Author Note: Welcome back my lovely readers! First off I know it's been a long time. I'm sorry for this. But during all this Covid Craziness, I thought it was the perfect time for us all to go live in a fantasy world for a bit. So please enjoy another chapter of Conjured :)
Picture above is how I imagine Amelia.
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As we zoom through the Melbourne traffic we get to a more outer part of the city, towards the Dandenong Ranges. The land around us becomes forest like and houses are on much larger blocks. Henry turns down a gravel driveway towards a modern house surrounded by beautiful gardens. At the door I spot a pair of electric blue eyes. Blair.
As soon as I'm out of the car her arms wrap me in a tight hug.I hug her back realising this is the first time I've seen her since her aunt took her from the ward at Camp. "The Healer did their job then?" Henry says from beside us. Blair lets me go and gives him a grin, "Yeah he did. I haven't lost any memories or powers". "Thank God for that" Henry says in relief. "Anyway come in you two it's been crazy today," Blair says turning back to the house.
We follow Blair into her family home. Inside there are paintings and diagrams dotted along the hallway, all showing some element of folklore or fairytale. "My Aunt is a bit of a scholar. She loves looking into the history of the Conjurers," Blair notes as I stare at a depiction of a merman. He sits on a rock with a tail made up of beautiful green and blue scales that slowly fade towards his muscular stomach. His hair and eyes are a matching dark green that work well with his olive toned skin. "So are mermaids based on conjurers?" I ask looking back at Blair. She laughs. "They aren't just based on conjurers Willa, they are another group of conjurers. They have specific mutations that are carried through generations that cause them to look like that. Crazy right?" Henry explains.
I shake my head in disbelief. Being a conjurer only gets crazier and crazier. "Would anyone like a tea or coffee?" Ellie shouts from down the hall. Blair raises an eyebrow at both of us in question. "Tea please" Henry and I say in unison.
Soon enough we're settled in at the small wooden table in Blair's cosy kitchen, hands wrapped around mugs of soothing chamomile tea. "How are you feeling Willa?" Blair says softly as I zone out for a minute. "If I'm honest I don't know. Everything has happened so quickly the past twenty-four hours, I don't think I've processed anything yet." I respond. Blair gives me a sad smile and squeezes my hand comfortingly. "It's definitely been a long few days for you. I'm glad you're here with us though and not with those Hunters" She shivers.
"It was really strange, they were so kind to me. I honestly wouldn't have worked it out if it weren't for..." I trail off, not sure how to explain Amelia. "If it weren't for who Willa?" Henry asks putting down his empty mug. "Is it possible for conjurers to visit each other in dreams?" I respond. Henry looks into the distance for a moment, contemplating what to say. "That kind of power is very rare around here Willa. It's most commonly seen in conjurers from Scotland and Ireland. Conjurers who can visit people in dreams are called the Bruadaraiche." He explains. "Were you visited by a Bruadaraiche?" Blair directs at me. I nod my head. "It was a girl, similar in age to me. At first I just thought it was a strange dream but then she warned me. Told me I needed to leave where I was because she could sense I wasn't safe." I explain.
Henry and Blair look at each other for a moment before Blair turns her eyes to me, "Willa this is big. A girl you've never met reaches out to you through a dream and can sense your situation. Either she's some rare type of empath or-" "Or you have a bond" Henry finishes. "A bond? We've never met" I say confused. "Bonds can be formed without meeting one another. They can be made through rituals and occasionally form on their own. In the old legends, there were stories of warriors who had natural bonds that made them almost invincible in battle." Ellie says from the corner of the kitchen. None of us had noticed her come in but she must have been listening for some time. "If this is a true bond Willa, you and this girl are destined to meet. Perhaps even in this battle against the Hunters." Ellie adds.
The thought of actually meeting Amelia fills me with nervousness and a hint of excitement. I knew I was weirdly drawn to her in the dream, this makes it all add up. "A Sorceress bonded to a Bruadaraiche she's never met. It's almost like something out of a prophecy." Blair says, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. "Blair you're right! I'll do some digging through the old books, see what I can find. In the meantime you lot have had a long day. I think it best you all get to bed, especially you Willa." Ellie says giving me a serious look. At that point my body decides to let out a huge yawn, as if to prove her point.
Blair takes Henry to a spare room where he says goodnight to the both of us closing the door. Blair then looks at me awkwardly. "So we don't have another bedroom. I've set up a blow-up mattress on the floor in my room or you're welcome to go sleep on the couch if you'd prefer. I just thought you might not want to be on your own at the moment." She explains. "Thanks Blair, I'll take the blow-up" I smile. She nods and smiles back as she opens the door to her room.
It's very Blair. One wall has a display of weapons, there's a weights set up in the corner. However other elements surprise me. A small bookshelf full of classics, a violin in the corner. "I didn't know you're a musician" I say to her with a grin. She laughs before responding, "I'm not. It was my sister's. I just like to keep it in here". I nod in understanding. Blair goes to a wardrobe and pulls out a pair of grey track pants and a black tank top. "They'll probably be way too big on you but they'll do as pjs," she says tossing them to me. "Thanks. Do you mind if use your shower?" I ask. "Go for it. I've got an en suite it's just in there" She says pointing at a door.
The hot water is exactly what I needed. As I hop in the shower my muscles relax and I look down to see blood and grime wash down the drain, reminding me of what I've done. I grab some soap and scrub myself until I'm covered in a thick layer of foamy soap. After finishing up I hop into Blair's clothes. They're definitely made for someone taller than me but they're soft and comfortable. As I walk back into Blair's room she's sitting in bed reading a book which she puts down upon seeing me. "Feeling better?" She asks. I nod and she smiles. We chat about nothing for a while but I quickly fall asleep, thinking about whether I'll see Amelia tonight.
~~~
"What happened last time?" She asks. We're sitting in a bedroom unfamiliar to me. I can see a thunderous storm through the window. "I don't know. I started having a nightmare I guess" I shrug. Amelia pulls her wild blonde hair back into a pony tail with a look of frustration. "My control isn't as good as I thought then," she sighs. "You're a Bruadaraiche" I blurt out. She raises an eyebrow and smirks at me. "Took you long enough to figure it out. Most conjurers know right away" She laughs. "Well I'm a bit new to everything." I mumble running a hand through my hair. Amelia is looking at me curiously and I have to turn my eyes away.
"It's odd isn't it?" She says moving from her bed to sit next to me on the carpet. "What?" I ask looking into her grey eyes. "Me being able to contact you like this when we've never met. My family told me for a long time that it would happen but..." She trails off. "Wait you knew we would meet?" I question her. She nods slowly. "I didn't know it would be you specifically... but ever since I was little my parents told me that I would be bonded with someone. I had hoped it would be a boy," She jokes.
"Sorry I'm not a handsome guy" I snort. "No a girl's better anyway. I won't get distracted," she laughs. I laugh back for a moment. It's nice, having a friend like this. Even if I haven't met her.
Then I feel a sense of dread. I dart my head around trying to see what's making me feel this way. "Willa what's wrong?" Amelia says nervously. "I don't know" I murmur. Suddenly blood begins to seep under Amelia's bedroom door, the stench of death fills the room. Amelia coughs from the smell. She goes to open the door and its Mark's room of dead things. "What the hell..." She says in shock. "I'm sorry I need to wake up. It's the nightmares" I say while tears run down my face. I see the boy from schools body lying in the pile of animals which seems to be growing. Amelia and I have been cut off as I see her fade away while shouting something unintelligible. Then out of the pile of dead things, Mark emerges. He's covered in the vile smelling blood, his eye are completely black as he grins at me.
~~~
Just in case someone's wondering where the hell I came up with a word like Bruadaraiche, I didn't. It's Gaelic for Dreamer :)
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Conjured
FantasyWilla Starr is barely 16 when she discovers an ancient race she never knew she was a part of. Conjurers. A group of people with powers normal humans could never imagine. But what happens when Willa finds out that she is something rare even among the...
