A slow smiled spread across her face, “Really? I will remember that. Does that work on anybody?”
“Only those who have sworn their loyalty to you and your family. It is not a gift to be toyed with, but it will let you know who is truly your friend, and who isn’t. You need to always watch your back. There are more people out there who want to see you fail rather than succeed.”
She nodded her head somberly, and then she got down to business. As Luka said, time was of the essence. “So how do our powers work exactly?”
Luka opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it. He thought for a moment, and tried again, only to close his mouth and shake his head. “You understand your question isn’t that easy to answer, right? But I will try my best to explain. Our purpose is to protect nature, and in return, nature decides who is born with what gift, or in some rare cases, gifts. The gift given to us acts differently in everyone. Some people are stronger than others, and some can do more with their gift than others.”
He looked at his nephew. “Dimitri is gifted with the ability to communicate with animals, and with that gift, he is an excellent tracker and hunter. His parents, on the other hand, were what you might call ‘glorified gardeners and herbalists,’ but they had the power to help aid the earth. I’ve had my nose stuck in a book as soon as I could read, so it wasn’t any great surprise when I became our world’s Historian.”
“So, our powers don’t get passed down to us? It is all random?” she asked, trying to understand.
“Yes and no. The Royals, and sometimes the Elders, are the only ones who have been able to pass their power down to their offspring. Your mother was also a healer, which came in handy because of her ability to control water, but she was a great herbalist and made potions to help heal those who were ill. But her healing abilities weren’t as strong as yours. She would grow very tired after healing one person, so she spent years learning how to become an herbalist, even though it didn’t come easy for her. Your father was a warrior, and could yield any weapon he held without any prior training. He spent years as a youth, working on his skills with the Phoenix Clan.”
“Who are the Elders?”
“Elders have the ability to shape shift into multiple animals. It’s an extremely rare gift. It’s been a long time since we had a new Elder. They help govern the land, and they are keepers of our rules and beliefs.
“One thing you need to know is when we walked amongst the humans, our power was limitless. But after Grandfather saw the brutality of others, he limited our powers in the new world. The reason Grandfather picked the original four rulers, and then the new ones, is because their powers were stronger than everyone else’s. He always told us whenever we needed help, there would be children born who were special. Together, they would be able to fight the evil threatening to tear us apart.”
“Is it always the rulers who are more powerful?” Tatyanna asked curiously.
“The Elders believe so, and, so far, they seem to be right. Prince Larik has already shown promise, and, unless I’m mistaken, so have you, Princess.
“Me?” she said, pointing to herself. “Why?”
“Your ability to hear when water calls out to you, to connect to a memory long dead. But, you aren’t the only one who has shown promise, and this is where the Elders and I differ,” he said meaningfully, looking at Emmett.
Tatyanna and Dimitri both saw Luka’s intent interest in Emmett. “What am I missing?” Tatyanna asked.
“You may not know this, but Emmett first dreamt of cats at the age of two. This is an extremely young age for a shape shifter to have their first dream. Initially, the Elders and I suspected Emmett might be the next Elder, but he has never said anything about having any other dreams. However, I suspect otherwise.”
Dimitri turned to Emmett. “Why haven’t you ever said anything to me?”
“What makes you so sure your uncle is right?” he shot back.
“He’s a damn Historian. Just cause his nose is always in a book doesn’t make him blind to the world around him. Plus, he’s the smartest man I know,” Dimitri said proudly. “He’s never wrong.”
“Umm, thanks…” Luka said uncertainly.
“And you are one secretive bastard,” Dimitri accused. “You might as well give up and admit Luka is right.”
Emmett sat there silently for a long time, feeling his friend’s eyes on him. He thought about denying it but knew everyone would know he was lying.
“When I was living amongst the jungle cats, I dreamt first about bears, and then, after the queen handpicked me to be Tatyanna’s guardian, I dreamt about several others every few years.”
Luka nodded his head in satisfaction. “Why didn’t you say anything before now?”
“Because the queen specifically asked me to keep an eye out for her daughter. It was an honor to be picked, and so I just ignored the dreams. I knew if I said anything I would be taken away, and the queen told me to always be by the princess’s side. I gave her my word I would be, no matter what. I didn’t break that promise then, and I haven’t now.” He was silent as he debated telling his friends the rest, concluding the knowledge might come in handy. “Yet, despite my promise, I still have been able to study with any animal I have ever dreamt about. I am able to shift into any animal of my choosing, including a bird.”
Luka smiled smugly, while Dimitri swore under his breath, seeing his friend in a new light. “How?” he asked softly. “How are you able to train with animals, when you have been here this whole time?”
Emmett was silent for several seconds. The words were so simple, and he found he couldn’t say them out loud, even to his closest friend. I can travel in my dreams. Dimitri was already looking at him strangely after the first revelation. He didn’t want to be special, and he damn well didn’t want to be treated any differently. So, he kept his secret, ignoring the question.
Dimitri was intent on learning what his friend was concealing, but it was Tatyanna who quietly raised a hand to cease Dimitri’s third degree. She could see Emmett was getting stressed and didn’t want to share his secret with them. As much as she wanted to know what he was hiding, Tatyanna respected his choice. She reached out to him and lightly grasped one hand in hers. She felt a myriad of emotions radiating off him, most of all, fear and rejection. She understood the emotion of rejection all too well, and wanted to soothe him, but didn’t know how.
Emmett sat transfixed as he looked down at the small hand in his. He swore he could hear her voice in his mind, but he dismissed the idea, because such a power did not exist…or did it? Before he could raise the question, Emmett experienced a wave of calmness, and he knew for a fact it was Tatyanna who was doing it. She had felt his fears and was trying to heal him in her own way by offering comfort. Comfort he did not deserve after what he did to her, and the lies he told, even if he did it to protect her.
‘Let it go,’ he heard her say in his mind. He looked up suddenly, and she smiled. ‘Let it go.’ “The past is the past, and you are forgiven,” she said softly to him but he shook his head in disagreement.
“I don’t deserve your friendship, milady.”
“Yet, it is I who is giving you the friendship. You can accept it, or not, but you are my friend, and I don’t hold your past transgressions against you.”
Dimitri looked at one to the other before asking, “What did I miss?”
Emmett pulled his hand from Tatyanna’s, and with reverence in his voice, he replied, “She healed me. She could feel my pain, and healed me. I could hear her in my head.” He turned to Luka and asked, “Has there ever been anyone in our history who could do this?”
Luka didn’t answer right away. He placed his hand over the now blank wall and closed his eyes. Tatyanna was mesmerized, as she watched pictures, one after the next, flicker on the wall. It took her a bit before it dawned on her she was watching Luka go through his memories.
“Do…do…you…see…that?” she asked, pointing to the wall.
Both Dimitri
and Emmett looked in the direction she was pointing and shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “Yeah,” Dimitri said slowly, trying to figure out what she was getting at.
“Don’t you find it weird?” she asked.
“Of course not. He’s been doing that for years. How else is he supposed to teach history?” Dimitri said nonchalantly.
“I don’t know. They used projectors in my school.”
“You mean the things that plug into the wall?” he asked, amazed.
Tatyanna nodded, watching the pictures filter through Luka’s memory. She was astonished by the amount of memories he was working his way through.
“Those aren’t all your memories, are they?” she asked Luka, fascinated by the pictures now flying across the room.
“Why don’t you think they are all his memories?” Dimitri asked smiling.
“Well, he’d be one very old man, if all of those memories were his.”
“Lesson One: Looks Can Be Deceiving,” Luka said distractedly.
“What do you mean?”
Emmett chose to answer her instead. “Our kind ages differently than humans, because of the magic in our blood. Some people live longer, because of their specific gifts, others because of their clan, and some people just because.”
“So, how old are you guys really?”
“Emmett and I are both in our twenties,” Dimitri pimped up, “but we will look like we are in our early twenties for at least the next thirty or forty years. Uncle Luka just had his eightieth birthday a few weeks ago, but he doesn’t look a day over forty.”
“Huh,” she said, looking at Luka with interest now. “So, about these memories…”
“They belonged to the Historians before me,” he said at last, pulling his hand away from the wall.
“How did you inherit their memories?” she asked curiously.
“I was just a boy when I traveled for weeks to study with the current Historian at that time, but when I arrived, there was only enough time for him to pass on the memories of the past and the knowledge he had learned in his lifetime. Unlike all the Historians before me, I never had any formal training. I spent my youth memorizing our history and reading every book I could get my hands on.”
“Why did you do that? When you have the memories of the past?”
“Because I wanted to be sure the memories I had match up with what was written in the books. Not all Historians were good. Their memories can’t lie, but what they wrote down as history can.” Luka paused for a moment, and turned his undivided attention to Tatyanna. “Lesson Two: Evil Has Always Existed in the World. There is a little bit of darkness in all of us, but the majority of us never act on it, and so it goes away. But, in others, it grows stronger and stronger, until it consumes them. In the case of the old Historians, they started out good, but over time, greed and power won out. It has become my life’s mission in rewriting the history books to tell the truth, and to reveal the lies of the past, and what really happened.
“Now, if you don’t mind, Princess, can we please get back on track? You need to leave in a few hours.”
“We’ll discuss this leaving bit later, but we are so off-track, I’m not even sure what the original conversation was.”
“Doesn’t matter. I want to know if there is any evidence of telepathy,” Emmett said, looking curiously at Luka. When Luka didn’t answer right away, Emmett knew he had his answer. “I’m not going to like this answer, am I?”
“There isn’t any proof telepathy exists amongst our people, but there have been rumors of people having it during great times of need.”
“So, the royals,” Emmett stated.
“Yes, but they weren’t the only ones. Whatever gifts we have, the other side has those same gifts. So, if Tatyanna can speak to your mind, then there's a good chance Prince Larik can, too. Because Tatyanna has the power to command water to heal, which will make her a very powerful healer, you must know the other side has someone who can cause great destruction and death. Both sides are equal. I wish I could say we have the upper hand, but we do not.”
“Ahnena,” Emmett swore swiftly. “It’s never easy is it?” Luka shook his head.
“So, when you say death and destruction, you are talking about Prince Larik, aren't you?” Emmett asked.
Luka looked down at his hands and then his feet, frowning and stamping his foot into the dirt. “It would appear so. He has the gift to command fire, just like the ones before him. Just what he is capable of, has yet to be seen, but I can assure you, it isn't anything good.”
Everyone was silent as they processed the bad news. Tatyanna's nose twitched, and she looked around, searching for something, but she wasn't sure what.
“What's wrong?” Dimitri asked.
“Something's on fire.”
“Uhh, there's a fire right behind us,” he said.
“No, this is something burning, not wood.” She continued to search, and noticed Luka looked like he was in pain. He was kicking at the dirt again, as if he was putting out a cigarette butt. “It's you!” she exclaimed.
“I am sorry, milady, but I am being summoned. I have been putting Prince Larik off for days, but it seems like he has grown impatient with waiting. I wish I could finish your history lesson, but I can't. If you need me, all you have to do is summon me, and I'll be there as soon as I can.” With the words barely out of his mouth, he disappeared into a puff of smoke.
“What just happened?” she asked her friends, confused.
“Apparently, Larik requested my uncle for something. As a Historian he can't take sides. He serves the royals equally, but when a request comes in, he has to answer it within a certain time, or else the asking royal can take them to their kingdom by force. I guess that's what happened here. Obviously, Prince Larik has heard you have been found and have declared yourself. He is trying to make plans. But we can no longer stay here. Your time here has come to an end, and we must leave.”
“Wait? What?”
“He's right. There's nothing keeping you here, and we must leave now. Time is of the essence.”
“No! Stop saying that!” Tatyanna cried out. “How can you say there's nothing keeping me here? I have friends and family. I can't leave without saying goodbye.”
“Yes, you can. The people you once knew, no longer know you exist. It is easier this way.”
“NO!” she said firmly, holding her ground.
“Tatyanna, don't be difficult,” Dimitri started to say, but Emmett shook his head, and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.
“Let her go. She needs to see for herself.” He lifted his hand and said a few words under his breath, causing Tatyanna to disappear. “She needs to see things for what they are. She needs this closure so she can move on. Come on. You can drive your truck one last time while we wait for her.”
Dimitri sighed, and called for Althea. “Okay,” he said defeated. “I sure am gonna miss that truck. She was a beauty.” Emmett wouldn't have called his death trap a beauty, but he opted to keep his mouth shut.
Chapter Fourteen
Saying Goodbye
Tatyanna found herself transported to her house. Sometimes, she found it eerie how Emmett always knew what she wanted. She couldn't see herself starting on this journey without saying goodbye to the only family she had ever known. Granted, she never felt particularly close to them, but she at least wanted to see Lilah and thank her for being her sister, even if they weren't blood kin after all.
“Mom! Dad!” she called out, entering through the front door. She heard laughter coming from the parlor and went to seek out what was going on. She lazily brushed her fingers across the wall, as if to imprint it into her memory. She had no idea if she would ever be back.
She found her parents entertaining a little soiree, not surprising; there were always people over, mostly business associates of her fathers. It was a life her mother loved and lived for. “Mom? Dad?” Tatyanna called out from the entrance to the room but no one acknowledged her. “Mom?” she called
out nervously, walking into the room to stand as close to her mom as she could.
Instead of getting a response, her mother looked right through her and called out to Lilah. “Oh, Lilah, dear, it's so nice of you to stop by. Come here and let me introduce you to everyone,” her mother said, getting up and walking straight through Tatyanna as if she never existed.
Tatyanna cried out in shock and patted her body. It felt solid to her. What could be happening? She twirled around to see a surprise look on her sister's face, and knew Lilah was the only one to see her. She walked around her mother and stood to her sister's left. “Meet me upstairs,” she whispered to Lilah and left the room as quickly as she could. She wished she could explain what just happened, but she couldn't.
Tatyanna didn't have to wait long for her sister. She looked out her once favorite window and realized everything around her had changed. This place was no longer her home. Her room, the way it once was, no longer existed. Instead of a bed were boxes and old furniture coated in dust. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder.
“Hey,” Lilah called out to her sister softly. Tatyanna continued to look out the window, not knowing what to say.
“I came back to say goodbye, but I guess I didn't have to.”
“I'm glad you did,” Lilah said kindly, causing Tatyanna to turn around.
“You are?”
“Yeah. I knew that this day was coming.”
“If you knew, then why didn't you say something to me?”
“Because I couldn't. Over the years, I've had a few talks with somebody called 'Grandfather' in your world, and he said, ‘Things had to happen in a certain order,' and that I wasn't to interfere. He said when the time came for you to go, I should remind you the journey is more important than what your life was like here.”
“You've met with Grandfather?” Tatyanna asked, dumbfounded.
“Yeah, what's the big deal?” she questioned back, bewildered.
“The big deal is I only just met him, and from what I heard, he's been a recluse for the last few decades.”
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