Picture of Cedric on the side. :) Another one, I know. :)

Chapter 13

               The car bounced over a pothole and Dahlia jerked awake. She groaned. Every inch of her body ached. Her arms and legs felt stiff and like lead. The back of her neck felt prickly, like ice droplets were running down it. Her hair felt crackly and static to touch, not to mention that her face felt like a block of ice. 

               "Sorry," Cedric said. "I was hoping that you would sleep longer." 

               Dahlia stretched awkwardly. Troy retreated to the other side of the car, glancing at her anxiously like she had nearly died. 

               "How are you feeling?" Troy asked tentatively. 

               "Terrible," Dahlia replied. "I feel like I was frozen in a lump of ice and then the ice melted slowly." 

               "You're lucky to be alive," Luna said severely. "If not for Troy's hot body temperature, you'd be a lump of ice." 

                Luna still looked pale but she looked better than Dahlia felt. Her silver eyes met Dahlia's in the rear-view mirror and she smiled as if she knew what Dahlia was thinking. 

               Dahlia stretched again, realising that certain parts of her body were warm while others were icy. She presumed that the icy parts were places which Troy hadn't heated up. She wondered idly how Troy had saved her and shivered at the thought. 

               Luna smiled again, as if she knew what Dahlia was thinking and said, "Troy saved you, Dahlia. I guess you can say thank you to him." 

               Dahlia and Troy both flushed red at Luna's hint. Cedric laughed, amused by Luna's statement and at Dahlia and Troy's reactions. 

               "Where are we?" Dahlia asked, deliberately changing the subject and also honestly curious. 

               "On the highway," Cedric replied. "You slept while we escaped from the castle and while we fought several magicians. We'll have to walk to Kayla's though. She doesn't like cars." 

               "Why?" Troy asked. 

               "They're just not her thing," Cedric answered. 

               Dahlia glanced out the window and saw cars flashing by, much faster than any other cars she had seen. Then she glanced at the speedometer and gasped. 

                Troy jerked his head up and asked, "What's wrong?" 

               "Cedric's driving at 125 miles an hour!" she gasped.  

               Cedric and Luna laughed in harmony. "Relax, Dahlia," Cedric said, not reducing the speed of his driving. "Now that's funny. She's the charmer and I'm telling her to relax. I won't crash the car. I never do and I always drive this way." 

                "Are you trying to get us killed?" Dahlia demanded. 

                "Dahlia, calm down," Troy said. He looked slightly queasy, like he'd already had this conversation.  

               Cedric laughed again. "I can drive faster and not get in any accidents because of my power. I told you that I have fast reflexes and this is how I use it. A mortal or even you or Troy would get this car in a dozen wrecks but not me. Or Luna for that matter." 

               "Show off," muttered Dahlia, quickly pulling on her seat belt and snapping it into place. 

                Cedric laughed softly but didn't reply. Luna folded her legs and sat cross-legged in the shotgun seat. She rested her bow and quiver on her knees. As she closed her silver eyes, Dahlia marvelled, yet again, as to how powerful Luna must be to have her silver eyes. 

               She shivered. She was glad that she didn't have such a powerful gift. 

               Dahlia turned to Troy who was sitting next to her in the back seat and murmured in a low voice, "Thanks for saving me, Troy. I really appreciate it." 

               Troy, however, was looking out the window and wasn't listening. There was a brooding, almost painful look on his face. 

              "Troy?" Dahlia asked, reaching out to touch his arm. 

               Troy jerked his head up and turned to Dahlia. "Sorry, what did you say?" he asked. 

               Dahlia assessed his face and realized that he wasn't ignoring her. He was mourning Helen, even though his sister had told him not to. He wasn't upset with her, she hoped. Just feeling guilty and resentful that she had to die. 

               "Um...oh, thanks for saving me. I really appreciate it," she said. 

               Troy nodded slowly. "Dahlia, do you think that, had I acted differently, could I have saved Helen?" 

                Before Dahlia could reply, Luna interrupted. "I can tell you the actual answer, Troy, but I don't think that you want to hear it. What might have happened isn't important anymore. The only things you have to dwell upon are what will happen." 

               Troy stiffened. "So I could have saved Helen, right, Luna?" 

                Luna did not answer immediately. Then she said, "The knowledge will only hurt you. Remember what I said, Troy. What might have happened is not important. Only what will happen is another matter entirely." 

               Troy looked at Dahlia for help and for once the girl could read his mind. He was saying something like 'Hey, please persuade Luna into telling me! I have a right to know what might have happened!' 

               Dahlia felt reluctant to do so. Just because she could make someone tell her something, didn't mean that it was right to. She was wondering how to tell Troy that she didn't want to when Cedric spoke. 

               "Not all knowledge is good, Troy. Knowing too much about our past or future can only hurt us. One time, I asked Luna to explain to me my entire future. It doesn't work that way. Our future changes because of choices we make. Luna told me a small bit and then it didn't come true because of something else I did." 

               "I don't want to know the future," Troy said, impatiently. "I want to know the past which you probably saw in the future." 

              Luna sighed. "So many people want to know that, Troy, but it isn't good to dwell on the past. Let it go. I heard what Helen told you and though what she said might have been true, don't keep thinking about it." 

               "You didn't lose anyone!" Troy yelled. "You wouldn't understand how it feels when you lose someone you love!" 

               Luna closed her eyes. "You're wrong," she said. "I did lose someone. I lost Ella and Olive. They were the ones who raised me. I was just appeared on the doorstep of the castle. They raised me for six years. I'm six. You think that you haven't lost enough? Cedric, Ella and Olive raised me although they were barely ten years old. The immortals aren't exactly fatherly and motherly. Now I don't know if Ella and Olive are even alive. And you say that I haven't lost anyone?" 

               Troy instantly felt terrible that he had acted arrogant with Luna. She had lost even more people than he had even though she was younger and acted more together than he had. He had pretended that she didn't understand anything.  

               "I'm sorry, Luna," he said tentatively. "I didn't realize that you had also lost people that you cared about. I'm sorry." 

               Luna nodded stiffly. "Now you understand that everything isn't about you and your sister, Troy. Cedric also lost Ella and Olive. The three of them were friends for a long time. Neither of us knows whether they're alright." 

               Troy almost lost his temper at Luna then but he held his tongue. Luna acted much more together than he felt and also much older but now she actually seemed her actual age. She looked close to tears. 

               Troy shifted in his seat. He felt terribly guilty and he probably looked it too. Before he could think of something to say or do to make sure the subject was changed, Dahlia spoke up. 

               "Can't Varmer track us with magic?" she asked. "If he really has all the magic from Sebastian, surely he can track us, right?" 

               Cedric sighed. "Yeah, Varmer can track us but I sure hope he won't. If he does, he'll send some other magicians to get us if he'll send any at all." 

               "Why would he send any magicians to find us in the first place?" Dahlia asked curiously. 

               Cedric grimaced. "Um...well, there is a...well, a-" 

               "Cedric!" Luna snapped. "You aren't allowed to tell them anything! You know what is at stake. You can't tell them anything." 

               "Tell us what?" Troy demanded. "What is it that you aren't allowed to tell us?" 

                "Nothing!" Luna snapped. "And mind your own business!" 

               Troy was startled. Luna had never snapped back before. In fact, she looked really tense. Dahlia obviously felt the same way too. She looked extremely tentative. 

               Cedric immediately held his tongue, his expression guarded. As he continued driving, he cast a glance at Dahlia and Troy as if to say, Keep quiet. Don't say anything. She might shoot you with an arrow. 

                Dahlia shivered slightly, partly because of the cold and partly because of what Luna might do to her. Troy looked at her. 

               "Are you still cold?" he asked. 

               Dahlia nodded, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Although Troy had healed her partially, she was still weak and cold from doing so much magic.  

                "Is there a heater in the car?" Troy asked Cedric. 

               Cedric looked at Troy hard. "Honestly, Troy, do you think that a heater will warm her fully? There are three ways, 1. Use fire to warm her up, 2. Use your body temperature and aura and 3. Get a magician healer to heal her. We can't make a fire in the car and none of us are healers." 

               "Please don't talk about me like I'm not here," Dahlia said.  

                Troy sighed. "Sorry, Dahlia. Cedric, just shut up." 

               Cedric laughed softly and twiddled the steering wheel. They headed down another road. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. 

                Troy turned to Dahlia. "Um...do you mind?" he asked awkwardly, holding his arms out. 

               Dahlia stared at him. "How will that help?" she asked. 

               "Um...because I'm a Magician of Fire, my aura is hotter than other auras, so I can warm you faster than Cedric or Luna can," Troy explained. 

              "So you did that last time?" Dahlia asked, trying to stop her cheeks from turning red.  

               "Um...yeah," Troy said. "So, do you mind?" 

               "I guess not," Dahlia said, trying not to let her pleasure be shone. 

               Troy wrapped his arms around her and held her. It was warm. Dahlia stopped shivering and managed to relax. There was still a tense knot of worry in the pit of her stomach.  

               "You can get some more sleep," Cedric said, still driving. "It will take about half-an-hour more to reach Kayla's at the speed we are taking and now would be the best time to rest." 

               "Who is Kayla?" Dahlia asked. "I know that she is Ella and Olive's friend as well as being your friend but who is she?" 

               "She's one of the nomads," Cedric explained. "Some magicians choose to live alone or with friends but they don't mix with the mortal world. Others, like Luna and I, we live at the immortals' castle. Others join Varmer's army." 

               "Are there many nomads in the world?" Troy asked, curiously. 

               "A large number, yes," Cedric agreed. "There are still more mortals in this world than magicians." 

               "Are there magicians in every country?" Troy asked. 

               "Yes," Cedric replied. "Some, like Kayla, stay away and don't contact with the mortal world at all. But others, like Kayla's friend Sapphire, still buy stuff in the mortal world but don't venture into the mortal world often." 

               Dahlia sighed. "If Varmer really wants to control this world, why doesn't he hypnotise the nomad magicians and get them to work for him?" 

                Cedric shrugged. "I don't understand the Fire Immortal and I don't pretend to. He is a strategist and perhaps he knows some things that we all don't." 

               Dahlia fell silent as she thought about some of the things which Varmer had done. He had sent a monster after them and four warriors. He had caused her home to explode. Now he had launched an attack on the place where magicians could stay safe. 

               "Cedric, what do you call the monsters?" 

               "What monsters?" he asked. 

               "Um... the monsters that are half of one animal and half of another?" Dahlia asked. 

               "Oh, those monsters," Cedric said. "You met one called Dr. Fang, right?"  

               "How do you know?" Troy asked. 

               "Olive told Ella and Ella told me and Luna," Cedric explained. "Dr. Fang was actually a half-and-half monster. They were created at the beginning of time. They're sort of like mutated animals that have different bodies. They can also look human if they want to." 

               "What do they look like?" Dahlia asked. 

               "They can look like any two animals, (or maybe more), melded together," Cedric explained. "Oh, Luna, are you asleep?" 

               He addressed his remark to Luna who was sitting next to him with her eyes closed.  

              "No," she replied. "I'm trying to see into the future. It's gone cloudy. I think that Varmer might be doing some magic to stop it or maybe there are too many branches interlocking in the future. I can't really see very well, maybe because a decision hasn't been made yet. What I can see is only hazy. Everything is blurred." 

                She sounded really frustrated, like she hated not knowing. Luna shifted angrily in her seat. 

               "What can you see?" Cedric asked.  

               "Groups of people putting on armour and people training. I think they are magicians. They're working hard. But even that is taking a large amount of energy. The next decision will make things clearer. I hope," she added. 

               Cedric grimaced. "What is going-" 

               Luna gasped and doubled up. Dahlia and Troy leapt up from their seats, drawing their weapons and, in Dahlia's case, her staff.