Shadows of Men (The Watchers Book 1) (38 page)

              Slowly, her eyes opened to reveal the world around her.  The darkness of the cave enveloped her and she cried out, wondering what had become of her siblings.

              “Faine?”  She called out into the darkness.  “Hebkya?  Are you there?”  Haneah pushed herself to her feet but quickly fell again.  Her legs had grown stiff from being unused and she wondered how long they had slept.

              Just then, a small light formed behind her and Haneah spun around to find Amag’mar holding a fire in his hand. 

              Haneah smiled at the joy of seeing him and began to look for Faine and Hebkya.  She found them, curled up next to each other not yet awake from their slumber.  She smiled again with relief and turned back to Amag’mar who stood taller than she remembered.  She stepped closer to him and stared into his eyes. 

              Something had changed within Amag’mar- she could feel it as she looked at him.  His eyes were the same gray color as before but they looked older- older than any adult she had ever known.  They looked back at her without really seeing her and sent chills down her spine.  She could feel a draft of cold air flowing from him like a river.  His skin had grown pale and not even the flame he held in his hand gave her warmth.

              “What has happened?”  She whispered to him but he seemed not to hear her.  He just stared harshly in her direction, unresponsive.  She clutched tightly to the stone with one hand and with the other, she reached forward to place her hand on his shoulder.

              Quickly she pulled her hand away when the feel of his icy skin startled her.  She could feel the coldness rush through her fingers and up the length of her arm.  She shivered again and gasped with fright.

              “Amag’mar?”  She whispered his name but could not find the strength to utter any other words.  His eyes flickered at the sound of his name and when he tilted his head back, he seemed to take notice of his sister for the first time.

              “You are cold.”  He said as he watched Haneah shiver.  She had wrapped her arms tightly around herself and stared at him in confusion.  Without knowing why, she smiled and nodded her head.

              “It is drafty in here.”  She told him, not wishing to tell him that her suffering was his fault.  But the longer she stood staring at her youngest brother, the colder she became and suddenly, she could not bear the sight of him any longer.  His eyes were like ice that tried to pierce through to her very soul.  She turned away from him and walked towards Faine and Hebkya. 

              As she walked up to them, they stirred at the exact same moment and opened their eyes.  Haneah stopped when she noticed the change in them as well.  They looked older and when they stood and smiled at Haneah, they laughed with excitement. 

              “You have grown in age, Haneah.”  Faine said to her and Haneah instinctively reached a hand up to feel her own face.  She could not notice any difference through the feel of her skin but she knew that it had to be true.  If her siblings had all grown in age then she would have grown in age as well.

              “What has happened to us?”  Hebkya asked as she looked down to the green stone she held in her hand.  It pulsed with an unnatural light, as did all of them.  “I had the strangest dream.”  She said.

              “I do not believe they were dreams.”  Haneah replied as she looked down to her own stone.  “I believe they were gifts.”

              They traveled to the mouth of the cave with Amag’mar lighting their way and when they reached the edge, they smiled with the joy of feeling sunlight on their faces and the cool breeze of fresh air in their lungs- all except Amag’mar.  He stood motionless and let his fire die in the ocean breeze.  Haneah tried not to watch him, for his foreboding mood was stealing away the bliss that she felt. 

              “I feel strange.”  Hebkya said as she peered over the edge of the cliff. 

              “Strange?”  Haneah asked with confusion.  She was about to ask if Hebkya was sick when a sudden feeling of strength came over her.  She felt it rise up in her chest and she closed her eyes to take in a breath. 

              She heard the waves of the ocean crashing below her and the sound reverberated through her mind like a drum.  She could not just
hear
the waves but she could feel them as well and she knew that the water was trying to reach her- it were drawn to her.  She felt the tingling of the stone in her hand and opened her eyes once more.  Looking down to the waves below, she knew that she could control them.  She could will the water to move and sway to her own desire but before she could try it, Hebkya spoke again.

              “Do you remember that I can control the minds of animals, that I am able to make them do my will?”

              “Yes.”  Haneah replied.  It was a gift Hebkya had had all her life.

              “Well, I feel as though I could
be
an animal.  I feel as though I can shift into one.  I know it sounds strange and impossible but I feel it in my bones!”  Just then, an eagle flew over their heads and Haneah pointed towards it.

              “Can you become an eagle?”  She asked with curiosity.  Something inside of her told her that her sister could become any animal she desired.

              Hebkya nodded to her sister then looked up at the eagle above.  All of them watched in wonderment as she began to shift form.  Her face became smaller and elongated as a beak appeared where her nose once was.  Her entire body shrank and quivered until she was completely covered in soft, brown feathers and soon, she was soaring above their heads, cawing proudly at them. 

              Haneah and Faine both shouted with joy and clapped as they watched their sister fly around the sun.  She came swooping back and Haneah had to duck to avoid getting hit.  When she turned, she found Hebkya standing in her natural form again and laughing with joy.

              “That felt incredible!”  She shouted.  “And I feel as though I could change all of you if I wanted!” 

              “That would certainly be the best way for us to get home.”  Haneah said.  She turned back to the waves and the desire to control them overtook her.  She raised her hands high in the air and felt her mind connect with the water below.

              It came in a small splash that traveled halfway up the cliff wall.  Hebkya and Faine leaned over to watch the water swirl and ripple below them.  Haneah knew that she had failed to impress them so she raised her hands again.  This time, the ocean receded below them and pulled back farther than they could see.  Haneah urged the water forward and they all gasped when they heard the roar of the wave come racing towards them. 

              It was a wall of water, larger than any they had ever seen before and traveling at a speed that was incomprehensible.  Haneah shouted at her siblings to run, knowing that she had doomed them all.  Hebkya and Faine cried out in panic and raced back into the cave for safety.  Amag’mar stood and stared blankly ahead, seemingly unaware of the danger he was in.  Haneah urged him to run but her words were lost to him and soon the wave was blocking out all sunlight.

              Haneah knew that she had to stop it.  She could not let her brother be washed away by her mistake.  She stepped as close to the edge of the cliff as she could and raised her hands high in the air.  She could faintly hear the sound of Hebkya and Faine shouting behind her but she ignored them and focused her mind on the wave. 

              She immediately felt its power and its speed.  With the force of her mind and the power of the stone, she willed the wave to slow and soon it was shrinking and shrinking and when it reached them, it was a mere spray of water that drenched Haneah and Amag’mar in a cold spray.

              Haneah stood panting for a moment, unable to believe what she had just done.  She watched the water below, as calm as it was before she played with it.  Hebkya and Faine stepped to her side and patted her on the back.  They laughed and cheered at her ability to control the wave and soon, Haneah was smiling again.

              “What can you do Faine?”  Hebkya asked her twin brother and a sly smile spread across his face. 

              “I can control the wind and the air.  I can feel it begging me to make a storm!”  He stepped to the edge of the cliff, raised his stone into the air and focused on the few puffs of white clouds that lay before them.

              Suddenly, the sky began to darken and the wind began to howl.  Haneah reached up and grasped her hair with her hand to keep it from blowing into her eyes and watched in horror as a great funnel of cloud formed in front of them and reached down towards the surface of the water.  As it spun, it sucked up the ocean water and began to move with the motions of Faine’s hands.  He laughed and cheered as the twister moved to his will.  Then it was hurtling towards them and Haneah grasped Hebkya by the shoulder and began pulling her back.

              “Stop, Faine!”  She shouted as the power of the wind grew and she could feel herself being pulled back towards the edge.  Faine turned and when he saw his sisters struggling, he lowered his hands and the twister died just as quickly as it had been brought to life.  The sky grew light once more and as the dark clouds disappeared, the wind abated.  Haneah sighed with relief and smiled at Faine.

              “That was impressive.”  She said.

              “All of it is impressive!”  Faine exclaimed.  His proud smile never faded as he turned to Amag’mar who still stood staring blankly ahead.  Haneah shivered once more as she remembered the coldness of his eyes but she took a deep breath for courage and stepped closer to her youngest brother.

              “What about you, Amag’mar?  Do you feel any different?”  She asked in almost a whisper, as though she did not wish to disturb his waking slumber.  He turned his head towards her slowly and glowered as though the question had offended him.

              “Yes.”  He replied in a hiss and Haneah stepped away from him, unable to hide the fear in her face.

              Hebkya and Faine seemed unaware of the change in their brother and began to urge him to show them.

              “Show us what you can do!”  Faine said with excitement. 

              “We want to see what your stone has gifted you!”  Hebkya said and she placed a hand on his shoulder.  Quickly she pulled away from him as she noticed in the same way that Haneah had the iciness of his touch.

              Amag’mar turned away from them all and looked down towards the world that stretched on before them.  “In time,” he said in a soft but empty voice, “you shall see the greatness of my powers.”  It seemed to the three of them that he was not speaking to them but to the world below.

              It was nightfall before they reached their hut that rested on the outskirts of Axendra.  It was a small village called Sun Hill that consisted of several huts, three large farms and less than one-hundred people.  Their father had moved them to Sun Hill when there was no work for him to be found in Axendra.  He came here to be a farmer’s hand. 

              The four of them stalked quietly up to the house from the bushes and stopped just before reaching the front door.  Haneah knew that their mother would be furious at them for staying out past dark and she had yet to come up with a proper excuse.  She thought for a moment of placing the blame on Amag’mar.  She considered telling her mother that he had run into a cave and they were forced to chase after him and find him but from the look on Amag’mar’s face, Haneah knew that placing the blame on herself and dealing with her mother’s wrath would be better than dealing with her brother’s wrath. 

              She stood at the threshold and took a deep breath for courage before reaching for the door handle.  She stopped, however, when Hebkya spoke.

              “Why are there no candles lit?”  She wondered as she looked to the front windows.  Haneah turned and was baffled by the sight of the darkened windows as well.  There was not a single candle lit on the inside from the look of it.

             
Have mother and father gone away? 
She wondered to herself.  She knew the only way of finding out was to enter the hut.  Slowly she turned the handle and pushed the wooden door ajar.

              The air inside was musty and cold.  Haneah shivered as she stepped inside and began to rub her arms to warm them up.  She stepped aside to let her siblings enter and once they were all in, they shut the door behind them.  Haneah squinted in the dark to see but when her eyes refused to adjust, she turned to Amag’mar.

              “A little light, please?” She asked him sweetly and the second he raised his hand, a flame appeared.  Haneah had never seen him conjure a flame so quickly.  It was as though the act happened naturally with the movement of his hand and he no longer had to concentrate. 

              Haneah turned when the sound of Hebkya’s gasp reached her ears.  She stepped forward in disbelief at the sight before her and felt her body begin to shake.

              “What has happened to mother and father?”  Faine asked as he stared at the empty hut before them.  All the furniture had either been removed or was rotting where it stood.  The straw ceiling had not been repaired in a long time and water had been dripping through and gathering on the floor below.  The wood beneath their feet did not feel as it had that morning when they left.  It felt old and rotted and Haneah knew that it could give way at any moment.