The Author’s Apprentice

We climbed up the lighthouse stairs to the guest room. It was a cozy little room with wooden floors and light-gray walls. It was lit by a couple lanterns on the wall and the evening sun’s glow through a window overlooking the ocean.

There were two full-sized beds on either side of the room. Logan took one, and Evelyn and I shared the other one.

Logan passed out almost immediately, and Evelyn rolled her eyes at him. “Typical,” she said with a laugh.

I chuckled. I leaned back against the bed and sighed. “So…how’re you holding up?” I asked her.

Evelyn glanced at me. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “I mean, a lot has happened today. Are you doing okay?”

Evelyn nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay… Are you?”

I shrugged again, not wanting to admit that I was very much not okay. “Yeah.”

Evelyn paused, eyeing me. “You sure?”

I nodded, biting my lip.

“We should probably get some sleep,” she said.

I fiddled with the edge of the blanket, trying not to think about the fact that the last time I’d slept, I’d led Kai and his army of shadows right to the Library, which led to its destruction and possibly the deaths of some of my dearest friends. “Yeah.”

Evelyn seemed to sense my unease, then said, “Or we could, you know, chat a little bit. If you want.”

The corners of my mouth turned up. “Sure.”

“So, what was your life like before all this?” she asked.

“Honestly? Pretty mundane,” I said. “I did school, read books, drew stuff… It really wasn’t all that interesting. Kinda…lonely, actually.”

“How so?” Evelyn asked.

“Well, I…I didn’t really have any friends,” I told her. “I was always really quiet, and had trouble talking to people. Everyone always thought I was weird. So…I never really made any connections.” I rubbed the back of my neck and chuckled awkwardly. “I probably sound like such a loser, huh?”

“No, not at all,” Evelyn assured me. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but…you have us now.”

I smiled. “Yeah, I do.” I cleared my throat. “So, what about you?” I asked. “What’s your family like?”

Evelyn tensed. “Well…I don’t really have one. I grew up as a foster kid.”

“Oh, really?”

She nodded. “I never really knew my parents—I’m not even sure if they’re alive or not. I never found a family I fit in with, so one day, when I was around eight years old, I ran away.”

“Wow,” I said softly. “What happened?”

“Eventually, the Author found me. He sensed I had the power of a Storyteller, and took me to the Guild’s Headquarters—where all the Storytellers grew up. There, Bradley and his family decided to take me in. They were the first family that I really felt at home with. So it hurt a lot more than I thought it would when…” She trailed off.

“When…what?” I asked slowly.

Evelyn sighed. “Bradley’s parents died a few years ago. Killed in a monster attack. It hit him pretty hard. He wasn’t always so serious, you know.”

“Oh, no… I had no idea,” I said.

“It’s okay,” she said. She gazed out the window at the ocean, looking pensive. “It hit us all pretty hard, me more than I thought it would. I didn’t even have enough time to really settle in—I didn’t even call them mom or dad, just Esther and Aaron. I barely even considered Brad to be my brother. But…it still hurt, a lot.”

“I’m…I’m so sorry,” I said.

“It’s okay, really.” Evelyn sighed. “Sorry for bringing the conversation down.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I said. “I’m here to listen.”

A small smile crossed Evelyn’s face. “Anyways, by the time I was nine, I was shipped off to the Library to start my Storyteller training with the others. And we’ve been there ever since, practicing our powers and going on the occasional monster-hunting mission.” She shrugged. “You know the rest.”

“Wow,” I said. “So, you’ve been a part of this world your whole life?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” she replied. “I’ve never really gotten the chance to just be a normal kid.”

I laughed. “Trust me, having a normal life is nothing compared to this life. I would know.”

Evelyn smiled. “So, tell me what being normal entails. First of all, what’s school like?”

“Actually, I’m homeschooled,” I admitted. “All I know about real school is what I’ve seen in movies.”

“Me too!” Evelyn exclaimed. “Me and the others learned pretty much everything from books.”

“Same here!” I said. “I basically just read my way through elementary school.”

“I didn’t realize we had so much in common,” said Evelyn.

“Neither did I,” I said. “Especially since we basically come from different worlds. Ooh, I have an idea—let’s play that game where we pick a category and each say our favorite!”

“Great idea! I’ll go first…” Evelyn closed her eyes in thought. “Favorite…animal?”

“Hmm… I have to go with foxes,” I said. “They’re clever, and super cute.”

“Mine’s an owl,” said Evelyn. “Very wise, and also super cute.”

We laughed.

“Okay,” I said, “favorite…food.”

“Chocolate,” we said at the same time, then started laughing again. “Yeah, we got one!” I said.

We did a few more rounds of the game, staying up way too late, then finally decided to go to sleep.

I collapsed onto my pillow and passed out almost immediately.

But not before a sneaking feeling of unease crept into my mind, as if something—or someone—was close by, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

* * *

Kai paced back and forth in the rock cave on the edge of the beach, the crackling fire casting shifting shadows behind him.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” he hissed. “You had her. All you had to do was swing the stupid sword, and you screwed it up!”

“Kai.”

Kai jumped at the voice. He whirled around to see a shadow in the shape of his brother standing before him.

Kai swallowed nervously. “Yes, Kievan?”

“Have you completed your mission yet?” the voice echoed.

“Um…” Sweat beaded Kai’s brow. “N-not yet. But I promise I will! They’re close, I can feel it.”

“I gave you one simple task, Kai,” the shadow hissed.

“I know, I know,” Kai said rapidly. “I promise, I’ll get it done.”

“Remember who you’re doing this for.”

“Our family,” said Kai. “I know.”

“That’s right,” said the shadow. “Don’t let your family down, Kai. Don’t let me down.”

And with that, the shadow dissolved into smoke, and Kai was once again alone in the cave. He gazed out of the entrance of the cave and muttered, “I won’t hesitate a second time.”

* * *

I startled awake. I felt a faint stinging sensation on my cheek where Kai had cut me. Sunlight streamed through the window and created squares of light on the wooden floors. Logan was still asleep, and Evelyn stirred at my movement.

“Stormi?” she mumbled sleepily. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I had a dream—vision—intuition? Whatever. Kai’s close. We need to leave.”

“Oh, okay.” Evelyn promptly grabbed her pillow and threw it at Logan’s head with surprisingly good aim.

“Agh!” Logan gave a start when the pillow hit him right in the face. “Evelyn, whyyy?” he groaned.

I snickered, covering my mouth in a failed attempt to silence the laugh.

“Stormi says we have to go,” she told him. “So get your lazy butt out of bed.”

“But it’s like five in the morning,” he whined. “Let me sleeeeep.”

“It’s at least eight, Logan,” said Evelyn.

“Ughhh.” Logan put the pillow Evelyn had thrown at him over his head and curled up under the covers.

Evelyn groaned and rolled her eyes.

I shook my head, then used telekinesis to yank the covers off of Logan.

“Wha—Stormcloud, how could you betray me like this!” he cried.

I chuckled, then cleared my throat and attempted to be serious. “Lo, we have to go or Kai will find us—and Nicholas.”

“Ugh, fine,” he said. “Just five more minutes.”

Evelyn glanced at me, giving me a look that said, Do it.

I gestured toward Logan’s extended leg and yanked my hand back, and Logan was dragged out from underneath his covers.

“Hey!” he shouted. He straightened up, grabbed a pillow, and hurled it at me and Evelyn.

“Don’t attack me, that was Stormi!” Evelyn protested.

“You started this war!” Logan shot back, flinging another pillow our way.

I thrust out my hand and stopped the pillow midair, then tossed it back at him.

He barely managed to catch it before it hit him in the face. “Hey, telekinesis is cheating!”

“There are no rules when it comes to pillow fights,” I replied with a smirk.

“Oh, you asked for it, Stormcloud,” Logan said, grinning.

The three of us grabbed pillows and swung them at each other in a flurry of white pillowcases and feathers, laughing loudly as we did so. We fought with pillows and telekinesis until the bedroom door swung open.

“What in the heavens is going on up here?!”

We dropped our pillows immediately as Nicholas Waters walked into the room, stifling sheepish giggles.

He shook his head and sighed. “Oh, Lord have mercy... This is what I get for letting three strange kids stay in my house,” he mumbled. “Come downstairs, you hooligans. I made breakfast.”

We quickly put the pillows back in their places and followed Nicholas downstairs. He’d make bacon and pancakes in the kitchen, which we devoured almost instantly.

“Thank you so much for your hospitality, Nicholas,” I said.

“And sorry for attacking each other with your pillows,” Logan added.

A faint smile crossed Nicholas’s lips. “Of course,” he said. “I’m glad I could help you three.”

“We should get going,” said Evelyn. “The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it is for all of us.”

Nicholas nodded. “Right. Well, good luck on your journey, kids. Stay safe out there.”

“We will,” I said, standing up. “Thank you, again.”

He smiled. “Of course. Now, get out of my house.”

We started out the doorway, when Nicholas stopped us. “Just...be careful, you three. I’ll be praying for you.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Nicholas. We’ll do the same.”

With grateful waves to Nicholas, we left the lighthouse.

As we walked down the beach, I listened to the soothing sounds of seagulls and waves crashing against the rocks. Wind whipped through my hair and blew the salty spray into my face. I looked out to sea and saw a few ships dotting the horizon, sailing on the choppy waters.

“So…where do we go next?” Logan asked.

“Nicholas said there’s something that can help us ‘at the bottom of the lake made to preserve.’ Any ideas?” I asked.

“Hmm… Well, what’s usually used to preserve things?” Evelyn said.

“Containers…?” said Logan.

“Salt used to be used to preserve meat,” I suggested. “Back before there were refrigerators.”

Evelyn snapped her fingers. “That’s it! The Great Salt Lake!”

“Ev, how come you’re such a genius?” Logan said.

“I just am,” she replied with a smirk.

I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Well, let’s go.”

“How are we gonna get there?” Logan asked. “We can’t teleport—none of us have been to the Great Salt Lake.”

“I have,” I replied. “I’m going to teleport us.”

“What?” he exclaimed. “But Storm, you said you couldn’t teleport that far without using up too much energy!”

“It’s the simplest way,” I said. “It’s easy and fast, and after that last encounter with Kai, I don’t want to take the chance of being caught again.”

“Stormi, do you realize how dangerous this is?” Evelyn asked, her eyes wide with worry. “Trying to teleport all the way to Utah could kill you if you’re not careful.”

“Then I’ll be extra careful,” I said simply, extending my hands to both of them. “Come on, it’s now or never.”

Logan and Evelyn looked at each other nervously, then took my hands.

“Here we go,” I said. I grasped their hands tightly and pictured, as clearly as I could, the Great Salt Lake that I had visited once with my family. Then I immersed myself in the thought and pushed it into reality. The barrier was tougher this time, though, harder to break. I pushed as hard as I could, using all my willpower to get through the barrier. But the more I pushed, the more it seemed that I wasn’t going to make it.

And then I saw the flash of blue light.

When I opened my eyes, we were standing on the sandy edge of the enormous lake that was ringed by the towering Rocky Mountains.

“See?” I said, releasing my grip on my friends’ hands. “I told you it’d be—”

The world suddenly spun before me, the edges of my vision going dark. I stumbled, then lost my footing and tumbled backward. I heard someone shout my name and catch me right before I lost consciousness.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. I was lying under some small trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a soft green glow.

“She’s awake!”

“Oh, thank God!”

Logan and Evelyn rushed over and knelt down in the sand next to me. “Are you okay?” Logan asked.

“I think so?” I mumbled. I managed to sit up, but not without a pounding headache. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour,” said Evelyn.

“What?!” I tried to climb to my feet, but my head pounded. I groaned in pain and sat back down.

Logan placed a hand on my arm protectively. “Careful, Stormcloud.”

I shook my head. “Guys, I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—I didn’t think this would happen…”

“It’s fine, Stormi,” said Evelyn. “We’re just worried about you.”

“Yeah,” Logan agreed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

That was mostly a lie. As of that moment, I felt like someone had filled my head with concrete.

“Okay,” Evelyn said doubtfully. “Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to use any more magic.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “But—”

“No buts,” Logan said sternly, wagging his finger at me. “You have lost your magic privileges.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t worry,” said Evelyn. “We’ll take care of things. One of us will stay here with you and the other will go find the tool Nicholas told us about.”

“Wha—I’m fine!” I protested. “I don’t like the idea of someone going down there alone.”

“Stormi, the safest option is for you to stay here,” Evelyn said. “Just rest, recover your energy, and—”

Crrrackle...

We all froze at the noise. Logan and Evelyn glanced around anxiously.

“What was that?” I asked slowly, not sure I wanted the answer.

“Good news, Stormi,” Evelyn whispered, “you’re coming with us after all.”

Raurrrgh...

Logan and Evelyn slung my arms around their shoulders and hoisted me off the ground. The three of us stumbled toward the lake as fast as we could, not daring to look behind us.

“Try to stay calm,” Logan told me. “They can sense fear. Like, literally.”

“Thanks, I’m feeling much more calm now,” I whispered sarcastically.

Evelyn’s hands glowed blue as she pushed the water around us, creating a pathway into the lake.

My heart pounded. I could hear something moving behind us. It was close, I knew it was close. I couldn’t help it.

I looked over my shoulder.

The monster was at least seven feet tall, a hunched humanoid figure with horns all over its head and spikes on its shoulders. It growled lowly, though there was no mouth to be seen—the noises it made just seemed to emanate from its throat. It was all black except for the eye—yes, “eye” singular—which was entirely red with a white, slitted pupil that was fixed on me.

My stomach dropped.

At that single sign of fear, a thundering roar echoed from the monster’s throat, and it lunged toward us.

“RUN!”

The three of us ran into the lake as Evelyn cleared out a path. I could hear the monster right behind us; without looking, I used telekinesis to send a wave of water splashing over the creature’s head. I heard what sounded like a shriek of pain, but I didn’t dare look back a second time.

My vision went fuzzy as I felt the last of my energy drain out of me. My arm slipped from Evelyn’s shoulder, and I slumped against Logan’s chest.

“Stormi!”

Logan wrapped both arms around me to support my full weight.

I fought to keep my eyes open, slipping in and out of consciousness. Every sound suddenly became muffled; I looked up and saw that the water had flowed over our heads. We were now under the water, in a little bubble of air. The water around us was held back by a translucent blue wall. Evelyn’s hands were held above her head, glowing blue. After a long moment, my slowed train of thought arrived at the realization that Evelyn was casting the protective forcefield around the three of us.

“Stormi, why would you do that?!” Logan cried.

I blinked, not sure what he was talking about. Oh, right, using magic again after he told me not to. “I’m sorry, I… I had to… The monster would’ve…” I blinked again, trying to clear the haziness in my mind.

I looked up at Logan, his face contorted with worry, and I broke into a grin. “Heh…you’re cute.”

Logan went stiff, his face reddening. “I—huh?”

My head suddenly felt very heavy. I slumped against Logan, curling up against his chest. It was cold down here, and he was warm. “Mmm…tired…” I murmured.

“Keep her awake, Logan,” I heard Evelyn say, though her words didn’t actually register in my mind; her voice was distant and hazy, like a dream. “She’s totally drained. If she falls asleep, we have no idea how long it will be till she wakes up again.”

“Got it. Hey, Storm, look at me.” Logan cupped my face in his hand and tilted my head up to face him. “I know you’re tired, but you need to stay awake, okay? For me.”

I gave him a dopey grin. “Okay. For you.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes. “We need to focus. This lake is huge. How are we going to find the artifact Nicholas told us about?”

“Guys,” I mumbled, “wouldn’t it be cool if, like, we could…y’know, like…use magic to find magic? Er, I mean, like…magical items. Cause it would make sense, right? For magical energy to react to itself? That makes sense, right? Or am I just talking nonsense?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “I think it might be both,” he said. “Logan, can you cast some sort of spell to detect magic?”

“I could try,” Logan said. “Let’s see… Okay.” He straightened up (the best he could with me using him as a crutch) and held out his hand.

An orb of blue light formed in his hand, pulsing softly. I peered out past our little bubble and into the water outside, and saw a faint blue light twinkling in the distance. “Look! That way!” I shouted excitedly.

Logan and Evelyn followed my gaze.

“I see it!” said Evelyn. She waved her arms, and the bubble moved forward through the water.

I watched the water flow around us like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide and mouth open. For some reason, moving water was the most fascinating thing in the world to me at that moment.

Eventually my attention was drawn away from the view and to the blue glow of the artifact. It was coming from a shipwreck; the light streamed through cracks in the rotting, seaweed-covered wood.

We came to a stop right beside the ship. Evelyn turned to Logan. “Lo, I need you to hold this forcefield up while I go get the artifact.”

“What? But—how? Before today I didn’t even know we could do this!”

“Just—use telekinesis to keep the water from coming in. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“But—!”

“And make sure Stormi doesn’t fall asleep!”

Evelyn used her magic to create a second air bubble and stepped into it, then floated into the shipwreck.

Logan gave a start and hurriedly extended a hand, using telekinesis to hold open “Dangit,” Logan mumbled.

“Logan…” I groaned, cuddling up against him. “I’m sorry I’m such a bad friend.”

He looked down at me. “What are you talking about?”

“Everything that’s happened so far…is my fault,” I murmured. “I’ve been using you as emotional support…but I didn’t even stop to think how you felt. And—” I released a small flurry of giggles. “And I think I have a crush on you.”

I felt Logan stiffen. He suddenly became very warm.

“And Evelyn says you like me back,” I whispered.

Logan shook his head in indignation. “Evelyn—?!”

“I think she’s wrong, though,” I continued. “And I just don’t want to ruin things between us…because you’re such a good friend, and I like you a lot.”

Logan placed his free hand on my shoulder. “Stormi, I—”

“I got it!”

Logan jumped. I turned to see Evelyn reentering the bubble with a small chest in her hands.

“I got the artifact,” she said. She paused, studying Logan’s face. “Why are you all red?”

“No reason!” Logan said quickly. “We should get to the surface, we’re gonna run out of air.”

“Right,” said Evelyn. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you changing the subject, though.”

“We’ll talk about it later, Ev!” he snapped.

Evelyn smirked. “Whatever you say.”

We surfaced at the shore of the lake and collapsed on the sand. I nearly fell asleep, but Logan propped me up.

“Not yet, Stormi,” he said gently. “Just a little longer, okay?”

I nodded groggily. “Mmm…okay…”

He turned to Evelyn and spoke, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I began to fade in and out of consciousness—never quite falling asleep, but not staying fully awake. The world became hazy as Logan and Evelyn walked me into the nearest town. We eventually found ourselves in the lobby of a building, and the next thing I knew, I was in a soft white bed.

“Okay, Stormi,” Logan’s soft voice echoed as everything went dark. “You can sleep now.”