Control (Book Seven) (Fated Saga Fantasy Series) (6 page)

She
gave a shy laugh. “You seem in good spirits this morning. I think everyone is.”

“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” agreed Noa
h. “I guess we’ve all had some time to recuperate. Catch our breath.”

Maria glanced out over the side of the boat. “So where are we anyway?”

“We are just off the coast of Cobbscott, Maine,” answered Billie.

“D
o we have a destination then?” asked Maura, glancing between Billie and Noah, the ship’s navigators.

“We’ve been giving it some thought and we think we need to have a group meeting, a
llow everyone to have their say,” explained Billie.

“We do have options, but I don’t think it’s right for the two of us to decide for everyone,” added Noah. “And truth be told,” he said with a hint of worry, “we can’t seem to decide what the best move is.”

“We
have
decided that trying to seek out Meghan or Ivan could potentially be a terrible mistake. If our escape was a trap set for them...” Billie trailed off.

“
I agree,” said Maria. “We should let them be. I don’t know what those two are up to, but I know Ivan, a little, he’s always been very nice to me. Shy. Quite shy. But, I’d hate to see him get hurt, or lead him into a trap, especially one set up by Juliska Blackwell. I wonder why she wants them so badly?”

No one speculated. No one could imagine, or wanted to imagine, what Juliska
had in mind for them.

“Wasn’t it Ivan that carried you to the hospital after you got injured in the meadow? You were hit pretty hard on the head weren’t you?” asked Billie.

“Yes. Tree fell and I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. Thankfully, I’m okay after all that, but I was told that he did carry me all the way. He must be quite strong. But by the time I awoke, he was gone. I’m afraid I never did get a chance to thank him. We did take classes together a few years back, too.”

“
Well, Ivan is a smart lad,” noted Billie, “and not one for thanks. But maybe some day you’ll get the chance to repay the favor.”

“I do hope so,” she said with a
hopeful smile.

“He’s a pretty handsome young man, too,” Billie added, tossing Maria a quick wink.

Maria’s cheeks turned a rosy pink in reply and she pretended to look somewhere else.

Maura and Noah chuckled, Maura then asking, “So
if Ivan and Meghan are out of the picture, what are our options?”

“There’s the banished,” suggested Noah. “
We know they are still hidden in the northern Maine woods, but we don’t know much about what’s going on there. Ivan was in contact with Amelia, and her plans were sounding a little crazy. Nevertheless, options are limited and they are still Svoda. I don’t see them turning us away out of spite, especially now, seeing as Juliska’s no longer the beloved Banon she once was.”

“
There’s also Colin and Catrina,” added Billie. “Although, I can’t imagine how we’d even begin tracking them down. Colin’s a very powerful young man. I don’t believe for a minute dangerous,” she added, for Noah’s benefit.

“
No, I don’t think so either, and I’d be lying if I said having Catrina back wouldn’t be a relief... but I don’t know as searching them out would be any safer or easier than searching for Ivan and Meghan. Juliska probably still has it out for them, too!”

“Is there anyone she doesn’t have it out for?”
launched Maura.

“You have a point there,” said Noah.

“What about the Tunkapog?” piped in Maria. “I don’t know much about them other than what I’ve learned in school; but they were once our allies, right?”

“Ah, yes. Indeed they were,” said Billie. “They tend to stay out of the affair
s of magic, opting to live quiet lives.”

“Ca
n’t imagine why,” mumbled Maura under her breath.

“I would definitely no
t count them out,” Billie added, tossing a humored grin in Maura’s direction.

“This would proba
bly be easier if we knew more about what was going on,” Maura added, her tone taking a frustrated edge. “We have been so secluded these last months that we have no idea what’s going on, anywhere. We could be creating an even bigger problem, going so blindly into this next step.”

Before anyone could respond, there was a thump from underneath the ship.
Maura grabbed hold of the wheel next to Noah; Billie reached out and steadied Maria.

“We are not close enough
to shore to hit anything,” exclaimed Noah, answering their question before they could ask it. “There should be no reefs where we are.”

A
nother thump.

This one rattled
the entire ship.

They heard a shout from below the deck. 

Maria gasped, the color draining from her face.

“What is it?”
Billie asked her.

Maria just pointed.

They turned to look.

Something was skimming across the surface of the water,
heading directly at the ship.

“Oh damn
,” gulped Billie.

Those
below deck climbed the stairs to get top side, each becoming petrified as they witnessed round web-like bodies whirling with great speed towards them.

“Salt
Spiders,” whispered Maria hoarsely. “So many of them.”

A great host
of spiders skimmed across the water’s surface, preparing to consume the ship’s inhabitants.

Another thump
hit the bottom, rippling its way to the deck.

“Magic stronger or not,
we don’t have the numbers to fight this, and win,” warned Noah.

“
We have no choice,” said Billie, in a take-charge voice. “We fight or we die.”

She jumped down t
he stairs leaving Noah to steer the ship.

“Prepare for battle!” she called out.
“We’re under attack.”

##

Bedgewood Harbor. A place that should have been bustling with Svoda going about their day. People coming and going from work. Visiting shops. Kids heading to school. Zone meetings to discuss how to restore a normal, everyday life after years spent away, traveling aimlessly from magical portal to magical portal, often separated from friends and family.

The oncoming winter did nothing for the look of the island today. What would already be a dreary landscape of leafless trees and decaying
gardens, was now also shrouded in a grayness that didn’t ever lift.

A darkness which greatly pleased t
heir Queen, Juliska Nandalia Blackwell. She stood on the terrace of her stone fortress, just off the coastline of the island, overlooking her new conquest.

Oh, the things she had in store for her
people
. When she was done with them, they would be nothing more than a shell of what they once were. That is, if she allowed any of them to survive.

Currently
, she was awaiting a report from Ardon, KarNavan’s number two in the Striper clan, now serving as guards for Juliska.

Ardon
had come up with a devious plan that Juliska hoped would lead her directly to the two people she wanted returned to the island.

She had proposed the idea of allowing
a group of escapees to get off the island, under the guise of helping them get away to find help. But not without a warning first: that Juliska was looking for two young people; two young people she wanted returned to her.

The plan: that the escapees, in their need to do
good
, and protect these young people, would lead them directly to the two people she most desperately wanted to be brought before her.

Juliska’s own powers
had not been working correctly for some time. Her visions had disappeared. This fact, which she had shared with Meghan Jacoby (a possibly regretful move), was true.

The
rest of her Firemancy skills remained intact, but not a single vision. So far she had been able to hide this fact from Jurekai Fazendiin, but she knew she would not be able to hide it for much longer. And what would happen after he found out? Would it change anything?

She had not given him anything useful towards his end game for far too long. Her visions had
, in part, helped set this current path she was on. It had started long ago, back when she was just a student in the craft. Before she was named Banon to the Svoda. Back before she had met that dreadful excuse for a man, Edward Gillivray. Back before she had agreed to marry him and... a sour look spread across her face, like she had eaten something bitter.

No, she would not sink
into memories now.

The only thing she needed to remember was that these people, the Svoda Gypsies, had taken everything from her. Including the most precious thing she had ever possessed.

And for that, they would pay. One by one. They would no longer rule the world of magic. And the world of magic would no longer play by their rules. Soon, it would have a new King, and a new Queen. And a new royal bloodline to reign for all eternity.

The sound of faint footsteps
on the ground approaching her fortress turned her sour smirk into a malignant smile.

As Juliska waited to greet her
guests, a shadow grew overhead, casting an immense silhouette over the terrace. Powerful wings slapped against the air, lowering towards the terrace floor. It’s jagged, curved toe nails clicking against the stone as it landed, striding towards Juliska.

With each step
, it changed. Transformed. Snarls pushed through its wolf-like teeth as its face contorted and shifted. Its rough skin turned smooth and silky. Its wings shrunk, enclosing around a female form emerging underneath them, the wings morphing into a tight dress suit reminiscent to webbed-like mesh.

“My Queen,”
said a voice, as the female lowered her head in a bow.

“Ah,
Hollee. Perfect timing, I’m about to get a report.”

“Is there anything I can get you?” asked Hollee.

“I’ll dine, after my guests leave. We’ll speak then.”

Hollee nodded, departing.

KarNavan and Ardon came marching up the stairs onto the terrace.

They bowed
in greeting and Juliska nodded back in reply.

KarNavan made an extra nod towards Ardon, indicating she could give her repo
rt.

“You’ll be pleased to know the ship’s tracing system is working and w
e have tracked them to the coastline, near Cobbscott, Maine. The names of the two people you’re searching for were mentioned a few times.” Ardon finished, but looked as though she had more to say.

“And?” prompted Juliska.

KarNavan took over speaking. “And, it seems at the moment they are in a holding pattern. They have not moved position in nearly two days.”

“What are they waiting for?” Juliska
asked, with a tone of impatience.

“We can only assume they are
trying to figure out where to go, what their next move should be,” added Ardon. “I still feel confident they will seek out the two you are looking for. Their protective instincts will kick in.”

“However,” said
KarNavan, in a definitive tone, “we have just implemented a little something to help get them motivated... to speed things along a little. I think you’d find it to your liking, my Queen.”

Ardon shot him a scrutinizing glare,
but let it drop. It seemed that KarNavan had not told her of this.

“Not trouble amongst the ranks I hope?” asked Juliska, her voice indicating she really didn’t care.

“Not at all,” answered KarNavan.

Ardon gave a short nod in agreement.
But her eyes revealed displeasure that he had not confided this information.

“And just what is this motivation?” Ju
liska asked, her interest piqued.

“
We’ve sent some special guests to shake them around a little. They’ll be forced to move along, very quickly, very soon.”

“I do like your style, KarNavan. I’ll give you that,” said Juliska. “And frankly, I don’t care how you do it as long as
I get those little brats kneeling in front me.”

KarNavan ask
ed, “What is so special about these two
brats
anyway?”

Juliska let out a gust of annoyed breath.

“The first one, well, he needs to be taught a lesson.
You don’t interfere with my plans and get away with it! And the girl...” she let out a needful coo. “I need something only she can give me.”

“Which is
?” he asked, assuming she would not actually answer.

Juliska pondered not answering simply to drive KarNavan crazy with the need to find out, but her desire to have this girl’s powers was
stronger.