Read Online Yesterday's Magic by Pamela F. Service - Free Book Online Page B

the idea that she could contact people living elsewhere. Well, now she had nothing else to do. She could try.
    She closed her eyes and tried to think cool, calm nothing. Reaching out to animal minds came naturally to her, but this was different. She imagined her thoughts stretching out like weeds or tentacles waving around in the water, searching, reaching, trying to catch something. She thought she caught a hint of the voice that talked about jaguars, ancient temples, and annoying sisters. But those thoughts were busy elsewhere, not wanting to talk.
    For a moment, there was another voice she hadn’t heard often. It seemed scared and alone too.
Aunt Gutra told me to stay quiet in here. There’s danger outside. But it’s dark. Are you someplace happy today?
    No,
Heather answered back.
I’m not. I’ve been taken some where far from home. I don’t know why.
    Silence followed. Then,
I’m sorry. At least I’m home. And the danger always passes in a little while. Be brave. That’s what Aunt Gutra always says: Be brave.
    She lost contact, and Heather found herself drenched in sweat. This was a lot harder now that she was trying to reach the voices than when they just came on their own. From what she remembered feeling when she’d looked at the globe, that particular scared voice was way off in South Asia someplace. It still felt distant, though perhaps not as far away as before, but that gave her no clue where
she
might be. For a choking moment, Heather was overwhelmed with longing to have Earl with her. He could help her with this; he would know what to do, what was happening. And he could get her out of here, surely. She didn’t even know what to try. Clutching her bracelet, she repeated what the voice had said:
Be brave.
    Tired from trying to reach out with her mind, she just lay back, closed her eyes, and drifted into a half doze. That’s when a new voice cut into her with painful intensity.
Close. You’re close. Why?
    Excited, yet cringing against the mental pain, Heather thought back,
I’m a prisoner in a stone castle or something. I was kidnapped. I’ve talked to you before, haven’t I?
    A couple of times, I think. You sound much nearer now, though. Are you hurt?
    No. Not yet. But I don’t know why I’m here.
    The voice stayed silent a long while, and when it came back, it was much weaker.
Sorry, I’m not good at this. Can’t keep it up. You take care.
Nothing more came, and when she tried probing with her thoughts, she found blankness. But at least she’d had some contact. And if this person really was near, maybe he could help, though she didn’t see how. Besides, his idea of close might just mean that he was closer than the guy near the jaguars. Well, anyway, Heather thought, at least she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t very skilled at working this thought-message thing.
    The day dragged on. Nothing more touched her mind except fear and boredom. For long spells, Heather stared out the window at the bleak rugged landscape. She supposed these mountains had been forested before the Devastation. Then they wouldn’t have looked so repellent. She wondered if anything lived near here. Were there bands of muties like in the wildest areas of Britain? If a lot of bombs had been dropped in Europe and if this
was
Europe, wouldn’t the mutations be even worse? And were there any clutches of normal people left? She tried not to think about what was living with her in this castle, if that’s what it was. The stench of magic was obvious, and it wasn’t the good kind.
    An occasional bird, or something with wings, traced its way across the steely sky. Earl had always said that with her magic affinity for animals, transforming herself into one should come easily to her. But that was another one of those things they hadn’t had time to work on, what with all the traveling with Arthur, trying to unify Britain. Earl himself could become a hawk, but he said it was never easy for him. Trying to turn herself into a