Tethered (A BirthRight Novel #1)

by Brandi Leigh Hall

The Gemini Prophecy

  And the six Gemini shall then Ascend,

  The Healer, Conjurer, Traveler, and Seer.

  To merge their power at the Well,

  With the Mover, Feeler, Controller and Reader.

  And The Gemini shall save thine foe,

  From an eviction set in motion.

  The Divine cannot undo the Pyre,

  It is stopped by a mystic potion.

  And the Seer shall then go blind,

  When the Grand Duke convokes.

  But the Legion shall release its hold,

  When the High Priestess invokes.

  The ties that bind shall cast a spell,

  To protect the evil within.

  A bauble holds the key to stop,

  The temptation of mortal sin.

  And the time foretold by ancient prophets,

  Of when the end will come.

  Shall be the year post Gemini,

  Come together as one.

  The elements shall devour the earth,

  Before drawing down the moon.

  The final Winter Solstice battle,

  Shall not be a moment too soon.

  And the man of many shapes shall form,

  A union between Believers.

  And they shall then cast back to hell,

  The Governing Deceivers.

 

  “This is so cool. I can’t believe there was a prophecy written about us. How awesome is this?” Clearly, Dru’s happy about this foretold future.

  Me on the other hand—not so much. The only thing I got from the prophecy was, ‘And the Seer shall then go blind’.

  Blind? Are you kidding me?

  “So how much do you actually understand, Gram?” I can’t help but ask.

  “Well, not a lot I’m afraid. There are two things I’m certain of. The first paragraph describes you kids and Morgan. What happened here tonight is the beginning of the prophecy.

  “The only other paragraph I understand is, ‘And the time foretold by ancient prophets, of when the end will come, shall be the year post Gemini, come together as one.’ Tonight is obviously the night you all became one, which means, ‘the year post Gemini’ would be next year. As far as the rest goes, I can guess bits and pieces, but no certainties. Like Moira said, we’ll have to figure it out as we go.”

  “Next year? You’re kidding, right? And why is it we’re just now hearing about this? I got the impression you’ve known for a long time.” Dhelia crosses her arms, foot tapping like a scratching dog.

  “Good question, dear. But not one easily answered.” She pauses before continuing. “I first learned of the prophecy as a child. It started out a simple bedtime story, but as I got older, I discovered it was real.

  “When your mother and Morgan were born, I was convinced it was about us. Even more so after Ash and Aidan came along. Unfortunately, when Cassie was still born . . . and then when Moira was killed in the car accident . . . I decided it wasn’t about us after all. Or maybe these tragic events had somehow screwed with destiny’s plan.”

  She pauses again, looking at Aunt Morgan. “This is the part that might be difficult. But please keep in mind this is not how you were supposed to find out about the boys. They had every intention of talking to you once they thought you could handle hearing it. Nor was someone supposed to show off today without thinking.” Gram shoots Ash a stern look, making it clear he’s in big trouble.

  “It’s okay, Mom. Really. I told the boy’s years ago they could decide for themselves when they grew up. And that’s what they did. I’m not mad.” She doesn’t look upset, but her cheeks droop from disappointment.

  “Well, we can talk about it later if you like. So as I was saying . . . for many years I haven’t believed the prophecy was about us. That is, until the day Ash and Aidan called me for magical guidance. Once I realized what their powers were, I started to rethink everything. Aidan is the Teleporter, or Traveler as they called it back then, and Ash is the Conjurer.”

  Gram’s posture straightens. “Look at what it says in the very first paragraph. ‘And the six Gemini shall then Ascend’, then it goes on to mention ‘the Healer, Conjurer, Mover and Seer, with the Traveler, Feeler, Controller and Reader’. It says six twins but lists eight powers. I always assumed it meant three sets of twins to equal six . . . I never realized it could just be six twins in general . . . which is what we have.

  “I was never sure what happened with the other two powers, but your mother explained everything.” Gram holds her hand to her cheek in surprise. “I never imagined they would automatically transfer to the remaining twin. It just never occurred to me. So you see, Chloe, it was always meant to happen this way. Your twin sister was destined to die at birth, as was your mother in the crash. Otherwise, there could never be six twins with eight powers like the prophecy foretold.” Her face lights up.

  “Wow. That does put a whole new spin on things, doesn’t it?” I look at Gram with a relieved smile.

  “But how will we figure this out? It’s not like these sorts of things just jump out at you or anything.” A smidge of doubt works its way across Dru’s wrinkled forehead.

  “Well, I’m hoping Chloe’s visions will show us. In the meantime, we need to figure out what this whole ‘Ascension’ means, and what we’re capable of. If anyone is getting worried . . . please don’t. We have plenty of time.” Gram yawns. “But we should talk more about this tomorrow. I, for one, am getting tired, and we have a long day ahead of us. We need to come up with an ironclad story to tell Dr. Gaslightwala when we take your pap back to the hospital. I’m sure they’ll need to run a ton of tests.”

  “Oh yeah, speaking of which . . . how do you feel?” I ask, walking to the couch where Pap’s stretched out.

  “Other than being a little weak, I feel fantastic. The first time I haven’t had a headache in months.” He squeezes my hand.

  “I’m so glad to hear it. I’m still not sure how it all happened, but I’m so glad it did.” I bend down to place a kiss on his cheek.

  Pap’s forehead scrunches as he looks up at me. “So I guess this means I owe you one, huh?”

  We both grin. “You better believe it. So be on your best behavior . . . especially when you meet my new friend tomorrow.” I laugh before the words finish leaving my mouth.

  “Oh yeah, that must be the young man who was at the hospital with you.” His cheeks lift in delight.

  “Yes, it is. But how do you know about Hunter?” I don’t think I heard anyone mention his name.

  Did they?

  A rumbling laugh escapes his lips. “Just because my body was sleeping, doesn’t mean my mind was, little girl. I heard everything in that room. Which reminds me . . . thank you all so much for reading to me. I loved it more than you know.”

  You always hope someone in a coma can hear what’s being by their loved ones. But hearing firsthand they do—is a wonderful feeling.

  “Okay, everyone, time to hit the sack. Tomorrow’s a big day, so get plenty of sleep,” Gram orders in her firm, but gentle manner, she does so well.

  We say our ‘good nights’ then hug Gram and Pap before heading upstairs. This has to be the most remarkable day of my life. I almost hate for it to end—but deep down I know it’s just the beginning—of many.

  Chapter 15

  THE MIRACLE