Hidden Magic

  *

  Alexia found Ronda and Ava huddled behind a wooden fence, not realizing they were crouching in a rose tree. They were shivering and pale. Alexia pulled them away from the tree and pulled tiny, bloody thorns out of their bare arms.

  Amosa stood back, noticing how frail humans were. She was glad she wasn’t the one who was sent to this planet.

  “Ronda, Ava, it’s Alexia. Are you guys okay?”

  They didn’t answer. They seemed to be staring right past her. Suddenly Ronda talked.

  “Big, big.”

  “It’s okay. It’s gone now,” Alexia soothed. She took off her cardigan and wrapped it around Ronda who was shivering the most. Ava had started to gain color. again.

  “Alexia, what was that?”

  “I don’t know. Can you guys make it home okay?”

  Ava shook her head. “I don’t know. I feel lost.”

  “Okay,” Alexia turned to Amosa. “Can you do the teleport thing?”

  Amosa nodded. “Sure. Where are we going to?”

  “My house,” Ava said.

  “Okay, you picture your house and we should end up there.” And without warning, she made a fist and opened it, teleporting them to Ava’s house.

  They appeared on her front lawn. “Is this is?” Amosa asked.

  “Yeah, thanks.” Ava started to walk towards the front door with Ronda walking slowly behind her. Alexia and Amosa stood back. Ava turned around. “Would you guys be able to come inside and check that it’s safe before you leave?”

  “Sure,” Alexia said. Amosa sighed. They really had to get back to Siania. But she agreed and walked up to the front door.

  With unsteady hands, Ava unlocked the front door. She pushed against the door and they all entered. “Looks okay to me,” Alexia said, looking around the stylishly furnished living room . Amosa shook her head and pointed to a doorway. She was pointing to a long, thin shadow on the floor.

  “No more please!” Ronda yelled and ran out of the front door. She slammed right into a person with lifeless eyes. It was Ava’s mother. Her once curly blond hair was hanging limply, her green eyes were now a dull gray and she walked with her arms out as if to balance herself.

  They all looked outside. “Mom!” Ava yelled. She started to run to her but stopped. Somehow she knew there was something wrong with her. “Mom, you look different.”

  Her mother entered the house and walked past her.

  Amosa sighed. “That is what is going to happen to every person on this planet if we don’t stop Temorvick in time.”

  “Can you reverse it?” Ava asked, she was starting to panic at the thought of her mother being lost in her body.

  “If he manages to get his shades into every person on this Earth then no, once that happens he activates an alarm that brings the shades in them to life. Then the previous owner of the body is lost.”

  “Why does he want to control everything?”

  “If you were evil and powerful, you would probably understand,” Amosa said blandly.

  Alexia frowned and said, “I think he wants to wipe out the Sians. We are his only threat. He wants to be the only powerful force in the universe.”

  “We have to go,” Amosa said.

  “What about that shadow in the kitchen?” Ava asked.

  “Oh, that.” Amosa walked bravely into the kitchen and saw the tall shade standing in a corner. Amosa took a deep breath and blew a white light out of her mouth. The shade disappeared.

  She walked back into the living room. “He won’t be bothering you now.”

  “Thanks.”

  “We’ll be back, guys. Don’t worry about your Mom. We’ll sort everything out,” Alexia said and hugged her friends.

  Amosa sighed out loud, trying to speed her up. “Ready?”

  Alexia nodded. Amosa touched her shoulder and they disappeared.

  Amosa had taken them to the front gates of Siania. She wasn’t yet strong enough to port through the gates. They splashed through the streets and walked toward the Watcher’s castle. Alexia stopped walking. She spotted something floating in the water.

  Amosa noticed too. It was a woman, lying face down in the water. There was a red, singed hole in her back. Amosa gasped and ran over to the woman and turned her over. She was dead. There was nothing they could do for her. Amosa stood up angrily. “What happened here?” She demanded into the air. Nobody answered her. She started to run toward her home. Alexia found it hard to keep up with her pace.

  They ran past more dead bodies floating in the water. Alexia couldn’t work out how anybody could break into Siania, for one they couldn’t walk on the water. Maybe they had a boat?

  Suddenly they were confronted by a small group of snakelike men. They were wearing boots that were constantly shooting puffs of air out from under them. That’s how they could walk on the water, Alexia thought.

  They attacked Amosa first, sending her skittling across the surface of the water. Alexia did the first thing that came to mind and summoned a sharp spear. Feeling impressed that she summoned something useful for once, she used her powers to send it up into the air and into a snake man’s chest. He fell into the water and bobbed up and down.

  Amosa got back onto her feet and shot a laser beam out of her hand toward a snake man. It cut through his scaly flesh easily and sent him soaring into the water.

  With a combined effort, the twins ran forward and slammed the last snake man into the water. Alexia summoned a giant cage around the snake man. He sank downwards to the murky depths of the water. Amosa smiled and turned to Alexia.

  “You’re getting good at this!”

  “Thanks,” Alexia said, smiling. Amosa’s approval meant a lot to her.

  They were about to keep moving when they were bombarded by approximately fifty of the snake men, all wearing the hovering boots. Alexia scanned the crowd, trying to decide who to attack first. She looked at Amosa who seemed to be wondering the same thing.

  “Game plan?” Alexia asked.

  “Watch,” Amosa said.

  She lifted her leg into the air and brought it back down hard onto the water. A bright flicker of light shot out from her foot and send a lightening like bolt soaring at the snake men. Ten of them toppled over and smoldered in the water with a loud hiss. Alexia lifted a man up into the air and threw him back into the crowd like a bowling ball.

  The men ran towards them angrily. Before they were able to react a giant splash exploded from the water.

  A shark had jumped out of the water and was taking down two men at a time with massive bites. Alexia watched the men try to run in horror but there were too many sharks. They circled the men and chomped at them ferociously. Alexia recognized the shark that she had petted earlier and cheered him on.

  Amosa joined in on the attack and fought side by side with the sharks. Alexia ran in and punched a snake man in the face. A shark grabbed him from underneath and pulled him into the water.

  In less than two minutes, the threat had been averted. The water had turned a dark red color. and looked like snake man soup. The sharks would be busy cleaning up that mess for while, Alexia thought.

  They made it to Polly’s castle without any more interruptions. They heard struggling sounds and heavy breathing as they walked inside. Lacier Sian was engaged in a fierce battle with Temorvick himself. He was also wearing a pair of boots that allowed him to hover over the water.

  Beads of sweat poured from Lacier’s brow as she fought. Her magic seemed to be useless against the tyrant. Alexia saw a round amulet around the neck of the foul looking man. His sinewy, scaly body easily fought off Lacier’s attacks. He laughed at her and seemed to be enjoying toying with her. Amosa’s face was stricken with fear.

  “That’s Temorvick,” she whispered. “I don’t know how he got in here. There’s no way.” Then she saw the amulet. “Oh no, he found the amulet.”

  “What does that mean?” Alexia said, screwing up her face in fright as Lacier took a blow t
o the face.

  “We can’t beat him. Nobody can.”

  “We have to do something.”

  Lacier was fighting with all her might, but she was just wasting her strength. Temorvick opened his mouth and said, “Bow down to me, Sian. I am your new ruler.”

  “Never!” Lacier screamed in protest.

  Temorvick laughed hastily. “You are a fool. You could by my second in charge.”

  Lacier spat on him. It hit him in the eye.

  “You would rather die?” His voice was irate.

  “She’s not going to die,” Alexia said as she stepped into their view. A look of dread swept over Lacier’s face.

  No, she thought. Not my girls.

  Temorvick turned to her, amused. “Well you certainly took your time in arriving,” Temorvick said. He had been expecting her. “I have something for you.” He clapped his crusty hands together and two men escorted Cynthia and Gina out from another room. They were tied up and were being held by the men who had the special hovering boots on.

  Alexia yelled, “Cynthia!”

  Cynthia’s face dropped as if it hurt her to hear Alexia call her by her real name. She was still gagged so she couldn’t talk. Temorvick smiled. His plan was going exactly as he had planned.

  “Lacier, there’s something you should know about your daughter here.” He pointed to Alexia with a long sharp finger. “She has been living on top of this amulet for her whole life.”

  Lacier looked toward the floor. She thought quickly. Living so closely to an object like that could-

  “I knew there was something special about her. I could sense it. She is the only one capable of stopping me from taking over the universe. What I didn’t know was why she was so powerful.” He saw a fish darting around in the water. A long, slippery tongue slipped out of his mouth and caught the fish. He chewed on the fish. The sound of the fish crunching in his mouth made Alexia feel sick. “Then today, when I found the amulet the reason was clear. She had been living on top of the amulet. The powers had seeped into her, making her much more powerful than any Sian in history. Unluckily for her, she doesn’t know how to control her powers yet.”

  Lacier sighed. This was true, she didn’t get to Alexia in time to teach her about her skills.

  “Why are you telling me all this? Shouldn’t you keep that kind of info to yourself?” Alexia said.

  “It isn’t necessary. You see, I have a plan. I have her.” Temorvick pointed to Cynthia and smiled. “You will surrender your powers otherwise she and her,” he said, pointing to Gina, “die.”

  Alexia stared at him coldly. “If I’m so powerful, aren’t you worried that I will just kill you now?”

  He threw his head back and laughed at her. “Silly girl. This amulet is the most powerful item in the world. You can’t touch me while I wear it.”

  “Then why not just kill me?”

  “You have been infused with the amulet’s powers. You cannot be killed. However, she can.” He pointed to Cynthia again. Every time he pointed at her she shuddered.

  Alexia looked at Lacier who was resting on the water. She looked exhausted. Amosa was crouched down by her side. Alexia closed her eyes and tried to think.

  Then she remembered about Adair. He lived in an environment that allowed no magic. If she could get there they might have a chance against Temorvick. No, she thought, it was too far away.

  “Alexia, time is running out,” Temorvick said eerily.

  Tears were streaming down Gina’s face. Cynthia shook her head as if to tell Alexia not to give in. She had to. She couldn’t let him kill the woman that had raised her.

  “Okay, you can take my powers.”

  “Good choice.”

  Lacier stood up and yelled in protest. “No, Alexia, no!”

  Temorvick growled and shot a red ball of light at Lacier. Immense, burning pain struck her and she fell to the ground and sunk into the water.

  “Mother!” Amosa yelled and swam into the water and swam after her.

  Alexia fought back tears. “Let’s get this over with then.”

  “Eagerness. I like it,” he said as he slipped the amulet from around his neck. What he didn’t see was that Alexia also took something from around her neck. A tiny bottle filled with glowing red liquid. She downed it quickly and threw the bottle into the water without him noticing.

  Temorvick approached her and held the amulet out in his hands. “Place one hand on this.”

  Alexia nodded and placed her right hand on the amulet. It felt hot and gave her a tiny zap as she touched it. Temorvick closed his beady eyes.

  “Take Alexia Sian’s powers. Give them to me,” he yelled.

  The amulet began to shake. Alexia hoped that Adair’s elixir would do as she had planned. Cynthia watched in horror. Alexia didn’t feel any different but she slumped to the ground anyway.

  Temorvick held the amulet into the air and gave out a triumphant yell.

  Alexia looked down into the water. Suddenly she realized that her plan had worked. She was still able to float on the water, she must still have her powers.

  She looked up at Temorvick who seemed to think he was receiving Alexia’s stolen powers. With great concentration, she pulled the amulet toward her but Temorvick reacted too quickly and threw a fire bolt at her. She dodged the hot flame that flew at her but she accidentally dropped the amulet into the water.

  Temorvick turned to her wildly. “What did you do?” He screamed.

  “You didn’t take my powers.”

  Temorvick spotted a tiny bottle floating in the water. He snarled at her and said, “You took an elixir, you wretch!”

  Alexia nodded and ripped his hovering boots off. He snarled and fell into the water. Temorvick screamed at his guards. “Kill the humans!”

  Alexia turned to the guards and shot bolts of light that looked like sharpened spears out of her hands. Each one hit a guard in the chest. They fell into the water, dropping Cynthia and Gina in the process.

  Alexia raised her hands into the air and made them hover just above the surface of the water. Relief rushed over their faces.

  Alexia turned around and saw that Temorvick was nowhere in sight.

  Finally, Amosa emerged from the water with Lacier. Alexia ran to them. Lacier wasn’t breathing. “Are you okay?” Alexia asked.

  “I’m okay. She isn’t,” Amosa inspected Lacier’s wound. “Where’s Temorvick?”

  “I don’t know. I think he’s hiding.” Alexia looked around the room, he was definitely gone.

  “Can you help our mother? Like you helped that boy Price?”

  Alexia placed her hands onto Lacier’s chest. “I can try.”

  She imagined Lacier when she had first met her. She seemed so confident and alive.

  Her hands began to tingle and bright orange light spilled out and surrounded Lacier. Amosa watched intently with wide eyes.

  Lacier’s eyes opened as she sucked in mouthfuls of sweet air. Alexia took her hands away and relaxed. Amosa squealed happily and hugged Alexia. Lacier sat up and looked down at her chest.

  “You healed me,” she said gradually. “The amulet did make you powerful…”

  Alexia nodded. She felt weak just as she did when she healed Price.

  A muffled sound interrupted them. “Cynthia!” Alexia forgot that she had left them hovering in the air. She spotted Polly’s couch hovering on the other side of the room. She summoned it over and positioned it under Cynthia and Gina. She released them from the air and they fell onto the couch. She untied their ropes and ripped off the tape from over their mouths. They spat our their gags and coughed.

  “Are you guys okay?” Alexia leaned forward and hugged Cynthia.

  “Thanks to you,” Cynthia said gratefully.

  “I don’t understand,” Gina said. “Where are we? What’s going on?”

  “I’ll explain everything to you later, dear.” Cynthia held Gina close and stroked her head. “Just stay on the couch. We can
’t walk on the water like your sister can.”

  “From what I can tell, she isn’t my sister,” Gina said rudely.

  Alexia ignored her. Lacier stood up. “Where’s Temorvick?”

  “We don’t know,” Amosa said.

  “We’d better find him. Does he still have the amulet?”

  Alexia shook her head. “No, I got that off him.”

  “Nicely done. Where is it?”

  Alexia looked down into the deep water. Lacier sighed. She knew what that meant. The amulet was lost.

  “Well as long as Temorvick doesn’t have it,” Lacier said trying to hide her disappointment.

  “Is there any way we can see where Temorvick is?” Alexia asked.

  “We could go and see the Watchers. They should know,” Amosa suggested.

  Lacier nodded. “Let’s go.”

  They stood nervously before the Watchers. A faint red glow was visible from underneath their hoods.

  “Bow and we will listen.”

  Lacier nodded and bowed before the Watchers. Alexia and Amosa copied her. But then Lacier stood up.

  “I’m not going to do this anymore. I won’t act as though you three are the most important people in the world. You will tell us where Temorvick is and you will tell us now.”

  At first the Watchers didn’t speak. They raised their heads slightly and peered at each other. One stopped floating and lowered herself to the water. She stood up and walked toward Lacier. She took her hood down revealing gray hair, light blue eyes, and leathery skin.

  “It looks like you have your confidence back,” the Watcher smiled at her. “You have been hard on yourself for a long time now. It’s time that you forgive yourself for what is in the past.” She looked at the twins as she spoke. “The fact is, Alexia, she wasn’t allowed to keep you, but she still blames herself.”

  Alexia nodded.

  “Ff you hadn’t have sent Alexia away. She wouldn’t have grown up around the amulet and become powerful enough to beat Temorvick.”

  “Where is he now? We must find him,” Lacier said.

  “He’s heading towards Adair’s quarters. You must hurry before he reaches the magical barrier.”

  “Should I bring some extra girls with me?”

  “I’m afraid most of our free girls were slain in the streets. The rest are guarding planets or with Polly on Earth.”

  Lacier had forgotten all about the situation on Earth. “How is Earth doing?”

  “There’s no time to think about that right now. Find Temorvick, and hurry.”

  Lacier nodded and led the girls away from the Watchers. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She also felt that Alexia may have started to forgive her.