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Chapter I: Cameryn’s Lesson
“Do we really have to do this? I don’t want to be different,” Cameryn whined and fixed his brilliant blue eyes on his mother, Gwen. He just wanted to go home and play with his friends in Teirney; all this working with his ‘gifts’ was getting old fast.
Gwen sighed and rubbed her temples for a moment; she felt yet another headache coming on. “It’s important, honey,” she said for what felt like the hundredth time. They all felt safe enough here at their newly appointed hideout, but she knew that there were many dangers in the world, and most threatened her son specifically. It was Cameryn’s powers that put him in so much danger; danger that not even he was fully aware of yet. And it was because of that that she didn’t want him to be different anymore than he wanted to be, but he was and there was no way to change that. According to their dear friend, the only way that they could make sure their little Cam would always be safe was to teach him how to use the gifts he possessed. So that’s what she and her husband, Matthew, had begun to do over the past few years while they lived obscure lives in the southern town of Tierney. At first they’d taken it slow, gradually helping him develop his unique powers, but since their forced move to the safe house a few months back, they’d intensified their son’s training in hopes that something they would teach him would some day save his life. As a result of their teaching, Cameryn was now able to telekinetically lift something as heavy as a horse and divide his attention between two different levitations, but he seemed to have stalled there over the past week. His telepathic powers had proved to be more difficult to develop; the most he could to do was block others’ stray thoughts from his mind. And with their friend’s recent disappearance, there was no one they knew who could help their son with his telepathy. What really worried Gwen was the feeling that time was growing short for all of them, and that meant that there was no longer much time left for Cameryn’s powers to grow. Though she and Matthew understood that all of their plans for Cameryn were a lot to push on a ten-year-old boy, they saw no other alternative if they wanted their only son to survive.
“Ah, Mom, that’s what you always say,” Cameryn complained and studied his mother closely. After a moment he closed his eyes and tentatively reached out with his underdeveloped telepathy; he could feel that something was wrong and he wanted to know what that something was. His mind brushed against his Mother’s bright presence, and immediately he could feel her immense worry. Cameryn pulled his awareness back and opened his eyes. He didn’t understand why she was so worried, but at least he knew what had been driving his parents this past month. He felt horrible for fighting them every step of the way now; they were only trying to protect him, he just didn’t know what from. He looked into his Mother’s deep blue eyes, a reflection of his own. “I’m sorry,” Cameryn whispered. “What do you want me to do?”
Gwen started and stared blankly at her son for a moment; Cameryn had never apologized for his stubbornness before. What had caused his sudden change of heart? He had been dead set against increasing his control of his powers only moments earlier. “Cam, why are you saying that? Honey, what happened?” Gwen asked, deeply concerned. She reached her hand out and brushed it against his forehead, testing for a fever but there wasn’t one.
Cameryn dropped his gaze and studied the worn wooden floorboards beneath his feet. “I felt your worry. Why are you so worried, Mom?”
Gwen had to swallow her elated shout; Cameryn’s telepathy had finally become an active power! For now though, she held her joy and addressed her son’s concern. She didn’t want him to worry; that was something only adults should have to do. “Cameryn, honey, it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with; mothers always worry. It’s normal,” she lied, lessening the true danger of their situation. She drew her hand away from his forehead and cupped his cheek, gently raising his head so he was once again looking at her.
“Oh,” Cameryn said in obvious relief; children were often easily comforted by their parents, “but that doesn’t change what I said; I’ll still learn whatever you and father want me to learn.” However, Cameryn wasn’t most children. Because of his brief telepathic probe he was all too aware of the truth; his mother’s worry wasn’t just simple motherly concern, there was much more too it, but he kept silent on the issue. He didn’t want to worry his mom with the deeper fear he had sensed.
Gwen smiled through the tears welling in her eyes. Sometimes Cameryn surprised even her with how mature he could be. She hugged her son tightly. “I love you, honey,” she whispered.
Cameryn returned her hug. “I know, Mom,” he said and meant it. For the first time he could literally feel the love pouring out of her towards him. It was comforting to be so loved; it made him feel extremely safe. He pulled out of the hug and flashed his mom a smile. “I’m ready when you are,” he said lightly and made a show of getting situated on the floor.
“All right, let’s give this a go,” Gwen said and ruffled Cameryn’s light brown hair as she knelt on the ground in front of him. Then she picked up three good sized balls; each was a different color so that they would be able to track their movements once Cameryn levitated them into the air. “You know what to do, honey,” she said with an encouraging smile.
Cameryn nodded once and closed his eyes, visualizing the three balls in front of him. So far the most he’d been able to do was get two of them in the air at a time, but today, he wanted to change that to all three for his mother’s sake. He telekinetically lifted the faded blue ball into the air and left it hanging motionless as he proceeded to do the same for the red. Once the two were floating next to one another about six inches above his mother’s lap, Cameryn expanded his awareness again, mentally reaching for the third green ball. For a few tense moments, he couldn’t get a solid grip on it and almost dropped the others, but then something seemed to click inside of him and the third ball rose into the air. A smile broke out on Cameryn’s face as he opened his blue eyes. “I did it!”
Gwen laughed and brushed tears from her eyes. “You did. Oh, Cam, good job! I can’t wait for your dad to see! He’ll be so proud!”
The three balls levitated higher into the air and slowly began to maneuver around one another, picking up speed as they went. Gwen brushed her blonde hair away from her face and watched the three balls in amazement before focusing on her son. Cameryn’s eyes had fallen shut again and his face was set in concentration, but other than that he didn’t seem to be pushing himself too far; she didn’t see any stress on his face. Gwen smiled in relief and settled back to watch the ‘show’.
Cameryn let the balls fly around the room, and once he felt comfortable with the three, he mentally reached out and picked up an apple from the small table in the corner or their one roomed home. The fourth object zoomed across the room and joined the first three in an intricate dance through the air. Cameryn no longer understood why he had fought his parents so long; it was so much fun to use his powers. He never wanted to stop now!
The door to their safe house burst open, startling Cameryn out of his concentration and causing Gwen to jump to her feet in terror. The four objects that had been sailing across the room dropped to the wooden floor with a simultaneous thud as Cameryn and his mother stared at the door and the man that had just entered.
Matthew’s stricken face surveyed the scene before him. He allowed himself one small smile at what he’d seen from his son before he quickly moved into the room and bolted the door behind him. The smile fell from his face as he turned to Gwen. “We don’t have any time!” he cried and ran an anxious hand through his unruly brown hair.
“What are you talking about, Mat?” Gwen asked, staring up into her husband’s terrified green eyes, and what she saw there made worry settle on her heart heavier than ever before. Even without being telepathic she knew that the Boss’s men had somehow, despite all their precautions, found them.
“I got news that they were making a move against us; I came as fast as I could, hoping that I’d be able to outrun them, but I could hear them in the woods just now. I don’t know how they found out about this place, Gwen, and I’m worried about what may happen now,” Matthew replied, his face pale. He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin and spoke again, his voice a little steadier, “We don’t have much time; we must hide him, darling. We have no other choice.” When he’d finished, Mat spun around to face his young son.
Cameryn was already on his feet when his father’s gaze settled on him. “What’s going on, dad? Why are you so scared?” he asked, his voice growing more fearful with each word. Maybe being telepathic wasn’t such a good thing; he didn’t like knowing just how people really felt. It could be a very scary thing.
Mat studied him for a moment, amazed at how quickly his son’s power had grown. When he’d left them just a week earlier it had seemed like Cameryn’s progress had stalled; apparently, that was no longer the case. He wanted to tell his son just how proud he was and how much he hated what was happening, but there wasn’t time. “Cameryn, listen to me. Your mother and I are going to hide you somewhere, and I want you to stay there until you know that it is safe to come out. There are some dangerous people after us, and they’ll be here any minute. I wish I could explain it all to you, but time is short,” Matthew said in one breath and grabbed his son’s arm, pulling him towards the other side of the room.
Gwen ghosted them, and when Matthew stopped she stepped up beside him and helped him lift a section of the paneling off the wall. Then she turned to Cameryn and dropped to her knees with tears in her eyes. She settled her hands on her shoulders and tried to memorize his innocent face. “Oh, honey, I love you so much. I hope you always remember that. You’ll do well, my son,” she cried and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She only held him for a second before pulling away and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. Gwen stood, brushing tears from her eyes and moved away.
Matthew took the place on the floor she had just vacated and knelt in front of his son. “Cameryn, promise me you’ll stay in this spot until it is safe,” he needed to hear his son promise; he wanted his son to be safe above all things.
Cameryn looked wildly at his father. Everything was happening too fast; he could barely comprehend what was going on, but he could sense a finality from his parents that he didn’t like one bit. “Why?” he sobbed as he tried to check his tears.
“Just promise me, Cam,” Mat pleaded and pulled Cameryn into a hug. He had tried so hard to avoid this day, but somehow he had failed. That failure was now tearing him up inside.
“I promise, dad,” Cameryn cried, giving into the tears completely as he clutched his father. “I just don’t understand!”
“And I pray you never have to,” Matthew countered and stood again. “Just remember that we love you and that we’re so very proud of you,” he said and ushered Cameryn towards the hole in the wall that had been hidden by the paneling.
Cameryn climbed in and turned so he could see into the room that had been their home for the past couple of months. “I love you,” he said, weeping, as his father slipped the paneled section back into place and secured it, essentially locking Cameryn in and anyone else out. Matthew knew that Cameryn would be able to get out with the help of his powers so he wasn’t worried. He looked through the small knot in the wood that provided Cameryn with enough air and light and smiled at his son. “We love you,” he whispered and quickly moved away from that wall.
Gwen sank into a plush armchair in front of the fireplace as Matthew whisked off his coat and settled onto the couch opposite her. They struck up a light conversation and moments later, the door burst open for the second time that night, and soon numerous armed men had filled up the one-roomed safe house.
“What do you want?” Matthew asked benignly and started to rise from his place but was ruthlessly slammed back down as another man walked into the room. His black hair gleamed in the dim light of the room while his green eyes took in his surroundings in one quick sweep. He swept his black cloak back over one shoulder and moved further in.
All of the armed men snapped to attention and saluted the new arrival, and both Mat and Gwen knew that they were now face to face with the man who was quickly becoming known throughout Turyn as the Boss. “Did you find him?” the Boss asked his voice hard.
A scrawny soldier stepped forward and saluted before issuing his report. “No, sir, he’s not here.”
Rage blackened the Boss’s face and seconds later there was a hole in the small man’s chest. The Boss settled his gun back into its holster and nonchalantly turned to Mat and Gwen as the soldier collapsed lifelessly to the wooden floor. “What have you done with him?” he demanded, his voice cold.
“Who?” Mat asked innocently even though he knew perfectly well who he was asking about. He wasn’t going to turn his son over to this monster.
“Your nuisance of a son, who else, you idiot!?” he bellowed; he knew he wasn’t going to get anything from this obstinate excuse for a man. He stepped forward and pulled out a sleek hunting knife. Silver flashed across Mat’s throat, and seconds later he was dead.
Cameryn felt his father’s death rush through his mind, overwhelming all his senses. Tears poured down his pale face at the reality of what had happened. He couldn’t see much through the knot hole, but he had seen enough to know that that man had just killed his dad! He wanted to do something, but no plausible solution came to mind; he had promised his parents that he wouldn’t leave his hiding spot. Instead he watched with a growing fear as the murderer advanced on his mother.
“Do you care to tell me where your pitiful son is, Gwen?” the Boss taunted, flashing the knife, thoroughly enjoying this torture. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.
“I have nothing to tell, you monster!” she spat and kicked out at the Boss.
He caught her legs and drew the knife behind both of her knees, crippling her. “I’ll only give you so many chances, my dear.”
Gwen’s face tightened with pain but she said nothing. There was no way in hell that she would give up her only son; Cameryn deserved so much better than this monster before her. She only hoped he wouldn’t pull any heroics right now; far too much as on the line, including Cam’s own life.
“Very well,” the Boss sneered and cut one of her wrists. Blood flowed freely from the wound, but still she said nothing; she didn’t even give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
The Boss had had enough. He wrapped his hands around her neck and turned them quickly, breaking her spine and killing her instantly. “Serves you right for defying me,” he hissed and turned away. “Search the house; then come back to the compound. Leave their bodies here to rot; they’re of no use to me,” the Boss ordered and left.
The soldiers searched the house but did not find Cameryn who lay unconscious in his hiding spot. His mother’s pain and emotions had overwhelmed his already devastated mind and sent him barreling into the darkness; there had been no way for him to block it or stop it, and because of his inaction, or so he felt, both his parents were gone forever.
The men ransacked the house, taking everything valuable and left less than a half hour later.
The door swing back and forth in its hinges as the wind blew wildly in the night; a storm was coming, but there was no one left who really cared. The important storm had already come and gone, and the aftermath was devastating.
He sighed took a deep breath, gathering his courage, and peered through the small knot hole in the wood paneling, where a stream of sunlight supplied him with what little light he had in his hiding spot. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, but just to be safe Cameryn reached out with his telepathy to feel if there were any people still there; he had promised his father not to leave his hiding spot unless it was safe, and he intended to do at least one thing right. He wasn’t going to make his parents’ deaths a waste. He pulled his awareness back when he didn’t find anyone in the area; then he focused his attention on getting out of the space that suddenly seemed far too small. Cameryn pushed his shoulder against the sheet of paneling on his left but to no avail; it didn’t budge at all. Fear rushed into him and in response, his barely developed powers lashed out and the section of paneling flew out of its secured position and into the wall on the opposite side of the room with a loud crash.
Cameryn winced at the noise and blinked at the sudden brightness. He climbed out of the wall and looked around blindly as his eyes adjusted to the light. After a few minutes he was able to truly see his surroundings. His innocent eyes fell upon the discarded bodies of his mother and father, and without thinking, Cameryn jumped back into his former hiding spot and wrapped his arms around his head, trying to get the picture out of his mind. He hadn’t been ready for that; he hadn’t expected to find them there period. The tears came so suddenly that he wasn’t even aware of them until he felt their moisture gathering on the sleeve of his shirt. He lifted his head enough to run his hands over his face to get rid of them; he had no right to cry. When you got right down to it, this was all his fault. He forced himself to look into the room that had hidden them for months now long past and on his parents’ lifeless forms, and this time, he succeeded in holding his tears at bay even while his heart thudded painfully in his chest.
Once again, Cameryn climbed out of his hiding spot and walked towards where his father lay sprawled out half on and half off the couch. “I’m so sorry, Dad,” he whispered and turned to his mother who had fallen just a few feet away. “I’m so sorry for everything. I’ll make it better; I swear,” he said and hurried out of the room; he could only force himself to do so much.
Cameryn went out through the front door and out to a small shed about ten yards away. The door of the shed was also wide open, apparently, the men had thoroughly searched there too, but Cameryn didn’t really care. He went in and grabbed what he had come for before hurrying back to the front of the house. Once there, he dropped the end of the shovel to wet ground and started to dig. The only thing he could give his parents now was some respect in death, and that’s exactly what he intended to do. He dug for hours, the sun beating down on him through the morning hours, and when he finished, there were two holes in the ground next to one another. Cameryn dropped the shovel off to one side and returned to the house to get his parents.
He telekinetically lifted his father first and floated him out to the water logged lawn. Tears threatened to take him again as he lowered his dad’s body into the ground and went to get his mother. When he laid her to rest beside his father, he did cry; no amount of willpower could have stopped that from happening. His whole life had just been taken away just as surely as if the men had killed him in the night instead of his parents.
The tears continued to fall as he shoveled the dirt back into the graves; he felt like he was sealing the fate of his parents in some way. It was like they hadn’t truly been dead until the moment when the last of the dirt fell. And it was at that same moment when Cameryn realized something that had been skirting the fringes of his mind all day. He had killed his parents. It wasn’t just his fault; he had killed them, plain and simple. He had hidden like a good little boy and done nothing to save them when those men showed up. They had always raved about his incredible powers, and he hadn’t even tried to use those ‘gifts’ to help them. What kind of son was he? He had just sat by and let his parents be murdered! Guilt settled over his heart, and his tears dried up. He still missed his parents, but he doubted they would’ve wanted a murderer crying over their deaths. Cameryn flung the shovel across the grass and into the shadows of the trees in anger; he hated himself for what he’d done or actually, what he hadn’t done. He looked at the unmarked graves and gave one final goodbye before he went back into the house.
From the first glance it was obvious that all of the money and anything else of worth had been taken; Cameryn only hoped that there was still some food left. He didn’t want to have to start off into the world with absolutely nothing. He peered into a couple of cabinets whose doors were missing and found what he had been hoping for. He grabbed a discarded pack and stuffed as much food as he could into it. When he’d finished in their makeshift kitchen he walked a few paces to the right to the bureau that held their clothes. It pained him to rummage through his parents belongings, but there really wasn’t much choice. He packed various articles of clothing into another bag and tied a jacket around his waist before slinging the two bags over his shoulders and heading towards the door. Cameryn turned and gave the room before him one last look; then he stepped out the door and moved on down the path without a single backwards glance. He knew that no matter how much he wished differently, that part of his life was over.
Cameryn knew from listening to his father that the nearest town, Cahal, was about seven miles to the north and that the one after that, Klein, was another five miles from there. He set his sights on Klein. He knew better than to go to the most obvious place; he didn’t want to die or be caught. That meant he had at least one good, solid day of walking. And since he’d gotten a late start, it was likely that he wouldn’t make it to his destination before midnight at the earliest. He just hoped the roads were safe and empty. A young boy traveling alone was bound to draw eyes and start gossip.
He sighed and stared down the path in front of him, trying to see if there was anyone else on the road. His eyes didn’t tell him enough so he resorted to his telepathy, one of the powers he possessed that he was quickly starting to resent. He mentally scanned down the road a bit and was comforted to find that no one else was around. All Cameryn wanted at that moment was to be alone for as long as possible. After what had happened last night, he actually wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to talk to anyone again, not after what he’d done. Plus it would be easier to stay hidden if he didn’t strike up a conversation with anyone; he knew that much, but what he still didn’t know was why his parents had been running in the first place. Cameryn knew it had something to do with him, but so far he had yet to figure out exactly what that something was. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore anyway; his parents were beyond the reach of whoever was after them forever now, and if someone caught up to him, well, it only served him right he supposed.
Cameryn looked out through the trees as he walked, his heart heavy with what he thought was guilt, but in reality it was more likely sorrow. As much as he tried to deny it; the loss of his parents was a heavy burden for him to carry. After all, he was only ten years old, and no child should ever have to experience such a gruesome event. And now he walked blindly into a world he had barely begun to know; he had no idea what to expect, but he did know that he couldn’t just give up. His parents were dead because of him, and he didn’t want them to have died in vain. That was the only thought that kept him going on when nothing seemed important; he had to live for them. He needed to make things better. Hell, he had promised them he would. But now, he was completely alone in the world, and fixing things in Turyn seemed damn near impossible.
When he saw the lights of the town gates he moved deeper into the woods to find a place to make camp; he’d move into the town in the morning if he felt safe enough. Cameryn found a cluster of bushes and crawled among them to sleep.
That morning he returned to the gates and swallowed the fear mounting inside him as he started down the main street. The town was just waking up, and the street was quickly becoming crowded as Cameryn headed towards an inn at the end of the road. He hoped they would let him work for a room or something; he didn’t really want to spend all his nights roughing it.
Cameryn stepped into the inn and walked up to the front desk. He was barely tall enough to see over the top, but the lady behind the desk had already seen him come in so she knew he was there. She leaned forward to look at him and smiled kindly. Her brown eyes studied him for a moment, taking in his dirty, sunburned face and disheveled clothes. “What brings you here, son?” she asked, not entirely sure what to make of the boy before her.
Cameryn’s gaze dropped to the floor. How was he supposed to answer that? “I…well…I…I guess I was wondering if you need any…uh…help here?” he stuttered and shuffled on his feet. He could feel that this lady was nice, but nice could cover a lot of ground. For all he knew she could be the devil in disguise.
Her laugh started Cameryn. He looked back up at her suddenly afraid, but the woman waved a hand to soften her abrupt laughter. She took a deep breath and settled her gray hair back into place before speaking. “My dear child, you have come to the right place. My husband and I are getting too old to do some of the things around here, and your help would be greatly cherished. We would gladly give you a room in exchange for your services if that suits you?” she replied, nodding towards the two bags slung over his shoulders.
Cameryn smiled in relief. “Oh, thank you, Ma’am!” he exclaimed.
“Very well, it’s settled. Come with me now, and I’ll show you to your room, dearie,” she said and stepped out from behind the desk. She led Cameryn down a short hall to a door at the end. “This is the smallest room we have, but I hope you won’t mind; I think it may just be more your size anyway,” she commented and swung open the door.
She walked inside, followed closely by Cameryn. He dropped his bags beside the small table, glad to be rid of their weight and smiled up at her. He was so happy that he had found someone who was as nice as they appeared to be. “Thank you so much, Ma’am,” he repeated.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Enough with the Ma’am; it makes me feel much older than I am. Call me Sella, and my husband’s name is Clint; you’ll meet him once he gets back in from chopping wood.”
“My name is…”Cameryn faltered; he didn’t know whether or not to give his real name, so he decided not to, “Luke,” he finished.
Sella didn’t seem to notice the pause and smiled brilliantly at him. “Wonderful name, son. Now, come along, I’ll show you a bit of what you’ll be doin’ around here,” she said and led him back down the hall and towards the kitchen.
