by Dena Nicotra
“There’s something else you need to know Jo.”
I met his eyes and braced myself for the worst.
“Genessa is alive.”
“Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. Is that because I reversed my papaw’s death?
“Yup,” Kess said shortly.
“Does Kalan know?”
“No, but I think it is possible that he will put that together eventually.”
“Where is she? If she’s alive, why wouldn’t she return to Era?”
“Because she doesn’t have her powers anymore. She gave them away remember?” I shook my head, desperately trying to absorb this.
“Where is she Kess?”
“She’s in Atlanta Georgia, she’s been staying with Pepper. Marty thinks she’s her aunt.” That explained why Pepper hadn’t come to see me in so long. She’d been pretty preoccupied from the sounds of it. Just then, Pepper came walking back up to us. “Hey,” she said with a cheery smile.
“I told her,” said Kess with a shrug.
“Oh. So, how’d that go?” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears and smiling nervously.
“Better than expected actually,” said Kess.
“That’s a relief, and I hate to do this, but do you think that we could go now? Gen is getting a little anxious from what Marty just told me on the phone. I guess she’s rearranging my entire kitchen.”
“Hold up a second,” I said putting my hand out to stop their conversation.
“How did you come to have her at your place all the way in Atlanta Georgia Pepper?”
“That would be my doing,” Kess said, raising his hand like a student and then lowering his head sheepishly. I looked at him sitting there in his faded jeans and white t-shirt. His dark hair was hanging in his face and he looked like the epitome of the bad boy. Talk about a contradiction! Kalan frequently dressed in all white, looked like an angel, and would literally kill to take something from me.
“How did you know?” I said crossing my arms and glaring at him because deep down I already knew the answer to that. He racked his hair out of his face, picked up another rock, and tossed it toward the waves. I noticed he was deliberately avoiding my eyes. Pepper looked down at her phone and pretended to be distracted with something on the screen.
“Kess, how did you know? I thought you lost your abilities when you dipped into the sands of time to restore my gift, so I don’t really even understand how you could have possibly known anything about anything unless you just pushed that whole selfless sacrifice idea to me for brownie points or something.”
“Okay, so I elaborated things a little.” He held up his thumb and index finger to show an inch. I groaned and rolled my eyes. “You’re an impossible mess Kess you know that?”
“Okay, so no, I didn’t actually get stripped of my powers – but trust me, that was the only good thing that came out of serving Kalan.”
“Mmmhmm.” I said, which caused Pepper to giggle.
“So I kept tabs on you – you know, for your protection and all. Then when you reversed your Grandfather’s death I got this feeling, so I went straight to Era as fast as I could. When I got to Genessa’s tomb I could hear her moving around inside. I weaved myself in, explained what had happened, and then I got her out of there as fast as I could.
“And she’s been with me ever since,” said Pepper matter-of-factly. Both of them nodded like this was the God’s honest truth and despite everything I had been through, I couldn’t help but marvel at how much I’d been left out of. Months had passed since I’d seen either one of them and I hadn’t suspected a thing out of the ordinary. I had to wonder how much more there was that I’d missed out on. Like the time I had spent with Kessler that I couldn’t remember. I wasn’t a weaver anymore, and the guy I’d thought was the love of my life hated me. Why couldn’t I forget the painful things?
We left the beach and Kess weaved us to the sidewalk directly in front of Pepper’s place. It was considerably warmer in Atlanta than it had been at the beach in California, even though there was a nice breeze, I was definitely dressed wrong. Pepper was kind enough to switch my clothing. I smiled when I looked down at the floral dress she’d selected. It was gauzy and covered in little roses. Pepper gave my shoulder a squeeze as she said, “I thought you’d like that.” I instinctively reached over my shoulder for my floppy bag to grab a mint before we went inside and felt a pang of regret when I realized I didn’t have it. It was the first time I realized that I didn’t have anything but the clothes on my back. Now that I couldn’t weave, this was a depressing awareness. Kessler cocked his head and looked me straight in the eyes. “You don’t have to worry about anything, I’ll look after you.” I tried to give my most appreciative smile, but honestly, that just didn’t make me feel much better. I wasn’t used to being dependent upon anybody, least of all Kessler.
We followed Pepper up the three cement steps that led to her front door and waited while she fished out her keys. Marty opened the door and she stopped rummaging to yank the screen door open. The two of them locked into a smooch that left Kess and I standing there feeling like third wheels. The last thing I felt like seeing was another couple kissing. I shifted my gaze to the white blossoms of a crabapple tree nearby unit they stopped. After a brief exchange of lovey-dovey talk, we were led inside their place. Pepper had explained to Marty that I was in town for a surprise visit, and apparently Kess had a weave in place that had Marty convinced he had business in Atlanta and that was why he was in town so often. I could hear pots and pans clanking in the kitchen and then Pepper called out, “Aunt Gen, could you come out here? I’d like you to meet a friend of mine.” The clanking stopped and she came around the corner brushing her hands together.
She was taller than I had imagined, and I noticed that she and Kalan had the exact same color hair. She wore it in a short, pixie style, which flattered her milky completion perfectly. Dressed in a frilly, pink blouse and a pair of white Capri jeans she could have stepped right out of a magazine. She extended her hand and smiled warmly, “Joey, how nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I said. There was something regal in her mannerisms, but she was nothing like I’d envisioned. I’d expected her to look like a mom. This woman looked liked she’d never given birth, or that she was even old enough to have a son Kalan’s age. We took seats in the little living room and Pepper put on a pot of coffee. I could tell she was grateful to have something else to focus on. Marty excused himself saying that he needed to check something on Pepper’s car, and that left Kess and I alone with the queen.
“Your majesty, I’m so sorry for all of this trouble. It was never my intention to create problems for you or anyone else,” I said sincerely.
“Please, just call me Gen, and none of this is your fault, you must know that deep in your heart.” Her large blue eyes searched my face for some acknowledgement, so I nodded to let her think I agreed. Her voice was like a lullaby, so gentle and sweet. I didn’t have it in me to disagree with her. Besides, I felt this wonderful sense of peace in my body. Pepper appeared with a tray of coffee cups and I was unhappily jerked from my trance. Gen reached out in one graceful motion and collected a cup for herself from the tray. I sipped from my own cup but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I’d almost forgotten what I’d come here for. It was as if nothing else even mattered to me anymore.
“Jo, do you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?” Kess asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Mmmhmmm,” I muttered, allowing my eyes to droop just a little bit.
Gen laughed at patted my hand. “I have that affect on most weavers. It can’t be helped. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
“But I’m not a weaver anymore Gen,” I said softly, but my head was nodding in agreement. I was distantly aware that I probably had a really stupid grin pasted on my face but I just couldn’t help it.
“Of course you are a weaver Joey. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have this affect on you.” Kess reached across t
he coffee table and said, “Jo, give me your hands.” I reached out to him, and the moment his hands took mine I felt a zap of static electricity that caused me to bounce straight up.
“Ouch! Kessler, that hurt!” I snapped.
“Sorry love, it was the only way I could get you out of your happy zone.”
“What did you do?”
“I gave you a pinch of my energy is all.” The corner of his mouth twitched up when I shot him a frown. I took another sip of my coffee and re-focused my attention on Queen Genessa, or Gen as she preferred. Admittedly, I was much more alert at this point. Even if it did irritate me to no end that Kess had snapped me out of my happy place.
“So tell me about your grandfather. How is Levi doing?”
“He’s well ma’am. In fact, I’m sure he’s keeping himself quite busy back home. The last time I spoke with him, he was working on a tractor and griping about his lack of time to go fishing.” Gen laughed at this.
“He was such a kind boy Joey, and tell me how is your grandmother? I understand you’re responsible for some very fine weaving.”
“She’s doing equally well. Albeit, she and my mother don’t see eye to eye these days from what my sister tells me. I think I might be responsible for that because before I un-did my papaw’s death she was living with us and I think my momma got on her nerves some. She wasn’t in her right mind without my papaw and momma got short with her sometimes.”
“Ah, residual memories can be difficult to erase,” she said thoughtfully.
“I sure wish I could erase some of mine,” I said and regretted it instantly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” I said quickly in an effort to undo any disrespect.
“Of course you meant it. My son is a difficult man, and if I could weave away the painful memories you must carry I certainly would.” If it was possible for me to like her more, that statement endeared her to me. It isn’t easy for any parent to recognize the faults of their own child, but she obviously knew him well and had no delusions about his true nature. “You obviously understand why I didn’t leave my abilities to my son.”
“I didn’t before, but I do now,” I said mournfully.
“Well, time changes all things child, and there’s no reason why we should dwell on the negative when we can do something about it.” I hated to burst her positive bubble, but I didn’t see how I could do much in this situation. I was worried how I would take care of myself, let alone take care of any of this mess. Frankly I was exhausted, heartbroken, and completely ready to go back to my life in Dempsey. I figured it was best to be direct under the circumstances.
“You do realize that your son has taken your gift from me right?”
She smiled and waved her hand, “temporary complication, nothing more.”
“But you yourself have no weaver abilities as I understand it, so how are we to do anything about this?” I was trying to be as polite as possible, but it was starting to seem like she was living in a dream world. What were we going to do, call the police and report a theft? There wasn’t a thing we could do about any of this as far as I could see.
“We have a plan,” she said with a bright smile.
At that moment, a shimmery spot appeared in the doorway, and Digger stepped forward with a gracious bow. “Your majesty,” he said, removing his grungy hat. “You may rise Digger, and please call me Gen for now. Everyone here does and I’m beginning to like that actually.” Digger shifted uncomfortably, “As you wish, your er…Gen.”
“So what news have you for us good sir?” Gen asked.
“I can tell you that there is quite an uproar in Era. Torvin has commanded that all able weavers commence an immediate search for young missy here, and I think your son has pert near lost his voice from all the shouting he’s been doing.” Great, I had weavers hunting me down now. I was certain everyone would notice the sudden trimmer in my hands, so I sat my coffee cup down and clasped my hands in my lap.
“Yes, yes, I’d expect nothing less from my son. What of my husband —have you any word Digger?” I watched as his bare little feet fidgeted on Pepper’s hard wood floor. “No word yet Gen. I’m sorry, I’m doing my best, but I cannot get any sense of where he is. It’s as though he vanished right into thin air.” Digger threw his hands up dramatically for emphasis.
“He’s out there somewhere, and I trust you will locate him. If he were dead, my son would have already claimed the thrown and the title so at best we know he’s alive.” I watched this exchange and found myself surprised that I hadn’t even thought about her husband. Kalan had never once mentioned him beyond the time in the cave when he mentioned his mother’s betrothal, so I guess it never crossed my mind. It made me wonder what he must be like. If he were anything like my daddy, he’d be tearing into his son post haste for being such a spoiled rotten brat! I didn’t want to interrupt them so I made a mental note to ask about the king and learn what I could. As Digger and Gen went back and forth about the details of Era, I glanced over at Kess who had suddenly gotten up to stare out the window and pace. Something was troubling him and I sensed it in my bones.
He turned to me at that point and all at once, I could hear him in my mind. “I will protect you, I promise that no matter what happens…you will be safe.” I wasn’t expecting this since I was stripped of my abilities so I’m sure the look on my face was priceless. Everyone else in the room was preoccupied but the sparkle in Kessler’s eyes had me riveted. “I can hear you!” I said with my inner voice, and I swear his eyes said so much in that instant. “Of course you can, I’ve given you a little piece of me.” I turned my head to keep from laughing, because his expression was so flirtatious. One thing you could count on about Kess was his ability to lay on the charm, even if the circumstances didn’t seem fit. I’m sure I lacked the ability to block my thoughts because he immediately fired back with, “not to worry, it won’t last long.” He was controlling what I could hear from him, but observably, it didn’t work that way for my thoughts. I was wide open.
Digger went on to inform us that new information on the dark weavers had come out. It was rumored that Railey had killed Lela and absorbed her powers. Pepper gasped at the same time I did. This news came as a startling revelation to both of us, but it didn’t seem to shock the rest of them. Kess confirmed that it was his sister’s plan all along. Though now, the fear was that with Lela’s power she might be able to figure out how to tap into the master weaver abilities she possessed from Peter. I did my best to stop the conversation in its tracks, but I was unsuccessful. The moment Peter’s name came up, Pepper jumped up and excused herself from the room. We made plans as a group to meet the following day at Kessler’s place and then Digger weaved himself out.
“It’s becoming more difficult for Digger to come to us, did you sense that Kessler?”
“I did, and we have so few allies. I think that we’d better move forward with our plans as quickly as we can under the circumstances.” Gen agreed. Pepper eventually came back into the room with Marty and we did our best to resume an appearance of normality through the rest of the evening. I followed Gen’s lead and acted overly excited when she gave a convincing presentation on the city’s sites. “Oh I’d just love to see that mall!” I squealed. I guess I did a good enough job because we were able to convince Marty that the three of us girls would be staying in the city the following night so that we could shop and stay for a late showing of a play that was in town.
Kess muttered something about a string of meetings the following day and then he called for a cab and left. I found the lengths that he went to for Marty’s sake very sweet. Before he walked out he made a point of sending me a mental message saying, just think of me if you need anything, I won’t be far.
With Kess gone, and my hosts snuggled up on their sofa together the weight of the day pressed in on me. Gen went to bed early and since they only had one extra room I was forced to wait until Marty and Pepper finished watching television (or realized I was yawning like crazy) before I was able to t
ake over the couch and get some sleep. I’d pulled Pepper aside and reminded her that I was without any toiletries or changes of clothes so she’d manifested a suitcase for me that contained enough to make me feel a little less lost.
Once everyone was asleep, I found the silence of their living room almost unbearable. The streetlight outside provided just enough light in the room to keep me from sleeping, and I desperately longed for the ability to weave myself a glass of milk. When one appeared on the coffee table I whispered a mental thank you to my benefactor, which was returned with a soft, you’re welcome love. It felt good to know he was looking out for me. I finished the last sip, and sat the glass on the table. I couldn’t help but smile when the glass slowly faded out of sight. I curled up on my side and was out the minute my head hit the pillow. I enjoyed the best night’s sleep I’d had in a very long time.
Chapter Five
I woke up to the sound of pots and pans clanking and realized Pepper was sitting in the chair across from me. “Good morning sleepy head,” she said in a chirpy voice. “What time is it?” I asked, stretching.
“It’s almost ten o’clock. You were snoring so loud, I’m surprised you didn’t wake yourself up sooner!” she said with a laugh.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t think I snore usually but I’m telling you, I got the best night sleep! I probably would have kept right on sleeping if I hadn’t heard someone clanking in the kitchen.” Gen called out an apology and then Pepper mouthed, “She’s constantly re-arranging things.” We had a silent chuckle together and then I hogged the bathroom for a nice, hot shower. Marty was already gone to work, and Pepper and Gen had already gotten ready for the day, so I was able to take my time without feeling as if I was in anyone’s way. I hadn’t really thought about how often I’d weaved myself into a presentable state until now, but it was sort of nice to work through the simple things because it kept my mind focused.