Witchling (Curse of Kin)

by Ari Harper

  “I feel the need deep inside my guts to hurt him. How can I get past that when I know I failed to keep myself safe?” I ranted at him.

  “Success is the best revenge, Nera.”

  “I’ve heard that before. But what did I do wrong? Are you going to fill me in?”

  “You did nothing wrong.” Bones visibly relaxed. He flicked his hair away from his eyes. “You are just inexperienced. That will change. The more you practice, the better you will get. The same as anything, practice makes perfect.”

  “Funny. I was kind of hoping that it would just be there one morning when I woke up,” I joked.

  Bones threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, Nera, if life was only so easy. I can help, you know. I have told you that. You just have to trust me.”

  “What? Like trust you to look after me like you did today?” I asked, the venom back in my voice. “Right.”

  “If Bones hadn’t felt you in trouble, you would be in hospital, girl dear,” Jasper interrupted, a frown on his face. “I called your folks, and they know you are safe here.”

  I hadn’t heard him come up to us. Guilt crept up under my skin, and I felt ashamed. “What do you mean, he felt me? I thought he was my shadow?”

  “He can’t physically be beside you all the time.” Jasper sighed. “But you two have a connection, and he can feel your moods and your fears. Bones came to you immediately when he felt you were in danger.”

  I looked at both of them, not understanding at all how he could get to me so quickly. The beating had not lasted long.

  “It’s a god thing, Nera.” Jasper winked at me.”Speed.”

  I nodded my head, letting them think that I understood. “What did you do to them?” I looked at Bones.

  “I hurt them, just like you would have done. It was my right. One day you will understand that.”

  I shook my head. How could he have known what I wanted to do to them? “You can’t, can you?” I asked. “Surely not.”

  “If you can do it, why wouldn’t I?” he asked.

  Jasper had told me of the ability I had to hear other’s thoughts. He said that one day I would be able to sort out the noise and listen to whom I chose. I hadn’t even thought that Bones would be able to do the same thing. That was my mistake. I wanted to know more.

  “You know what I want to know, so are you going to tell me?” I asked.

  “I think Jasper has already told you what you are going to be like.” Bones nodded his head to my uncle.

  “Not exactly,” I said. “He said that if I was the girl he thought I was, then there would be nothing that I could not do.”

  Bones smiled down at me in a way I found so condescending and annoying.

  “What?” I asked, hands out.

  “You just answered your own question.”

  “How? I don’t get it. What am I going to be able to do?” I was even more confused at what I thought was a simple question.

  “And the simple answer is—everything,” he replied.

  I turned to Jasper. He was quietly chuckling to himself.

  “Jasper?”

  “Oh, girl dear, the look on your face.” He laughed. “Anything you might have read or heard of; you can do it all. You just have to learn.”

  Right, like I believed that. My lips twitched, the scenarios running through my head. Jasper and Bones watched me and I knew that my thoughts were not my own, but the scope of what they were saying was too exciting to try to hide. I looked at Bones.

  Want to try to read me, Nera?

  “How did you do that?”

  Just think what you want to say to me and keep me in mind. We have a connection, remember?

  I looked at him, then over to Jasper. He was still chuckling quietly to himself, seemingly amused by my reaction. Did they have the same connection? I wondered if Jasper could do this too.

  Not as easily as you and I can, but it is there, always useful to know.

  Can you do this to me whenever you want?

  Yes. However, you can try to block me now that you know.

  I looked at him, embarrassed. Did that mean he was in my mind when I first noticed him driving past our house in the paper van? No wonder he was scared of Brie, the things that must have been going through her mind when she met him, poor bugger.

  “This is way too weird, Jasper.” I had to stop myself thinking about Bones from now on. Heaven forbid he should realize that I thought he was the best looking guy I had seen for a while, and that my stomach did flips when he was too close. My gut started to churn. How was I going to deal with this?

  “You will get used to it. It will be hard in the beginning to get the noise out of your head with everyone’s thoughts shouting at you, but it is easy enough to block them out. Just let your mind go blank, pretend that you are meditating,” Jasper said.

  “Will that work for blocking out Bones?” I asked, making a point for my privacy.

  “Is it a problem for you?” Bones’s face had changed again to the cool look I was used to.

  “What do you think?” I retorted. “I’m a teenage girl with teenage girl thoughts. Work it out for yourself.”

  “I will try not to be too intrusive, Nera,” Bones replied in a stilted voice. He opened his mouth to say more, hesitated, then shut it instead.

  “Calm down, dear boy,” Jasper chided him. He turned to me. “I think that I should help you with those bruises, girl dear. How about you come into the library and relax for a bit.”

  “What do you mean? Mom rubbed me down with comfrey cream. That should do it in a few days.”

  “How does your face feel?” he asked.

  I put my hands to my cheeks and ran my fingertips over the bruises and scratches. My eye didn’t seem to be as puffy, and I couldn’t feel the gouges in my chin from Connor’s fingernails.

  “What did you do?” I looked at him, suddenly suspicious again.

  “I healed your face when we were up on the headland. Would you like me to heal the rest of your body too?”

  “How did you do it?”

  “Just a little knack I have.”

  What more are you capable of that you haven’t told me?

  So much more than you could ever think of.

  I glared at Bones. Get out of my head.

  “Nera, would you like to see how it is done?” Jasper asked.

  “Why not?” I looked back at him. Realizing how ungrateful I sounded, I smiled at him. “That would be great, thanks, Jasper.”

  “Coming, Bones?” Jasper asked.

  “No thanks. I’ll finish this.” He picked up another longsword and his polishing cloth.

  Jasper put his arm over my shoulders and led me to the library where the fire was roaring in the fireplace. He instructed me to lie on the couch and relax.

  “Anyone can do this if they know how to channel energy,” Jasper said and proceeded to explain the theory. “Energy is the universal power that is available for all to tap into. It’s just knowing how and where to send it and what you want to use it for.”

  Jasper closed his eyes. As he rubbed his hands together, he moved his lips in a silent incantation. He held his hands just above my face, not quite touching me. I could feel the heat that his hands generated when he moved them up and down the length of my body. All the while, his eyes were closed, and he seemed to be in a serene trance. He let his hands return to rest gently on my forehead, and the tingling vibrated through my body, soothing the turmoil inside. He flicked his hands and opened his eyes.

  I could feel the connection breaking the moment he moved away from me. It left me with a small emptiness that I could not explain. He held his hand out and helped me rise from the couch.

  “Feeling better, girl dear?”

  I knew what he expected me to say. How could I not feel better after what he had just done for me? I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed in his magical energy. I had always loved Jasper, but today, I forged a bond with him that had not been there before. Another piece of the neve
r-ending jigsaw puzzle was falling into place. I wondered what the final picture would reveal.

  “Thanks, Jasper,” I whispered, taking in the calm for as long as I could.

  “I think an apology and a thank-you should to go to Bones for today, if you could see your way clear.” Jasper cupped my chin in his hand, looking into my eyes.

  I knew he was right, but the rebel in me wanted to refuse. To be chained to Bones for the rest of my life had got my back up, and why wouldn’t it? No more privacy, ever. Not even in my thoughts. How was that going to work out? And yes, he was an easy target for my frustrations. Not my fault that he was there. To keep my favorite man happy, I would do it.

  “Sure. Sorry if I seem ungrateful. I don’t mean it. He just gets my back up without even trying.”

  “I know that. Seeing as how you two are going to be going through life together, so to speak, I think you should try harder to keep your snappy remarks to yourself just a little bit more.” Jasper toned his words down with a smile.

  I left him in the library to go and apologize to Bones. He was where we had last seen him in the garden polishing the longswords. I could tell by his body movement that he had sensed me coming. He stiffened at my approach.

  “Bones.” When I put my hand on his shoulder a sudden jolt of electricity shot up my arm, the power between us was more obvious to me now. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I latched onto the connection I knew we had, then mentally slapped myself. I couldn’t let him get too close just yet. I wasn’t ready for someone to take control of my life, and I knew he would eventually.

  I pulled back and balled my hand into a fist by my side. He continued to polish the swords, not looking at me as I walked around to face him. “I want to apologize for my outburst. I know that you are only trying to help, and I have a quick temper. You have to realize this is all new to me and some of it, actually all of it, scares the hell out of me. You, apparently, have grown up with all this stuff. You have to give me time to get my head around what is going on and get used to it.”

  Bones gazed at me with dark eyes. I tried to keep my mind blank and calm waiting for him to respond. I honestly didn’t really care if he accepted my apology or not. I was doing it for Jasper.

  “I understand, Nera, better than you think.” He put down the sword and gave me his full attention. “Even though I grew up using my powers, I can understand why it may be overwhelming for you. I have watched you grow, and I am used to your spirited ways. You will come to accept your powers, and with them, you will accept me and my constant presence as well.” He watched me with a contented smile on his face.

  Bones’s glance shifted to the house. I followed his eyes and saw Jasper coming toward us with another longsword in his hands. He held it out to me. I heard Bones’s sharp intake of breath when I accepted it. He watched me carefully while I tested its weight and balance.

  “That longsword was made for Pria. It fits you well,” Bones said.

  “It does have a good feel to it.” I held it out in front of my body. “Was it ever used in battle?”

  “You can tell that yourself. Concentrate on the sword as a whole and feel it deep inside your mind. You will be able to sense the energy and get a picture in your head of what the sword has seen.” Bones dropped the polishing cloth to the table, giving me a challenging lift of his chin.

  I looked at him skeptically and raised my eyebrows.

  “Try it,” he said. “Stand still, feel the sword in your hands, and let your mind go blank.”

  I concentrated, letting the energy from the sword meld with my own. I slowly closed my eyes and relaxed as the images from previous battles started to run through my mind. I could feel Bones come closer to me, and as the sword struck flesh for the first time, he was ready when I opened my eyes, the shock racing through my veins.

  With one hand on my shoulder and the other over both of mine, he stopped me from throwing the sword to the ground. I shivered, the carnage too horrible to continue to watch.

  “No. I don’t want this. I don’t need to see it.” I trembled, my stomach roiling at the blood that had covered the blade that now hung loosely in my hand.

  “Stop for a minute. Do you really think that Jasper gave you this sword just to play with? Use your imagination. This is to be your sword.” Bones held me tight in the comfort of his arms. “Go back and look again. It won’t hurt you, I am here with you.”

  I gave him a wary look. This was moving way too fast for me.

  “I will protect you. You just have to relax and look, that’s all. The sword demands it. Nothing can hurt you,” Bones said.

  “Why do I have to? Haven’t we done enough already? I’m not ready for anymore weird stuff!” I pleaded.

  I had never been so frightened. Did the thought of blood scare me? The idea of magic was just starting to settle with me, but the idea of slicing someone open with a sword was something I couldn’t bear to think on.

  I closed my eyes and pouted. It only took a few seconds before I was there again. I knew that Bones was with me, holding me steady while I looked. Jasper and his son Rogan were fighting side by side, drawing their longswords through their enemy’s ranks. Caleb was off to one side with soldiers backing him as he fought and cut them down from behind. I watched Pria fighting, holding her own as her sword sliced through the air at their enemies. She was only seventeen, but she could fight with as much force as her brothers. Beside her was a familiar figure. Suddenly I saw what had frightened me again. I watched while Bones was struck down with a vicious blow to his shoulder. The blood poured out of his wounded body, and Jasper hurried to his aid, Pria right behind him, guarding their backs.

  I made myself snap out of it and opened my eyes to see him directly in front of me, staring silently. An intense dizziness overwhelmed me; I knew the blood had drained from my face. A thin film of sweat covered my top lip. I felt slightly wild, and I tried to control my breathing but my mouth wouldn’t form the words. The longsword dropped to the ground beside me.

  Before Bones could say anything, I grabbed at the collar of his shirt and ripped the soft cotton until his shoulder was bare and exposed. A thick ugly scar ran from the side of his neck, to halfway down his left arm.

  He hadn’t moved a muscle, nor spoken a single word. His gaze had not left mine.

  “Why did I have to see that?” I was shaking. My throat closed, and in my mind I saw him hurt again and again.

  “It was not his doing, Nera.” Jasper came over to me and laid his arm around my shoulders.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The sword belongs to you now,” said Jasper. “I think Pria knew who would take over for her. It was she who first saw it would be you who would continue the fight.” Jasper had told me of her ability to see the future. It scared me to think that she knew what was in store for me.

  “But why did I have to see Bones getting hurt? What good could that possibly do but scare the hell out of me?” My heart raced madly, my panic once again coming to the surface.

  Bones and Jasper shared a glance. I felt invisible, so intent where they on each other and whatever was passing between them.

  Finally Jasper spoke. “I think that it was shown to you as a warning. Bones is your protector now, but I feel that you will be watching his back also as time goes on—forging a partnership with a strong bond. He survived that battle and many more besides, but that may not always be the case, girl dear.”

  “But that actually happened?” I was still looking at Bones shoulder, my gaze locked onto his bare skin.

  “Yes, it did. And I survived it thanks to Lady Leona’s healing powers. Now moving on, Nera, it is said that a dog picks his or her own master, just as Hugo chose you. This longsword is special. It was Pria’s, only hers. No one else could pick it up and hold it for more than a few seconds. The feeling that it gave out was distasteful to others. Now it is yours and you must learn to weld it as easily as you saw her do. Once again, the teaching falls to me.”

  Final
ly composed, I stared at him, trying to keep my face blank. “Why do I even need to know this? Can’t I just zap anything that gets in my way?”

  “We cannot predict what battles will come this way,” Jasper said. “It is written that you will be the master of many skills. The longsword is just one of them, as is the magic. And don’t forget it is part of the god’s culture for a reason. Besides, it will be fun to learn.”

  The small smile he gave me was a challenge. I totally ignored the comment about learning and honed in on one thing. One that he knew I would not refuse, because he knew I was hooked after just a few lessons.

  “Let’s try this out then, shall we?” I challenged Bones. I moved over to the clear area of the garden and smiled encouragingly at him.

  He gazed between me to Jasper before he pulled the ruined shirt over his head and picked up his sword, and I swear, almost swaggered over to where I was waiting. Breathe, just breathe. I had to concentrate on the task ahead, not the half-naked god in front of me.

  “I promise to go easy on you, Nera.”

  “Don’t bother, Bones. Remember, I have to learn this.” I was careful to keep my mind blank. “I will hardly get better if you don’t push me.”

  Besides that, I hated being pandered to just for being a girl. I had always been and always would be more of a tomboy than a fluffy female. I joked with Brie that she got all my girly genes.

  I placed my feet as I had been shown and held my sword, point up toward Bones. He let me cut first and easily blocked my move. We circled each other, cutting and blocking, picking up speed as we went. My confidence was building each time I managed to block his attack and I thanked god I was quick on my feet.

  I was smiling, taunting him when he struck with a blow that left me stunned. My cockiness had come back to bite me. I stood shocked at the force that rippled through my body down to my toes. My teeth felt like they had come loose, and my ears were ringing. I could hear laughter coming from both sides of me. When I felt solid enough on my feet, I glanced around to see both men beside themselves at my predicament.

  “Oh, girl dear.” Jasper was almost doubled over laughing. “If only you could see your face.”