Heather's Adventures: The Search for Maxamus

Chapter 23. Mary

"Max, Rheannah, I'm home." I stated as I walked in the front door, closing it gently behind me. It was ten thirty the following morning. The two children were usually awake by now having epic sword battles across the house. I did check the house. Only two lamps were knocked over and everything seemed more in place than usual.

I had abandoned the other three by the entrance in fear of what could happen to these two. They could've done something terrible.

And if the girl was already here then they certainly were in trouble.

After no response I started to search the rooms of the house. Max's room was empty; his bed was still made from the previous day. Same with Rheannah's, however her room seemed only slightly messier. I'd have to remind her to clean it.

There were three used mugs in the kitchen, which seemed very odd. Why would they require three mugs? I continued to search until I remembered the one thing I told them not to do: go into their father's study.

However, those two seemed to do anything that you told them not to do. They were in the study.

I was quick to disregard the other three opening the front door and hurried down the stairs into the study. They were lounged around the room with books and papers sprawled out everywhere. Rheannah was laying on the coffee table with her head deep in the only books that were written in the language she understood. Max was lying on the sofa with a pile of books on top of him, and a strange girl I've never seen before using one of his legs as a pillow as she slept on the other half of the couch. She had books on top of her as well, and book right under her hand, which it appeared as if she was half done reading before she fell asleep out of exhaustion. She had a bag in the corner of the room.

And she was wearing Thalia's heart amulet.

I was quick to start to pick up books and shove the back on the shelves in an orderly fashion; however in my quick efforts I started to drop several books and woke up Rheannah. She quickly brushed the books away from her face, "Mother?"

"Rheannah quick clean up everything. The counsel of the Merrywell family will be here soon enough they probably already know about her." I was unsure if the counsel really knew yet, however they do seem to know everything. They have been watching us especially since my husband has been in his line of work.

"Max, Heather, wake up we need to clean up." Rheannah woke the two up quickly. Heather, the girl, was in a dazed state. Max had to help her up. She acted as if she didn't get adequate sleep for days.

"Her powers are all over you Max, we need to get you out of here." I sighed as I picked up more books.

"If he's going I'm going too." Rheannah boasted, "I'm not going to leave him."

Max looked puzzled, "where am I going?

"Anywhere but here. Your family counsel is trying to enter the main gates right now. Nellie is stalling them but even then, she can only stall them for fifteen minutes or less." The kid Joshua from before as well as his sister Dawnlight and the girl Sheria entered the room.

"Sheria?!" Heather shouted still half in a daze. Heather ran over to her sister and embraced her tightly, "you're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I? Josh and Dawnlight were protecting me."

Heather sighed and spoke in a soft voice, "the leader of Issola promised to protect you...by not bringing you out and putting you in harm's way."

"Kid, you're more in danger." Joshua shook his head at Heather, "You, a fire-power main entered the sacred lands of the Moonlight Caverns not only not given permission which I still don't understand how you managed that, but people with the ability of fire are strictly prohibited from entering. Have you not heard the prophecy?"

Heather rolled her eyes and groaned, "Want me to recite it to you in the exact words of the scriptures on our way out of here?" She started to gather her notes and put them in her bag, which seemed fairly empty. She must have used up the materials she kept in the bag.

"Max you need to get out of here." I repeated, "You reek of her powers."

"That's because we're bonded mother, just like I told you before. She reeks of my power too I bet." Max talked back to me, "Where am I supposed to go now? What am I supposed to do?"

Rheannah crossed her arms, "If Max goes I go too."

"Well, since Max is bonded to Heather and I am Heather's teacher and mentor, I must teach Heather to use her abilities. If she is bonded, that means I must teach her how to use those abilities. I need Max to teach her those abilities so therefore I guess Max must come with us."

"I'm going too then." Rheannah vouched again for herself.

Sheria shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Heather agreed, "I could learn from your sword techniques. You have to let her come along. You're my teacher and you need to teach me how to defend myself."

"I thought you said you didn't want to fight."

Heather shrugged as she picked up Thalia's bow, "gotta protect the innocent right? Everyone's gotta die sometime."

Josh shook his head, "really now, what changed your mind?"

"Eight consecutive hours of scripture reading." Heather rolled her eyes again. She obviously didn't get along real well with her trainer.

"So when will you die?"

"I already did, duh. Now we better get going. You probably already feel the change in the power field like you taught me to feel for. Huge powers just arrived I just can't pinpoint which type."

Dawnlight turned to Heather, "how did you sneak in here?"

"I ran through a small hidden cave on the other side of a bed of moonlight lilies."

I took a step back, "how did you not fall into slumber over their enchanting spell?"

Heather shrugged, "I didn't walk through them. I took my hover board over them. Their spell is only effective it you touch them. Sheria taught me that."

"She does listen," Sheria smiled.

Rheannah and Max turned to me, "where are our hover boards? You said you'd give them to us."

I sighed as the remainder of the study was cleaned up and pulled two key chains of the hover boards out of my pocket, "don't lose them. They're the only ones you get."

Max and Rheannah each grabbed their own hover boards, "We won't. Promise."

"Now you need to get out of here. Whatever you do, don't get caught and stay safe." I hugged both of them for one last time as they ran out with the other four.

"Bye mom, take care of yourself." Rheannah and Max shouted behind as they were whisked away with the Heather girl.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing here," I sighed aloud to myself, "sending him away with the girl who'll be dead in the matter of four years."

Part II / Take Me to My Dreams / End