They turn to look at me and then to Enzo. Baba finally says, “Enzo, could you please bring him back with us? Don’t touch him though.”
“What is happening? Will someone please tell me?” I say, a little loudly because I don't like being in the dark.
“He looks like one of our captives. I am assuming it is a twin, or it is a case of face or energy share. He has suffered the same injuries that we inflicted on our captive yesterday. But all three of them are inside and we need to figure out who this guy is and why is he here like this.” Baba says, looking at me. “What did you feel?”
“I felt a sense of urgency and that we had to come here and find something. Maybe this is what we were supposed to find? Or we could look around more? But, can we see if he can be healed?”
“I wouldn’t suggest you or anyone touch him right now. Maybe we could ask Ryan to take a look, from his perspective, to see what happened.” Baba says, stroking his beard and looking at the man pensively.
“What do you want me to do?” Ryan’s voice asks through the phone.
“Ryan, Lexie is coming back to relieve you. Come over here and help us out with this,” Dad says, looking at Lex.
Lex nods and runs out the shed and towards the mansion.
I take this moment to look around, in case something else jumps at me.
“I will take a look around,” I tell Dad, and he gives me a nod.
I break away from the others and move around the shed. I am careful not to touch anything. I pass the tables holding the chainsaws and the different types of axes.
I reach the next table with pieces of wood on it, and some small wooden figurines beside it. I log it in my mind and move along.
As I am turning around, I hear something….
What?
I turn back and look at the tables in front of me. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.
I turn around again and again, I feel a faint niggling. Like something calling for my attention.
I turn back and again, nothing jumps out at me. I close my eyes and try to listen with my breathing, like Baba had taught me a long time ago.
I feel a tug at the base of my spine, coming from my right. I turn that side and open my eyes. The tug is strong and I can feel it in my bones that I am supposed to find something, or someone.
‘Here…’
What? Did I hear that? Or is it my mind?
‘Look around, you will find me. You need to find me.’
What the bloody fuck.
I turn around and start looking around frantically. Something shimmers from underneath the piles of various chains and nut bolts kept here. The guys working on furniture or their cars. Hence so much clutter around.
I hear Ryan reach the shed and head over to the group.
‘Hurry!’
I start moving the pieces of iron and metal around and keep focussing on the tug in my spine. There, at the bottom, is a golden chain coiled around like a snake.
It is one inch thick, glittering, and looks sturdy.
I look at it for a long time and then ask it you? Is that you?
Then I roll my eyes. As if a chain can talk to me.
I am about to turn away when the tug becomes stronger and I hear ‘yes it is I. What are you waiting for?’
My eyes widen and I cannot believe that the chain is talking to me. Or I am simply hallucinating.
You are not hallucinating! Ada, please take me right now. It is urgent.
Shaking off the doubts creeping in, I push forward and wrap my fingers around the chain. As soon as my fingers touch the chain, two things happen simultaneously.
One. I feel settled. Happy, like coming home. I feel like a missing part of me has come back, only I never realised that I was missing something until now. Is it magic or someone’s mind games?
Two. It burns. The chain fucking burns. Then I feel like the chain is writhing into my skin, and a scream erupts from me.
I don't know how something can feel like coming home and so painful at the same time.
I hear multiple boots running towards me. I am still holding on to the chain and I cannot let it go, as it seems to be fused to me. My thoughts are still mine, so I know that it is not someone else’s idea of a prank or control on me.
‘Hang on. We needed to do this. I am sorry I didn't tell you before. But I promise I will take care of you. I promise. Hang on babe. Just a few seconds.’
I am legit losing my fucking mind, I am hallucinating an angelic voice in my head and linking it with the chain.
‘You are not hallucinating. How many times do I have to tell you?’
My body is jerking in pain now, and I am taken in two sets of arms. I don't know who or what, but the pain is becoming unbearable.
Why the fuck is this happening to me?
‘Simple. Because you are Ada. You are the balance between the worlds. You are the world. You have no idea, but your journey begins now. Trust me and have faith babe.’
How the fuck can an angel use words like babe?
With gritted teeth, I try to breathe in. This pain is unlike any I have felt before. And I have suffered a lot of bodily pain during my training.
Laughter. That voice fucking laughs. ‘I am not an angel. And I have had to evolve with time waiting for you. Waiting for the most worthy soul. As soon as Ida-Samara found you, I knew I had to find you too. But it was difficult to get out. And I had been waiting for years for you to embrace yourself.’
What the hell does this mean?
Okay, alright, I have literally lost my shit. I am talking in my head with a chain, while struggling in pain, a fucking gold chain.
‘It means that the lotus had to claim you, and only when the lotus made its appearance, could I be allowed to find you. It took some time, but I made it. Okay, there, done.’
As soon as those words are out, the pain leaves me. And a deep sense of relief fills me. Calmness like I‘ve never known before finds me. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself, and find that I am calm.
That angelic tinkling laughter fills my mind. ‘You are not calm. But now you are wise. A lot will be uncovered in the days to come. Have faith. You will be tested and judged. But you will take it in stride, with your family beside you. We have work to do babe. I will be your guide and I will be your weapon. Count on me always.’
What is your name?
‘Kaleira. But my friends call me Kali.’
Not creepy at all.
I open my eyes and see every face looking at me with worry and concern. I smile and blackness engulfs me.
====
“Do you think she will be out for much longer?” Enzo’s voice.
“I don't know. I don't know what is happening to my baby girl. Get some sleep guys, she will be up when she’s up.” Dad’s voice.
“I cannot sleep. Cannot while she is here like this. What the hell happened?” Ryan asks.
“I don't know. But we will when she wakes up. It's been five hours already,” Dad says.
“I have actually never seen Sensei so frazzled,” Lexie says.
“You have to know that he loves Ada like he’s never loved anybody else. Maybe one, someone who was his granddaughter a long time back. But he will lay down his or someone else’s life for Ada. He is clearly thinking something.”
Why the fuck can I not open my eyes.
‘Just breathe and tell yourself to wake up babe. That is all. Mind over matter.’
Kali! That was the last thing I remembered and everyone’s concern.
You are here? Where are you?
‘Within you, on you. I am like your alter ego now darling. There is no escaping me. Come on now. You have worried the others enough. Now wake the fuck up.’
Wow. This ancient chain babe can cuss.
‘I heard that.’ Her tinkling laughter comes to me.
Yeah yeah. Okay Ada wake the fuck up.
And as easily as running a hot knife through butter, my eyes open.
“Dad,” I say softly.
A door bu
rsts open somewhere, and before anyone can come close to me, I am wrapped in Baba’s arms. I will recognize that forest and ocean scent anywhere.
“Baba,” I say, clutching his shirt.
He holds me tight and starts rocking me in his arms, like I was still a child. Like he used to do when I was a child. I feel something wet touch my forehead. I touch it and realize it’s Baba’s tears.
Gasping, I get up and spin to look at him.
“Baba! What is wrong? Why? What is going on?'' I say, holding his face in my hands.
His eyes are full of love but his face is wrought with worry.
“I didn't know if you would be able to make it back,” he says.
“Make it back? From where?”
He pulls me into his arms again, and then starts taking deep breaths. Breathing me in.
After a few breaths he leans back and kisses my forehead. Then he looks at the others, who all have the most surprised expression on their faces.
“After you see everyone, we’ll meet in the living room. I will make something for you to eat. Okay gudiya?”
I nod and give him a smile. I am surprised too to see Baba crying like this.
I turn to the others and Dad is the first one to hold me. I breathe in sweet orange, nutmeg and cinnamon from his shirt, his lotion. I make that lotion for him and for as long as I remember, that scent is what I identify with Dad.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he says kissing my forehead. “I will meet you all downstairs, come soon. Then we all need to talk.”
I watch him go, and I am aware that there is much to figure out and talk about, but I cannot seem to catch a break. What the fuck.
I turn to the others and give them a smile. Lexie comes squealing and hugs me tight.
“I cannot believe Pa left the boys in here with you.” she giggles as she says this. A laugh bursts out of me as well, and I know that she is trying to lighten the mood. Because, let's be honest. Seeing tears in Baba’s eyes can render anybody useless.
“I cannot believe it either.” I laugh and we let each other go. I see Ash behind her, looking at the ground, rubbing his neck.
“Ash?” his head snaps to me. “How are you feeling? Are you okay? Is Annabelle still there?”
His eyes light up, though his throat bobs. He shakes his head then hesitates for some time.
“Won't you hug me then?”
I see relief on his face and in one second he has me in his arms, and is squeezing the life out of me.
‘Ooohhh .. me likes.’ Kali’s voice reaches me.
Shut up!
“I am so sorry Ada. Oh God I cannot believe what I said and what I did. I was trying my best to not say or think about-”
“Stop it. It wasn't your fault and you know that. Calm down, we will figure everything out. Okay?” I lean back and look at him.
His eyes capture me in the way that I have dreamt of. God, the feels all these boys leave me with, it is so irritating.
‘Me likey! I like him. Have you noticed those shoulders and that smooth jawline?’ Kali speaks in my mind.
I take it back. This is irritating, this new voice inside me.
Kali just laughs.
Am I losing my mind?
More laughter
“Ada?”
Ash’s vice brings me back and he is leaning down looking at me with worry.
“No .. yea… I mean, all is okay. I just zoned out there for a minute. Sorry,'' I smile at him.
He hugs me again and says, “as long as you're safe and happy, I don't care if you zone out or not. Please forgive me.”
I figured there is no point telling him again that it isn't his fault. “Even though it isn't required, I forgive you.”
He exhales in relief. As soon as he steps back, Enzo, Ryan and Vince, hug me in a group hug.
“You stupid female. The number of times you have given me a heart attack in the few days I've known you far surpasses the total number of heart attacks in my whole life,” Enzo tells me.
I laugh and say, “sorry?”
“I'm glad you're back,” Vince says.
“Hopefully no more getting unconscious now…” Ryan says.
“Amen to that!” I tell them.
“Umm guys… I know you all love her and all, but can we go downstairs now before Pa comes back and finds all of your hands on his daughter? I am not prepared to see your end, yet,” Lexie says from behind me.
Ash gives her a mock punch. “Not all of us. I am not here. My hands aren't on her.”
“You think Pa will care? One hand on her is one too many. There are six right now. He will annihilate you all! Thank God my vagina will protect me. But all of you will be ash,” she scoffs at the end.
Now both Kali and I are laughing.
‘I like her. Feisty and gentle. What a great combination.’
Oh I have to figure out what to do about Kali too. Does she need freeing from something? Is she happy being in a chain, or being a chain?
“Ya ya, we hear ya. Let’s go. Because guys, she does have a point,” Ryan tells everyone.
“Okay. give me five. Need to wash up then I’ll come downstairs.”
They agree and leave. And it is awfully quiet.
Kali?
‘You really are something.’
What do you mean?
‘You were worried if I am happy or if I need freeing. You did not for once think How can I help you? I am glad I chose you. I am glad we chose you. It really is the strength of your soul that shines so bright.’
What are you on about? I ask her.
‘Nothing. Go on, get ready. I am sure your Baba will explain everything.’
With that, she settles in deep. How do I know? Because somehow, weirdly, I can sense her. Like now. She is at peace and happy to let Baba do the explaining.
Well okay then.
But I promise Kali. If you are trapped or if you need saving or rescuing, then I will get it done. You can trust me on that.
‘I know babe. I know. I am neither. And I am happy to be with you. Now let me sleep.’
This chain-angel-thingie has way more attitude than me. As I wash my face I feel her flipping me off.
I let out a laugh, and can feel her smugness as well.
Yeah. We will get along fine Kali, just fine.
Chapter 35
Ada
As soon as I reach the living room, everyone turns to me. Mugs of coffee and tea sit in front of them. Thank God. Before anybody could say anything, I raise my hand and say, “before we get sucked into different things, let's please go ahead with an agenda. I feel like there are too many things I need to know and everytime we sit down for answers, something happens. So may I please suggest the order of things?”
They nod, while Baba gives me a smile.
“Thank you. First we discuss what happened with Ash and the boy we found in the shed. Then we discuss my magic, and what happened in the shed. Then we discuss Mathew’s note. Is that okay?”
I get various degrees of okays. Satisfied, I move in and sit next to Lex.
“So, Ash,” Dad starts, “why dont you start by telling Ada about your powers, so that we can move on, since you didn't really tell her anything before?'' Dad raises his eyebrow and Ash flinches.
Nodding, he starts. “Sorry for that. I know you have forgiven me, but I still feel sorry for it.” He looks down and shuts his eyes briefly, before looking up again. “So, my powers are hearing. I am not a telepath. At least not yet. But I can hear anyone’s thoughts and conversations they have had, if I focus on them.
“I can get into their mind and sift through their thoughts and, just like hearing their present thoughts and conversation, can listen to any thought they’ve ever had in their lives. I can also listen to what conversations they have had, if it is in their memory. I can’t see it, just hear it. Words, intonations, emotions, everything. I can also ascertain in clear detail the surroundings and the background noises. So by listening to your thoughts, I can successf
ully pinpoint where you were when you had that thought, who was around you, etc.”
“Can you tell the difference between the thoughts and actual conversations if it was in the past if you cannot see the person in the present?'' I enquire.
“Yes. Thoughts have an echo like quality. While conversations are like normal conversations, but slightly lower in volume.”
“Okay… interesting. And can you listen to anybody? Or do you have to be close to them or something?”
“Anybody. I need to identify them by their energy signature, then I can latch on to their minds and listen in. The only exceptions are people who are cloaked from me, my specific brand of power, and you all. I am including you in it because I had not been able to hear you even before. I am sorry for that,” he adds looking ashamed.
“No don’t be. It is understandable,” I give him a smile to reiterate that I mean it. “So… what happened?”
He exhales and looks at Dad.
“We think that when Ash was in the intruder’s mind over the previous days, the cloak caster found a trail back. The cloak on them was strong. So he was able to keep tabs on what’s happening here through them.” Dad looks at the doorway and continues, “when we destroyed that cloak and dug in for information, we blocked all mental communication between the captives and anybody who might be controlling them. And that made them backfire and find the path to Ash’s mind and control him. In a way, they wanted to know everything about us. That is why he was asking questions like why is she so important, etc. Though, Ash tried his level best to hold back by not really paying attention to what was being said in the room.”
“You can do that? Was it painful? Are you okay? Did you realize that someone had taken control? When did you realize?”
Ash chuckles, rubbing his palm over his face. Then he lets out a breath and says, “I felt a niggling at the back of my mind when Ry started talking. I didn’t pay much attention to it, because I thought that with so many powerful people in the room, maybe all the magic was clashing. It was when Vee started talking that I felt somebody trying to make me listen in more carefully. I can never put it in words, but you know when you point your ear towards something when you are straining to hear? Vee was sitting to my right, and my right ear kept straining. It was then I realized it, but they already had control by then. I tried to stop, I really did. But they are crazy powerful. I couldn’t break free.”
Circle of Time: An urban fantasy (The Kazi Chronicles Book 1) Page 22