by HC MacDonald
“Finish cleaning up, the children will be here soon. I will meet you in the Atheneum. Sanna can show you the way.” He turned and left the room.
I examined the contents left. In the corner was a wash basin. I walked over and began washing and cleaning myself. Wrapping my wounds as I did. I had no sooner finished when I heard the commotion of anxious little people walking the hall. With a smile on my face I opened my door to greet them.
Chapter 5
Identity
Raina
It was great being with my family. We had left the healing center after I had changed and played for a few hours together. It was like I wasn’t gone. They were good kids. Taller, older, and if I dare say, happy. Sasha had transformed into a young girl. She had flowing red hair. So unlike her parents. The four of them were priceless together. The children were getting tired from all the excitement and running around. We took them home to Sanna’s and laid them down for a nap. I asked her then to take me to see Raoul at the Atheneum. So we walked.
The Atheneum was a simple door standing alone int the woods. Once inside, it opened directly onto a downward spiral staircase. The walls were beautifully carved marble stone. I walked down the winding staircase to the floor below.
Sanna, smiled at me and took her leave. Letting me know she would be back for me at dinner time. I walked down the aisle looking down row after row of bookcases overflowing with knowledge. I eventually found Raoul. He was tucked in a corner piled high with old dusty books. As I approached he looked up at me.
“You look much better.” He said.
“Thanks” I rubbed the back of my neck. Not sure were to start.
“Come sit with me.” He motioned to a stool next to him. I sat down looking at all the open pages, letting my eyes wonder from one to another. I stopped at a pedigree chart. Shock hitting me at once. I reached for the book, careful not to change the page. Raoul watched in silence. I stared at the pictures. I had seen them all before. Nezra, I saw regularly at the fortress. Alastair, the face next to Nezra was a perfect likeness of the grandfather I remembered. I looked at the other faces. I knew them. Pictures and stories my mom had told me. Now, seeing them all, I knew them to be true. My hope that Raoul was wrong, shattered. All the weight of the world came crashing back onto my shoulders. I put the book down. Tears no longer held back, sat with my face in my hands. I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“It will be all right. I am here to help you.” His voice was soft and reassuring, but I knew at that moment; life for me had changed. I would not be able to shrink from my duties and obligations. I would need to find the courage for the tough road ahead.
“Would you like to see what I found?” I almost missed his questions. I wiped my eyes and looked up at him. He was holding a book with strange symbols and signs. The one he was pointing to matched my arm. My interest was peeked.
“This one, comes in a few varieties. I believe this is the combination you have.” He said pointing to my arm. “It hides you from those that seek to do you harm.”
“What do you mean?” I was not sure what he meant. Many had done harm to me, so it either didn’t work, or I didn’t understand the meaning.
“That is the literal term. It masks your true identity to those around you.” He continued on as I looked at him blankly. “If Nezra knew you were a descendant of Alastair he would either kill you, or worse use you to get to his brother. Do you understand now.”
“So he does not see me as me but as someone else?” I asked.
“In a way. Your ora, like your unique scent, is a calling card. Allowing others to identify you. Nezra would be able to feel your ora as similar to his own. Giving you away without your knowledge. This brand your mother gave you, protects you from him or others like him.”
“But you figured it out, who’s to say others won’t as well?”
“I figured it out based on Leon’s questions and experience with you. I had no idea you were who you were all those years ago in the fortress.”
“Did Leon tell others?”
“No, he may be rash at times, but he is wise when it comes to sharing information. I have known him a long time, he will not share your secret if you choose to tell him.”
“What of the other marks?”
“The one on your shoulder from Nezra, is what it is. You will be able to understand all creatures who are of intelligence. Those that are not, well, you are just like the rest of us.”
I laughed then. I felt relieved to have some normalcy.
“The last one, I am still searching for. It doesn’t match anything in the binding symbols like I thought. I am at a loss.”
I looked at his drawing of the symbols on my body. Looking at the paper, something was off. The picture wasn’t complete. I knew it was fading, but on paper, it was a little more than half complete. I picked up his pencil and began filling in the missing art. Raoul waited as I sketched the lines. When I was done he took it from me. He began flipping through pages in multiple books. We found one symbol in one book, another in a different book, until we had four different books in front of us. Still we couldn’t find the last two symbols.
The first symbol which was the least faded, was to bind my magic. The second, was to erase my knowledge of magic. The third symbol represented immunity to curses. The fourth and fifth, we had no luck. We searched every book there was, nothing. I sat down again on my stool. “So, I get these three. Why I can’t do magic, why the Koboldrone didn’t affect me. But why would my mother erase my knowledge of magic. If I can’t do it, why would it matter.”
“I am sure she had her reasons. I feel that our efforts have come to an end for now. Would you be willing to try an experiment tomorrow? It may cause you some pain, but could release the binds.”
I didn’t know what to say. I wanted the binds gone, but than again I didn’t. After a moment thinking, I agreed. I headed up the stairs, ready to open the wood door, but instead was met with four happy children and Sanna.
We headed back to her home, ate, played, then put the kids to bed. Once they were asleep, Sanna and I talked about all that happened with Leon and my relationship. I didn’t tell her about the magic. I felt I could trust her with my secret, but I also didn’t want to take that chance she would reject me. So I kept my secrets to myself.
Chapter 6
Recovery
Leon
It was nearly a week before I had my full strength back and received the okay to leave the center. My first priority, find Raina. She had visited off and on later in the week. I was relieved when she arrived the first day. I had just been given a sleeping drug when I had smelt her presence enter the hall. I was angry for not making them wait longer. She seemed physically fine, but something was worrying her. I didn’t know what, and she wouldn’t say in the center. My goal today was to find her and talk it out. There was so much to talk about.
I first went to Sanna’s. She said Raina was with Raoul. I headed to the Atheneum. It was normal to find Raoul there. I was happy to hear my mentor and confidante take an interest in Raina. He didn’t spend his time with just anyone. The fact that he was helping her meant he approved of her. It made me feel good about our relationship to have his approval.
I searched the Atheneum but no Raoul or Raina. I ran my hand thru my hair and tried to think where they could be. When I was a boy he would take me on walks up to the northern pasture. It was secluded and protected. He taught me how to fight there. I took off down the path that would lead me to the spot.
Some time into the trail, I veered off, looking for the landmarks that would lead me to his spot. It took me close to an hour to get there. When I came around the bend I could hear the muffled sound of Raina and Raoul talking. I could smell that scent of summer I had come to crave. Raina spotted me first. She held my gaze. It was when she flinched that my eyes dropped to the blade covered in blood that Raoul was holding. I ran to her ready to attack Raoul. She put up a hand and said casually “stop.”
I froze mid strid
e in my tracks unable to move. Raoul turned and looked at my precarious position then back at Raina, then back at me. Then Raina mumbled some words and my limbs were mine again. I didn’t move closer. I wasn’t sure what to do. This was new. If she could do this, then why didn’t she in the arena. I was starting to get mad at her for toying with my emotions. Who was she really? Lying to me about what she could do. Making me worry about her, when she could have stopped Hagar from taking her.
Raoul must have read my emotions, because he spoke in a stern voice, “Leon, you come here now and listen!”
Slowly I walked over to Raoul and sat next to him. I could see the blood running down Raina’s arm. She had her head lowered and would not look at me. I wasn’t going to put up with this. I moved to stand, but Raoul had pushed me down by the shoulder.
“Leon, you will listen. You will not share this information with anyone.” Raoul began. “You had many questions the first time you met Raina. We now have some answers. You have a choice. You can stay, hear us out and help or leave. Which is it?”
My temper was eating at me. I felt so betrayed by her. Had she manipulated my emotions as well? I wouldn’t put it past her kind. I knew what Nezra was capable of. She was like him. Against my better judgement I stayed. I needed to know it all, even if what I felt was a lie.
I looked at Raoul, unable to look at Raina without distaste. “For the time being, I will stay.” I looked out the corner of my eye in time to catch the single tear fall from Raina’s cheek. My heart softened just a touch. I sat listening to Raoul. He explained his theory. Then went over the evidence they had found. He then told me they were experimenting to break the binds. This particular enchantment he learned from another village.
One was successful. I looked to Raina, she had her head down again. She wouldn’t look at me. I couldn’t blame her. I had judged her cruelly the minute I found out she had magic. I knew others would be just as unkind or worse if they knew. I felt ashamed of my reactions. She had just discovered who she was. Had just been unbound and without meaning to perform magic on me, did. Proving the binds could be broken. I moved to sit next to her. I put my arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. I felt her sink into my chest. I squeezed her harder. She looked up at me then.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know I was doing it till you stopped. I just wanted you to not hurt Raoul.” Raina said.
I stroked her hair. “I know now. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. It was unfair of me to question either of you.”
I looked at the blood on the ground. “Raoul, how does this work? Removing them I mean.”
Raoul explained the process. He was using an enchanted blade to cut out the symbols. When he tried them all at once, the blade wouldn’t cut. If he sliced a small piece at a time, he was able to remove it. It took a good hour to remove this one.
“Does it hurt?” I asked Raina.
“Yes. Every time he cuts it feels like my body is about to explode. Everything inside me is fighting to get out. Raoul says its the magic pushing its way out.”
I knew she was tough. I had seen her in action when she was injured. I had seen her not complain, scream or yell, when she was hurt. So for her to say it hurt was a big deal.
“How many do you have to remove?” I asked no one special. Raoul answered. “Five total. We have done one. Today we are only doing one more.”
I looked to Raina. She nodded to Raoul. He lifted her sleeve and began cutting the next symbol. I could see the scars left from the remnants of the first symbol. I watched as he slowly took small pieces of her skin off. She flinched each time the knife cut into her skin. Other than that, she made no fuss. No tears, no screams. I kept my arms around her hoping I was bringing her comfort. The sun was starting to set by the time Raoul finished with the second symbol. It had taken a lot longer than the first. When he finished he looked at Raina. “How do you feel?”
“I am very light headed. My eyes won’t focus. I having a buzzing noise in my ears.” She responded.
He looked over at me. “She needs to rest. Can you carry her to her home? Watch her through the night? We should meet here when she feels up to it.” He stood, rested a hand on her shoulder. “Rest child.” Then walked away. I sat there unmoving with Raina resting on my shoulder. After a few moments she tried to stand. She swayed back and forth then I pulled her back down to the log we were sitting on. She looked up at me. Her eyes half shut. I put my arms underneath her, lifted her up. I carried her all the way to my home. Making sure to stay off the paths so we would not be seen.
At my home, I put her in my bed. She was sleeping peacefully. I sat by her side stroking her hair. Amazed at how strong she was. I left her only for a minute to let Sanna know she was okay and staying with me. Sanna only lifted her eyebrows and Ethan punched me in the shoulder. I hurried back to Raina. She was still sleeping where I left her. I pulled up my chair to the bed and watched her as she slept. Soon I fell asleep.
I woke up hours later, a kink in my neck. I went into the kitchen to get a drink. I heard Raina scream. I ran to my room. She was sitting up in bed tears running down her face. Her eyes wide and she was sweating all over. I sat on the bed and pulled her into my arms. She leaned her head on my chest and for some time we sat there. Sleep took hold of her again. She was sleeping peacefully. I stayed with her the rest of the night. As long as I had an arm around her, she was fine. When I moved away, she became restless. I didn’t mind that I had to hold her all night.
Morning came. I awoke first. Raina still resting on my chest. I laid there wondering what nightmare had bothered her. What she was feeling? I worried about her. I felt her move. She was waking up. She lifted her head and faced me, arms still wrapped around my chest. I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and kissed her. A soft smile lifted her lips. She leaned in and kissed me back.
I realized at that moment, I needed her in my life. I wanted this to be us forever. I didn’t care what she was, or what she could do. I knew we needed each other and we were better together. I pulled myself up to a sitting position. Raina rolled next to me on the bed.
“How are you feeling today?” I cared about her. I wanted to help.
“Better.” Was all she said.
“Did you want to see Raoul this morning or rest more?” I asked.
“Rest just a few more hours then we can go.” She was playing with the pillow now. I rolled onto my side. “What were you dreaming about?” I asked.
“I was with my grandfather. He was showing me many things. Then I was pulled into Nezra’s quarters. I saw him beating my mother. She was barely alive, I couldn’t help her. I could only watch. She was slaughtered before my eyes. Then I was standing on the beach, looking over the sea. My grandfather returned to me there. I saw Keiko, Juji, and Wyatt. They were older and happy. I saw you. You were playing with a young pup. Then it was over. Do you think there is any truth to it.”
As much as I wanted to be with her, I didn’t want to see her grieve for her mother. “We should ask Raoul.” I got off the bed and moved to the door. “I will get us some breakfast.” I liked the smile she gave me. I strolled into the other room. Excited about a future together.
Chapter 7
Practice
Raina
They say practice makes perfect. That’s what Raoul was having me do. I was getting real good at moving things around. I could protect myself with a simple thought. Oh, how this would have come in handy over the years. The dreams I had at night continued. Raoul said they could be glimpses of the future, or me connecting into the minds of my heritage. He didn’t really know.
I dreamed every night of my mother dying. Leon would always come to soothe me. He had moved the kids and me into his home. He had insisted, I felt safe there. I also wanted to give Sanna and Ethan a break. There kindness was so generous, I felt I couldn’t ask for more. We continued to see them everyday though.
Leon was with the kids now. Teaching them to hunt. The kids had come back the last two days wit
h new pets. Leon couldn’t get thru to them that it was food, not a pet. Keiko was so upset at the thought she broke down in tears which started a chain reaction with the other two. So we have two birds, three squirrels, and a rabbit living with us now.
Raoul and I had been at this for two weeks. As my dreams showed me different spells and magic, I tried them out with Raoul. We had our special place. Away from the village, and any prying eyes. Give me a chance to learn.
I would start out saying the spells, then eventually only thinking about them. Today we were going to work on protection domes. I had seen it a few nights ago and was eager to try. We had picked an area. I closed my eyes, focusing. Words came to my mind. I pictured a glass dome surrounding our spot. No one to enter, no one to leave. When I thought I had it, I opened my eyes. I could see the sheen of magic creating the glittery silver dome around me and Raoul. “It is ready I think.” I looked at him. He walked in a straight line. When he hit the edge of the dome the magic pushed him backwards. Causing him to fall on his bottom. He smiled at me. “I couldn’t see the wall or else I would not have walked into it.” He was laughing at his state. We smiled at each other. Then we watched. Soon a rabbit came our direction. He also ran straight into the wall and was thrown backwards. Confused, he took off in the opposite direction. “It worked.” I was surprised at what I had done.
“Now let’s try a protection dome that will let those with good intentions pass thru and your enemies to be blocked.” He said.
I took a deep breath. I released the dome of magic and closed my eyes again. This time changing my thoughts. It took longer, I could feel my energy waver and my hands shake. Raoul put a hand on my shoulder. “You can do this.”
I pushed my mind out focusing on the dome. When I felt it was complete, I opened my eyes. I could see the wall of magic again. This time a blue sparkly dome sat around me. I knew it was different. I nodded at Raoul. He walked away from me. I saw him leave the dome. He was still walking. I yelled at him to stop.