Chapter 2
He of the Wind
The call reached for him again. Like a voice of a siren, the call was desirable.
Rowan.
A woman called for him. He could see the faint silhouette of the woman in the abyss of pitch darkness. Somewhere in the void of his dream, she was reaching for him.
The call.
A crash jolted Rowan awake. He sprang to sit up. His heart crazily beat against his chest, instantly taking his breath away. Fully aware of everything, Rowan realized his room was a disaster. Books, posters, fragile figurines and decorations had been thrown about the room and broken.
“What the hell?”
Rowan reached down to pick up one of the books. A gust of wind burst from his palm and threw the book into the air. Rowan jerked back in surprise. He stared at his hand. That had to be a fluke.
With another look at the messy state his room was now in, Rowan decided to deal with it later. He dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the shower.
The call came again. Stronger.
A burst of wind pulsed out of Rowan. It tore through the bathroom's door frame. Rowan stumbled back. He froze, afraid any sudden movement could call forth the wind again. He inhaled deeply, waiting for any sign that he wouldn't bring forth the wind.
Rowan straightened. He balled his fists in hope the wind would remain contained. He glanced out the window. “Call of a siren, why do you torment me so? What do you want?”
Rowan's phone rang. He glanced at the bright screen beckoning him. He wondered if he should take the call or if he should avoid the world for the day, at until he figured out if his power would go array again.
“Hello?”
“Hey, man! What's taking you so long? I've been downstairs for the past ten minutes. Hurry up!”
“Alex... I need to talk to you. Something strange is happening.”
“Tell to me in the car. I can't be late to this class today. This project is a huge deal.” Alex hung up.
Rowan lowered his phone. It was already almost 9:00am. Class started at 9:20am. He swallowed back his nerves and quickly threw on his clothes.
Outside of the apartment, Alex sat in his car, tapping his finger impatiently on the wheel. Rowan entered the car. “Go.”
Alex put the car in drive. “What's going on?”
“I don't know...” Rowan stared at his hands. “Something's going on with my wind recently.”
“Like?”
“Like I can't control it. I woke up today to find my room a mess.”
“Your room is always a mess,” Alex joked.
Rowan didn't smile. “No, I mean as if my room barely survived a level three tornado.”
Alex glanced at Rowan with growing concern. He slammed on the brake before rear-ending the car in front of him. “Fuck. Okay. When did all of this start happening?”
Rowan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “When I started hearing this voice three days ago.”
“You're hearing voices?”
“It's not schizophrenia... I'm hoping. It's more like someone is trying to reach me.”
Alex maneuvered the car past two drivers busy talking on their phone and slowing the flow of traffic. “Okay. So what are they calling you for?”
“I don't know.”
They drove down the street to the park. Alex parked in the same spot he did the day before and got out. He threw his bag over his shoulder and locked the car once Rowan was out. “Look, this seems like something we really need to figure out. And once this class is over and I present this stupid project, all of my attention is yours. We will figure this out. I just need you to wait two hours.”
Rowan frowned. He sighed. “Okay. I'll be in the library.”
Alex blinked. “You're not going to class?”
“No.” Rowan shoved his hands into his pockets. “Right now I trust myself. I don't want to hurt anyone.”
The two crossed the street in silence. Alex kept glancing at Rowan. His worry was steadily growing. Rowan only gave a nod as he separated from Alex.
His heart was pounding hard. He had control of the wind all of his life. It was a curious power he was born with when no one else had anything even remotely similar. And it had even gotten him into trouble a couple of times while growing up. Besides his parents and a mistake, Alex was the only one who knew about it.
Every second of every day, he could feel the power within the pit of his stomach. The wind was a part of him and he was part of the wind. With the connection he had with the element, Rowan could feel danger and changes within the world. It was an ability he had to come to appreciate by realizing how much he was a part of mother nature.
But now, the power was too strong. The gentle stir of power in his stomach felt like a continuous twist of the stomach. His power was growing for some reason. No. He knew the reason. It was responding to the call.
Rowan entered the library. Lost in his thoughts, he glided toward the book aisles. He turned into a corner of the aisles where the cases met. He plopped his bag onto the ground and sat.
He stared at his hands again. Energy crackled along his fingertips. A part of him liked the feeling of it.
“There you are.”
Rowan looked up to see Abi. “Oh. Hi.”
“I've been looking for you.”
“Really? Couldn't tell from the 'There you are'.” He shoved his hands into his pockets again and leaned back. “Why are you looking for me?”
Abi studied Rowan for a second. Finally she folded her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg. “Just wanted to see how you were doing after the fight with the baseball team yesterday.”
“How do you know about that?”
“Everyone knows about it, dolt. More importantly, I saw it.”
Rowan stiffened. “You saw what?”
“The fight.” Abi rolled her eyes. “Look. I'm not going to waste any time with false pretenses and try to give you a feel of things. This is time-sensitive. I know you have powers.”
“Everyone has powers. It's called the right to vote.”
Abi glared at him. “Put the defense away. You can't lie to me. I am witch.”
Rowan's eyes widened to realization. “Ah, a Wiccan who really believes she has powers. Now I understand what kind of person you are.” Rowan started to get up.
With a flick of Abi's finger, three books flew off the shelf and nearly hit Rowan. Rowan fell back. His eyes were now wide with shock. “Like I said, we have no time for false pretenses.”
“I've never met another with powers.”
“Many people have powers, Rowan. Everyone has the capabilities for them. I am a natural-born witch and one with a calling.”
Excitement stirred in Rowan. He sprung to his feet. “So what else can you do?”
Abi couldn't help but smile at the innocent excitement playing in Rowan's eyes. Even if it masked the longing for another like he. But she couldn't let it distract her. “Rowan, listen to me. I know you've been hearing it.”
Rowan froze.
“I know you hear someone calling you.” Abi watched his defenses spring up. He leaned back and looked her over again. Suspicion and fear betrayed his facial features.
“And if I do? Are you the one who has been keeping me up at night until I can no longer keep my eyes open? Or are you just a spectator?”
“Neither. Now calm down. I'm on your side. But there is danger coming to--”
The library started to shake. Abi cursed under her breath. The quakes grew stronger. Cases started to wobble. Rowan grabbed Abi's wrist and ran. They dodged falling books and toppling bookcases. Students screamed and ran in panic toward the exit.
A metal bookcase started to fall on Abi and Rowan. Rowan held up his hand. A strong gale of wind poured from his hand and hurled the heavy case back. “Come on!”
Abi followed Rowan out of the library. Her eyes widened as she watched cracks run down the cement pavements. The quake toppled the campus trees and the buildings wobbled so much they looked to be ripples in water. Windows shattered. Glass was falling to the students below.
Rowan was already dashing across the campus lawn. He didn't know why he was racing over, but his body moved on its own. He gripped the twisting power within him and flicked his wrist. A gale of wind just strong enough to move the shattered glass but not people filled the school. The wind caught the glass and carried it away. Rowan spun on his heel. He looked around.
Rowan fell to his knees. The quakes were becoming too much. His breath caught in his throat as he watched one of the buildings split and start to crumble. “Alex.”
He couldn't get to his feet. Every time he tried, the earth knocked him back down. He had to make sure Alex was safe. He reached for that twisting power within. Rowan called for the wind to surround him. His heart raced. He feared what could happen. Last time he did such, he summoned a hurricane which devastated a quarter of the city.
“I have to. Everything is already falling apart.” Rowan tried summoning the wind under him. His dark hair flapped in the cyclone gathering around him. He felt his body get a little lighter. The quakes didn't seem as debilitating.
Rowan tried gaining a bit of height off the ground. The wind stayed as is. He went to reach for the twisting power within. To his surprise, the twist was gone. He felt a pool of soothing power inside. It felt right.
The ground started to give. Rowan couldn't think anymore. He couldn't call for more wind, but he had enough to move. He hovered over the ground. He tried to move forward but couldn't.
People fell into the ever growing ruptured ground and into the abyss. Rowan couldn't believe his eyes. It was coming his way.
Abi held out her hand. She was trying to reach him with her power. Rowan held out his hand. It wasn't working. The ground started to give under him. Chunks of earth started to fall into the darkness under him. His wind was losing stability. There wasn't enough ground to push wind against and maintain his hover. Rowan started hyperventilating. He was going to die.
“The wind is blocking my reach!” Abi yelled out. “Turn it off!”
Rowan nodded. He looked down. He was sinking. Slowly. Once he called off the wind he would plummet into the darkness.
“Trust me!”
Rowan closed his eyes. The wind around him ceased. He felt something grab him and pull him. He slid across the lawn, scratching his elbows and forearms. His knee hit a rock. He rolled to the safety of Abi's side. The quakes finally gave and came to a stop.
Rowan sat up. His entire body was shaking and now aching in pain. “Th-Thanks.”
“This is worse than I imagined.”
“Abi... what's going on?”
“I'm not completely sure, but I do know that our world is in danger.” Abi climbed to her feet. She looked down at him with pitying eyes. “And it has something to do with the call you're hearing.”
“How? Why?”
“For whatever reason you have the power of the wind.”
Rowan shook his head. He looked around the destroyed campus. People wept both from fear and grief. Buildings had been destroyed. The ruptured earth had gone on for what appeared to be a couple of blocks. No doubt he would know exactly how much soon.
“Rowan!” Alex pushed through the crowds toward him. Relief washed over Rowan.
“Alex, thank God.” Rowan smiled.
“Follow me, Rowan,” Abi said. “We have much to discuss and little time to cover it all.”
Alex glanced at Abi. If he wasn't so confused about what just happened, he would have found Abi mesmerizing and thrown his charm at her. Right now, however, he was frightened and worried about his friend. “And who the hell are you?”
“She's a friend, Alex.” Rowan looked at Abi. “I think.”
Abi nodded. “Let's go.”
“Tell me why first. Why are you coming to me? What does this have to do with me?”
“I will explain when we get back to my house, but all of this has to do with the call you've been hearing.” Abi stood over Rowan now like a figure of great power. Rowan wasn't even sure if that was an exaggeration. “You are He of the Wind. And if you don't answer this call, more disasters are sure to come.”
He of the Wind
The call reached for him again. Like a voice of a siren, the call was desirable.
Rowan.
A woman called for him. He could see the faint silhouette of the woman in the abyss of pitch darkness. Somewhere in the void of his dream, she was reaching for him.
The call.
A crash jolted Rowan awake. He sprang to sit up. His heart crazily beat against his chest, instantly taking his breath away. Fully aware of everything, Rowan realized his room was a disaster. Books, posters, fragile figurines and decorations had been thrown about the room and broken.
“What the hell?”
Rowan reached down to pick up one of the books. A gust of wind burst from his palm and threw the book into the air. Rowan jerked back in surprise. He stared at his hand. That had to be a fluke.
With another look at the messy state his room was now in, Rowan decided to deal with it later. He dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the shower.
The call came again. Stronger.
A burst of wind pulsed out of Rowan. It tore through the bathroom's door frame. Rowan stumbled back. He froze, afraid any sudden movement could call forth the wind again. He inhaled deeply, waiting for any sign that he wouldn't bring forth the wind.
Rowan straightened. He balled his fists in hope the wind would remain contained. He glanced out the window. “Call of a siren, why do you torment me so? What do you want?”
Rowan's phone rang. He glanced at the bright screen beckoning him. He wondered if he should take the call or if he should avoid the world for the day, at until he figured out if his power would go array again.
“Hello?”
“Hey, man! What's taking you so long? I've been downstairs for the past ten minutes. Hurry up!”
“Alex... I need to talk to you. Something strange is happening.”
“Tell to me in the car. I can't be late to this class today. This project is a huge deal.” Alex hung up.
Rowan lowered his phone. It was already almost 9:00am. Class started at 9:20am. He swallowed back his nerves and quickly threw on his clothes.
Outside of the apartment, Alex sat in his car, tapping his finger impatiently on the wheel. Rowan entered the car. “Go.”
Alex put the car in drive. “What's going on?”
“I don't know...” Rowan stared at his hands. “Something's going on with my wind recently.”
“Like?”
“Like I can't control it. I woke up today to find my room a mess.”
“Your room is always a mess,” Alex joked.
Rowan didn't smile. “No, I mean as if my room barely survived a level three tornado.”
Alex glanced at Rowan with growing concern. He slammed on the brake before rear-ending the car in front of him. “Fuck. Okay. When did all of this start happening?”
Rowan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “When I started hearing this voice three days ago.”
“You're hearing voices?”
“It's not schizophrenia... I'm hoping. It's more like someone is trying to reach me.”
Alex maneuvered the car past two drivers busy talking on their phone and slowing the flow of traffic. “Okay. So what are they calling you for?”
“I don't know.”
They drove down the street to the park. Alex parked in the same spot he did the day before and got out. He threw his bag over his shoulder and locked the car once Rowan was out. “Look, this seems like something we really need to figure out. And once this class is over and I present this stupid project, all of my attention is yours. We will figure this out. I just need you to wait two hours.”
Rowan frowned. He sighed. “Okay. I'll be in the library.”
Alex blinked. “You're not going to class?”
“No.” Rowan shoved his hands into his pockets. “Right now I trust myself. I don't want to hurt anyone.”
The two crossed the street in silence. Alex kept glancing at Rowan. His worry was steadily growing. Rowan only gave a nod as he separated from Alex.
His heart was pounding hard. He had control of the wind all of his life. It was a curious power he was born with when no one else had anything even remotely similar. And it had even gotten him into trouble a couple of times while growing up. Besides his parents and a mistake, Alex was the only one who knew about it.
Every second of every day, he could feel the power within the pit of his stomach. The wind was a part of him and he was part of the wind. With the connection he had with the element, Rowan could feel danger and changes within the world. It was an ability he had to come to appreciate by realizing how much he was a part of mother nature.
But now, the power was too strong. The gentle stir of power in his stomach felt like a continuous twist of the stomach. His power was growing for some reason. No. He knew the reason. It was responding to the call.
Rowan entered the library. Lost in his thoughts, he glided toward the book aisles. He turned into a corner of the aisles where the cases met. He plopped his bag onto the ground and sat.
He stared at his hands again. Energy crackled along his fingertips. A part of him liked the feeling of it.
“There you are.”
Rowan looked up to see Abi. “Oh. Hi.”
“I've been looking for you.”
“Really? Couldn't tell from the 'There you are'.” He shoved his hands into his pockets again and leaned back. “Why are you looking for me?”
Abi studied Rowan for a second. Finally she folded her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg. “Just wanted to see how you were doing after the fight with the baseball team yesterday.”
“How do you know about that?”
“Everyone knows about it, dolt. More importantly, I saw it.”
Rowan stiffened. “You saw what?”
“The fight.” Abi rolled her eyes. “Look. I'm not going to waste any time with false pretenses and try to give you a feel of things. This is time-sensitive. I know you have powers.”
“Everyone has powers. It's called the right to vote.”
Abi glared at him. “Put the defense away. You can't lie to me. I am witch.”
Rowan's eyes widened to realization. “Ah, a Wiccan who really believes she has powers. Now I understand what kind of person you are.” Rowan started to get up.
With a flick of Abi's finger, three books flew off the shelf and nearly hit Rowan. Rowan fell back. His eyes were now wide with shock. “Like I said, we have no time for false pretenses.”
“I've never met another with powers.”
“Many people have powers, Rowan. Everyone has the capabilities for them. I am a natural-born witch and one with a calling.”
Excitement stirred in Rowan. He sprung to his feet. “So what else can you do?”
Abi couldn't help but smile at the innocent excitement playing in Rowan's eyes. Even if it masked the longing for another like he. But she couldn't let it distract her. “Rowan, listen to me. I know you've been hearing it.”
Rowan froze.
“I know you hear someone calling you.” Abi watched his defenses spring up. He leaned back and looked her over again. Suspicion and fear betrayed his facial features.
“And if I do? Are you the one who has been keeping me up at night until I can no longer keep my eyes open? Or are you just a spectator?”
“Neither. Now calm down. I'm on your side. But there is danger coming to--”
The library started to shake. Abi cursed under her breath. The quakes grew stronger. Cases started to wobble. Rowan grabbed Abi's wrist and ran. They dodged falling books and toppling bookcases. Students screamed and ran in panic toward the exit.
A metal bookcase started to fall on Abi and Rowan. Rowan held up his hand. A strong gale of wind poured from his hand and hurled the heavy case back. “Come on!”
Abi followed Rowan out of the library. Her eyes widened as she watched cracks run down the cement pavements. The quake toppled the campus trees and the buildings wobbled so much they looked to be ripples in water. Windows shattered. Glass was falling to the students below.
Rowan was already dashing across the campus lawn. He didn't know why he was racing over, but his body moved on its own. He gripped the twisting power within him and flicked his wrist. A gale of wind just strong enough to move the shattered glass but not people filled the school. The wind caught the glass and carried it away. Rowan spun on his heel. He looked around.
Rowan fell to his knees. The quakes were becoming too much. His breath caught in his throat as he watched one of the buildings split and start to crumble. “Alex.”
He couldn't get to his feet. Every time he tried, the earth knocked him back down. He had to make sure Alex was safe. He reached for that twisting power within. Rowan called for the wind to surround him. His heart raced. He feared what could happen. Last time he did such, he summoned a hurricane which devastated a quarter of the city.
“I have to. Everything is already falling apart.” Rowan tried summoning the wind under him. His dark hair flapped in the cyclone gathering around him. He felt his body get a little lighter. The quakes didn't seem as debilitating.
Rowan tried gaining a bit of height off the ground. The wind stayed as is. He went to reach for the twisting power within. To his surprise, the twist was gone. He felt a pool of soothing power inside. It felt right.
The ground started to give. Rowan couldn't think anymore. He couldn't call for more wind, but he had enough to move. He hovered over the ground. He tried to move forward but couldn't.
People fell into the ever growing ruptured ground and into the abyss. Rowan couldn't believe his eyes. It was coming his way.
Abi held out her hand. She was trying to reach him with her power. Rowan held out his hand. It wasn't working. The ground started to give under him. Chunks of earth started to fall into the darkness under him. His wind was losing stability. There wasn't enough ground to push wind against and maintain his hover. Rowan started hyperventilating. He was going to die.
“The wind is blocking my reach!” Abi yelled out. “Turn it off!”
Rowan nodded. He looked down. He was sinking. Slowly. Once he called off the wind he would plummet into the darkness.
“Trust me!”
Rowan closed his eyes. The wind around him ceased. He felt something grab him and pull him. He slid across the lawn, scratching his elbows and forearms. His knee hit a rock. He rolled to the safety of Abi's side. The quakes finally gave and came to a stop.
Rowan sat up. His entire body was shaking and now aching in pain. “Th-Thanks.”
“This is worse than I imagined.”
“Abi... what's going on?”
“I'm not completely sure, but I do know that our world is in danger.” Abi climbed to her feet. She looked down at him with pitying eyes. “And it has something to do with the call you're hearing.”
“How? Why?”
“For whatever reason you have the power of the wind.”
Rowan shook his head. He looked around the destroyed campus. People wept both from fear and grief. Buildings had been destroyed. The ruptured earth had gone on for what appeared to be a couple of blocks. No doubt he would know exactly how much soon.
“Rowan!” Alex pushed through the crowds toward him. Relief washed over Rowan.
“Alex, thank God.” Rowan smiled.
“Follow me, Rowan,” Abi said. “We have much to discuss and little time to cover it all.”
Alex glanced at Abi. If he wasn't so confused about what just happened, he would have found Abi mesmerizing and thrown his charm at her. Right now, however, he was frightened and worried about his friend. “And who the hell are you?”
“She's a friend, Alex.” Rowan looked at Abi. “I think.”
Abi nodded. “Let's go.”
“Tell me why first. Why are you coming to me? What does this have to do with me?”
“I will explain when we get back to my house, but all of this has to do with the call you've been hearing.” Abi stood over Rowan now like a figure of great power. Rowan wasn't even sure if that was an exaggeration. “You are He of the Wind. And if you don't answer this call, more disasters are sure to come.”