Augur of Shadows Read online

  “This is the purpose of the vision, Henri. You not only have visions, Henri, but you also have the ability to feel what others are feeling. This gift will be useful one day.” She was trying to convince him, but Henri wasn’t in the place to hear her.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “What good does that do for me?” Henri let his emotions surface, and he cried for the death of the poor family.

  “You’ll find out when the time is right.” The first male stepped into the conversation again.

  “Wait…”

  “What?”

  “You seem familiar. Do I know you?” Henri tried to see the man’s face, but his cloak got in the way.

  “You do know me. However, I won’t reveal who I am.” Henri was tired of the cryptic talk.

  “These creatures are not the Old Ones. They do the Old Ones’ bidding,” the woman explained, seeing Henri’s blank stare in response.

  “These things are pure chaos, and their numbers are infinite, but you already knew that.” She knew of Henri’s experience on his way home the other day.

  “How did you know?”

  “You’ll know soon enough.”

  “Come on. Please, give me something.”

  “Henri, it is time for you to return.”

  “You all really need to be less secretive,” Henri responded in dismay.

  He looked at the three to find something out about them, but he found he was more drawn to the one who didn’t say anything. Henri felt an unspoken connection with him, but he couldn’t figure out how he knew him. The only other time that he ever felt that way was when he was around his friend.

  “Siméon?” Henri blinked, and he was back in the coffee shop with Etlina. She was staring at him with a look of confusion, leaving Henri feeling as though he owed her an explanation.

  “Etlina?”

  “Yes, Henri?” She was happy that he wanted to open up to her.

  “I have something to tell you.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Etlina patiently waited for Henri to reveal what he was holding back from her. He needed a second to gather his thoughts and bearings. He still wasn’t used to returning from a projection.

  His mind was racing with memories of the family that had died. The only thing that was keeping him together was the fact that the events hadn’t happened yet.

  “Henri, you okay?”

  “Yeah, I just need a moment.”

  “By all means.” She worried that her friend was in some kind of trouble.

  “Etlina…”

  “Henri, you’re scaring me. What’s up?” She was becoming impatient as she could see something was conflicting him.

  “Okay, I have been going through something recently.”

  “Okay…”

  “And I feel as though I should tell you.” Henri had sweat running down his face, and Etlina saw that he had become uncomfortable.

  “Henri, what is it?”

  “I’m gay.” Henri glanced at her, waiting for her reaction, and he saw that she was smiling at him.

  “I know, Henri.”

  “How? How do you know?”

  “Henri, I saw how you and Siméon looked at each other.”

  “Oh. I…I didn’t think of that.” Henri couldn’t hide his now-rosy cheeks.

  “Now, what is it that you’re really hiding, Henri?”

  “What do you mean?” Henri didn’t know how she knew there was something else.

  “Henri.”

  “I swear. There isn’t anything else.”

  “Henri Jacobson-Claye, you’re lying to me.” Henri was in awe at her innate ability to know that he was not saying everything.

  “Why do you think that I am keeping something from you?”

  “I have my ways.” She winked at him, laughing at herself.

  Henri didn’t appreciate her pushiness, but at the same time, he admired her tenacity, and he remembered why he liked her.

  He contemplated whether or not to tell her all that had happened. Henri decided to ignore her prompting, so Etlina changed the subject.

  “How do you like New York?”

  “It’s okay. It isn’t Denver,” Henri hoped that she didn’t bring up his dad. He didn’t have the energy to have that conversation with her this evening.

  “Henri, I am so sorry about your dad. We won’t talk about it anymore. I just wanted to say that to you.” Henri sensed the sincerity in her voice.

  “Thanks, Etlina.” Henri missed his dad tremendously. He felt the tears building up in his eyes, making his eyes red and puffy.

  “Do you want to talk about him, Henri?”

  “Um… Yes and no.” Henri became emotionally confused.

  “Do you want to talk about how he passed?” Etlina felt nervous asking the question, but she knew that Henri needed to talk about his feelings.

  “Yeah. He died in a car accident in the summer before my junior year.”

  “Oh, Henri.”

  “Want to know the crazy part?”

  “Yeah. What is it, Henri?”

  “I told my mom that I had a dream about my father being hurt, and that same night, he got hit by a drunk driver.” Henri hadn’t told anyone that secret, and he felt a massive pressure lifted off his shoulders.

  Henri looked at Etlina to confirm the same reaction that his mother had had. However, she gave the impression that she was waiting for him to continue.

  “That isn’t weird to you?” Henri was shocked and surprised by her lack of a reaction.

  “Well, how do you want me to react?”

  “I don’t know, Etlina. This stuff doesn’t scare you?”

  “Well, I know it is hard, but things like this are blessings in disguise.”

  “Yeah, I guess. My mom and I haven’t spoken about it since it happened. I believe that is why she wants me to attend service with her - to “save” me.”

  “Sounds familiar. My family thinks that I am a bruja, and your mom thinks that you’re possessed by the Devil.” She couldn’t help herself. She tried to lighten the heavy topic with laughter.

  “Bruja, huh? I do know that term. That is very interesting.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “You have a witch’s intuition.” Henri laughed at his dry, horrible joke.

  “Yeah, I guess. I have some skills.” Now Henri felt that she was keeping the truth from him.

  “Hmm…”

  “What, Henri?”

  “Now who’s keeping something?” Henri gave her a look, telling her that he suspected something.

  She stared at Henri, and he thought that she was contemplating saying something to him.

  “Henri, let’s go.”

  “Go where?”

  “There’s a park not too far from here.”

  “Okay. Let’s go.” Henri wondered why she wanted to leave so quickly, but he had no problem with a change in scenery. They both got up from the table, and they exited to their separate vehicles. Henri thought it was funny that he never stayed long enough at the coffee shop. There was always something else that he ended up doing.

  CHAPTER 18

  After what seemed like forever, Henri and Etlina finally arrived at the park that she had suggested. He jumped out of his car to take in the fresh air as the cool, crisp breeze brushed up against his skin, forcing his body to shiver.

  He found it difficult to look up to the stars without thinking about the evil that was coming, or about the others that he had to find. He didn’t even want to think about the gateways either. Henri wanted to enjoy the moment because he didn’t know how many he’d have left.

  “This is my favorite place, Henri.”

  “I like it here.” Henri felt at peace in the bosom of Mother Nature.

  “Yes. It’s heaven.” Etlina stood in the moonlight, soaking up every ray the cosmic beauty had to offer.

  “Etlina…”

  “Yes, Henri?”

  “Why are we here?” He hated to ruin the moment, but
he didn’t have much free time these days. He’d rather get straight to the point.

  “To the point, I see.”

  “Yeah.” She spun around to face him, yet Henri didn’t know what was about to happen.

  “Henri, you mentioned that you had a dream of your dad’s accident.”

  “Yeah…” He didn’t like the direction of the conversation, so he took a step back, waiting to see if he would have to leave in a hurry.

  She closed her eyes and stayed perfectly still, making Henri think that she was attempting to imitate a statue.

  “Etlina!” She opened her eyes, and Henri saw that her eyes had a hint of green to them. She looked to the skies, commanding the winds to follow her direction.

  Henri didn’t believe what he was seeing. The wind increased, picking up its force. The wind fluttered the leaves and branches of the nearby trees. Getting ever brisker, the wind smacked Henri on his arms and face. He stood in the night’s veil, not believing that his friend was creating her own air show.

  “Henri?”

  “Ah… Etlina?” He couldn’t form a complete sentence that would make sense.

  “Henri, it’s okay.” She glanced at him, and it seemed that she had returned the winds back to normal.

  “Did…did you just do that?”

  “Yes, Henri. I did.”

  “How?” He wished that he wasn’t acting like someone who hadn’t seen mystical abilities before.

  “That’s a much longer conversation.” She waved at him to come closer so that they could both sit on the ground. He had missed her gathering wood for a fire, but there were now flames burning wildly. Henri didn’t think that the ground would be comfortable, but he was wrong; he hadn’t ever felt anything as comfortable.

  “So, Etlina. How?”

  “Well, remember when I told you that my abuelita was into our family history?”

  “Yeah. How’s that relevant?”

  “Well, it turns out that magic is part of my family’s ancestry.” Now she glanced at Henri to see his reaction.

  “Oh. Really?” Henri hadn’t considered that someone else might be able to do something special, magical.

  “So, now you know the real reason why my parents don’t want anything to do with me.” She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Henri’s heart sank when he realized that she was crying.

  “Etlina. Well… you still have a family. I know that we haven’t been around each other in a while, but I feel a strong connection with you.” Henri crawled over to hug her. She embraced his gesture.

  “Thanks, Henri.”

  “You’re welcome. So, your abuelita knows?”

  “She’s teaching me how to control it.”

  “That’s great!” Henri felt as though some puzzle pieces were moving, making connections.

  “I have a strong recollection of this one time when I was seven.”

  Henri repositioned himself for her story. “Go ahead.”

  “I was always an adventurous child, and my madre loved that about me, until this one day.”

  “What happened?”

  “I did the unspeakable - I embarrassed my parents.” Henri was confused as to how she had embarrassed them.

  “There was a little forest behind my house. It was my favorite place. I would always sneak away to play in the trees and roll around in the fallen autumn leaves.”

  “I was the same, Etlina. I would often sneak out and go and play in the snow.”

  “Except for this one time. I got lost, and I couldn’t find my way back to my house. I can still hear my mother screaming for me. My little heart beat louder and faster than I ever thought possible. I began to panic.” She stopped speaking, looking away from Henri so she would not see his expression.

  “Etlina. Keep going.”

  “I panicked; I was lost. And it was this very moment that my magic decided to surface for the very first time. The winds whirled their way to me, whipping through the trees. I felt the crackling of the tree limbs in my bones, and the darkening clouds rolled towards me. I remember the taste of the dirt in my mouth, and I could feel the static in the air.” Etlina was surprised that she remembered as much as she did.

  “Oh my. You had some juice, didn’t you?”

  “The worst part was when my madre found me.”

  “Why’s that?” Henri wondered what she meant.

  “She scared me so badly, I jumped.”

  “How is that bad?”

  “It was bad because when I jumped, I somehow called down a bolt of lightning that struck the ground right in front of her.” She now wanted to see Henri’s reaction, but he still didn’t express anything.

  “Oh, crap.” Henri didn’t know what to say. He felt relieved that someone else was different like he was.

  “Yeah. It scared my parents. They fought with Abuelita, blaming her as if she had taught me something. That was the last time I saw her until years later when I found her again.”

  Henri had so many questions to ask her, but he didn’t think it was fair to ask them if he wasn’t willing to answer hers.

  “So, what happened next?”

  “Well, all I can remember is that I was in mi abuelita’s room, and we were discussing something. She had a book with her. She looked something up, and then she was kissing my forehead. The next thing that I can remember was the next morning.” Henri had a feeling about Abuelita’s actions.

  “Hmm.” Henri was lost in thought.

  “Henri, what is it?”

  “Etlina, don’t you find it weird that you can’t remember anything after your abuelita kissed you?”

  “Yeah. You might be right.” Henri didn’t know that she had already made a plan to discuss her abuelita.

  “Did anything like that happen again?”

  “No. The next morning, mi madre told me that Abuelita left to live in New York City.”

  “Did you ask your abuelita about it?” A cool breeze brushed against Henri, shaking him from his train of thought. He focused his attention back on Etlina. However, he just saw her staring into the fire.

  Henri wondered what she was doing, but he didn’t want to ruin her concentration. In a way, he felt connected to Etlina, who in turn was connected to the fire.

  “Not again.” Henri didn’t want to connect with Etlina since she deserved her privacy.

  She had placed her intention deep within the makeup of the molecules. She swam with particles that built all matter. She became one with the fire; she became the fire.

  “Etlina?”

  Her focus wasn’t broken by Henri’s attempts to get her attention. He waved his hand in front of her face, even though he doubted this was a smart decision.

  Henri heard the crackling of the fire, and he thought she was simply looking at the flame. He leaned forward, and on closer inspection, he saw figures moving within the flames.

  “What the?” Henri rubbed his eyes, making sure that he actually saw people moving within the fire.

  “Etlina, what are you doing?”

  He examined the area to make sure that no one was around. He hoped that no one would show up because he was never good when he was put on the spot, and this wouldn’t be an easy thing to try and explain.

  “Henri, we will be fine,” she assured him.

  Henri glanced over at Etlina, and he saw something spectacular. She waved her finger in the air, commanding the fire to do the same. Henri was amazed at her skill and power.

  “Etlina, you’re controlling the fire?”

  “I don’t see it that way. I see it as I am becoming one with the fire.” She waved her arms in the air as though she was conducting an orchestra, and the flames followed in pursuit. She and the fire formed a deep, fiery connection, and Henri saw why her parents might have been concerned by her power. To Henri though, he saw her power as nothing more than a gift.

  “Etlina, you’re amazing!” Henri was pleasantly surprised by her talents. He also knew that the moment would have been better if Siméon had been wit
h them. He saw the three of them becoming the closely-knit group of friends that he had always wanted.

  “You’re sweet, Henri. Thanks.” She hugged him.

  Henri fought on whether to deepen their conversation or to change the subject. He figured that Etlina shared something deep and personal, so he wanted to do the same. He didn’t know why he was terrified to tell her. He almost felt as though his news was bigger than hers, and hers was amazing.

  “There’s another time that I remember when I was a little younger.” She refocused her attention on the conversation, saving Henri the need to make a decision.

  “That you scared your parents?”

  “Yes. Mis padres had a few of their co-workers over for dinner. They were discussing something, and I wanted to leave the table to go to my room. And…”

  “And what, Etlina?”

  “I got upset. I look back now, and I understand more of what happened. I wasn’t happy that Mis Padres wouldn’t let me leave the table, and I made every glass on the table burst into tiny pieces.”

  “Oh!” Henri had no difficulty visualizing the image of her shattering the glasses.

  “They knew it was me, but they blamed the cheap material of the glasses. Their friends practically ran out of the house.” She hated that the only memories that she had with her family seemed to be negative memories.

  “Hey.” Henri was embarrassed by his lack of courage.

  “Henri, what’s going on inside that head?”

  “There’s something that I want to tell you, but I don’t know how to.”

  “I think that we’ve surpassed being nervous around each other. Don’t you think?”

  Henri agreed with her, and he found the nerve to tell her. “So… the past few months have been interesting.”

  “How so?”

  “Remember how I told you about having a dream about my dad?”

  “Yeah. I do.”

  “I don’t believe that it was simply a dream.”

  “I agree. Henri, I think that it was a premonition.” He locked eyes with her in disbelief, happy with the confirmation that he wasn’t going crazy. He was also hopeful that she might have more information about premonitions.