Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Chaykeely Book Three ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

â˜¼ Chaykeely â˜¼

â˜¼ Book Three â˜¼

â˜¼ Chapter Two â˜¼

Rhoswen found Keelty working in her garden the next morning. She bounding merrily toward the witch, singing out a greeting. “Morning!” She knelt down next to Keelty, grinning.

“Hey, Rhoswen.” Keelty smiled back at the girl. “What do you need?”

“Oh, nothing. I was kinda bored, you know, so…I thought I'd see what you were up to.” She glanced around, as if she was looking for someone. “Um…where is Uncle Calder this morning?”

Keelty finished patting the ground around the plant she had been working on and stood. “Oh, he's out somewhere…I don't know where he goes, Rhoswen. We had this discussion yesterday, didn't we? Did you need him for something?”

“Oh, no…” Rhoswen shook her head. “I was just curious.” Keelty nodded and began to work on another plant, when Rhoswen interrupted her. “Um…”

“Yes?” Keelty asked, looking up at the girl.

“I was…wondering, um…” She shuffled her feet nervously. “Aunt Keelty, do you…do you know how to read minds?” she asked quickly, wanting to get to the point.

Keelty raised an eyebrow. “Yes, but…why does that interest you?”

“It's just…I get so bored, and I want to learn something new. Is that something you could teach me, or is it something you're born with?”

Keelty frowned. “Why would you want to learn something like that? I mean…it's possible to teach you. Your mother used to be able to communicate with animals telepathically, so she had some mind-reading ability. And you're half werecat, so you should be able to do the same. I'm surprised you don't know how to do it.”

Rhoswen shrugged. “Well, no one ever taught me. Will you teach me?”

Keelty shrugged. “First I'd like to know why. And don't bother trying to lie to me, because I can tell when you're lying.”

Rhoswen sighed. “Okay…I'll tell you. See…I…” She blushed. “I really like Neil, and…I just wanted to know if I'm wasting my time, or…”

Keelty laughed. “Well, you shouldn't worry about that. There are only four children in Chaykeely, after all. Your chances are good. But if you're that concerned, I suppose I could teach you.

“Really? Thank you so much!” Rhoswen beamed. “When can we start?” She silently felt relieved that Keelty believed her excuse. If she hadn't, it would have been impossible to make up another story that was more believable.

“I'll tell you what, Rhoswen.” Keelty pointed at the garden. “If you help me finish up here, I'll start teaching you right after. Okay?”

Rhoswen nodded. “Okay!”

They finished tending the garden after about an hour, and went inside Keelty's house for tea and Rhoswen's lesson. Keelty looked closely at Rhoswen as she placed a cup in front of the girl, and settled into her own seat.

Rhoswen felt a sharp pain in her head and winced. “Ow! What are you trying to read my mind for?”

“Why are you blocking me?” Keelty asked calmly, sipping her tea. “What are you trying to hide?”

Rhoswen looked down at her cup. “Honestly, nothing. I just don't feel comfortable having my mind read…that's all. Mom taught me how to block people from reading my mind, so I've always done it.”

Keelty nodded. “You should continue to do it. I'd prefer it if you let your defenses down around me, but I suppose I shouldn't ask too much of you. All right. Close your eyes.”

Rhoswen obeyed. In the darkness inside her mind she pictured bright colors, swirling around. She smiled, trying to make the swirls dance. It was difficult, but she had finally managed it when Keelty's voice interrupted her.

“Rhoswen, focus.” The colors disappeared. Rhoswen sat up straight, her eyes still closed. “Imagine that you are in my head. What do you see?”

Rhoswen frowned. “Darkness.”

“No, concentrate. What do you see?”

“I see…trees?”

“That sounds right. What else?”

“A…forest. And a path, with some signs. The signs have directions…'Memories from long ago,' `memories from not-so-long ago,' `ponderings,' `current thoughts,' and…there's one sign that says `forbidden.' Which one am I supposed to follow?”

“Your choice,” Keelty responded. Her voice sounded distant. “But not the one marked `Forbidden.' You are not ready for that.”

Rhoswen walked along the path, reaching a house with “Memories from long ago'” written on the side. She opened the door and noticed that the house appeared to be empty. There was no furniture at all. “Keelty, there's nothing here.”

“You haven't searched enough. Keep looking.”

Rhoswen frowned, but she obeyed. She saw a door to her left and walked toward it, opening it. Inside was what appeared to be a cabinet. She carefully opened a drawer and discovered several folders. She opened one and suddenly the scenery changed.

Rhoswen stood, confused, as a girl a few years older than herself, probably around sixteen years old, lay sobbing on the ground. Behind her, smoke rose into the sky as houses burned. People screamed in the distance.

“Silence!” a voice boomed. Rhoswen turned around to face a tall woman with blonde hair, accompanied by two teenagers, one, a girl with red hair, and one, a boy with brown hair. Behind them was a boy about Rhoswen's age, his face hidden by a cloak.

“Donelle, she was trying to escape, probably to warn people about what was happening,” the teenage boy informed the woman.

The woman, apparently named Donelle, nodded. “Yes, I know. It was brave of you to try to escape, my dear,” she said, walking toward the girl. “But your efforts are futile. Your family and everyone you know are dead. Soon, you will join them.” The girl did not respond. “Didn't you hear me? Doesn't that upset you to know that we will kill you?”

“No,” the girl responded. “Please…” Her voice cracked. “Please…my brother…my baby brother…”

It was only now that Rhoswen noticed that Keelty was carrying something wrapped in a blanket. She winced, realizing that it was a baby.

Donelle nodded toward her female companion, and the red-haired girl yanked the bundle from the girl's arms.

“It's dead,” the red-haired girl said. “There's no use in trying to save him, girl. See for yourself.” She threw the blanket and baby at the girl, who screamed and caught him.

Then she started sobbing. Donelle looked at the teenage boy, and nodded toward him. “Kill her.”

The boy moved toward her with a wicked grin on his face. The wind began to blow furiously around the girl. It blew faster and faster, until something happened. It stopped.

Confused, Donelle and the red-haired girl stared at the teenage boy. “Galvin, what…?” the red-haired girl started, but then she saw.

Held at Galvin's throat was a knife. The wielder of that knife was the boy that Rhoswen had seen before. “Let her go,” the boy ordered.

“Fool. You're giving me orders?” Donelle asked, furious. She yanked the boy away from Galvin and took his knife. “You're lucky I don't kill you as well, Calder.”

“Stop!” the little boy cried, as Galvin was about to try again to kill the girl. “Donelle, you need a wood witch!”

“There are plenty of wood witches much more powerful than her,” Donelle informed him. “Proceed, Galvin. Enya, hold Calder back.” She let go as the red-haired girl stepped up to take the boy.

The girl on the ground closed her eyes, appearing to be greeting death. But instead, Galvin was once again interrupted. He was knocked to the ground with great force.

“What just happened?” Enya asked.

“Something hit me!” Galvin cried. “What was that?” He rose to his feet and attempted to kill the girl once again but was again knocked to his feet. This time he was dragged several yards away, to the base of a tree. The culprit was a thick vine.

Donelle turned to the girl on the ground, obviously curious. “That was you, wasn't it?”

The girl did not respond. “I will not join you.”

Donelle shrugged. “I'll give you a choice. Join us, or we'll let you go. But if you do not join us, we'll kill him,” she said, pointing to Calder. The boy's eyes widened in terror.

“What do I care?” she asked. “My brother is dead. My family and friends are dead. I'm all alone, and I don't even know that boy.”

“Will your conscience let you live, knowing that you let someone die for no reason?” Donelle asked.

The girl was silent.

“What is your name?” Donelle asked. “Tell me your name.”

“Keelty,” she replied angrily. She looked at the terrified boy and then at the baby at her feet. She quickly looked away. “If…if I join you…you won't kill that boy?” she asked.

“Right,” Donelle replied. “I swear I won't kill him if you join us.”

“Fine,” Keelty relented. “I…I'll join you.”

“Good,” Donelle said. A wicked grin flashed across her face. Rhoswen opened her eyes, breathing heavily. She looked at Keelty, who had tears in her eyes.

“That was a painful memory,” Keelty said softly, wiping away the tears. “It's strange that you would choose that one.”

Rhoswen nodded. “That was Donelle? The witch my parents told me about?”

“Yes,” Keelty said. “She was the most evil person I've ever met. She killed my entire family. She killed a lot of people. She was very powerful.”

“She's the one who destroyed Chaykeely.”

Keelty nodded. “All of the elves and fairies, except your mother and Aisling, yes. She also murdered the werecats and countless humans and other creatures. Your mother was able to stop her, by sacrificing herself.”

“How did she come back?” Rhoswen asked. “If Mom died when she cast that spell, how did she come back? I understand that she was reincarnated, but I don't understand. Mom said that when fairies are reincarnated, they don't usually remember their past lives.”

“I don't know,” Keelty admitted. “But somehow she knew that she would come back and that she would remember, on her eighteenth birthday, in her reincarnated form. She's never fully explained it to me.”

Rhoswen frowned. “It's strange. Do you think I could read her mind and find out?”

“She'd know you were doing it,” Keelty said. “You know that. She's the one who taught you how to lock your mind.”

Rhoswen frowned. “Yeah. But other people who don't have the mind-reading ability can't tell, right? I mean, unless they were trained to lock their minds. People like Neil and Nelia, or Aunt Brighid, or Uncle Kael, or Uncle Calder.”

Keelty nodded. “Unless they were specifically taught how to lock their minds, then no, they couldn't tell.”

“Even though Uncle Calder and the twins have other magical abilities?”

“Well…” Keelty paused. “Neil and Nelia might be able to sense something, because their father is a vampire, and was also able to read minds, I think. I'm not sure, actually. I never asked him.”

“Is his mind locked?”

“I try not to invade the privacy of other people's minds unless I have to, and neither should you. Anyway, Brighid, Kael, and Calder wouldn't be able to tell, that's true. Everyone else probably would.”

“Except people on the outside.”

“Yes, but…” Keelty sighed. “It's not likely that you'll ever go out there.”

“But if I do go out there, they couldn't tell?”

“You won't, but no, they couldn't, unless they were wood witches or vampires or something else that could read minds.”

Rhoswen tilted her head to the side. “So…basically, this whole mind-reading thing is useless.”

“Pretty much, yes. I'm only teaching you because it's part of your history and I think history is important.”

Rhoswen nodded. “Is that all I have to do, though? Close my eyes, and imagine that I'm in that person's mind?”

“Ultimately, yes, that is all that there is to it.” Keelty sighed. “Please don't go out and abuse it, though.”

“Oh, I won't,” Rhoswen said, smiling. “Thanks, Aunt Keelty!” She stood up from her chair and skipped toward the door, closing it behind her with a loud click.

Keelty sat, wondering what damage she had just done by teaching the young girl a very powerful technique. She shook her head, deciding that there was nothing that Rhoswen could do that would amount to anything of consequence.

â˜¼

Rhoswen bounded toward Nelia, nearly tackling her to the ground. “Guess what!” she squealed in the other girl's ear.

“Ow,” Nelia whined, rubbing her ear. “What?” she asked.

“Step one of my plan is complete.”

“Really? And how many steps are in this plan?” Nelia asked, sighing.

“Three, unless I think of something else to add after step two.” She grinned. “I've got to go work on step two now. Go tell Neil and Logan the news, but make sure that no adults are around when you do, okay?” She laughed, running along the path, and leaving a very confused girl behind her.

Rhoswen ran toward Calder's house. She only hoped that he hadn't left for his daily walk yet. She peeked in the window and was overjoyed to find out that he hadn't. She closed her eyes, entering Calder's mind. To her surprise, it was remarkably simple to enter. Apparently he never learned to lock it…

She found herself under the ocean. Worried that she wouldn't be able to breathe, Rhoswen swam for the surface, but soon realized that she could breathe perfectly well. She swam forward, searching for something that she could use to guide her, like the signs she had seen in Keelty's mind. She swam toward the bottom of the ocean and saw a treasure chest. She lifted off the top and thousands of tiny bubbles floated out of it. Rhoswen inspected one of them and saw a scene being acted out in it. It was her short conversation with Calder from the day before. It ended at the point where Rhoswen ran off toward Calder's house.

“Where is the bubble I need?” Rhoswen wondered aloud. Her eyes scanned the bubbles, which were slowly floating away from her. One of them seemed to sparkle more than the others and she swam toward it. “Aha!” she exclaimed, following it.

The birds chirped wildly in the forest where Calder walked. He did not understand them, but he knew that they were sending him a greeting. “Good morning,” he said, looking up at a bird that had been following him by hopping from tree branch to tree branch. The bird chirped back and flew down to land on his shoulder. Calder smiled and stroked its feathers with one finger. “You're awfully friendly, aren't you?” The bird remained on his shoulder as he approached a calm lake surrounded by willow trees. “Ah, finally,” Calder announced. He knelt on the ground next to the lake and the bird flew off into one of the trees, watching curiously as Calder drew a circle in the ground where he stood. Then he closed his eyes. The water in the lake rippled, slowly at first, and eventually forming small waves. It formed a dry walkway, which Calder gladly crossed, until he stood directly in the center of the lake, with water on either side of him. He attempted to take another step forward, but something blocked him. He smiled. “Here we are,” he mumbled. “Ginel hima tosher.” The lake, and trees, in front of him vanished to reveal a paved road and many houses along it. Calder frowned. “When did this happen? I came here only a month ago…” He jumped back a step as a large object seemed to come out of him, moving along the road away from him. “What is that?” he asked himself, before declaring, “Yora hila tosher!” The lake and the trees reappeared and the image before him vanished. Behind him, the bird cocked its head to the side. Troubled, Calder ran the way he had come out of the lake, allowing the water to fall back into place. The bird followed quickly after him.

Rhoswen locked away this information in her own mind, being sure that she would not forget it. Then she opened her eyes in the real world. She looked in Calder's window, making sure that he was still in there and hadn't suspected anything from her. He hadn't. She crept away from the window and ran down the path toward Nelia's house, where she knew the twins and Logan were waiting.

She ran inside and was greeted by three confused faces. “What exactly is your plan?” Logan asked her. His expression changed from one of confusion to one of worry.

“It's already done,” she said. “Get ready, everyone. This is our last chance to see the world beyond Chaykeely.”

Neil's face brightened at the idea. Nelia nodded enthusiastically. Only Logan seemed concerned that the werecat's plan might backfire. He opened his mouth to say something, but any words that came out of his mouth were silenced by the excited chattering of his friends.

Oh well, he thought. What could go wrong? We'll be gone for a day at the most. We'll come back and our parents probably won't even know we were gone. We'll be fine. But for some reason, he wasn't convincing himself very well.