Page 97 of Choosing Jenny
I grinned and turned towards the woods. “Hey everyone, come out of hiding,” I called out, loud enough for them to hear.
They emerged from the trees, and when they arrived I introduced them as best I could, knowing they couldn’t hear or see her.
“…and this is Surge, the magician.”
Her eyes widened, but there was no fear in them. “Oh, half-sizes are said to make powerful magicians. You are full of surprises, Jenny.”
I laughed lightly, then glanced back at him. “Surge, an egg, please.”
He passed me one, and my nerves returned as the silver veining immediately started glowing in my hand.
“That’s odd,” Surge said, scratching his head thoughtfully. “It didn’t glow for me until I tried to use it.”
I shrugged. “Now what do I do?”
“Tell Illiamor—”
“She can hear you and everyone else, Surge.”
“Right, okay.” He nodded, then fixed his gaze where he thought the girl might be. “Illiamor, I tried this on a ghost on Halla and it worked. I was able to put her into the egg and take her out again. She said it was painless and being in the egg showed her a whole new world that enthralled her. The egg would essentially transport you, and the rest of the ghosts to Halla. Would you like to try?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please. Any other world than this one would be a relief.”
Realizing that Surge couldn’t hear her, I conveyed the message. “She’s willing to give it a try.”
Surge looked pleased. “Then concentrate on the egg,” he instructed me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Close your eyes and picture a waterfall flowing into the egg and filling it up.”
I did as he told me, despite how odd I found the mental image. “I don’t think it’s working—”
I opened my eyes and Illiamor was gone.
“Is she in the egg?” I asked as everyone else looked on expectantly.
“Set it down,” Surge said. “If it’s still glowing without you touching it, then she’s in there.”
I gently placed the egg on the ground. It continued to glow softly in the moonslight. Relief crashed through me and I exhaled hard. “Now what?”
“Pick the egg back up, only this time think about a bird hatching out of it.”
Another odd request, but I followed his instructions again, concentrating on the image. It took much longer this time—coaxing Illiamor back out was harder than getting her inside. But eventually, she stood before me again.
Her entire face reflected wonder and awe at whatever she’d encountered inside the egg. “That was…amazing,” she whispered reverently. “Truly.”
The whole experience made me feel giddy, too, that I had the ability to save these ghosts from spending eternity on the hunting ground. “Can you gather the other ghosts?” I asked her. “We have one-hundred-forty-one orbs like this, and we can transport you from Orhon to Halla in them.”
Excitement sparkled in her eyes. “I will return shortly,” she said, then vanished.
I looked at everyone gathered around me. “She says she will be right back.”
Longshot cradled his bandaged hand against his body. “This may be a moot point, however, do you believe releasing all these ghosts on Halla would be good for Halla?”
I wasn’t following. “What do you mean?”
“They have been trappedhere, some of them for hundreds of years. They may be violent or insane. They could be a problem for Sarah.”
I gaped at him. “You’re bringing this upnow?”
He shrugged. “It only just occurred to me.”
