Eight of Hearts: The Vision - Book 2

Chapter 2

Jonas made himself busy collecting branches while the others ate their share of the coffee cherries. He was glad for something to keep him busy; he needed time to process everything he had learned so he knew best how to present his knowledge.

Judging by the silence that reigned over the campsite, they all had a lot on their minds. Tobias sat with James, working through a large pile of cherries they had gathered together. Bryce was curled up on the ground at the edge of the clearing with his back to everyone, though Jonas couldn't tell if he was asleep, or if he was still sulking. Isaac had already chosen a space for himself near the center of their campsite. He had been kind enough to provide his empty thermos as a container to hold the coffee bean, but Jonas had to confiscate it already because Isaac kept shaking it. The noise was about to make Adriana go feral.

Shyla and Flora were still wandering between the trees, picking cherries as they talked. Flora had grown attached to her since they had fled the HDSF, apparently oblivious to how Shyla kept her own distance from her. Shyla had withdrawn from everyone, as though she were an outsider. Even before she had drawn her gun on Bryce, the way she carried herself made her seem like a different person. Nobody else seemed to notice though; even James allowed her space without complaint. It was hard to know how much he could rely on her.

Cecil was another person Jonas couldn't trust, though the way he was handling Adriana made it a lot easier to accept him into the group. He had charmed her out of her obstinate mindset enough that she was sitting with her back against a tree peacefully eating cherries. Cecil himself stood close by, making small talk with her that earned the occasional chuckle.

Jonas tossed his armload of branches in the center of their chosen campsite, and began constructing a lean-to campfire. He selected the largest of the branches and tore off the spare twigs and leaves until it was bare. He used a small, black switchblade he had taken from the HDSF storehouse to scratch symbols on the bark: three squares, each sharing a side and containing a rune of magic.

Sense-Impact...Generate...Fire

The rune combination was simple, but Jonas took the practice seriously; a single mistake could turn a fire into an inferno. Several times during the process he stopped to consult the small leather-bound journal that Sherlock Holmes had given him. Runes were powerful tools, but without care they were apt to turn against their user.

"Jonas! Whatcha doing?" Isaac asked, popping up behind him like a groundhog. His foamy white hair sprang about with a life and energy of its own, giving him a youthful appearance despite its strange lack of color.

Jonas was used to the boy's eccentric behavior, and he offered no more than a glance before turning back to his work. "Making a fire," he answered, holding up his handiwork for Isaac to see.

"Using magic?" Isaac asked, clearly impressed. His grin grew with his eagerness, until it seemed ready to burst free of his face.

Jonas smiled, stepping back to give the wood pile a five-foot berth before lightly tossing the branch on top. On impact, the runes activated. The dull blue glow of energy raced through the generation rune and into the fire rune, and the branch ignited. Fire raced from branch to branch until the campfire was burning brightly, sending off warmth and comfort.

"Foom!" Isaac shouted beside him, riding the wave of heat with his hands thrust into the air.

The commotion brought Shyla and Flora back to the campsite, though Shyla quickly separated from her to sit near James and Tobias. Flora looked around a moment before settling on the ground apart from the others. Jonas cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Okay, first let me say thank you for busting us out of prison," he said with a nod to James and Tobias. "I'm glad we were able to escape before that mad scientist brainwashed any of us, because we need to be able to trust each other if we want to survive whatever lies ahead." He didn't look at Shyla when he said this, but he could still see her shift uncomfortably. Good. He had to keep the pressure up so she couldn't relax; that was the only way to get the truth out of her.