Suddenly Sam (The October Trilogy) by Heather Killough-Walden Page B

focused on her bruised throat, and someone… was touching her shoulder.
    She looked up, blinking.
    It was Katelyn. She was kneeling beside Meagan. Her blonde hair was wind-tossed, cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wide, but she looked otherwise none the worse for wear.
    Meagan heard footsteps approaching, and glanced over as Draper also knelt down beside her. “Have you recovered?” he asked. He seemed a little out of breath, and his expression was concerned.
    Meagan felt her throat. It was working. She could swallow and she was getting air – so she figured she was fine. She nodded, though, not wanting to attempt speech just yet.
    “I can’t believe you did that,” said Katelyn, shaking her head. “What was that. I mean, you just sort of exploded . And it took you a while to get over it.”
    I what? Meagan thought, confused. I exploded?
    “And without a spoken spell,” added Draper, his brow arching with what could only have been admiration. “I have heard of it being done, but no one in my time has ever been capable of such a thing.”
    Meagan shook her head. The m agic had completely acted on its own. At that moment, she was even scared to call it her magic. It was just the magic.
    She was beginning to learn that m agic was a little like the ocean. It could be beautiful and it was alluring, but it was also deadly, it could be unpredictable, it garnered a good deal of respect, and it belonged to no one.
    “I don’t know,” she finally responded, croaking her words just a little bit. She coughed to clear her throat, winced, and tried again. “I’ve never done that before. I’m not sure it was even me.”
    “Oh, it was you,” assured Draper. He placed his hand on her other shoulder and squeezed gently. “It was most certainly you. I have a feeling you’ve quite a bit more potential than you realize, young witch.”
    “But I don’t even know what happened. Where are Shawn and Nathan?”
    “Over there,” said Katelyn, pointing.
    Meagan followed the line of her finger to find two sprawled forms several hundred feet away across the smooth rocks and pools of water.
    “You picked them up like a couple of ragdolls and just tossed them,” said Katelyn. There was laughter in her voice. “Hugh and I checked them out while you were catching your breath, and they’re out cold. No response at all.”
    “I suspect your body reacted to the immediate threat it was under,” suggested Draper. “The magic you had stored knew what to do, even if you were not consciously aware of it.”
    “Are they gonna wake up?” Meagan asked. It was her main concern just then.
    “I highly doubt they will any time soon,” said Draper.
    “Yeah,” said Katelyn. “You should have seen your spell from our side.” She was grinning now. And Meagan realized it was a grin of pride. “They aren’t going anywhere for a while.”
    Meagan wished there was something she could do to make sure. The last thing she wanted was to have to face those two again. At least… she hoped that was the last thing she wanted.
    “Did….” Katelyn frowned, looking at something beyond Meagan. “Did you guys see that?” She stood, and walked past Meagan toward the large pool she’d nearly slid into when Shawn and Nathan showed up.
    Meagan stood and walked over to her, peering down at the round pool. It was the size of a hot tub, but by the way the color went from light blue at the very edges to nearly black at its center, it was clear this was one of the deeper ones.
    Suddenly, a bubble floated into vision, traveled to the water’s surface, and popped.
    Meagan inhaled sharply.
    “That was it!” Katelyn shouted. “That’s what I saw!”
    “A bubble,” said Meagan.
    There was a beat of comprehending silence. Then, together, they exclaimed “Mr. Lehrer!”

    Chapter Seventeen
    The dancers formed a circle around Logan and her partner, shifting back and moving out, their eyes never wavering as the stranger moved Logan to the very center