Fated, A Timeless Series Novella (A Timeless Series Companion Novel) (26 page)

Now the answer was crystal clear.
I was Cheyenne’s guardian, her friend and protector.
She was the reason that had been missing from my life.
I didn’t have to drift anymore
, didn’t have to
hide
in Callon’s shadow and run
from the unknown
.
It was
time to step up and prove I wasn’t the coward everyone thought I was.

Keeping Cheyenne safe was
my duty
, and I was going to see it through with all my heart.

The sun had yet to rise as I walked behind Callon, heading towards the lake. Daniel was in step behind me,
yawning,
though
I could sense his nervousness.
It had been
five
days since we’d arrived—five days of wrestling
non-stop
with my chaotic emotions—a
nd Callon had finally
discovered
how to re
create
the enchantment. If this worked, we
could
rebook our
return flight to Idaho tomorrow
,
and I’d be back with Cheyenne within twenty-four hours.

Failure wasn’t an option.

We reached the lake’s edge, the crystal cold water lapping at the bank.
Callon halted
, and turned back to the manor.

“This will do fine,” he said.
“Stand in front of me and make a triangle.”

Daniel and I did as we were told.
I stood to Callon’s right,
Daniel to his left.

“Raise your right hand and place it on top of mine,” Callon said.

He extended his
arm
,
his palm facing
up. His Consilador ring
lay
loose in his hand. I pressed m
ine
on top, feeling the metal pinch my skin, while Daniel added his. C
allon adjusted his grip, so
all three of us had contact with the ring.

“Keep this position and don’t break it,” Callon ordered. “No matter what you see or hear, you must never let go. Is that clear?”

Daniel and I exchanged a puzzle
d
glance.

“What should we expect?” I asked.

Callon sighed.

“I’m not too sure, but you might sense things that aren’t here,” he said. “Whatever happens, don’t lose contact with the ring.
Try and think of something to focus your mind, it’ll help you not become distracted.”

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes. Sighing, I followed suit. I decided to think about the song Cheyenne liked to hum when she did her homework.

Slo
wly, I felt the ring grow warm. Despite the temptation I didn’t open my eyes, concentrating on the melody.
The warmth became stronger, so strong it almost scalded my palm, but I didn’t budge.
I felt Daniel’s grip tense, and Callon’s fingers tightened, keeping us together.

A low moan ran through my ears, and I clenched my teeth.
It started off quiet and faint, before increasing in pitch. Then it turned to an ear-piercing shriek
,
and I couldn’t stop myself daring to
sneak
a look.

I gasped.
A
racing
whirlwind
surrounded us, tearing through the lake and forest.
The waves rose high,
twisting, before
smacking back down again
in a rush of bubbles and foam
. The trees
bent close to
their
breaking-point
, threatened to be de-rooted from the spot.
Between the shadows and cloud I could just about make out the manor, though I couldn’
t see what was happening
around it
.

A
s I continued to watch
the spinning tornado
, shapes
began to
appear
in
side it
. First
they were animal-like
with claws and teeth, and then
they became
more human
with arms and legs.
It was horrifying to look at
,
but I stood my ground.

Next thing I knew, I felt
something cold creep
around my neck and chest.
Ic
y tendrils had wrapped around me, trying to pull me into the vortex. I dug my heels into the grass. No way! I wasn’t going anywhere.
Their grip tensed, but I was too strong an anchor.

Then a voice whispered in my ear,

“Let go, Colt.”

My eyes widened. That was Cheyenne! But no, impossible, she wasn’t
here…

“Don’t fight it,” Cheyenne’s voice cooed. “Just let go and come with me
.
”

“Where are you?” I called out.

“If you stop fighting, I can show you
.
”

“But I can’t, my brothers…”

“
Leave them
, you don’t need them anymore
.
I promise we’ll be together, forever…
”

My muscles
began
to relax, and I felt my hand pull away from the ring.

“Yes…
come to me…
”

The voice turned to a dark hiss, and
my eyes widened
.
Wait, t
his was a trick! I
renewed my grip
over Callon’s hand
, and the voice
began to choke
.

“No! C-Come…with…”

Suddenly Callon was shouting, his voice clear against the howling wind.

“We, the last of the O’Shea
’
s
,
pledge min
d, body and soul to these lands, as have our ancestors before us.
Protect these grounds, and
we promise
our children will renew the vow
for every generation
!”

A
s he spoke,
the tendrils
slip
ped
away.
The heat from the ring lessened, and then t
he whirlwind ceased.
The
trees returned to their upright position,
and
the lake waters calmed,
the dawn light sparkl
ing
off the waves.
A shiver ran down my spine, and
my eyes
lit up
. That feeling…the enchantment was back!

Grinning, I
looked to Daniel. He seemed alright, though he did look a bit spooked. He must’ve
experience the same thing
.
Callon, though, wasn’t moving. His eyes were closed, and his grip
on the ring was
iron.

“Callon?” I pulled my hand free and touched his arm.
Callon groaned and stumbled, and I had to grab hi
m
before he hit the ground. “Callon! What happened?”

Callon mumbled; he was groggy all of a sudden.
As I helped him stand, Daniel’s breathing hitched.

“Look, look!”

My eyes snapped ahead.
A tall figure
stood
a little way ahead of us
,
watching
carefully
.
He raised his head, revealing a smiling, bearded face
, and deep blue eyes
.

“Well done,” he whispered
, before he vanished.

“Wait!” Daniel cried. “Dad!”

He
jumped to
the place where the man had been standing, but it was empty.
It was as if he’d turned to smoke.
I couldn’t believe it.
That man, no, Dad, had been right here with us…
how could that be? He’d been dead for so long!

“What’re you staring at?” Callon muttered. He seemed a bit more awake now.

“Did you see the man?” I asked. “He looked just like…”

“
I didn’t see anything
,” Callon interrupted. “Never mind,
we’ve
done
it
.
The enchantment has been reborn.
We should head back.”

He shook o
ff my
arm
and started to walk
back to the manor
as if nothing had happened
.

“Callon, tell us what’s going on!” Daniel snapped
, hurrying to keep up
. “
Why did Dad appear?
”

Callon stopped
, his eyes intent on the
terrace
.

“He didn’t appear,” he said, his eyes narrowed. “It was an illusion.
”

“So you did see him,”
I commented.

Callon sighed.

“
Alright, you’ve got me there.
I wasn’t expect
ing it, you know
,” he admitted. “
All I could go on was what Marilyn and William had written. They were the couple who originally created the enchantment.
They said it test
ed their
deepest fears and
longings
.
But once they’d
overc
o
me
that
,
they had their
courage acknowledged.”

“Oh!” Daniel’s eyes brightened.
“Is that why I thought I heard your voice, yelling at me for being weak, and that I should just give up?”

Callon tensed.

“
Most likely
,” he said. “What about you, Colt?
”

I slid my hands into my pockets.

“I heard a voice
making promises and
asking me to let go, too,” I said. “Couldn’t really tell who it was, though.”

Callon frowned. He knew I was lying.

“And you
, Callon
?” Daniel
asked
.

“I heard Dad
blaming me for his death,” Callon answered. “
He tried to get me to let go, too.
But we made it.”
He managed a smile. “I guess glimpsing
him once again
was our reward.”

“Yeah,” I said. “He’s proud of us, I know it.”

Callon and Daniel nodded.

“Well, we should rest up,” Callon said. “We’ve got a long journey tomorrow.”

“What? Can’t we
leave
today?” I asked. “It’s still so early.”

“We can’t leave for twenty-four hours,” Callon explained. “Not until the enchantment has stabilized.” He poked my chest. “We’ve already been away a week. Another day is not going to make much difference.”

My teeth clenched, but I knew I couldn’t say anything.
Damn it, all this waiting was driv
ing
me insane.
Whoever said absence makes the heart grow fonder was definitely on the right track.

I couldn’t wait to be back on that plane.