Sci Fi & Fantasy / the untreaded path- chapter 2 (Analysis)
2
Family
The night wore on and the Gathering didn’t end until sunrise. But that didn’t stop the party goers. All the families celebrated together; there wasn’t a bird who would find more than six of one color grouped together. I was surrounded by so many different colors I had trouble finding my bearings. The Finders had forgotten me almost immediately after the Gathering and I was very glad of it.
Though the mark on my hands hadn’t been seen for a long time, didn’t mean it was the only amazing thing to see. All the carving was, was a piece of history that everyone knew about; so what if it came back? But I was very interested in it. What had compelled Ansa to place a Life Promise on my hands? Had I impressed him somehow? Passed an unknown test? Was it the answer I gave to his offer of a longer life?
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and returned to the conversation around me.
“…Was as large as the platform here! I had to do something or the whole village would be destroyed!” a Wing family member, Sandro, said. His silver sash was wrapped around his hand, making sure no flesh was seen.
“You didn’t do anything, did you? You could have killed everyone any way!” someone else shouted. I followed the voice to see a woman with her hair held back by her brown sash. She was a Water member and her name was Tecla. Tecla was known for her strong disagreement of interfering with others problems. Normally I would agree, but at the cost of so many lives I would have to side with Sandro.
“If I had done nothing, they would have died certainly! If I tried they would have more of a chance!” Sandro argued. I could see fires in both of their eyes and decided it was time to intervene; not wanting a fight so early in the Meeting. “Whether what he did was right or wrong doesn’t matter now! It’s been done. Sandro, finish the story,” my voice never rose and I had continued sitting; a neutral stance I had learned.
Both Sandro and Tecla stared at me, not quite in disbelief but not yet ready to accept that I was the one to interrupt. Apparently, they were expecting someone else. Too bad, I frowned, they had gotten me. Seeing my frown, Tecla backed down removing her gaze and returning it to Sandro.
Unsteadily, Sandro continued, “Well, um, anyway, the village would have been destroyed if I had done nothing…”
But once again, I wasn’t listening. My attention had been drawn away by the faces of the surrounding Finders. Most of them weren’t listening to Sandro anymore but looking at me instead. Each time I tried to look at someone in the eyes they avoided my stare and would not catch it again. Sighing, I got up from my seat and left the group. What had changed? Why was everyone being so cold?
I lifted my chin in sudden stubbornness. No, it was just my mood getting to me. Maybe I should find a happier conversation.
“Rhona!” the shout came out of nowhere and had me jump nearly two feet into the air. I turned toward the voice, glancing color of a black sash before bulk knocked me over. Whoever it was was heavy and pushed the breath from my lungs. “Oh get off!” I wheezed, annoyed. The man, I realized, rolled off to my side. My hand followed him, slugging him in the jaw; I knew who it was.
The man laughed as I regained my breath, laughing in between. “Warning, next time, Savio! Give me warning!”
“I did! How much more do you want?” Savio Heart jumped up, pulling
me with him.
“More than a millisecond!” I hugged him properly. “It’s good to see you! What have you been up to?” I put him at arms length, examining him. He was the same age as I was, tall, short brown hair, and the natural Finder’s tan and brown eyes. He had accumulated a white scar running down from his jaw line to his collar bone; it sort of looked like a large ‘C’ on the side of his neck.
“Oh you know, coming here, going there, same old same old,” he answered after he did the same. “Saw your hands, pretty cool that you found a Winter!”
“Tch, cool nothing! I had no idea he was a Winter until I was about to leave! I had no clue that they lived so long!”
“Oh come on, everyone knows the Winters had longer life spans. Of course, this would be kinda stretching it. Which Winter was it?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Hey, do you have food? I’ll cook it; it’s just that I’m too hungry to hunt for my food.”
Savio nodded and we walked to his tent. It was as big as Chasim’s and very black. Surprisingly though, it was quite cool; that made me wonder. “Savio, why is it so cool in here? It’s nearly noon and not a drop of heat has penetrated this cloth,” I commented as Savio went into the back to find some food.
“Ya! It was a great find in one of the Secrets I journeyed,” he came back into view with what looked like elk meat, mini potatoes, corn, onions and peppers. “The pots are over there and there’s some water in the well.”
“The well?”
“Yup, another fancy tool I found. It starts out as a metal bucket, but when its placed on the ground, up right mind you, it turns into a well filled with the freshest, sweetest tasting water, and its right back there. The bucket is with it, just don’t remove it from the line.”
I grabbed a large pot and found the magic well. “Hey, does this thing grant whishes?” I lowered the metal bucket and felt it fill. Lifting it back up, I found that Savio’s words were true. The water that drained into my pot was clearer than boiled water and sparkled like there was diamond dust sprinkled in it. “Dang, Savio! What Secrets have you ventured and where can I find them?”
Savio laughed, “Can’t tell ya! I just sort of stumbled into them, like all Secrets.”
“Okay,” I seasoned the meat with herbs I had hidden in my pockets and placed the meat and veggies on the grill that was placed over the fire, “so what about this…cooling system of yours?”
Savio grinned and picked up what looked like a red rubbing stone. It almost shimmered in the light, illusions of fire and smoke enters the mind. Somehow I doubted that this was the cause of such cool air. “I found this little baby four years ago. Its color is like a camouflage to make you think the opposite of cold air.”
I lifted my eye brows in interest. This was new to me, I had never heard of such a stone, “May I see it?” Savio tossed it to me over the fire and I caught it easily, turning it over in my hand. It was cool and smooth, no, it wasn’t smooth. Actually, it was quite rough to the touch! I lifted it closer to my eyes so I could study it better.
The stone was covered in what looked like tiny vents. I guessed this was where the air came out. But where did the air come from? Magic? Other than the vents, it looked like it was still in water. Red reflections washed over it, hypnotizing me in its aura.
“The air,” Savio said suddenly, jerking me out of my trance, “comes from the inside, sort of. Have you heard of recycling?” I nodded and handed the stone back to him. “Well, it’s sort of like that. It sucks in the warm air and cools it down considerably, then spits it back out, clean and fresh.”
“Does it flip around on the air? Like, turn the cold air into warm, as in winter?” I turned the veggies and checked the meat; almost time to turn it.
“Unfortunately no,” Savio frowned and placed the rock back in its place, “but it does have an on/off switch, just for those occasions. How’s lunch coming?”
I shrugged and turned over the meat. Okay, so it wasn’t magic that made the thing work, but it wasn’t too bad a guess. It was magic that kept the carvings on my hands from healing quickly. Uncle Zell had informed me of some of the magic that was used by the Winters. Apparently, the magic Ansa used was sort of a blood magic. No, it wasn’t evil or bad magic it just inquired the use of blood. For the promise of the carving, the blood of the Winter and the promised needed to be mixed and with the blood a part of the souls; ensuring the joined life spans. My hands would eventually heal but it would take a while.
“Rhona? Are you still with the living?” Savio was cutting himself some meat and gathering veggies onto a large piece of bark. Inhaling, I followed suit; I didn’t even remember flipping the meat or dowsing the fire. Juice filled my mouth with each time I bit down on either meat or grilled vegetable.
Damn, I was a good cook!
“Wow Rhona! You’ve improved!” Savio complimented, proving my point.
“Improved? What do you mean, improved? You’ve never eaten my food!” I stuffed another piece of meat, covered in onions and peppers, into my mouth; I should have made shish kabobs!
“What? You don’t remember? We were still with our parents and we ran into each other in a Secret. We decided to keep company together and you volunteered to make the dinner. Remember?”
Frowning, I shook my head. Did we really meat up in a Secret or was Savio just putting me on? I saw the seriousness in his face and panic swirled through me. Memories of my travels with my parents blurred through my head but not one included Savio. “I’m sorry Savio, but I don’t remember,” I felt awful saying those words. If we truly had met in a Secret before our tenth year, then that would mean our first Finders Meeting wasn’t the place we first laid eyes on each other.
“You don’t…well I’ll be damned! You hurt me Rhona, you hurt me deep!” it was the sarcasm in his voice that clued me in. Flabbergasted, I rounded the fire and punched Savio in the arm, hard.
“You son of a beetle! I can’t believe you made me think I had forgotten you!”
“Hey! You’re the one who believed it!” he laughed, rubbing his now soar arm.
“Only because-” I stopped. He was right, I had believed him. Why? “Oh shut up!” I began laughing along side him.
We finished our lunch with short stories here and there. When we were done, we set the dishes aside for later clean up and headed out into the heat of the sun. It was a shock after being in such a cool, dim place for so long. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed most of the Finders had gone into tents to either sleep or escape the heat; I was guessing the later.
“Come on,” I said, stretching my hands towards the heavens, “time to stretch the legs.” We started our walk around the middle of the camp and then widened our circle.
“Hey Savio,” I said during one of those moments where no one talks, “How’d you get that scar, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Of course not! Do you want the long version or the short?”
“How short is the short version?” I asked in suspicion. Knowing him, it was probably only a couple of words.
“Well, I pissed off some guy and the result was bad,” he answered quickly, a sly smile crossing his lips. Okay, more than a couple of words; I was close enough!
Shrugging, I accepted the explanation; I really wasn’t in the mood for more stories. I rounded an empty camp site and thought of my own camp. A bed sounded good right now; maybe Savio would let me bunk with him tonight, that or give me an extra air-cooling stone.
“After this round I’ve got to get some sleep,” I announced when I finally felt my eye lids grow heavy. “Can I bunk with you today Savio? I’m in the open and it’s too damn hot to sleep out here.”
“Just because of the Cooling System, huh?” Savio glanced knowingly in my direction.
“Hey, if you’ve got an extra one I’d take it! Or buy it if you want, but I would still ask to sleep in your tent. Your tent has a bed.”
I stared at the roof made of black cloth. It wasn’t completely black; tiny streams of light came through where the weavers were unable to sew. I was in Savio’s tent lying on a surprisingly comfy cot; he had even given me pillow. I was in comfort heaven! Sleeping on the ground for the most of ten years can take a toll on you; it also lowers your comfort expectancy. Savio was sleeping on the other side of the divider that separated our “rooms”.
Yes, I was tired, exhausted really, but my thoughts wouldn’t let me sleep. Questions about Ansa and the carvings on my hands seemed to have an unending roundabout and nobody wanted to get off! I lifted my hands, blocking the view of the tent roof. Yup, they were the same; seven lines across, one line down each finger including my thumb.
Sighing, I let my hands fall. Why was this bothering me so much? Ansa had given me an honor! A promise that was made and bound by magic! And I didn’t have to do anything except ask for his help.
Magic.
Was that what was bothering me? I’ve been in Secrets that used magic to grow trees, why would magic worry me? Was it because magic isn’t natural? No, I learned long ago that ‘natural’ means different things in different places; like being normal. I mentally checked off “none-natural” from my list. Magic wasn’t new to me, not by a long shot! I had traveled through some Secrets that required that I have magic. I used my magic on a normal basis!
So, it wasn’t because of none-natural causes or because I was new to it, so what was it? Then a thought scurried into my line of thinking. Was it because the magic had bound me to someone? The sinking of my stomach and clenching of my heart told me I was right. Somehow, by making the promise, Ansa had bound me to him and himself to me. If Ansa died, would I feel it? Would he feel it if I died?
A shiver ran through me; the air around me suddenly freezing. I pulled up a light blanket that had been placed at my feet earlier. I let the warmth sink into my skin as I thought. I had to settle this feeling of unease before the Meeting was over or it would consume me. Well, I had a month until everyone left. That should be long enough. I turned over onto my side, closing my eyes.
I had been bound, I didn’t like it but I would have to deal with it…
…And I did. For the next month, as families and friends caught up on old times, I learned that being bound wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Actually, I had flipped the situation. It wasn’t me who was bound, it was Ansa. It wasn’t I who had to fulfill a promise, it was Ansa and if I wanted the promise fulfilled, I’d have to wait for an opportunity worthy of such an honor.
It didn’t take long for Savio to drag me out of my self-pity to look at it another way. Good ol’ Savio, good for anything!
Since I had nothing else to worry about, I joined in the activities. For weeks I listened to and told my own stories; tasted and tried new food recipes; bought and sewn new clothes; learned and played new games; sold and bought objects from many different Secrets.
Our currency, since money was not an object of need, was information. Say, for example, I wanted the recipe for an American Apple Pie (the name its Secret gave it) and the seller would ask what I knew about the Tri-Forest. I would respond in return and if I hadn’t even heard of such forest, the seller would ask what I had to offer for the pie. If my information was of any use our trade would be finished. Me with my apple pie, and him with his new found knowledge. Or we traded objects, but that wasn’t used as much.
Savio was selling stones. Unfortunately, he didn’t have anymore Cooling-Systems but had a bunch of Heating-Systems, white-blue stones that warmed a chilled room. I bought one of those for the winter, costing me only a pair of leather boots I had made for such trade. I even bought a small tent, knowing I’d need one for the winter. Usually, I would camp out in a Secret for the winter but you never know when the mountains will keep a Secret a secret. I didn’t want to repeat the mistake of being caught out in winter without a tent or warmth. The only reason I lived was because of another Finder; we had crossed paths only once.
My direct family, mom, Chasim, my elder brother, Raza, and his new wife, had a family night. It was a fun night filled with food, games, shows of new talents and much later, stories. Raza, now almost twenty-five, was quite happy to show off his new talents. He had been born five years early of the Finders Meeting, making it kinda hard to tell his age. He had dark brown, almost black, hair tied in a long braid that hung tightly at mid-back. His eyes were a brilliant blue, complements to their father, and almost soft; if it weren’t for the guarded look he had accumulated.
After we had told our stories we had looked over to Raza; it was his turn. He smiled a secretive smile and studied us for a second. “Boy, do I have a story for you!”
He stood up and began his story, his arms sweeping out to either side of him, “Secrets. You know what they are; you have traveled them all your lives! I have traveled beside you through times of hard and easy, bad and good; emotions of happiness, sadness and hate. But never have I traveled through love. This is the story of how I fell in love.”
We leaned in, listening with interest; Raza had always been a great storyteller.
“It was night, cold and cloudless. I had wandered into a desert with only my hunting pack. I had left my camp in search of food when the sand dunes suddenly rose above me! I looked back for the forest that I had grown familiar with, but it was gone. Replacing it was an empty expanse of sand and sky; the mountains had cut me off.
“With no other choice I could see of, I continued forward. It had been hours before the moon had finally risen with a full, white stomach. By then I was completely frozen, very tired, hungry, and parched. ‘Just one more dune’ I thought, ‘then I’ll rest and wait for morning.’ I struggled up the sand dune and collapsed to my knees as I reached the top. I looked around me; there was nothing but sand in all directions for miles upon miles.
“At this point I thought I was going to die there! I wasn’t planning on it, so I decided to rest my exhausted body. I used my pack as a pillow and curled up to sleep. I’m not sure how long I slept for, but when I awoke I felt refreshed. The moon was halfway down and bigger than ever. I looked around, suddenly hearing hoof beats. There, at the foot of the dune was a rider in white. He was covered from head to toe in white cloth. His horse was a dark red, or so I guessed as the moon was my only light.
“This was help and it was riding away fast! I jumped up and began running down the dune, waving my arms wildly and shouting! The man could hear nothing under the layers of cloth and the repeated pounding of horse hooves. I took off my pack and threw it at the man, putting all my force and aim into it. I ran as I watched my pack fly. My target was the ground ahead of the horse; the pack flew past the horse, startling it, and landed a few feet away.
“The horse reared, almost throwing the rider from its back! The rider took control of the horse and turned it, drawing his sword ready for a fight! I slowed immediately, seeing the point of the sword sparkle in the moon’s light. ‘Wait! I’m unarmed! I meant no harm!’ I shouted, stopping a few arms length away.
“ ‘What is one such as you doing out in the desert?’ the rider asked, sounding pretty peeved. ‘I am a traveler!’ I replied, ‘but I am lost! I have no food or drink or ride or even a direction. I ask you for help.’
“ ‘I don’t have time for this!’ he growled and turned his horse. ‘Wait! Just let me ride with you to the next populated area. All I have is my pack there.’ I pleaded. If this man didn’t let me ride, I had a feeling I was done for. ‘Hurry up then!’ the rider snarled. He was pissed but at least he waited. Not wanting an enemy of this man, I snatched my pack and hopped onto the horse with ease, thanking one of my Secret Teachers for the riding lessons.
“ ‘Hold on, we’ll be galloping!’ and the horse jumped forward, reaching the fastest speeds I had ever known a horse could reach; it took only a few seconds. We barely talked. A question here an answer there. It was a two way trivia. I learned that our destination was a city called Sabbia, the capital city of the desert. The rider was a very important messenger and carrying a very important message. The only reason he helped me was because he had already stopped, and once the sun was up I’d have been a goner.
“It was almost a miracle I had survived as long as I had, actually. Vampires roamed the desert, preying on anything that moved, even their own. The rider couldn’t think of a reason I hadn’t been attacked. On foot, for as long as I had been, the vamps would have been all over me! ‘But don’ worry. Vamps don’t attack messengers, we’re the only exception,’ my companion comforted.
“We reached Sabbia just as the sun began to rise. It’s amazing! On one side of each building is painted part of the desert. There was only one way you could look and see a city, by all other directions you’d see the stretch of desert. Inside the city, the buildings were white stone and the streets were paved with cobble. It was quite a calm city and friendly, they waved to us as we passed; we had slowed to a trot.
“It was a while until we reached the middle of Sabbia. The way we could tell was by a stone fountain. It was a door way made of wood; its door was a continuous sheet of falling water, clear as cut diamonds. A tall oak tree grew behind the fountain, keeping it shaded. The water fell into a basin that had been cut out and edged by flat white stones. This is where the rider dropped me off. ‘Here is the center. If you’ve money, the inns are in that direction and the market is in the opposite. Good luck, traveler, and be more prepared before you enter the Sabrian Desert.’ And he rode off towards the largest stone house.”
Raza paused for a moment. “I’ll fetch more appa juice. Any thing else?” he asked as he headed for the cooking area of his tent. I lifted my plate, silently asking for more potatoes. Raza took the plate and disappeared behind the Cooks Curtain, as he called it.
“Have any of you been to this Secret?” Chasim asked suddenly. I shook my head, watching my mom.
“Once,” she said carefully, “and if I am right, Raza just might tell you something very important.”
This increased my curiosity. What did mom know? Why was this Secret so important to her? I silently urged Raza to come back out. It took a few moments but he came back with a jar of appa juice, sort of a mix between apple juice and honey, and my plate filled with potatoes. I took it gratefully and started eating.
“Everyone comfortable? The story shouldn’t be too much longer but in case I get sidetracked…,” Raza said as he sat back down, letting us fill our cups and settle back in.
“Now, where was I? Oh yes- My companion rode off and I was left alone. Well naturally I decided to find out more of this Secret the mountains had trapped me in and what it was they wanted me to know. So I started looking around randomly. There wasn’t much to the city, just houses, families and their trade; the usual. Except for one thing, there was no crime. Crime had seemed to vanish into thin air.
“I found out why. The god they worshipped was a peaceful one and very kind. To follow the only god was to be in peace. Well, I quickly found my way to the market. It was crowded, as markets usually are, and filled with laughing, smiling faces; even those of trade had no trace of anger. I looked around until noon and then I had to rest. I went back to the fountain for water and a place of shade.
“There I fell asleep, but I was rudely awakened quite a while later by a foot jabbing my side. I found myself staring up at a woman, not quite old but beginning to show wrinkles. She looked really mad.
“ ‘What you doin’ sleeping here! I sent you to the market two hours ago!’ the woman began to shout at me. ‘There’s not a bag or basket in sight! If tha food’s in that pack, it’s been squished by your fat head!’
“Completely caught off guard, I stared at the woman. Obviously she had thought me someone else so I tried to tell her. ‘Ma’am, you have the wrong person-!’ I tried, but she only lifted her voice and continued on course. It was like derailing a moving train! I stood there, trying to cut her off and failing miserably! It must have been an hour before someone came and interrupted her. My first companion, the messenger, was riding by when he heard the commotion and came to check it out.
“ ‘Hold, Indira! Whats the trouble?” the man boomed, silencing the woman; apparently, it was easier to derail a train than I had first thought.
“ ‘Thompson here has been sleeping on the job! I sent him to the market and find him here, sleeping amidst the fountain!’ the woman, now identified as Indira, explained. It was time I stepped in, ‘I already told you, you’ve got the wrong person! My name’s not Thompson! It’s Raza!’
“ ‘Who’s Raza?’ a new voice entered the conversation. I turned and let my jaw drop. I was staring at my almost exact twin. He was older, white hair already out growing the brown, but the similarities were too much to miss. The man was as shocked as I was, dropping the bags he was carrying. ‘Ah, that’s who you remind me of!’ the messenger shouted, making me jump. ‘Thompson Raggedheart! Are you two brothers or something?’
“Neither of us was listening to him anymore. ‘Are…are you a Finder?’ Thompson asked. The height of my shock was nothing to the next jolt. To look like this man and him knowing about the Finders? How could that be? Then it hit me,” Raza moved his eyes to mine. His stare was heavy and unwavering. “ ‘You know of Lasca Wind?’ I asked softly. He nodded. Rhona, he knew mom; I found dad.”
My jaw dropped, nearly losing the half empty plate to the floor. I never knew our dad. What mom told me were only family things, that he was a Finder and part of the Echo family; they had birthed Raza and traveled together as husband, wife and child until he had found a Secret he could not leave. At the time, Raza was only three and couldn’t remember the face of Father Echo. Dad had begged mom and Raza to stay with him in the Secret, but mom refused; unable to give up her travels.
That’s where they separated; mom taking Raza and leaving the Secret, dad to live alone there. Five years later, mom found the same Secret and decided to check in; hence my birth. Mom left the next morning so Father Echo never knew I existed; until now.
“Ah, I knew Sabbia sounded familiar,” mom smiled, taking a sip from her cup. “How is Slade?” Slade was dad’s name before he, apparently, changed it; most likely to blend in, like Ansa did.
“He’s doin good,” Raza’s eyes left me and turned to mom, “He’s married now. The woman who had awoken me was his wife’s mother. He’s got twin sons, should be about…eighteen now, and a daughter, fifteen. Oh and Rhona, he gave me a box; it’s addressed to you.”
He took out a palm sized box from his traveling pack. It was wrapped in dark blue paper and tied with a silver ribbon. “He said to open it when you’re alone. If you’d like to leave now we’ll understand,” Raza offered.
I smiled and tucked the box into my short’s pocket, “Dad can wait a little longer; right now is family time.”
Mom smiled with what looked almost like relief and we continued our night. The box, though, stayed at the edge of my thoughts, waiting for a time to intrude.
I stared at the box. Morning had come early, ending our wonderful night. I had gone directly to my new tent and once I had secured my door flap I dropped the blue box onto my sleeping bag; and there it stayed. I was eager to open the present but scared too. Father Echo had a new life now, why would he bother with me? Was it a fatherly sense of letting me knows he existed? Did it help him feel complete? Somehow, I had my money on the latter. Well, there was only one way to find out for sure. Taking a deep breath, I took hold of the box and pulled the ribbon off.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this! Inside the box, protected by silver silk, was a red thorn the size of my pinky toe. Confused, I picked the thorn up and examined it. The thorn seemed to be made of wood but had a sort of strength too it that reminded me of star iron; iron broken from fallen stars. The color, too, was unfamiliar; such red belonged on a rose! Out of spite, I lifted my finger to the point.
“Ow!” I jerked back; this thorn was sharper than I had predicted! Blood began to pool on my finger. Man, what had Father Echo expected me to do with this, carve stone? I lifted my finger to my mouth, forgetting the single drop of blood that had fallen. I would have to get ice water to scrub it out, but for now it was fine. It didn’t land on my sleeping bag as I had expected but on the thorn. My blood seeped into the thorn and began to swirl the colors. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. What the hell?
Spirals of red and blood spun together, mixing an unknown color. Finally, the spirals faded into a dark, rich red color. Amazed, I turned the thorn finding its color completely changed! It still had the color of a rose but as the candle light danced over it, the colors changed from light to dark. Shaking my head, I went to my door flap and let in the morning’s light. It wasn’t my imagination, as the angle of light changed, so did the thorn’s color. What had Father Echo given me?
Stumbling, I reached for the box. As I did, my fingers let go of the thorn, dropping it. Surprised, I followed it down, grasping it tightly in my fist. I froze, feeling the thorn pierce my hand. “Shit!” I cursed as I let go of the thorn; it didn’t fall from my hand. Turning my palm skyward, I found the thorn in my hand; and I mean in my hand. It was no longer a 3-D object I could pick up and set down; it was now a drawing on my hand! Oh Father Echo what have you given me?
Holding my hand carefully, I searched through the box for a note. There was one beneath the silk. “The best place to put a note, where no one will find it!” I mumbled sarcastically. The card itself was blue with glowing silver letters; what a matching set!
Rhona:
You might find this a little surprising. By now, Raza has told you about his venture in this particular Secret. I hope you do not hate me. The thorn you find in this box is meant for my first born daughter. I was going to give it to my daughter here in the Secret, having no knowledge of your existence. Truthfully, I am glad I could give this to you. My other daughter has no notion of magic whatsoever!
Rhona, daughter, this thorn is a protection. It tells of magic and can tell truth from lie. If the thorn has pierced your skin already and resides there now, DON’T touch anything! The thorn is only a seed; the first thing you touch will acquire an image, containing the powers I have mentioned. It is best if you keep it on your skin, best if it’s hidden.
Goodbye, Rhona Wind and May the Echo’s Sound guide you.
Forever forgotten:
Slade Echo
I turned the card over, in case there was more on the back, but that was all the man had wrote. So, wherever I touched a powerful image of protection would appear. The question now was, did I want it? The way I had reacted to Ansa Winter’s gift should have been answer enough, but Savio had helped me through that. Could he help me now? Well, he did know more about magic than I did and dad had said nothing about telling others.
My hand stilled on the flap door, ya I could tell him but did I want him to know? Father Echo had told me to be alone when doing this, why? Maybe he wanted this decision to be mine and mine alone. I let my hand fall to my side. Magical protection? A lie detector? Was this a gift too good to pass up? Then again, this was magic meaning that there was a consequence. Was it worth it?
Shaking my head, I passed through my tent portal and stepped into the morning light. People were already becoming towns-like; some people were just crazy being up at such an early hour! Then again, so was I…
I quickly found my way to Savio’s tent, keeping my hand close to my body but not touching anything. I almost walked straight in before I saw the DO NOT DESTURB sign hanging from the flap. Savio hadn’t been alone last night, best do as the sign says. I turned to go but the flap opened behind me. I turned eyes widening.
Savio was standing there in a black silk robe with a glass of what looked like Kiwi Wine. “Rhona, what brings you out so early?”
I began to turn red, I could feel it flowing through my cheeks, “Oh don’t worry. I can come back later, at a more reasonable time.”
“She left when the birds started singing; come on in.”
With that, I followed him in. If he said she was gone I was going to take the chance given. The tent wasn’t cold, as it was the first night, but pleasantly warm. “Have a seat by the fire,” Savio said, looking back, “Want do you want as a drink?”
Damn, he knew me too well, “Got more of that Kiwi Wine?” I needed a drink, bad. Savio laughed and fetched another glass and a bottle of the green wine. He set both down on the small, round table and I poured myself a cup; my left hand steady.
“I didn’t know you were left handed,” Savio sat down across from me.
“I’m not,” I swigged the wine down, placing the glass down empty.
“Careful girl! It’s too early for so much! What’s wrong anyhow?”
Sighing I let go of the now full glass, “I’ll show you. Its magic and you can not touch it, got it?” when he nodded, I lifted my right hand, showing him the shade changing thorn. Savio’s face slacked in confusion, “What is it?”
I shrugged, taking a smaller gulp of the wine, “Don’t know. A surprise message from my dad found its ways into my hands. He gave this to me; it started out just as a regular thorn. Some of my blood got onto it then I dropped it. I grabbed it before it hit the floor but when I looked at it, it was like this!” I took out the note I was left and showed it to Savio. Savio read it carefully as I sipped at my wine; maybe it was too early for such wine…naw!
“What is it with you and magic?” Savio asked suddenly. I shrugged, feeling a little buzz at the edge of my consciousness; Kiwi Wine was very strong! “So…what do you want with me?”
“I just need a second opinion. I don’t know much about magic but I do know it holds hands with Consequence. The problem is, I don’t know that price and if it’s worth it.”
I stared at Savio, Savio stared back. He was thinking, I could tell by the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes; there were none. I sipped at my wine, slower this time; I needed a clear head for this.
Savio sighed and shook his head, “Rhona, I have no knowledge of this sort of magic. I’m sorry, but this is truly your decision on blind faith. Do you trust your father or not?” he stood up and slid behind a curtain that lead to his room. I was left staring at the green liquid in my glass. Did I trust my father? I didn’t even know him! How can I trust someone I’ve never known? Then again, mom trusted him enough to marry him. She had always told us of Father Echo, I might not know him personally but I know him through mom.
Savio had been wrong. It wasn’t if I trusted my dad, but if I trusted mom. Gritting my teeth, I decided to take the thorn’s magic. Maybe this was the wine talking…
Standing up, I lifted my shirt and pressed my right hand against my stomach. There was a flash of red light and pain. I remember crying out before I collapsed onto the floor and lost consciousness.
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that was a ver good story. ive never read anything like that be4 but i did enjoy it.
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