Extraordinary (The Extraordinary Saga #4)

Chapter 12

Jay was panicking. Nothing had prepared him for the magic pulsing throughout the entirety of this cave, and even less so the two other people he'd caught trying to hijack it.

Peter had once warned them there was something strange about these mountains, something almost powerful. But he had never known what it was, as if magic itself was blocking him from knowing the full truth. Now, seeing it for himself, Jay realized Peter had been sensing the cave. Or more importantly, what was in the cave.

Aether.

That was Peter's word for the magic, the true name of the power throughout Lotus Valley. He claimed that's what the magic wanted to be called, or that's what his dads had told him, at least. Jay still wasn't sure what to believe.

The two people stared back at him, in as much confusion as he was. Finally, the girl, a redhead, her hair noticeable even in the dim flashlight light, spoke.

"Give that back."

"Counteroffer," Jordyn said, stepping up next to Jay. "You leave."

Out of the darkness two more figures suddenly became visible, changing the number of people from four to six. One of them, with bright pink hair, snatched the coin out of Jay's grip.

"No," she said. "You leave."

She pocketed the coin and Jordyn and Jay saw the other girl standing just behind her. Her hair was dark, but other than that, she looked like the pink-haired girl's twin.

The boy by the redhead girl took a step away from the glowing wall.

"How about we talk about this before anyone does some serious damage?" He suggested.

The six exchanged glances, not just between the people they knew or were next to. After a while, Jay nodded.

"I'm down. You better have an explanation for this."

****

As it turned out, the four of them did - almost better than Jordyn and Jay's reason for being there.

The other four had come together to search for what they called "The Source". The twins were Luna and Onyx, the redhead Rowan, and the boy Caeden. Also known as Light, Shadows, Energy, and Fire, respectively. He and Jordyn were hesitant to introduce themselves as Wind and Water, but it went over well. They didn't say a word about Peter, though. That was his own story to tell. They'd all get in touch later, that's for sure. Having superpowers seemed to bond people together.

After seeing the glowing-spirit-shadow inside their school - the same school as Jordyn and Jay, as it turned out - the group of four had met each other fighting it off. And the shadow was apparently dangerous, too - only what was it the others called it? A not-shadow. A dumb name, but it made sense given Onyx's clashing ability. The not-shadows could feed off the magic that gave you powers, consequently sucking away your life like a dementor. Jay shivered when he heard that, imagining having that stripped away so suddenly.

Rowan told him and his girlfriend this, crafting her words and making it seem as real as possible from the narrow cave. It already felt just like the not-shadow was around the corner; why not make it feel more real? And as she was telling all this, the coin hummed, confirming her story. Luna held it at her side, and yet, Rowan could feel it across the room. When she acknowledged this, she frowned. Other than the wall - of course - there was something else strange in the vicinity. It tickled her mind like a forgotten dream.

With a blink, that forgotten dream came into focus. It was another small object, like the coin.

In Jordyn's pocket.

Rowan walked over to Luna, the first real motion since the tense conversation.

Rowan nodded and held out her hand. Luna knew what she meant and handed the golden quarter right over. Then Rowan moved in front of Jay and Jordyn and held it in front of them.

"Do you have something like this?" She asked, nodding to Jay. His grey eyes were so light that in the dark, she couldn't tell where his irises ended and the whites of his eyes began. "When you saw it, you took it out of my hand like a reflex. Why?"

Jordyn stiffened. From what Rowan could tell, she seemed like a good person. It was a shame they had to meet under such strange circumstances, but she hoped in the future they would all move past this. There was no doubt in her mind they would stay in touch after all this was over, or at least exchange contacts.

Then, unexpectedly, Jordyn reached in her pocket and held something equally as gold as the coin. She flipped it open, and Rowan could see that it was an old, ornate compass.

"Where did you find that?" It was Onyx, hovering over Rowan's shoulder, along with her sister and Caeden. Jay stood behind Jordyn. But for now, nobody else mattered. This was between her and Jordyn.

"In the lake," Jordyn said, as casually as if she had said she bought it at the store. "'Bout an hour ago."

Rowan looked between the coin and the compass, noting their matching energy. That wasn't something she'd ever felt before. It was almost as if...

"Can I see?" Rowan asked gently. Jordyn pulled back, obviously, holding a priceless relic that she had worked hard to claim as her own. But Rowan added, "I won't run. Besides, you and your boyfriend are blocking the only way out of here."

Jordyn looked to Jay. Rowan was the only one who even seemed to have an idea, so Jordyn figured she had to go with it.

She didn't hand the compass over, exactly, but she held it out and Rowan let her keep hold of it. Rowan held the coin over the compass, lining up a small circle etched into the inside of the compass' top latch.

The coin buzzed faster. She was on the right track. Like a game of operation, she lowered the coin down, until the two pieces of metal touched.

The coin fit perfectly into the groove. How and why, Rowan couldn't begin to guess. But it had worked.

Just as she began to exhale, the slow buzzing turned to an audible, piercing shriek. One that everyone around could hear.

And then the world turned gold.