much." Gavan swept his hat off as he helped Eleanora down the bus steps. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ravenwyng. Dinner will be ready in a bit. After dinner, we will be meeting in the Lake Wannameecha Gathering Hall to go over cabin assignments, and tomorrow we'll start our first full day of camp! Gather up your things and put them in the Hall for now. In the meantime ...toilets are in that building there. One side is for the ladies, one for the gents. Ladies' cottages are around the curve of the lake. "Most, if not all, will be explained on the morrow!" Eleanora dusted herself off before heading away to the distant building, moving with a graceful, gliding step, her shoes hidden by the sweeping hem of her long skirt. Then came dinner, which was so good that Tony had to stop himself from overeating. By the time they left the mess hall, darkness had fallen once again. Little moon stayed out, a thin shivery sliver in the sky. The sound of music carried to them, and they set out in search of it. The smell of woodsmoke filled their nostrils, and a thin, gray funnel could be seen wafting up to the night sky. The melody grew brisker and brisker until they nearly ran to catch up to it.
The three found themselves in a clearing. Gavan Rainwater stood, surrounded by the orange sparks coming off an immense bonfire, fiddling away, a short black cape hanging from his shoulders, his body in motion as he danced and strode to the music he bowed. With his dark hair curling about his face, and the fiddle alive in his hands, he looked rather like a Gypsy. Other campers and the counselors began to gather. Eleanora came in last, silently, and took a seat on a stump, looking up at Gavan as he reeled off the last of the air, and stood for a moment, inhaling deeply, becoming still. He bowed solemnly. "Time to meet some remarkable teachers." "He pointed with his bow. "Tomaz Crowfeather." A short, thin man stood, his face weathered, his eyes dark, his hair parted in the middle and pulled back into a twist anchored by a shining feather. He wore a vest over a faded denim shirt and jeans that looked as if they had indeed been beaten into worn softness by rocks. Beaten silver disks set off by turquoise nuggets in his braided leather belt and bracelet flashed in the firelight. He gave a half bow of acknowledgment. "Anita Patel." The shadows yielded a slight, graceful woman who wore a sari and pants, and as she turned and waved at all of them, tiny bells on one anklet pealed. "I will show you how to breathe and move," she said softly, but everyone seemed to hear her. A crimson dot accented her forehead between dark brows. "Adam Sousa!" Gavan pivoted on one heel and pointed his bow at an intense young man sitting on a log at the fire ring's far end. Sousa jumped up. His long, slender fingers tapped a rhythm on the silver cornet hanging from his belt as he flashed a grin. "Mathematics and Music," "Gavan said and bowed to Sousa. "Eleanora Andarielle. Literature and Mythology." Eleanora raised her hand and waved. "Elliott Hightower and Lucas Jefferson, Sports and Crafts." Across the bonfire from them, Tony could do little more than spot the two men by their gestures. "Cook FireAnn! An enchantress with herbs and food." FireAnn danced into the gleaming bonfire light, her hair freed, and did a turn of an Irish jig around Gavan before bowing and dropping back into the shadows. They all cheered FireAnn. "Plus, we have one or two guest lecturers who may drop in from time to time! Now, I am done talking. Sit. We have marshmallows to roast and names to exchange and bedtime coming all too quickly." So they sat, and Tomaz Crowfeather passed out green sticks he'd whittled for roasting spits and FireAnn passed out marshmallows and they sang camp songs and cheered until the flames grew smaller ... and smaller ...and smaller.
Then it was time to get their gear from the Gathering Hall. It was a long wait and Henry's sleeping bag exploded a few times before the counselors came to get them. Gavan and Eleanora came to the front of the Hall, and the tired campers fell silent, watching. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "It's late and we're all ready to turn in. But in what cabin, in what bed? What companions shall share your adventures with you in the coming weeks?" Gavan shook his head and tapped his cane on the floor. "Too difficult a problem for a mere mortal to solve. So we have called upon the Wishing Well, and a ritual older than any of us here! You'll be led out, and given words to speak. Remember them! Repeat them precisely! Your very future depends on it!" He pointed his cane at Jonnard and then Stefan. "Crowfeather, Sousa, take your first victims!" "Eleanora and Anita, take those two hostage!" He pointed at Ting and Bailey. Bailey went with a giggle, but Ting's eyes were very big as they were led out the door. Gavan rapped on the floor. "Hightower, Jefferson, those two!" And the wolfhead cane pointed at Trent and Jason. Just then, Tomaz returned with Sousa and escorted Tony and Henry outside. Outside, the lights seemed very thin against the darkness of the evening. The others shuffled through the grass and dirt to an old structure he had not noticed before. It seemed to be a genuine stone wishing well, complete with a great wooden crossbeam that had a bucket hanging from it. The roof was littered with pine needles. He could hear whispering voices ahead of him, but nothing clearly. Bailey suddenly bounced in excitement and started to bolt back to the Gathering Hall. She slid to a stop beside them. "Kittencurl! I'm at Kittencurl Cottage!" Almost before she had stopped, she was off again. Trent shook his head. "Better her than me," he muttered. Jason laughed. Hightower instructed Jason on what to do, but Tony couldn't hear it. He and Trent both ended up in Starwind Cottage. Tomaz curled his hand about Tony's arm. He bent down. "Now listen to what I say very carefully when you get to the well's edge. You'll be repeating after me." "Mmmm ...okay." Tony felt a little foolish. Ting passed them without a word, but her mouth curved in a secret smile. The stone-walled well looked very old. A small sign, firmly fastened to its roofing said Water Not Potable. Trent hissed in his ear, "Means you can't actually drink from it." "Tony nodded. He put his hands on the rim of the well, the cold stone clean and firm to his touch. Dark water lapped below and reflected back the thin gleam of the moon. "Now repeat after me," Hightower said quietly, and gave Tony the lines one at a time. He took a quick breath and blurted them out to the well. His voice echoed very faintly: "Brick and Mortar, Stone and Stick,/Which roof and walls/For the summer call?"/Wishing well,/It's time to tell!/Which cabin shall I pick?" The last echo dropped away and for a moment, there was total silence. Then, breathily, in a voice that was neither male nor female but very odd, it answered: "No matter where you roam/Your heart holds your home./In my waters, the answer true/Of the cabin meant for you." Tony sucked in his breath at the eerieness. Maybe someone was hiding in the trees behind them talking, maybe someone wasn't. He looked down into the well. The waters seemed to stir, and then the voice sighed a word he was not sure he caught. He looked up. "Skybolt?" "Good choice, lad! Nice cabin." Hightower thumped him on his shoulder. "Go get your gear, I'll be taking you and the others going that way in a bit." Henry and Jonnard both ended up in Skybolt with him. Skybolt turned out to be a rustic log cabin with windows on all four sides, bunk beds, and a built-in writing desk with a lid that lowered (which Jon called "primitive, but nice"). Jon seemed friendly enough, but for some reason Tony had an uneasy feeling about him. Oh well. It was probably just nerves, Tony figured. Things would look better in the morning. He unpacked until he was so tired he fell asleep on his bunk.
The next morning, he, Jon, and Henry awoke to a commotion that sounded as if it came from the kitchen. It was FireAnn banging pots and pans together, attempting to scare away critters that had tried to make their homes in her kitchen. Eleanora joined in and helped her get them out, but the animals left a mess behind. Eleanora said five campers would have to help FireAnn clean up so that breakfast could be prepared, and Tony and Bailey were among those drafted. Henry and Jon went to clean the cabin, like the other campers. By the time a cornet call floated through the air, they were done, dusty, and starving. Hightower and Jefferson met them at the boys' side of the bathrooms with towels and soap. Soon, they were scrubbed and dressed and still starving, lined up at the mess hall doorway. Tony's stomach rumbled, as he smelled delicious aromas of breakfast ahead of them. Jostling to get trays, plates, and utensils, Jason could see a line of eager campers ahead of them. The hall was only a third filled, though, built to hold far more campers than their numbers. Finally, they made it to the front of the line. The wait was worth it. There were piles of fresh, fluffy biscuits. Bowls of butter and homemade fruit jams to go with them. A dish of hot, steaming sausage gravy to pour over the biscuit, if you'd rather have it that way. Jason couldn't decide, so he split his in two and had one half with jam and the other with gravy. Down the line were scrambled eggs and crisp bacon. Nectarines and grapes and melon. Milk and individual boxes of cold cereal. Jason trailed after Trent and watched as the wiry boy heaped helping after helping onto his plate. By the time they headed to the tables, Trent carried a small mountain of food in front of him. Even Henry Squibb and Jonnard dropped their jaws in astonishment as he passed by.
Actually, Tony was beginning to wish he had taken two whole biscuits as Trent had. The hearty flavor burst in his mouth as he gobbled his down. The bacon was crispy with a slight smoky flavor and the eggs creamy and fresh tasting. He polished off a just right, juicy nectarine, and looked for a paper napkin to wipe his chin. Jonnard passed him one. Henry and Trent finished eating at about the same time. By then, Hightower and Jefferson had moved to the front of the mess hall. "All right, ladies and gentlemen. I hear almost all the cabins are in tiptop shape! Well done to the dirt crews. This morning, you ate wherever you felt like it, but starting tonight, you'll be eating at the table that matches your cabin. And showering and so forth on your schedules. So keep in mind that your cabin mates will be with you a lot. "Headmaster Rainwater and Jefferson and I will be looking you over throughout the day, seeing what you're made of and throwing together regular schedules according to your ages and abilities. We've campers here from ten to fifteen, so we want to make sure everyone's having fun. Okay, now. The day's schedule will be posted at the front of the mess hall. The schedule for tomorrow will be posted after evening meal. It's your job to read it and know what's going on, and show up for activities." Hightower rubbed his bony hands together. "Any questions?" Trent's hand shot up. Elliott Hightower looked at him. "Did you play basketball in school?" Hightower's eyes widened in surprise and then he let out a chuckle. "A little. All right, then, turn in your trays. Be sure to scrape and clean your plates and sort out the recyclables. Be kind to the kitchen crew, your turn is next week!" As they left the mess hall, Tony noticed Bailey up front wearing an apron and a chef's hat. She was looking at something across the room from them. Tony looked in that direction and saw Rich arguing with FireAnn about wanting to know what was in her food, and FireAnn flatly refusing to tell him. Finally Rich left, saying "We'll just see about this." "Indeed we will," was FireAnn's crisp reply.

Later that night, after bonfire and the song known only as "Parting", everyone headed for bed. There wouldn't be any sleep for anyone in Skybolt for awhile, though, because it seemed someone had filled Henry's sleeping bag with shaving cream and it had gotten in his socks. Now he was dancing around on the porch trying to shake them out. Tony looked off in the distance and saw two shadowy forms that were unmistakably Rich and Stefan slinking away. Henry danced one last shivery jig before going back inside Skybolt, slamming the door shut behind him. Finally all was quiet and Tony drifted off to sleep. The next day brought "Tomes and Tombs" with Eleanora, wherein she taught them to appreciate the power of names, explaining that an object wasn't really that object until you named it. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, except for scuttlebutt going around the camp that a thief had robbed Kittencurl the previous night. The next day or two were also pretty boring, until the day they had pottery class and met "Aunt" Freyah Goldbloom for the first time.
The surprise came after the class was deep into their projects. It turned out Jason was currently being taught by Freyah's niece, Sarah Cowling. It was she who'd recommended him for Ravenwyng. Some of the kids made animals (as in the case of Bailey's mouse, and Tony, who made a frog), while others made dragons (Trent), a car (Rich and Stefan), a teacup (Ting), and some that he wasn't sure what they were (especially in Henry's case). The rain started after dinner and didn't let up all the next morning. Everyone looked bummed or tired, even the usually bouncy Bailey. The rain drummed on the roof, making it hard to hear themselves talk in the crowded mess hall. There was thunder in the distance, but it never seemed to get any closer. Then the sky darkened outside. The room darkened. The lights went off and came back on, fitfully, sputtering. Lightning struck outside, its light blazing off the lake surface, and thunder boom-CRACKED right overhead, the whole mess hall shaking. The lights went off to a flurry of screams. The fireflies made short, darting flights in their glass prison, their white-green spots the only illumination for a moment. Gavan and Eleanora got to the front of the hall at the same time. "Everyone sit and stay quiet," he said calmly. "We'll have power in just a moment." He glanced at Eleanora. "I think it's time." She took a deep breath and then nodded. He tapped his wolfhead cane once, as if to steady himself. Then Gavan bowed his head, and lifted one hand slowly. As he raised his hand, the lights came up. Trent leaned back. "Woah," he said softly, echoing the sounds of awe. Gavan leaned back on his cane. "We have everyone here this morning?" His gaze swept the hall. "Because we believe the time has come to make an explanation. Because you're who you are, a number of you have noticed some odd occurrences around camp. And because you're who you are, there will be more. We had hoped to have more time for evaluations, but this has never been an exact science." He laughed then, and smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen. You were all chosen to attend camp because you showed us a certain talent, an aptitude. Like calls to like. We hope we recognized what we were shown." The lights flickered again, and he frowned. This time he spat out a word, and if anyone doubted he was doing something to restore the power, all doubt fled. At his word, the lights blazed. "How did you do that?" a shy voice asked from the second row of tables on the other side. "Because I have the Will and Talent to do so." Gavan rubbed the wolfhead on his cane in thought a moment, before looking up into the silence. "What was once thought Lost forever is now known to merely have been Sleeping. This camp is intended to show you how to use your talent and develop it. To respect what you are and will become. Magick is alive in the world again, and you are its heirs. You can create it. Wield it. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the world of Magickers." Bailey's eyes went saucer big. Into a room of quiet, she dropped, "Wow. That is letting the cat out of the hat!" She wasn't kidding, Tony thought.
Eleanora drew herself straight, her gaze raking the mess hall. FireAnn had come out from the kitchen, and crossed her arms, wooden spoon still in her hand. Even though breakfast was long gone, and they were buried in leather crafts, she was busy getting ready for lunch. Gavan indicated them. "All of us here are Magickers, in one way or another." Eleanora added gently, but in a voice that carried to the far back corners of the room, "And because we once came from your world, we understand what you must be thinking now." Stefan let out a rude sound, echoed by Rich. She nodded in their direction. "Of course. I'd do the same in your place." She tugged at her flowing skirt, lifting the hem a bit. As the bottom of the skirt rose to expose her ankles, it also revealed another sight. Eleanora floated a good five inches above the floor, her shoes resting solidly on ...nothing. As if to emphasize that, Gavan swung his cane under her. Her face glowed faintly pink. "I don't like being short," she added softly. Gavan snorted. "Waste of energy." "It's my energy," Eleanora returned loftily. She looked back at them. "Even if you don't believe me now ...you will." She stepped back with her usual grace, her shoes moving silently above the floor. She let her skirt fall back around her ankles. "Don't think we're going to hand you a magic wand and teach you to wave it. Magick doesn't come from a wand. Nothing is as simple as that." "The first thing we need to teach you," Gavan said solemnly, "is how to stay alive. That may take a great deal of doing, seeing as how the enemy already knows we are here." "Enemy?" echoed Jonnard. "Of course," muttered Trent. "The balance. Where there is Light, there is Dark. Always." He leaned on his elbows, his fascinated attention on Rainwater and the others. Gavan nodded toward Trent. "There is most definitely Dark. Although we didn't know it at first, and that is where our story begins." Gavan pulled up a kitchen stool and sat on it. Outside, the rain stopped, as though finally worn out. "Nearly three hundred years ago, Gregory the Gray met Antoine Brennard in combat over a disagreement on the basis of Magick. Because of that, all Magick was ripped out of the universe. It was not, then, a war of Good against Evil, although events afterward changed all of us. The shock of that incident killed many Magickers. Stunned others. "Some of us were lucky to fall into a deep, deep sleep. Sheltered somewhere and miraculously left alone till we could awaken and find ourselves in a new world, a new century. Struggle to find ourselves at all."
Gavan cleared his throat. "Most of us who would awaken began to sometime in the last century. Because we are what we are, we found each other. Realized what had happened. Realized what we had won, and what we had lost. Decided on a course of action that, eventually, brought us to this day. "Each and every one of you have exhibited enough Talent for us to decide you could use training and our help. We ask nothing for it. Most of us have spent the last decade or two finding other Magickers and working toward a day like today. The Circle increases; that is our only reward. "Some of you here today will fail to learn. It is not a failure to be someone of worth. Magick is fickle. In some of us, it can come and go unless we learn how to steady it and use it well. "So. In the meantime, we ask that you spend your days here with an open mind, and a closed mouth. What we do must be secret. I've no desire to find myself in a lab somewhere being dissected to see what makes me tick or why Eleanora is on invisible stilts. "Everyone take the hand of someone standing next to you. I want everyone in this room joined." His gaze swept across them, and Jason moved to take Bailey's hand on one side and Trent's on the other. Their hands felt as his did, a little dry and rather nervous. After a moment of stirring and commotion, they all fell quiet again. "Repeat after me," Gavan commanded. His voice started quietly, and as they echoed his words, rose to a thunder on the last. "By hand, by touch, by sight, by mind/By heart, by soul, this vow does bind./Of this circle and magical ways/Locked in my body, the secret stays./I so swear!" He smiled. "Now. There will be some of you tempted to test this binding. I recommend you don't. The disease tetanus was famous for its symptom of locked jaws, but in my time, not all those who had locked jaws had caught that dread disease. Some were merely oath-breakers." Trent's hand shot up. Eleanora nodded to him. "What about our parents? They're not part of the Circle." "No, they're not." She brushed a long dark curl from her forehead as she frowned. "We need your silence this summer, while we can train you to know yourself and learn how to protect and deal with your families. They did send you here, knowing that this is a camp for the talented. How extraordinary . . ." She paused, with a slight smile. "It might be a real shock for them." Gavan added, "Now, while we set up classes for tomorrow in the Gathering Hall, there is an afternoon movie, a mudbowl tug-of-war, and an early night so you can catch up on your sleep. Tomorrow our setup for phone conferences will be working and everyone has a call home coming. Also, we will be having a Talent Show that we are going to videotape and send to all the parents, since we are not having visits. Look for that on the schedule, so you can start practicing. As far as being a Magicker, you'll have lots of questions to ask, and we'll have some answers. But not all. Many answers are for you to find on your own." Tony headed back to Skybolt, where Jon and Henry were playing chess, and Henry and Danno Alfaro from the cabin down the lane stuffed themselves with fresh popped popcorn while waiting for Jon's next move. Then Jason and Trent charged in and a popcorn battle began for awhile. Jason, Trent, and Danno stayed till they all began to get sleepy, and when Jon at last admitted defeat, all non-Skybolt residents left and they settled in for the night.
The next day, Tony was excited about the phone conferences, although he didn't know what he'd tell his parents. After all, he'd just sworn an oath not to tell them about magick. Finally he just told them about some of the typical camp activities he'd been doing, and that he was having a good time. The morning's activities were pretty typical until it came time for crafts. When Sousa's coronet peeled to announce it was time for that, everyone began to head toward the lake where the craft tables were. Although it was midmorning, the sun reflected hotly off the lake and the small breeze felt good as they scattered to their various tables. Gavan and Eleanora stood to one side, quietly talking. It looked as if a thousand diamonds had been scattered over the tabletops but there was an immense banner hanging from the old oak's branch. DO NOT TOUCH. Trent glanced at Tony and Jason. "Looks like they mean business." He slipped his kazoo into a pocket and sat down. Tony considered the crystals and quartzes shimmering in front of them. Bailey sat down across from Trent and Jason, uttering a small word of awe. Her dusting of freckles paled on her face. She put a finger out and a tiny arc of lightning zapped forth, snapping. "Ow!" She yanked her hand back, pinking. Eleanora's gaze swept the campers. "No touching," she said quietly. No one else dared. Bailey sat for a moment with her finger in her mouth, as if burned, before sheepishly leaning back. Her eyes, though, stayed on the glittering objects. Sousa gave a trumpeting flourish on his cornet, saluted Gavan, and marched off, his tailed coat swinging as he walked.
Gavan moved to the center of the craft area and waited. In just a moment, there was an absolute hush. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "Welcome to your first lesson as a Magicker." Tony sat straight. A chill ran down the back of his spine. "You've had fun these past few days as campers, but you all know now why you are here and I'm sure you're more than ready to learn. Today Eleanora and I will introduce to you what will become your closest friend and ally, your closest bond as a Magicker ...your crystal. The crystal you choose will probably not stay with you more than a few years as you grow, but most Magickers never entirely put theirs aside. "It remains as a talisman to those first, exciting, hazardous years learning your crafts. "We will lose some of you over the years as Magickers," he added solemnly. "There can be accidents in this world as in any other. I want you to take your time this afternoon, as we work with you. If your life does not depend on your crystal today ...it will." Eleanora began to walk between the tables. Not too far from them, Jonnard ran his fingers through his hair and commented, "No crystal is alike, just like fingerprints." She looked sharply at him. "That is correct. So today, what we will do is something as simple and complex as picking out your crystal. Needless to say if, after study and observation, the crystal you reach for shocks you..." Rich snickered, and Bailey blushed again. Eleanora patted her on the shoulder. "It is not meant for you." She leaned down and whispered to Bailey, but not so quietly that they could not hear her say, "Don't worry, dear. Someone had to make the mistake of touching them. It just turned out to be you. I did the very same thing, way back when." Bailey smiled gratefully as Eleanora floated down the aisle. She took a place just behind Jonnard although even standing she could scarcely be seen behind the tall, seated youth.
Gavan nodded at Eleanora. "All right, then. As you look at the crystals, I want you to consider each one. I suggest not making a choice unless it is clear to you that there is no other crystal that appeals as much to you. Stand up, Magickers, and begin your first lesson." Trent rolled his eyes as he clambered to his feet. "Just what I need," he muttered. "Belted by a piece of rock." "Hmmm?" Jason answered. Tony leaned over the table, intrigued by the walnut-sized gems. They all seemed to want his touch. How could he choose? And there wasn't just this table ...there were seven other tables. How could only one become his? With a snort, Stefan scooped a rock off the ground and tossed it onto the table in front of Jason. "This one's for you, Jason." He looked at Rich, and their shoulders rocked in mirth, which they smothered as Gavan looked over at them, and said, "I suggest you find your own matches". Still chortling, the redhead shrugged and reached for a pale yellow quartz across the table from him. There was a crackle, a pop, and a yell, followed by a dust cloud as Rich sat down abruptly. He shook his head, eyes round and blinking. Gavan cleared his throat. "I also suggest you all take this a bit more seriously." Trent slowly put his palm out over a pale blue stone. There was a rustling rather like the crackle of static electricity, and he pulled his hand back quickly. His brow knit in a expression of concentration. Tony decided to look at all the tables before even thinking about a stone. Most looked as if they had just been chiseled out of their quarry or vein, not polished or even cleaned, but they were still beautiful. The edges were sharp or brittle. As he leaned over, he could see the shadowy hint of the planes inside, the facets that made them the kind of stones they were. Bailey had evidently followed Jason and Tony. Her freckled arm darted past him, as he paused, and without hesitation she plucked a large amethyst from the table and cradled it triumphantly in the palm of her hand. He smiled at her as she threw him a wide, beaming grin. "Well done," Eleanora murmured as she passed them by.
Bailey retreated to their table in the shadow and stood, turning the crystal over and over in her fingers. "Guys, look at this," she breathed in a voice full of soft wonder. "I'm trying to find my own," Jason answered. He drifted farther away. "But I can see inside . . ." Tony found himself drawn to a rough quartz of nearly flawless clear beauty except for a small part that looked like a cat's eye. Intrigued, he reached for it, and a cooling warmth drifted up from within it. Jason, meanwhile, was drawn to a rough quartz of nearly flawless clear beauty except for a rough vein of gold and dark blue chips. He started to do as Trent had done, hold his hand over it to see if the warding energy inside would react to him. Inside, a cooling warmth drifted up. Gavan was behind him. "Not," he began to say, but he was too late, as Jason picked up the quartz and a welcoming thrill went through his entire body. "That one," Gavan finished. Jason twisted around to look at him. "Why?" Gavan instead looked at Eleanora. "I thought we decided not to put that one out." She looked back, a defiant expression on her face. "I agreed to no such thing." Gavan met Jason's curious stare. "You may pick another if you wish. I will Unbond that." "No." He shook his head quickly. "I like it." "Yes, but . . ." Gavan paused. "I'll discuss it with you later." "Come look at mine, Jason," called out Bailey persistently. "Hold your horses." He took a moment to look at his crystal closely, turning it over and over on his palm. It was both a fine and rough object, beautiful and ugly. Just then Tony and Jason heard a muffled shriek. Tony whirled around, startled, only to see thin air where Bailey had stood. Thin air and a crystal hanging in it. Then it quivered and plunged to the ground. Jason had seen it too, and his impatient look vanished immediately. His jaw dropped, and he blurted, "Bailey's gone!"
"The absolute first rule of Magicking is never drop your crystal." Gavan sheathed his cane inside his short cape and then added briskly, "No one move." Too late. Jason had already jumped the bench and scooped up the amethyst before the words left Rainwater's lips. The purple gem felt warm in his hand as its rich facets twinkled up at him. No wonder Bailey had picked it, he thought, cupping the crystal. As to what had happened to Bailey ...he looked up as Gavan reached him and gently took the crystal from his hand. With a shake of his head and a knotting of his brow, Gavan rolled the object between his palms. The camp leader seemed to blink in and out of focus for a moment. Jason rubbed the corner of his eye and tried to fix Gavan firmly in his sight as Rainwater glanced toward Eleanora and shook his head, once. She paled. "As you may note," Gavan said dryly. "The crystals can help you unlock any number of abilities. It is important, mortally important, not to attempt to do anything with them until you've been instructed how to handle them. "Bailey is fine, that much I know. That is not always the case." "What do you mean mortally important?" Rich leaned on his elbows, tossing his crystal up and down, up and down. A faint sneer curled one corner of his mouth. He seemed very unconcerned about what had happened. Jason felt a glower creeping over him. "He means," Eleanora said, frowning, "your lives will depend on it."
She moved quickly, sweeping the unchosen crystals into trays and setting them aside, covered. Although every move was briskly efficient, her usually bright eyes seemed shadowed with an expression of worry. "It didn't zap me," Jason murmured, as he realized something. His hands itched vaguely in memory of holding Bailey's crystal. "No, it wouldn't. It's been attuned to Bailey." Gavan turned the crystal over and over. Afternoon sunlight gleamed throughout the purple walls tumbling through his fingers. "It's imperative we find her as soon as possible." "But ...what happened?" asked Ting faintly. "Miss Landau is gone," Eleanora said. "D'uh," commented Rich. He nudged Stefan's thick shoulder. "Once you have learned a bit," she returned smartly, "you will realize there is a world of possibilities that could have happened. This is the most dangerous time in any Magicker's life, the beginning, when you first learn how to handle yourself. It's when you make the most mistakes, of course ...and when you are first hunted." At her last words a hush fell over the campers. Jason looked at her pale face. He should put his own crystal in a pocket, he knew, or some place safer, but he felt better with it in his hand where he could grip it, feel it. Ridged edges pressed sharply into his fingers as he curled his fist tightly about the object. "Hunted?" echoed Jon. She nodded to him. "By those who can't understand or are jealous. And by those on the Dark side, whose nature it is ...to hunt." She glanced at Gavan who stood very still, cupping the amethyst, and who looked back with a faint frown, and shook his head, again, very slightly. He pocketed the amethyst.
Ting stared with wide, dark eyes. She held her faintly pink crystal at her throat, and stared at the blank space where Bailey had vanished. A cold shiver ran through her slender figure. Jason put one hand over the other, covering his mark, his own crystal still in his fingers. He looked nervous.Who were the hunters? Of what and why? He tried to hide a shudder, echoing Ting. Jennifer moved over next to Ting and rested her hand on the girl's shoulder. "They'll find Bailey." "Of course we will!" Eleanora nodded emphatically and added, "Because Gavan and I will be busy, I'm going to dismiss the class today, with homework. All of you were asked to bring a jeweler's glass or loupe to camp. I want you to take a look at your crystal with it and see if you can draw what you discover under the lens. There will be facets, angles, and chambers. Let's see what you can translate to paper, if you can, those of you who have studied geometry. Even more importantly, I want you to note the colors in your crystals and see if they have a feeling for you. Color is the result of light energy, and energy is what we Magickers draw on." Eleanora clapped her hands lightly. "And most importantly, do not look too deeply into your crystals or try to enter them ...or we will lose you as well. There will come a time for that, with training," Rainwater added tautly. Eleanora's slight form dipped for a moment as if she lost altitude suddenly, and she put a hand out to Gavan to steady herself. They exchanged a low word or two that Tony could not catch. She then inhaled very slowly. "This is not as serious as it looks. We'll have Bailey back by dinner." Stefan snorted. "The question is ...in how many pieces?" Gavan shot the boy a hard look. Stefan and Rich backed into each other, suddenly silent, and milled around as if both were trying to leave quickly.
The next days were more somber than before. Ting was upset over Bailey's disappearance and the Kittencurl thief still hadn't been caught. One morning, they went on a nature hike with Sousa, and by the time they stopped for a break, several of the boys were ravenous. Tony settled down in the middle of the grassy field to eat his snack of fruit and cheese he'd gotten from FireAnn earlier. Suddenly he was aware of something out of the corner of his eye. A squirrel sat there next to him, looking straight at him. It chittered at him and hopped onto his leg, reaching for a piece of fruit. With a chuckle, Tony finally handed it to him, smiling as the little creature sat there eating, making no move to leave. After the food was gone, it settled on his shoulder, refusing to move. Finally Sousa noticed the squirrel and came over to investigate. After a moment, he announced that Tony's Talent as a Magicker was animal sense: he could train and work with animals. When they headed back to camp, the squirrel went with them, and Tomaz gave Tony advice on how to care for the creature, which Tony named Chitter.
That afternoon they had another Crystal Class. Eleanora paused at the front of the tables. "First," she said, "I would like to talk to you about the care of your crystals and quartzes. We had selected a wide variety for you to choose from. Most are rock crystal, which gives you a nice arrangement of planes and facets to focus through. Like anything you use constantly, they can get dirty, oiled from coatings on your hands, and so on. We recommend using only plain water to clean them. Occasionally, water with sea salt. Nothing stronger or different. Your crystals can react with certain other liquids in some cases, or even be dissolved by them. Understood? Plain water, a soft cloth." Eleanora smiled. Rich's hand shot up, and she nodded at him. "Can we be allergic to our crystals?" "Not in this state, I believe. Are you having any reactions?" He shook his head slowly, looking dubious. "No welts or itching?" Rich shook his head again. "Then you're fine. Any other questions?" Rich's hand shot up again. Eleanora looked at him again. "Can they make you do things? Like, you know, have strange cravings?" "Like chocolate, for example?" Jason grinned as the girls all giggled. Rich squirmed. "Not like that, but—" "Like what?" "I don't know, but ...what's to keep us from disappearing like Bailey did?" "Common sense, I hope. We'll have Miss Landau in hand very shortly. In the meantime, nothing should go amiss." Trent muttered out of the side of his mouth. "Little late for that. We've already got a miss missing." Tony bit the inside of his mouth to keep from snorting and drowning out Eleanora's talk. "My suggestion is that you copy down all the strange things you're worried about and make an appointment to meet with me in my office later." Rich paled and shut his mouth tightly. He squirmed as if he wished to say more. Eleanora watched him silently with one eyebrow arched. Evidently deciding not to take the dare, he kept quiet.
"Now, then." She smiled brightly. "Today we're going to learn one of the fundamental benefits of having a crystal, one of its nicest functions." She held hers up, smiled, spoke a word, and a soft golden light flared out, visible even in the sunlit day. Ting leaned forward on her elbows. "Wow," she said softly. "You wouldn't be afraid of the dark," Jennifer said to her. She patted Ting's shoulder. "How do you do that?" Trent breathed at Jason's shoulder. He had his crystal out, but his gaze was fixed intently on Eleanora, and he was rolling his stone through his fingers without noticing it. The light spilled through the Magicker's fingers like a waterfall of gold, cool to the touch, Tony guessed, but glowing as warm as firelight. He looked at his crystal, wondering how she did it. "Focus," Eleanora said. She moved her hand over her crystal, and the light went out. "Focus into your crystal, find the plane you feel most comfortable on ...the facet you can see easiest and you can handle ...and I want you to build a flame there. Think it, imagine it." She passed along the tables as Tony got his out and palmed it. "That's it, Tony." She raised her voice. "Hold your crystal to Focus on it. It's bonded to you and attuned to you. Setting it on a table or desk and looking at it will not activate it." There was a stir all around as the others got out their crystals, digging into pockets everywhere. Henry dropped his with a dismayed squeak, bent over to pick it up, let out a howl when Stefan gave him a wedgie, danced around a bit getting his underwear unknotted, and dropped his crystal a second time. Finally, he stood somewhat quietly, round face very red, hair sticking up all over, and eyes blinking behind the round lenses of his spectacles. He cupped his crystal fiercely, moving to put Danno and Jon between him and the rest of the class.
Ting and Jennifer bumped shoulders, trying hard not to giggle, as they held their crystals, hands wiggling as they suppressed their laughter with a muffled snort. Ting's rock crystal held a pleasant pink tinge to it. Tony could not help but notice the two girls, their noses wrinkling in concentration as they stared. Jennifer's blonde hair swung forward, like a fine golden curtain, covering part of her face as she ducked her chin and looked down at her hand.
A pang went through him for the missing Bailey. Trent's comment aside, he fretted over the fact that the Magickers seemed to have no idea what had happened except that they seemed somewhat unconcerned in front of everyone but sounded worried when they thought they were unobserved. Crystals and poofing Magickers did not seem to be entirely unexpected though. Wishing he knew what they did, he stared down into his crystal and tried to keep to the subject at hand. Or, in his hand, as it was. Having an object that could light up like a flashlight, with no batteries needed, would be great, he had to admit. The cool depths of his crystal seemed an unlikely place to hold fire or light, though. He tried to project a spark onto its surface, only to lose the glint over and over. Like a snowflake melting, it would fade before he could build it into a larger glow, even as he frowned and stared until he could feel a dull, throbbing headache pain between his brows. Pressure descended till he felt like he had an elephant standing on his head. Looking away, Tony rubbed his eyes. Across from him, Ting's crystal hummed in a rosy glow, her face rapt as she stared at it. Jennifer's pale rock also glowed, with a strong, silvery light that rayed brightly across her hand. Ting's almond eyes widened slightly. "It's ...getting warm . . ." she said, alarmed. Her hand jerked as though she might toss it, but before she could, a ker-RACK! split the air, and her crystal shattered into pieces. She let out a startled squeak. Jennifer immediately grabbed her wrist. "Oh, Ting!" she said in dismay. "Your crystal."
Eleanora hurried over, saying, "Don't worry, these things happen. We can find you another—" and she stopped, staring at the pieces in Ting's hand. "Well," she said finally. "I've seen that before but not often." She stirred through the fragments with a gentle fingertip. "Usually they darken, and go lifeless. However, yours, Ting, still hold the light." She smiled. "Keep them, they might be useful someday. In the meantime, we've got to get you a replacement! Jennifer, why don't you snuff your lantern and take her to Master Rainwater's office in the Gathering Hall, and he'll pick out another." She looked around. "Is anyone else having success in getting "their lantern focused? Don't be discouraged. It takes time." Jon held his palm up, where his green citrine cast an eerie light green light over the table. She nodded at him, unsurprised. Tony rubbed his nose, hard, where an itch seemed to be succeeding far more than his concentration on his crystal. He scrubbed it again, to keep the itch from coming back, and stared down at his crystal. A little twinkle flared and flickered about, almost like a fairy light. Like a small spark in a heavy wind, it threatened to go out. He cupped his hands about the crystal, sheltering it, willing it to just be. Stay ...stay! Danno, at his back, let out a startled exclamation, "Madre de Dios!" and Henry Squibb gave an excited yelp. Tony whirled around just in time to see Henry's crystal flare like a nova with light and then shoot into skyrocketing flames! He leaped onto one foot, howling, then dropped his crystal into the dust. The light immediately went out but it took all three of them—Jon, Danno, and Henry—to kick dust over the flames and put the crystal out.
Eleanora stood in puzzlement a moment, her face white. "Now that," she said, "is something I've never seen." She went to Henry and took his hands. "Are you burned?" "I ...I ...don't think so." Henry shook all over, then straightened. "Well, maybe a little." She nodded, looking over his reddened palm. "Not badly, but I still think you should see Dr. Patel. Off with you . . ." She paused as Henry trotted off a few steps. "Henry." "Yes'm?" He turned around, blinking owlishly through his glasses. "Your crystal, Henry." He took a deep breath and came back to a dirty lump. "What if it ...what if it ...?" "You are its master, Henry, not the other way around." He nodded, and picked it up, dusting it off. Not a singe on it. With a half-smile of relief, he pocketed it, then turned again to trot down to Dr. Patel's quarters.
She let them Focus for another ten or fifteen minutes before holding her hands up, saying, "I think that's enough for today, class. You may have some headaches and crossed eyes from the concentration, that's normal. A nice walk in the brisk air should take care of that! "Good work, everyone." Nobody else had gotten his or her crystal firmly glowing yet, although Tony felt he was very close. Eleanora paused by the end of their table. "How did you do, Trent?" He shrugged. "Not very well. I mean, it got clearer on me, more transparent, but that's about it." "Interesting. Actually, with that stone, it's quite a bit. It's . . ." she paused. "It's stubborn." "Good! 'Cause I am, too." She nodded, and then her gaze fell on Jason. "Jason, you look unhappy." "It just kept slipping away." He flexed his hands, surprisingly tense and tight after cradling his crystal. "It'll come. It shouldn't be easy, making cold fire, don't you think?" She smiled slightly, then glided past to the next group of students. "Nothing," whispered Trent in Jason's ear as they hurried for break and to make it to FireAnn's herbal class, "is easy about this." Jason nodded, matching strides with Trent's lope. The only great thing about the afternoon was knowing that Bailey, at least, hadn't disappeared in an eruption of flame!
That evening, at dinner, Tony was eating heartily when he glanced up at Jonnard and Henry across from him, and noticed a kind of halo about Jon. It was inky black and felt like it could suck him in like a black hole. When he looked again, Jon had left, so Tony gave it no more thought for the time being. However, over the next several days, he saw it many times. It frightened him, so he decided to speak to Tomaz about it. The man said he thought Tony was overtired and it was probably nothing, but he looked far more concerned after he left Tony. In the meantime, a Ghost was haunting the camp, or so it seemed. It was a strange thing: notes left that seemed to spell "help me", SOS written with Trent's drawing papers, and other strange occurrences. Gavan and the other elder Magickers prepared a ritual to banish the Ghost, but Jason happened along when they were in the middle of it and sensed Bailey's presence, causing him to interrupt them before the ritual could be finished. At first the others were skeptical, but then Dr. Patel said she sensed her aura. Jason managed to get her to respond to one of her favorite cookies for a time, but they ultimately lost her. Later, though, Tony was sitting with Jason, Trent, and Ting at a bonfire and Ting held up a repaired blanket she'd been stitching. "A stitch in time saves nine," she proudly declared. However Jason looked at her funny and asked her to repeat it. Suddenly Jason blurted out that Bailey wasn't lost somewhere, but somewhen, and ran off to tell the other Magickers. Tony later learned that they'd managed to retrieve Bailey from her crystal and she joined them for dinner. Ting was elated to have her friend back and they immediately began implementing a plan Bailey had come up with to catch the Kittencurl thief.
Bailey had told them that Tomaz was looking for a skinwalker (also known as a shape-changer). It was Jason, Trent, and Bailey who discovered that the skin-walker was in fact Stefan. Apparently, he had been changing into a bear cub for quite awhile now. Rich knew, and that was why he had been following him all over camp trying to make sure he did not get into any trouble. After all, who knew what trouble a bear cub could get into? Rich made them promise not to tell about Stefan, and they all did, even when they could tell Tomaz suspected he was looking for a bear cub. The cabin thief turned out to be a small female pack rat (a relative of the kangaroo rat that liked shiny things), which seemed to bond instantly with Bailey. It turned out that Bailey had animal sense, which enabled her to not only bond with the pack rat, but to tame other animals as well. That would be evident many days later when Bailey was followed at the lake by a parade of frogs. Bailey named the pack rat Lacey and kept her in her pocket during the day. At night, Lacey ran around the camp, but she always came back to Bailey. They learned to cleanse their crystals and the eye in Tony's quartz became more vibrant after being cleaned. Bailey's amethyst, however, had a wolfjackal trapped in it from when she'd disappeared and it was poisoning the crystal. Once Gavan knew what had happened, though, he got Tomaz to help get the beast out of there, and the amethyst returned to normal. By campfire that night, Gavan returned it to her, much to her delight.
Then one night, Jonnard, Henry, Danno, Jason, and Trent organized a "snipe hunt" as a trick on Stefan and Rich. Jon and Henry led the Hunt, while Jason and Trent messed with Stefan and Rich's cabin. However, something was wrong when they came back. Tony heard something. He put his eye to the shutters, watching. He saw Jon and Henry come stumbling back to their cabin. He stood. It looked to him as though Squibb had been hurt, leaning on Jon as the tall boy helped him up the cabin steps. He could hear Henry's moaning voice. Once inside, Jonnard flicked on a switch, and Henry sat on the floor, face in his hands, crying. Jon looked almost as distressed as Squibb, his face pale and his dark hair going in every direction. Just then Jason and Trent burst in. "What happened?" "He'll be all right," Jon said slowly. He sat down heavily on the desk chair, dropping the two pillowcases. "Did you get their cabin?" "Yes, but—" "He'll be all right!" "No, I won't." Henry sniffled, looking up through his fingers. "It's gone, gone, all of it." Jason stood, baffled. Trent stared. "What's gone?" "He'll be all right." Jon sounded as if every word were an effort. "We took them everywhere. We had them looking in every prickly bush and disgusting hole around the lake." He took a deep breath. Henry made a loud snuffling noise and dragged his sleeve across his face. "It's gone," he repeated, very muffled. "Henry," said Jonnard. "Shut up and go to sleep, you'll be fine tomorrow." Squibb shook his head mournfully. "What's gone?" Trent shot looks from one to the other. "And where's Danno?" "Danno didn't show up. We took Rich and Stefan out for snipes without him. Henry, it'll be all right." "No, it won't." Henry stopped sniffling and instead sat on the cabin floor and began to shake. Pale and shivering, he looked absolutely miserable. Jason squatted beside him. "Tell me what's wrong?" Henry looked up into his face. "It's gone. My Magick. Look ...." And he pulled his crystal out of his pocket. The vibrant, sometimes fiery crystal had gone soot dark. It looked absolutely lifeless. Henry poked a finger at it. "Blasted," he said. "Like me." He sniffled again. Jason touched the stone. Colder than ice. No matter what Jonnard said, Henry was in trouble. Deep, deep trouble .... "What's going on here?" The boys all turned. Hightower stood in the doorway, waiting for an explanation. He did not look happy. Shouts and yells of surprise and anger from several cabins away did not lighten the solemn atmosphere, despite Stefan's loud bellow cutting through the night. Rich shouted threats in his high-pitched voice, although of what they could not tell. Despite the commotion, Hightower's attention stayed fastened on the boy in front of him. Henry stood up, and held his crystal out on his palm, hand wavering. "My ...Magick . . ." he said, and looked at the Magicker hopelessly. Hightower frowned heavily as he reached out and dropped his hand on Henry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, son," he said. "There isn't anything I can do." Henry fainted. Tent and Jason say with him until Hightower sent them back to Starwind, but as Tony looked at Jonnard, he thought he saw a rather self-satisfied look on the older boy's face. The aura surrounding Jon looked like a black hole now and poor Henry's seemed like a void. Could Jon have done something to Henry? Tony had a very uneasy feeling he had.
One huge golden topaz, rough-shaped and unpolished, sitting on the corner of an old wooden filing cabinet like a crystal lantern, lit Gavan Rainwater's office. It looked like a fallen star, Tony thought, as he sat miserably next to Jon, Jason, and Henry, who could not stop sniffing. Trent stayed on his feet, one shoulder to the bookcase that overflowed with books and scraps of paper that looked very much like parchment, and even a few rolled up scrolls. Magickers stuffed the office until the only real room left was the chair behind the desk and that stayed empty for the moment as they waited for Rainwater. Henry rubbed his nose dry, or attempted to. "I'm sorry," he said for the hundredth time. He shredded the damp tissue in his hand. "You didn't do anything wrong," Jason told him, for at least the tenth time. Trent leaned forward and pounded on Squibb's shoulder. Bailey and Ting shared a desk chair, leaning close together, their faces very pale. Lacey scrambled out of Bailey's pocket and down into the palm of her hand, where the pack rat sat very quietly, her tufted tail hanging out, a tiny spidery strand dangling from it. "It was just a snipe hunt," Bailey said quietly, to no one in particular. Tomaz shifted at a sound in the hall, and opened the office door, holding it for Rainwater, who swept in with FireAnn at his heels, a goblet in her hand. Jason instantly recognized the tantalizingly sweet smell. Despite the wonderful aroma, every Magicker she passed seemed to shrink away from FireAnn and the goblet. Tomaz did not shrink back, but turned his face away.
Gavan pulled his chair out and sat down, FireAnn at his elbow, his brow knotted. He looked as if he'd just been awakened, his hair slightly rumpled, his eyes not quite their usual brilliant blue. He leaned his cane against the desk. "This is not good news." "Gavan," began Eleanora, and then she stopped and tightened her mouth. Her dark hair had been pinned up for the night, in a mass of curls about her head, and she barely floated above the floor. FireAnn shook her head at Eleanora. "It has to be done," the fiery-headed cook insisted. Tony realized the Magickers had been arguing. They had that look as they traded glances. Maybe there was hope for Henry yet .... "Well, Henry," Trent said loudly. "Looks like you've been voted off the island." "No . . ." Henry whimpered slightly. He stared at his lifeless crystal. Dr. Patel put a slim brown hand on Trent's shoulder and squeezed. Trent rolled his eyes but shut up as if she'd said something into his ear. Bailey and Ting shifted even closer together. "This is not an easy thing to do, for any of us, Henry." Gavan nodded at FireAnn and took the goblet from her hands. He rolled the pewter chalice between his hands. "In the morning, you'll have good memories of camp. And a case of poison oak, I'm afraid, from tromping through all that brush. Dr. Patel will have called your parents, telling them she's sending you home early for better treatment, and she'll drive out with you." Henry stared through his spectacles at the goblet. "But I won't remember Magick," he said. "The ...the binding ...and ...that." "No. You won't." A lone tear dropped from Henry's already red eyes, and slid over his cheek. He wrung his hands together and, then, slowly, nodded. Jonnard said, "I'll go with you in the morning, Henry, ride in the van with you."
Dr. Patel moved slightly, looking at Eleanora and Gavan. But it was Eleanora who said, "I think that would be nice of you, Jon. It would be good for Henry to have someone with him, and I think his parents would appreciate it, too." Squibb scratched at one arm. He dug in his pocket to get out a small jar of ointment, and Tomaz leaned over and took it from him. "You're going to have to suffer through this one," he said quietly. He gave the jar to FireAnn who sighed as she tucked it away in her apron. "Oh," said Henry. "I really have poison oak?" "Afraid so. It'll be a mild but stubborn case. You'll be fine in a few days although nothing is quite as good as what FireAnn cooks up." Henry pushed his round-lensed glasses back up his nose. "I'll do anything," he declared. "Don't make me go! Please?" "We've no choice. We have to protect ourselves, Henry. Your ...Talent ...as a Magicker has been on the edge your whole time here. And now ...this." Gavan picked up the dead crystal. "We've all seen it before, and it strikes fear in our hearts, because it could, possibly, happen to us as well. You've burned your power away and you're empty. It could come back, I've heard of a rare case or two where it did, but here and now ...you've lost it, Henry. Without it, you're at risk here at camp, and there's little we can teach you. It becomes a matter of protecting you, and ourselves, against outsiders. The Draft of Forgetfulness is a kindness, really. You won't remember what you've lost. It's the best we can do." He extended the goblet to Henry. "Drink it all down." Jason jumped to his feet. "No! Don't let them do it to you." Tomaz put his hand around Jason's elbow. "Jason," he said, in warning. "No, you can't do this. This is the best thing that's ever happened to him, to any of us. Don't take it away from him." Gavan Rainwater said sadly, "We didn't take it away. He burned it out or lost it. All we can do is protect him, and the best way to do that is to return him to the ordinary world where he belongs." Jason struggled. "But he doesn't belong there! Anyone can see that. You can, can't you?" He looked at Eleanora, then Anita Patel, then Jonnard. No one would meet his eyes. "Look, I'll protect him. I'll do whatever I have to do to keep him safe." Bailey offered, "You didn't send me away when I goofed." "This is different. This isn't to punish anyone, it's to protect them, and ourselves." "I don't want to be protected like this." "This is all my fault," Bailey blurted out.
Eleanora moved to the girls, murmuring, "It's no one's fault. It's the way things are." "I dared them to get even with Rich and Stefan." Lacey raced up Bailey's arm and dove into her pocket headfirst, tucking her tail in after, quickly, as though sensing all the upset. Eleanora gently brushed a loose strand of hair from Bailey's brow and tucked it behind her ear. "I think that was a given, regardless." She glanced at Gavan. "May I take the girls back, Gavan? I think they understand the seriousness of our situation here." He scratched at his chin before agreeing, "Good idea." Ting stood and pulled something from her pocket, a light pink stone wrapped in a bit of wire. It glowed faintly. She gave it to Henry, who stared at it a moment. "It's a good luck charm." "A little late," commented Trent. Henry curled his plump fist around it. He smiled nervously at Ting. "Thanks. I think I'm going to need a lot of luck." He watched as Eleanora led the two girls from the crowded office. Jason shrugged against Tomaz. "Henry, don't let them do this to you." Tomaz pulled Jason back against his chest and held him. "No, Jason. This is the best way." "I did it to myself, I think." Henry shrugged. He put his charm into his pocket. "If you do this to him ...you could do it to any of us. To Jon or Trent, or ...or me." His heart felt like it would explode in his chest. Gavan Rainwater leveled his gaze on Jason's face as he answered, "Only if it were absolutely necessary. But, yes, if we had to, we would. Magick has dwindled through the centuries. We are nearly all that is left of it, and yet, even beyond our wish for self-preservation is the belief that we have Magick because we are destined to help with it. So saving ourselves is not as selfish as it appears. But it is necessary."
Tony thought of his own crystal, with the gleaming cat's eye. Henry reached for the goblet. He took a deep breath, then blurted out, "It's okay, Jason." Jason let out a wrenching protest as Henry lifted the Draft and gulped it down, swallow after swallow, as tears streamed down his reddening face. Jon turned away and looked at the wall, as if it were too much to watch. Tony couldn't bear to watch and stepped outside. Trent stared down at his sneakers. Horrified, Jason could not look away as Henry set the goblet down. He belched, then colored brightly. Henry reached inside his pocket and pulled out three computer diskettes and gave them to Trent. "Better keep these. If I forget everything, they won't make any sense, anyway." Trent pocketed the black squares. Henry had neat labels on them. The one in front read: Important! FireAnn's Herbs. Henry had put all his notes on disk. Squibb scratched his other arm, tiny marks already beginning to welt. With a sigh, he glanced at the doctor. "Am I going to itch all night?" She smiled softly. "I've something conventional that will help, although it's not near as good as FireAnn's ointment. You'll sleep soundly." He nodded and stood, wobbly. He took a deep breath. "I wish I didn't have to forget you all." "You won't, exactly. There will have been a camp. Canoeing. Lanyards. Baseball games. You'll have had a great summer." Gavan stood, as well. "You'll sleep in the infirmary tonight, and Jon will have your things all packed and ready to go in the morning." Jon nodded. "What about Danno? Won't he get to say good-bye?" "Danno is sound asleep. I'll explain things to him tomorrow, as well as to the rest of the camp." Henry nodded mournfully. Gavan picked up his cane. "As for the rest of you, we are not done with tonight's activities. We will deal with all of you tomorrow." Trent sighed and slipped out the office door. Tomaz squeezed the hard and callused hand he held on Jason's arm before letting him go. Whether it was meant to comfort or caution, he could not tell. Jason and Jonnard left together, paused in the doorway, and waved good-bye to Henry. Henry brightened a bit behind his glasses. "Nice guys," he said to Dr. Patel. "Did we have fun together?" He smiled at her pleasantly before yawning hugely. "Yes, Henry," she said softly. "You had a lot of fun with them." Jason bolted from the office doorway. He did not stop running till he leaped up his cabin steps and threw himself through the door.
Tony woke early, but not early enough to see Henry leave. One of the buses was missing when he trotted up to the bathrooms, and he stood for a moment, looking at the small lot off the Gathering Hall. He remembered how they had all tumbled out of the buses that first night, tired but eager. The fear that had knotted in his chest last night would not go away. He could understand, for the first time, Trent's growing disenchantment. Although they were all here for the summer, the time was rapidly passing and could end abruptly for any of them. Maybe Trent was used to even harder knocks than Tony, for he seemed to have been expecting this all along. One uneasy thought had been with him through his restless sleep. Up till now, he knew that he was accepted, mistakes and all. He had never asked why. He had never wondered what it was the Magickers wanted of him. Now, he did. It had become clear that something was wanted of each and every one of them, and it had gone unspoken. And, equally clear, if they could not deliver it, they would be shipped off and forgotten. He shivered. He was never sure at home how long he'd be welcome, despite their cheer and smiles. He wasn't one of them, not really. Here he was one of them—or was he?
It was weeks later, and things were somewhat back to normal, but Henry's absence was felt everywhere. The campers were playing a baseball game, but Tony didn't have the heart to play after Henry left camp. Trent and Jason had a falling out of some kind after it was over and didn't speak again. It started when Jason offered help when Trent didn't want it, then supposedly wasn't there when he was needed. Stefan had transformed again and Trent was upset that Jason hadn't been there to help after offering multiple times. Trent stalked off and Jason headed for Starwind to cool off. Soon the camp staff would know that Tony's suspicions about Jonnard and what happened to Henry were correct, and that they had a very big problem. Jason found Jonnard going through the belongings of the Starwind campers and during the course of the conversation in Jason's Lantern light, Jon admitted he was a spy. Just then, Rich and Stefan burst into Starwind looking for revenge on Trent and Jason, whom they thought betrayed Stefan to Tomaz. What they found was so much worse. Jonnard attacked them mercilessly, sending all three boys scurrying out of the cabin so fast that they collided with Tomaz coming around the corner. All three of them barreled into Tomaz. The Magicker rocked back on his heels with an ooof collaring Rich with one hand and Stefan with the other. No longer a bear, but a stocky boy again, Stefan rolled his head around and let out a low bearish grunt as though he might turn, and Tomaz said warningly, "None of that, now." "Jon—in my cabin—spying," Jason blurted out. "Now? It's late. Everyone's at the bonfire, and it's nearly Lights Out." Tomaz directed that last in a stern voice at the two he held in his grasp. He had caught the sleeve of Jason's T-shirt, but he wriggled around and got loose, standing up as Tomaz added, "What's the story with you three?" "He's a troublemaker," said Rich sulkily. Stefan only grunted unhappily. "I told you—we didn't tell on Stefan." Jason cast his gaze on Tomaz. "I've got to see Rainwater. He's got to know what happened with Jonnard. Please." Tomaz gave Rich and Stefan a little shake. "You boys will have to sort this out later. But it wasn't Jason who gave you away. Do you think I could track you all over camp for a week and not know?" "Well." Stefan shuffled about. "Guess not." "All right, then. Back to the cabin. I'll see you in the morning." He leveled a look into Stefan's face, and the other grunted and backed up, almost bearlike, before turning around and following Rich down the camp lane as Tomaz released him. "Now . . . what's this about Jon?" "I caught him in the cabin. He was going through everything. He said he was spying, had been, all along. And then he came at me with his crystal." "Came at you? He attacked you?" Jason nodded, still a little breathless. "You find Rainwater, I'll check camp for Jonnard."
Jason bolted into the Gathering Hall to tell Gavan what he'd learned during his confrontation with Jon, and Gavan cursed himself for not seeing it. They speculated him to be one of the Dark Hand, and Jason realized they'd reached for him the same way they had for Jon. Tomaz came in then and reported no trace of Jonnard anywhere, and no way to trace him. He told Gavan what Tony had said about Jon's aura and cursed himself for dismissing it. This made Gavan and all other elder Magickers present realize that Tony was clear-sighted: he could see the real self of people, who they truly were inside. A Talent like that would be valuable indeed. Tomaz suggested giving the campers the Draft of Forgetfulness, taking their crystals, and sending them home to keep them safe from the coming mana storm, but Gavan was reluctant. He wavered on what to do until Jason asked about sealing Ravenwyng's gates: front and back. Revealing that there was no back gate to camp, Gavan asked Jason for more details. After a long conversation, Gavan theorized that Jason had in fact found one of the Borderland Gates, which would allow them to enter what they referred to as Haven, a safe place for them. When asked to take them to the Gate, Jason landed them almost on top of it, despite the fact it had moved. Unfortunately the wolfjackals had also found it, and they attacked. Eleanor's bought them a reprieve by transporting them briefly to Freyah's home, but it was only temporary. There they learned that Sarah wasn't Freyah's only niece: Eleanora was also her niece (by what relation wasn't revealed). Freyah agreed to warn the council, and then they returned to camp.
They all made a stand, but the danger convinced Gavan of one thing: they would lose Ravenwyng if the storm hit as hard as they thought. The campers had to be sent home, given the Draft, and have their crystals taken from them. Who knew how many, if any, would be back to reclaim them? When Tony was told of this, he was determined not to just sit back and let this happen. So, when Jason told him of a plan to meet at the self-proclaimed Dead Man's Cabin to avoid it, Tony was on board, as were Bailey, Ting, Trent, Rich, and Stefan (who was worried about being sent home before learning to control his shape changes). Halfway to Dead Man's Cabin, they ran into Danno trudging up the path, his haversack on his back. He looked at them. "Where are you two going?" The wind nearly tore the words away before he could be heard. "We're not leaving." Trent waved his lance and banner defiantly. "Man, don't be stupid. We've gotta go. This is like a hurricane coming down on us." He stared from one to the other. "You're serious?" "I can show you how to make the crystal shield, you and two or three others. If even a handful of us stay to help like that . . . we can shield the other Magickers while they strike. There's going to be a fight, Danno. Mano a mano, I think. We can help even if we're not trained. If we go, to protect us, they're going to take our crystals and make us drink." "Like Henry." "That's right." Danno shook his head vigorously. "No way am I going out like that! I'd rather be dragged out. Poor Squibb didn't know me. Didn't know anyone but Jon." He shuddered. He fell in behind them. They made their way through the groves and underbrush to the cabin. Already abandoned, its door had not been lashed shut against the storm. They ducked inside. "Go look for the girls," Jason told Danno. As the other went out, he took Trent by the elbow. "Okay. Now, once we get everyone set up as shields, then you and I are going to find the Gate. We're going to get it open." "You can do that?" "I don't know. I know I have to try." Trent licked dry lips. "Okay. You're sure?" "If I can get that Gate open, the storm should drain off through it. The Borderlands live off mana washes. Right now the Iron Gate is like a wall . . . the mana is coming in to pound on us and it'll just bounce off that wall and pound us some more." "Sounds dangerous." "Chicken?" "Nah, but frankly, I think your plan needs some work." "Think about it, then." Trent nodded. "I intend to!"
Danno came in with the girls and Rich and Stefan. They dropped their bags in the corner. Jason then proceeded to tell them his plan. He pulled out his crystal and lit it, then formed the shield which he had accidentally formed against Jonnard's attack. He strengthened it, extending it as he concentrated, until he had both girls behind it. "Hit 'em, Stefan." "Me?" The stocky boy's face reddened. "C'mon." "Just do it." He rocked from side to side. "Lissen. I play pranks now and then, but I never clocked a girl in the face." Rich said calmly, "This is just for demonstration purposes. It's okay, big guy." Stefan rubbed his nose vigorously. "Well. Okay." He lumbered over and swung halfheartedly at Bailey. He wouldn't have hit her anyway, her reflexes were too good for that, but before she could even dodge away, he bounced back with a yelp, thudding to his tailbone on the cabin floor. He grunted. "Ow." He rubbed his face again. Rich nodded to Jason. "That'll work. Show me?" He tugged on Stefan's ear. "Get up, you aren't hurt!" "Just my dignity." Stefan grunted again as he shuffled to his feet. Danno grinned. He danced on the balls of his feet. "Try again? On me?" Jason put his shield down and said, "Everyone get their crystals out and let's do this." Trent moved to Ting, helping her Focus. After what seemed hours, Ting and Stefan could manage a shield over themselves and two other people. Danno wavered, sometimes himself and two, sometimes himself and three. Bailey could shield herself and four, and Rich a surprising six people in total. Trent had been with Jason, moving back and forth, testing the crystals once they got everyone Focused. They went to sleep, after pooling their resources and making sure Stefan ate well. Lacey even stayed quiet through the night, as if tired by all the Magick being wielded around her. They woke to a gray, misty morning, with rain glistening blackly on the ground. Trent and Danno made a run to the mess hall and brought back leftovers from a refrigerator. "Where is everyone?" Trent shook his head. "In the Gathering Hall, I guess. Making a fortress out of it. Warding it, maybe?" He held out a bulging bag. "This ought to hold us for a day." Stefan reached out and hugged the bag to himself, grunting. "Or not." Trent looked at him thoughtfully. They all did eat, although Stefan grudgingly passed out helpings of this and that from his grocery sack.
They practiced all day, in shifts, until Jason knew that they would be a help to the Magickers and not a burden. It was Trent, though, who said, "We have to hit the computer room." "Why? That could get us busted." "They called all the relatives, Jason, told them we were being sent home. We have to let them know something." Ting made a small sound. Bailey hugged her. "A quick call each," she pleaded. Finally, he nodded. Perhaps it was the tone in their voices. Perhaps it was the hidden knowledge that loving parents and children share. Not one parent said no, although several said, "Do you want us there?" without even knowing what the problem was. Bailey's mom, sounding ever so much like Bailey, choked a little when she said, "Good-bye, hon . . . and be careful." It was heard throughout the room despite the tight hold Bailey had on the receiver. She took a deep breath as she hung up. "Jason. How are we going to get home if everything goes wrong?" He hesitated a moment then said, "I'll show you." And back at Dead Man's Cabin, he showed them how to open a door in their crystals and walk through. None of them dared to try it, knowing that the working of such Magick would alert Gavan and the others. Trent clutched his crystal tightly. Stefan told them when all the buses returned. They ate whatever was left for dinner and fell into fitful sleep, dreaming of tombs and howling storms.
If that first morning was eerie, the second morning was worse. The sun struggled to pierce the storm clouds that turned day into night. The strings of lights thrashed back and forth, and those on the outbuildings glared dimly, as the wind tugged and roared about them. They were down to juice drinks and polished them off quickly. Stefan licked his mouth and drank the one remaining carton. No one begrudged him seconds. Ting looked at him in sympathy. "Not only is he a growing boy, but he's got to eat for a growing bear, too." Stefan sighed sadly and nodded. Jason gazed up from the cabin doorway. "It's dark and quiet. I'd say the attack is about to begin. Let's go set ourselves up." Before he could say anything else, a tremendous ker-ack and BOOM split the skies. The lights went out all over the camp. Tomaz sensed them first or perhaps he caught wind of Stefan. He turned on the heel of his cowboy boot and then frowned heavily as he caught sight of the group. "We had just come to the conclusion that a few of you had slipped away. We all mistakenly thought you were on another bus."
"We came to stay." Gavan shook his head. "We cannot let you do this." "We are all Magickers." Jason nodded to Stefan who already had his crystal curled in his big hand. Without a word, Stefan slipped in behind him, and set his shield up over himself, Tomaz, and Hightower. Both Magickers raised eyebrows in surprise. Each of them did the same, except for Jason and Trent. Trent shadowed Jason as he raised his shield over Gavan and Eleanora. The two of them would likely take the brunt of the attack, so they had agreed to "swap shielding. When one tired, the other would take over. Gavan considered Jason, his lips pursed in thought. "This is something you want to do?" "This is something we have to do." The Magicker nodded. The dark skies reflected in his eyes, making the blue irises almost black. "I cannot tell you if we'll see the Dark Hand themselves or not. They may stay behind the storm and the wolfjackals. But whether we see them or not, they'll throw everything they can at us, to break us here, and drain the mana. So if you see the line breaking, lad, take the others and flee. Promise me that?" "Bailey has those orders," Jason said calmly. "I've shown them how to walk through their crystals." "And you can do it?" He nodded solemnly. "All right." Gavan turned about, settling himself. He put his face into the wind, as the first drops of rain began to fall. "Here it comes."
If he lived to be a hundred, he would never be able to tell the wonder and horror of the storm that came sweeping down to attack them. Cloud creatures of twisted form and might rose to pound at them, "swirling around into motes of sizzling energy. Rain that poured for hours and lightning that crashed around them till the very earth crackled with its discharge. Wolfjackals that came and went in howling packs, circling and attacking only to be driven away gnashing their ivory fangs. He thought he saw forms striding through the clouds now and then. Once, he glimpsed the pale angry face of Jonnard staring at him, but of that he could not be sure. He was too busy to be frightened. And no matter what they faced, they turned the enemy back. Again and again, until Eleanora sat in weariness, one hand bracing her wrist to hold her crystal up. Until Stefan lost his shield entirely and sat snuffling and bawling, bearlike, at failing them. Rich took over, shielding all of that group, his face dead white under his coppery head of hair. All he said was, "You done good, bro."
And they fought like that with no end in sight. Until, hours later, when Gavan looked into the sky grimly through weary eyes and said, "Now comes the worst of it." "It's now or never," Jason said to Trent, and signaled with a jerk of his chin. Rain fell and evaporated in sizzling drops as it spattered across the lines of Magick and wild mana and energy. The air shivered electric blue and stank of ozone and spent spells. Lake Wannameecha moved in obsidian black waves, reflecting the storm boiling over it. They fell back from the battle line and ducked into the Gathering Hall. Jason shrugged out of his backpack and dumped its contents out quickly. Firecrackers, duct tape, and other odds and ends slid onto the varnished floor. Trent said dryly, "Everything but garlic." He leaned over, then poked a finger at curling white cloves lying amidst the other junk. A pungent aroma drifted up. "Never mind, I stand corrected." "You never know," Jason said. He tucked some unpeeled cloves into his pocket, and the Chinese firecrackers into his shirt. Matches went in the other pocket. The box of kitchen matches had come from FireAnn's apron and, before that, apparently an English pub. He stood up. "What's the plan again?" "We crystal to the Gate. The wolfjackals, some of them, will be on us almost instantly. I'm fairly sure they'll sense us right away. You'll have to hold them off while I get the Gate open."
He didn't mention what he thought he would have to do to open that Gate, what Aunt Freyah had hinted to him. They had tried nearly every other way, and nothing had worked. But the Gate had to be opened. Left shut, it was damming up the mana and the storm, and the camp lay helpless in a hurricane of uncontrollable, raging Magick. Open, the mana would sweep through, into a world that not only could absorb it, but most likely needed it. Once past, the Gate's boundaries could be extended to embrace the camp. Jason had been over and over and over it in his mind. He couldn't see any other way. He left his backpack on the floor. He wanted to travel light in case he had to sprint. He touched his crystal in his pocket for the third time, just to make sure he had it. "Ready?" Trent took a deep breath. He shook his head. "No." "What did we forget?" "I'm not going," Trent said. "What—" Jason stopped in his tracks. "I can't do this without you!" "You're going to have to." He could not believe his ears. "You're with me. You helped me plan this. You know what I have to do. Look, I'm scared, too, but we've got to try this." Trent shifted his lance in his hands. "It's not that. I'm not a Magicker. I have no Talent. I can't help you." Jason stared, thinking he hadn't heard right, but his friend's face was serious. "You . . ." "I'm a poser. I've been faking it. And, lately, I've been wondering when it was going to catch up with me. Well, it just did. Maybe that's why the other failures got sent home, because when you need to count on somebody, when you need them the most, you've got to know what they're made of." Trent looked up. "I'm not made of Magick, Jason. I wish to God I was, but I'm not. You know I'm telling the truth. I kept backing out on you, because I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want anyone to catch me." "I . . . I don't believe that." "Have you ever seen me light my crystal?" "Well . . . no." "Because I can't." Trent inhaled deeply. "Ever seen me move anything through thin air? Did you see me put a shield up? No, you haven't, because I can't. You were busy with the others. I was, too. No one ever noticed I never did it myself. Henry Squibb had more Magick in his little finger than I've got in my whole body. I've been ducking out on stuff for weeks, wondering when someone was going to notice, especially you. You, with all your Talent." He smiled sadly. Despair sank into Jason. "Come anyway. You can . . . you can use the lance. You don't have to have Magick to fight the wolfjackals." "You don't need to be worried about protecting me. You need to be doing what you have to do. And let me do what I can." "Which is ... what?" "I can get the backup generator hooked up, pump some electricity into this place. I am pretty sure, with the computers up, I can put on a sound and light show that will knock 'em off their feet. Remember, I've been in the computer lab for weeks. Gavan is pretty savvy, but even so ... this is my magic. I can use it. They depend on other means. I may even have a few moves in me that would halt a Magicker in his tracks." They looked into each other's faces. Jason hardly knew what to say. "Sure?" Trent nodded solemnly. "Pretty sure." "I can't do this alone." "Sure you can. All you need to do is swing that Gate open. We're doing the tough stuff here. Give me those firecrackers."
Jason took the long string of small crackers out of his shirt. He could smell their sulfur and gunpowder as he handed them over. "No sense lighting these all at once. Three or four at a pop," Trent said, as he took them. "That should give the wolfjackals something to think about, while I get to the generators." He gave a shaky smile as he opened his prized knife and began to cut the firecracker string up and shove the small strands inside his shirt, the lance curled inside his elbow. "Trent—" His friend frowned. "What are you waiting for? It's now or never!" He laid the lance on the table and fished around till he grabbed the roll of duct tape. He took his Swiss army knife and fastened it to the end of his lance, wrapping duct tape about it tightly, then handed the lance to Jason, silk flag rippling with the abrupt movement. The raven painted on it seemed to snap at the air. "What's this for?" "That's a sharp knife. That's a long pole." Trent shrugged. "It's the only thing I can give you to defend yourself, okay? You do it quickly, and you get out. That's your only chance. You hesitate, Jason, and they'll pull you down." He took Jason by the shoulders. "Go! We can't make a stand out there much longer. I'm no Magicker, but I know everyone is dog tired." He ducked his head and ran back into the storm, leaving Jason quite alone in the huge Hall. With a sigh, he reached for his crystal again and pictured Iron Gate. Jason's still-bleeding hand managed to close the Gate in time for the mana storm to pass through it harmlessly and Ravenwyng was saved. The Magickers all returned home, knowing their adventures weren't over.
The End