“They seek power, need their levels. They understand. We have a chance.”
The Symphony of Voices in a gleeful tone.
Lisa listened to the light breeze that knocked the tree branches against the window pains, like they wanted to be let in. She frowned as she tucked herself into her bed, she was tired but she definitely understood the need for both sleep and their dreams in the hope they wouldn't be trying to kill each other.
The knocking almost became a relaxing rhythm as she closed her eyes and sleep took hold.
The dream she found herself in made her want to scream and yet she knew she couldn't. Her friends needed her, it was as if she had been dropped in the middle of a tornado. Twisting around her showing different pained faces, she tried to steady her breathing like she had done with David. She rubbed her palms against her eyes just before the swirling vortex picked her up off the ground and this time she did scream. She screamed so loudly that she hoped it was only heard here in her dream and not back at school because she didn't want someone trying to wake her. Despite feeling terrorised like the worst nightmare ever she needed to understand just what her skill was related to. To understand how she could help. To just truly understand something.
She fully expected the wind to throw her about and then at some point if she survived bounce her on the ground.
"Stop fighting." She heard a voice. "Stop fighting." The voice said again.
She wasn't fighting, she was just so scared. Her eyes wide as she felt her body swoop towards the ground like a horrendous theme park ride. She screamed again.
"Stop fighting." The voice started again.
"I'm not fighting, I'm petrified." She shouted into the wind that wouldn't just put her on the ground.
"You are fighting." The voice was getting more than a little frustrating.
"I'm not. She was having an argument with a twister.
"You are, once you stop you will be released." The voice was at least saying more.
She tried to calm her breathing again, and maybe it had worked as her toes almost touched the ground. Her next attempt at controlling her breathing seemed to work and her whole feet touched the forest floor but like a tease she was taken off again.
"Please." She whispered as the wind seemed to calm around and leave her with her friends who were staring at her with wide eyes.
"Way to make an entrance Lisa." Sophia said through a soft chuckle. "So I guess you are our wind lady?" Her friend winked at her. "Honestly before we'd worked it out we thought you were going to be like that cow in the old film. You know." She grinned and continued. "Then you became like a hypnotist. Watching it was kinda cool."
With no warning Alex moved to hug her, before wrapping their arms around her and pulled tightly. "Sweetheart, you had us worried. Then we realised." They popped a kiss on the top of her head. "We haven't been asking the right questions to understand what we all are and what we need to do."
With no warning Alex moved to hug her, before wrapping their arms around her and pulled tightly. "Sweetheart, you had us worried. Then we realised." They popped a kiss on the top of her head. "We haven't been asking the right questions to understand what we all are and what we need to do."
Lisa exhaled a shuddered breath. "Things are becoming clearer and more confusing." She laughed.
"Indeed. Some of us know what our skills are and some of us haven't got a clue but being able to survive a twister is a cool skill to have and if a tornado is ever headed towards our school we'll push you to the front of the queue."
The laugh that had started turned into a strained giggle. Then with a twirl of her right hand the leaves spun around them in a light breeze. It only lasted for a second before it died and she scowled. She tried again and the breeze started and stopped like a car engine that didn't want to turn over.
"I'm a work in progress," she said.
"We all are Lisa." David said as he moved behind her.
"Someone is coming." Aiden said as David turned so his back touched hers.
"We've all got each other's back." Louisa said as she squealed when the ground started shaking.
"Together." Georgia said as she placed her palm on the vibrating ground. "Whatever is coming it's angry."
"Angry? I didn't need to know that." Aiden said. "Thanks Georgia."
"Always happy to help." she stood and saluted him.
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There was a loud snap, like a tree trunk not a twig or branch. Lisa jumped just like all her friends. When Georgia's fountain pen turned into the sword she squealed. Things were not looking or sounding good.
"We can do this." Lisa said, trying to convince herself more than the group. They all made a noise in acceptance of the oath.
Her heart was racing again as she fought the rising panic which definitely did not help when the ground jumped again.
"What do we do?" Aiden said the panic was clear in his voice.
"We face whatever is coming." Georgia said her voice wavered. "We are grounded, we will be okay."
Huge feet entered their vision. They were attached to ridiculously long legs, bodies and a huge ugly head. They seemed to be looking to the heavens to check the creatures full length.
"Doesn't look very friendly." Louisa muttered. "It's got the big, no huge going for it but it looks annoyed as hell."
Lisa tried to make the wind swirl as the forest started to move in a hypnotic dance then she pushed it hard towards the creature. It was knocked slightly off balance before the creature grunted and swiped at her and she flew the winds trying to keep her in danger but it all happened too fast as she crumpled with a pained sob as she made heavy contact with a tree trunk.
Sophia screamed her name at her as she tried to throw a boulder it levitated but dropped almost immediately. Then without warning the creature disappeared. Literally vanished into nothing as the strange man who had met them in their first dreams walked into the clearing.
"You are not ready." He stated clearly with no judgement. Lisa was convinced she must have concussion or something because Mrs Hodge was walking alongside him.
"I could have told you that they are fledglings Merlin." Her voice was kind as she took Sophia's hand in her and walked towards Lisa. "There are times to use force and time to use your powers to heal Sophia, we need to heal her here. When we get back there our powers won't be useful."
Lisa groaned; she was alert, awake and in pain. No it wasn't pain, it was agony as Mrs Hodge took hold of her left hand and gestured for Sophia to take hold of her right.
"I'll start to lead Sophia but as soon as the healing starts I will be forced back there. The portals and your powers aren't strong enough yet and that is okay."
A warm glow filled Lisa's body but when Mrs Hodges hand was no longer there it felt like a true loss to her.
Sophia whispered to her muttering words that were both unfamiliar and yet totally known. She had to guess they came with their powers here but until they were ready they wouldn't understand. What she definitely understood was she was now floating above the ground, she was weightless and the pain was slowly trickling from her body. Then she lowered back towards the earthy floor.
"That's as much as I can do for now. If I try to take more I may harm you and I definitely will harm myself." Sophia seemed serene, her whole body shone.
Merlin nodded at her and Lisa grunted, she still felt the after effects of her collision with the tree trunk but she needed to sit up.
"You have done well Sophia and have spoken the truth but Lisa will not have permanent damage and she will heal fast." Merlin said.
Louisa walked towards him and Lisa was propped up hoping that someone would ask the questions she had swirling through her mind, though she felt like the world was spinning every time she opened her eyes.
"You are actually freaking Merlin from folklore? Merlin who aided Arthur? So that was Arthur the other day? You need to tell us everything. We need to know more, enough. I need to know my purpose other than killing forests with my insane scribbles." Louisa wasn't so much babbling as letting forth a stream of consciousness that she must have swirling her clever creative mind since this all started.
"Yes I am that Merlin, well a memory of him. Our time was centuries ago. Yes I was that Arthur again a memory of the great man." He pointed to Georgia. "That is what you think it is."
Georgia was leaning against the sword, the tip touching into the soil as she sputtered and pulled it up into the air to consider it.
"It is, I knew it was?" Louisa had a triumphant grin on her face.
Merlin chuckled at her. "You, my young charge, are our storyteller, our bard. I have to believe we will win and it will be you who writes our story. Not just writing for that is underselling your purpose, you will help us shape things. You are strong, brave, intelligent and creative. What you offer this group is as important as everyone else."
He then turned his gaze on Lisa. "You are brave and foolish but it seems you are the protector of our group. Mrs Hodge will understand and have some ideas of what you might do there to help here. I cannot help there at the moment. I'm too much a shadow of a memory and my strength is not where it needs to be so I will hope that the voices are selfish enough that they will continue to send you slithers of memories that can help."
He placed his hand on Lisa's hand. "Continue to protect your friends. They may not admit it but they like the feeling that someone has their back and while you all have each other you offer something special." A wink from the man and she was awake in her bedroom at school, she had pain but it was bearable. On her bedside cabinet was a glass of milk and some paracetamol with a small note.
"Take these and drink this then have a long soak. There are bath salts, use them they are not magical but the arnica and warming herbs will help2
She followed the instructions, she didn't want to argue with anyone and when she finally got dressed so she could head to the dining room for breakfast the pain was nothing but a dull ache and manageable.
"You okay?" David asked gruffly as he carried her tray over to their table she nodded at him. He'd made sure it was full of healthy and not so healthy food. They needed it for sure. When she sat down with a slight wince as she moved in a way that seemed to tug at something she had many concerned eyes on her.
"I'm okay." She whispered softly filling her mouth with a huge mouthful of scrambled eggs so she could avoid speaking and then used her food to keep the pretence going. She really didn't want to risk anyone overhearing their conversations anyway.
Alex tilted their head at her as they considered their words carefully
"Our brave protector." They muttered close to her ear. "A little foolish I think but thank you. Honestly sweetheart I thought I was going to have to get involved and I still don't have a clue what I'm bringing to the party."
She had finally made her way through the mountain of food David thought suitable for their night's activities when Penelope walked over with a sneer on her face.
"You are all perfect examples of animals at the feeding trough. You're eating so much you'll all be like whales soon." She sniffed a little. "I'm on the school council now and frankly I'm going to propose we make food a decent amount not the obscene gobbling you're all doing?"
Alex glared at her. "Yet we're not putting on weight and doing well with our work. Take your perfect little pout and go it somewhere else Penelope. We're just getting on with things in the best way we can."
Penelope growled at Alex and was about to argue when Mrs Hodge came over to clear their table. "Now, now Penelope unless what they're doing adversely affects you so you don't have enough to eat or their studies everything else is a moot point. Just because I choose this job that you see as demeaning but I see as nurturing future greatness don't underestimate me."
Penelope's face turned the colour of beetroot before she left, but she left without another word and that made Lisa very happy.