Tatyanna

by Lindsay Johnston

  “Grandfather picked two women and two men to become the rulers of each kingdom. One woman lived when the humans tried to drown her, the other survived being put to the stake to be burned alive, and both men were widowers. Grandfather felt through their loss, they would be able to lead the people. Each of them were given special abilities which only those in their blood line has.

  “Tatyanna, your family follows the Sirgit River, and is in the Yemaya Kingdom in the West, Earth follows the Nohig River that leads to the North in Gaia Kingdom, Fire follows the Setarphue River to the South, toward Pele Kingdom, and finally, Air follows the Nohsip River to the East toward Taranis Kingdom.

  “This was the way of life for many years to come. Now, don’t think life was perfect, because it wasn’t. We are like humans; some of us are good and some of us are bad. We had our fair share of wars break out and whatnot, but each of the four rulers were forbidden to go to war against each other or else their powers would be stripped from their family line.

  “As the days became years and years became decades, the rulers forgot about the promise made to Grandfather, that they would be fair and lead with a just hand. Over time, the rulers tried to marry into another ruling family, and that turned disastrous. The offspring from those marriages were monsters, not in how they acted but their physical characteristics. It was as if they had been inbreeding within the same family for generations.

  “The rulers became bored and would purposely start wars with other kingdoms or powerful families. They would raise taxes or would use women as if they were disposable, killing anything that got in their way. Women who rejected the kings would become slaves and were whipped on a daily basis. They were unstoppable. This behavior was seen in all four kingdoms, and the people were wondering if they should move back and live amongst the humans again to get away from the corruption.

  “Grandfather came back and was horrified by what he saw. Lands were destroyed and crops were burned to a crisp. Children were begging for money, men were skin and bones, and the women weren’t allowed to wear any clothing. Grandfather gave the four rulers time to make things right, but they laughed in his face instead. In a fury, he stripped one queen of all her powers and threw her out of the castle in rags, begging for food and water.

  “This horrified the other leaders. One tried to flee by sea and ended up drowning in a freak storm. After word of his death came back, his entire family was found dead in their beds. The remaining two royals vowed revenge for their friends and tried to go to war with Grandfather, but he killed one on the spot, and gave the other royal, Chadwick, a chance to redeem himself by sending him off to the desert to think about his past actions, and to repent. If he did, he would be able to keep his kingdom. But he refused, and stayed living in the desert. Grandfather spared his life, and told him if he stayed away and never returned, he would keep his promise, and let him live the rest of his life out in solitude. Chadwick never outright agreed to the deal, he just turned his back and walked away.

  “The new rulers were once again picked at random. The new Water Line came from one of the children who used to beg for water and food, the new Fire line was an older woman who cleaned the castle floors, the new Air line came from one of them who was starving to death, and the Earth line came from one of the women who was forced to show off her nudity. Each of the four were chosen because, despite difficulties thrust upon them, they refused to give up hope, and fought for their life and to better themselves.

  “Things settled down after a while. There was still turmoil in the lands, but that wasn’t anything new. For a time, it seemed even the opposing families wanted to work together to fix everything. Soon, the world began to flourish again, and things started to look up, but it didn’t stay that way.”

  The wall behind Luka started to darken as if a storm was coming. Tatyanna could actually hear the pitter patter of the rain as it came down with the sounds of thunder and lightning striking the earth. She shivered because she knew something bad was about to happen, and she pulled her knees up to her chest in anticipation, completely absorbed in the story.

  “Chadwick, the old Fire Lord, was furious. He couldn’t believe Grandfather actually believed he would live out his life in solitude. That was the farthest thing from his mind. He wanted his revenge, and vowed one day his blood would again sit on the throne. He tried to get close to Agnus, the new Queen of Fire, and was able to pull her away from her guards.

  “He ripped at her dress, trying to force himself on her, but before he could do anything, she screamed for help. He ran away before the guards could reach him. Agnus figured out what he was up to, and made sure every woman in her line had a personal guard. He waited for years in hiding, traveling to the dark lands to learn magic of another kind. In doing so, he pledged his life and traded his soul for the ability to live as an immortal. What soul he had was gone, and he gave new meaning to the word evil.

  “Over time, people forgot about Chadwick and assumed he had finally died, because they hadn’t heard or seen him in years. Queen Agnus allowed her great-granddaughter, Sia, to visit the river without an escort.”

  Luka touched the wall, and Tatyanna sat in amazement as she watched the wall change to a girl, about sixteen years old, with fiery red hair and pale skin, dipping her hand leisurely in the water. As Luka spoke, she could see an older man walk up behind her, and he pleasantly started a conversation with her. She knew the man must be Chadwick, but he didn’t look older than forty, when, in reality, he should have at least been in his eighties or older.

  He had shaggy brown hair, speckled with gray, and his skin looked well worn. Tatyanna was so absorbed in the picture she tuned everything out that Luka was saying, and she watched in anticipation what was about to happen. Sia was a happy girl, full of energy and promise, and so trustworthy. The young girl was naïve enough to believe this man was a friend. She was blown away about his knowledge of her heritage, and when he asked her to take a walk down the river, she readily agreed as he told her the story of how her great-grandmother came into power.

  Tatyanna was so in-tune to what she was seeing she was unable to pull her mind out of the picture. It felt like she was watching a movie as the pictures on the wall started to unfold. She didn’t have to ask; she knew where this was going. Tatyanna watched in silent horror as the man slowed down a step or two, and let Sia take the lead. He came up behind her, with a long piece of cloth in his hands, grabbing her, his hand firmly covering her mouth to smother any screams. Her eyes were wide in terror, and she started to whimper.

  “If you bite me, I will make this worse for you. Got it?” She nodded her head. “Good,” he said, removing his hand. He was about to gag her when she swiftly asked him why.

  “Because the great and mighty queen took something of mine, and I want it back.”

  “Grandfather was the one who took your throne away from you.”

  “Yes, I know,” he said. “And the only way to get back at him is to go through the new Fire line. And you, my sweet girl, will be my revenge.”

  “Are…are…you going to kill me?” she asked, tears streaming down her face.

  He gently wiped the tears away and laughed. “Oh no, my dear child. But, know this. Whatever I do to you, is Agnus’s fault. She should have known I would come after her family when she dropped her guard. If you don’t want to blame her, then blame the other royal families, for they were there that day my power was stripped from me.

  “Now, I’m sorry, sweet, but I need to gag you. I can’t let the royal guards hear your screams before I am done.” He secured the piece of cloth around her face.

  Tatyanna knew what was going to happen, and with as much force as she could muster, she slammed her eyelids down, refusing to see what was about to take place. She no longer could see anything, but she could still hear the grunts of the older man and the younger woman struggling. She tried as hard as she could to think about anything else that could block out the sounds of what she was hearing, but she couldn’t. She f
elt her body rock back and forth, and she started to hum a song, singing louder and louder to block out the horrifying sounds. She was about to scream out in frustration when she heard Chadwick whisper something in Sia’s ear about thanking her great-grandmother for him. It was then she heard the man laughing as he walked away, and she opened her eyes to see Sia whipping off her gag and starting to scream.

  Tatyanna felt like the screams were real, because she could hear it echoing in her head. It wasn’t until she felt Althea licking her face she discovered she was the one who had been screaming. She glanced up on the horrid wall. Only now, it showed a picture of Sia sitting next to the water, and nothing else. But she knew what she had seen was real, and what happened to Sia was what started the suffering in her world. A part of her was empathetic toward the horror the young girl had to suffer through. It was hard for her to hate the young girl, because she, herself, didn’t know if she could have survived what Sia had to endure.

  Tatyanna reached out and scratched Althea’s head. “Thank you, girl,” she said. Somehow, the wolf knew Tatyanna had seen something horrifying, and knew just what to do to get her out of that dark place.

  Luka crouched down in front of her. “Are you okay? I know it was unfortunate, but it was much worse than what I described. I purposely downplayed the truth to avoid upsetting you.”

  “I didn’t hear anything that you said, because I could actually see it in my mind.”

  “That’s not possible,” Dimitri said, awed and mystified.

  Luka looked down sheepishly. “Actually, it is possible.”

  Emmett was the one who asked the question they were all thinking. “How?”

  Luka shrugged. “It’s going to sound out there, but first let me ask a few questions, and then I will explain.” He narrowed his eyes at Tatyanna and pointed his finger at her as he said, “No interruptions, young lady.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He pointed to the wall behind him. “Tell me what you see, and what you feel.”

  Tatyanna didn’t want to look at that wall ever again after what she had experienced, but this time the picture changed, and she looked at it thoughtfully. “I see a beautiful castle, built into the side of a mountain, with waterfalls surrounding the stone structure. I can feel the cool air in my face, and smell the saltiness of the nearby ocean. “

  “Do you have any other sensations?”

  Tatyanna thought for a moment. She felt comfortable, at peace, like she belonged there and never wanted to leave. “I feel like I am home,” she said at last.

  “Do you remember anything about your home?” Luka asked softly.

  “No. I don’t remember anything. My earliest memory is of Lilah screaming because she didn’t get a toy that she wanted.” She looked up into Luka’s kind eyes, asking, “Anything else?”

  “No. I believe your power is getting stronger now that you are aware of who you really are. But let’s finish our history lesson first, and I will explain how our magic works. Okay?”

  Tatyanna didn’t like his answer, but if this was the only way she would get her answers, she grudgingly agreed.

  “Alright,” he said, standing up and walking back to the wall. It changed to show Sia crying by the river. Tatyanna inwardly cringed, and could barely lift her eyes to watch the scene before her.

  “Sia sat there and cried well into the night. She didn’t know if she should return home or not, and stayed by the river. Queen Agnus was so worried for her, that she sent the royal guards out to find her. By the time they brought the young girl back to her, she was so distraught and weak from crying. She questioned her great-grandmother, and put the blame on her for the sexual assault. The blame didn’t end there; she blamed her friends from the other kingdoms and their parents, because no one told her about Chadwick and his promise for revenge. She felt like she should have been better protected, and someone should have told her the truth, or, at the very least, taken the threat seriously.

  “Sia was once a happy girl, but after her innocence was ripped from her body, she became forlorn and moody, and kept to herself. After four months, she could no longer keep her pregnancy a secret, and she told herself and her unborn baby every day she would have her revenge on the people who kept the truth from her. Every day she saw the people who supposedly loved her. She felt herself growing annoyed with them, and hated them for their lies. She visited the river every chance she got, hoping to see Chadwick again, but had given up hope until she finally saw him a month after her child was born.

  “Chadwick had expected her to hate him, but she didn’t. Not exactly. She hated her family and her so-called friends more every day. Every day since that day at the river, her hate grew and grew. It not only grew with her, but it grew into her child as well. He didn’t grow up knowing love, he grew up knowing hate. When he was old enough, his mother taught him how the people she knew and relied on had betrayed her, and that one day, they would pay for that mistake. That day came when he was eight years old. She had been training with Chadwick for years, learning dark magic, and how to gain the full effect of the fire ability to her advantage. Then, Sia struck, and nothing was the same again.

  “Word got out what she was going to do, and each family did what they thought was best. Your parents sent you away. They stayed behind to fight, but weren’t strong enough. The other two families didn’t believe their walls would be invaded, and they stayed.” Luka drew a dramatic breath for effect. “Now, we can only hope their offspring still live.”

  Once again, Luka left out several details. The wall changed, and this time showed what she believed were her parents trying to put up a wall of water as fireballs were raining down from the sky, burning everything they touched, leaving the earth in a scorched state. She could feel the desperation of her parents as they tried to fight back, but it was just too much for them, and they knew it. Her parents’ last hope when they died was that their little daughter was safe. But as she stared at this picture, Tatyanna realized it wasn’t a memory. There was something off about it, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

  “Is there a way to know if the other two survived?” Tatyanna asked seriously, trying to take her mind off everything she just witnessed.

  “We believe they are alive, but no one has seen either the Air or the Earth heir in years, but their castles are boarded up, and so we take that as a sign they still live.”

  “What should it matter if someone boarded up their castles?” Tatyanna asked, confused.

  Dimitri answered her this time. “No one boarded up the castles, except for the castle itself, as a way to mourn their loss. If the heir was truly dead, then the castle would crumble. Remember, we live in a world of magic. When all else fails, just remember that, and eventually, it will all make sense.”

  Except it didn’t, but she simply nodded her head and looked back at Luka for him to continue, but it was Emmett who spoke next. “I actually saw Terran.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  How Magic Works

  Luka moved back to the wall about to resume his lesson when he stopped, and spun around. “Are you sure it was Terran?”

  “That arrogant bastard hadn’t changed one bit since we were kids. He’d been hiding in the trees in the clearing earlier today. He was amused by Tatyanna’s reaction to who I really was.”

  “Well, of course. I’m sure she was upset.”

  Dimitri started to snort. “Oh, she was more than upset. She showed him her right hook, and then disappeared.”

  Luka was confused. “How is that possible? That circle is sacred. Fighting isn’t allowed.”

  “According to Terran, the trees sided with Tatyanna and allowed her the punch.” Emmett faced Dimitri and socked him lightly on the arm, telling him to shut up, because his friend was still laughing; Dimitri hit his friend back, calling him a wuss.

  Luka stroked his chin in thought, oblivious to the boys horsing around. “I’m curious. How were you able to leave the clearing? You haven’t had any training.”

&n
bsp; “She was able to do much more than that. She was able to pull magic out of Cale,” Dimitri boasted.

  “Really?” Luka asked, surprised. “Amazing. How did you do that?” he asked her.

  Tatyanna held up her hands. “Oh no. It is not your turn to ask questions. I have a long list of questions which have yet to be answered. When I am satisfied, then I will answer yours.”

  “Time is of the essence. You will be able to ask all the questions you want when you start on your journey.”

  She raised her chin up a notch and gave Luka a steely stare. “If time is truly of the essence, then why waste it asking me questions? Taking the time to help me understand will make my life a hell of a lot easier.”

  “But, Princess….” Luka started to say.

  “No buts. I’m not going anywhere until my questions get answered. It’s as simple as that.” She crossed her arms across her chest and batted her eyelashes at Luka. He stared at her back and mimicked her by crossing his arms and leaning casually against the wall. Tatyanna took it a one step further by slowly tapping her fingers against her arms, but Luka didn’t budge once. Emmett and Dimitri kept looking back and forth between the two, trying to figure out who was going to win.

  Finally, Tatyanna stood up, put her hands on her hips, and said, “I demand to have my questions answered.” She could see Luka was fighting an inner war with himself. He wanted to shake his head, but instead, he was acquiescing.

  His shoulders dropped, and he grudgingly said, “Fine.”

  “That’s more like it,” she said cheerfully. “Now, first, you could have denied me, but why didn’t you? You looked like you were warring with yourself.”

  “I was,” Luka grumbled.

  “Okayyyyy,” she said, stretching out the word.

  “Because you are my princess, I cannot deny you.”