She disappeared and I exhaled. Note to self—never get on the wrong side of Big Sister. She had a complex. What were Hermonites? Nosferatu? My head was going to explode from the information they kept throwing at me.
Back in my bedroom, I was surprised to see the tray Lady Nemea had carried on a round table in the middle of the room. Whatever was hidden under the silver lids smelled nice. My stomach growled again.
First things first—underwear.
I stood in the middle of the room, pointed at various parts of the room and waved like a conductor leading a band. Band. Conductor. More things I just knew about. Windows slammed shut, curtains closed, and the doors to the closet, the bathroom, and the one leading out of the room all slid open. No drawers.
Before I could close everything, a man dressed in black appeared outside my bedroom. The red hair gave him away. He was huge with broad shoulders. The black tunic and pants made him look intimidating. Our gazes met. He had dark, cold eyes, unlike my moss-green ones, and his expression gave nothing away. I shivered and waited for a flood of memories.
Nothing. Not even a flash.
“Father?” It came out as a question.
His eyes narrowed. Not a hint of a smile on his face. Once again, I shivered.
“Good afternoon, daughter. Will you join me for lunch?”
I looked at the covered food and then at my robe, my hand clutching the opening. “Uh, okay. Give me a moment to change.”
“Of course.” He flicked a finger and the door closed.
I released a breath, my heart pounding and feelings I couldn’t explain making my stomach flutter. I couldn’t tell whether I was nervous or scared. My father didn’t appear to be doting or act remotely like my idea of a father.
Walking to the bathroom, I waved a hand, and a dozen drawers and cupboards I hadn’t seen popped out of the walls. Bath and hair products. Seriously, I needed a map to find my way around this place.
Closing my eyes in frustration, I took a deep breath. Something interesting started happening. A sparkly white glow appeared around objects in the room. It was as though I could see with my eyes closed. See-through walls and doors. Eyes still closed, I walked through the door and went through my bedroom to my closet. Finally, the drawers with my underwear.
Grinning, I opened my eyes and got dressed. I chose a ruffled goldand-black skirt that went all the way to my ankles, with a simple black top. The outfit was a perfect fit and comfortable. Blowing out air, I hurried back to my bedroom.
My stomach churned with nervousness and apprehension. So, I was about to have lunch with the ruler of my people. He also happened to be my father, someone who loved me even though I hadn’t seen anything resembling love in his eyes earlier. I moved my finger the way he’d done and the door slid open with a bang.
I cringed.
Lord Valafar turned and scowled. Seeing me, he nodded and then went back to the conversation he’d been having with two men. The men were nearly as tall as he was and dressed in black, including long trench coats. One of the guys had dark brown skin, and something about him made me smile, though I couldn’t explain why…until he turned and his catlike eyes narrowed on me. My smile disappeared.
He pressed his fist to his chest and bowed. “It is nice to have you back with us, Princess Lilith.”
His companion, who had shaggy brown hair and a thin moustache, bowed too and said, “Nice to have you back, Princess.”
Once again, I wasn’t sure whether to bow too, so I just nodded. “Thank you.”
“Get it done,” Lord Valafar said dismissively, and the two men’s bodies turned into black smoke before disappearing. The way they teleported was different from the way Solange and Lady Nemea did.
“How do they do that?” I didn’t realize I had spoken until Lord Valafar spoke.
“Teleport? I’ll explain while we eat.”
His voice was cool and impersonal. I wondered what kind of relationship he and I had. Swallowing, I watched him warily as he slowly moved closer to where I stood. It was weird the way he slowed down as though afraid I’d bolt. Sure, he was intimidating, but I wasn’t that scared of him. He stopped and studied me as though waiting for something, his gaze probing.
“It is truly nice to have you back, daughter. You had us worried.”
Strange. He didn’t make an attempt to hug me or anything like that. Lady Nemea’s words zipped through my head. He loved me and never gave up searching for me after I was stolen by our enemies.
“I’m okay now, right?” I asked.
“Yes, you are. Come on. You must be famished.” He turned around abruptly and led the way into the room. “We have much to talk about.”
I followed. Once again, I wondered about our relationship. He seemed, I don’t know, uncomfortable around me, which didn’t make sense.
-2-
My stomach reacted to the steaming bowl of soup. Sandwiches were piled high on a plate beside two glasses and a pitcher of the same orange drink Lady Nemea had given me earlier. A platter of tropical fruit sat at the center of the table.
“Eat,” Lord Valafar ordered.
I picked up the spoon and took a spoonful of the yellowish soup. I scooped more and didn’t stop until I saw the bottom of the bowl. I glanced at Lord Valafar and cringed. He was watching me while munching on some grapes, a weird expression on his face.
My face hot, I mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said sharply. “You haven’t eaten in months. We had to feed you through tubes.” His voice gentled a bit. “Now you need to eat to get your strength back. Have a sandwich.”
The sandwiches didn’t look appetizing. “Can I have more of the soup, please?”
Lady Nemea appeared with more seconds later. “She shouldn’t eat too much too soon, my Lord,” she said.
“She’s hungry,” Lord Valafar said firmly. “Leave us.”
Lady Nemea bowed and teleported. Once again, there was silence in the room, but this time, Lord Valafar ate. I studied him on the sly. I still couldn’t bring myself to think of him as Dad or Father. He was too cold and curt, and he barked orders. It was impossible to guess his age by looking at him. His red hair didn’t have gray in it and his face was unlined. His hands were large with trimmed nails. On his right index finger was a silver ring with weird knots and symbols and a red stone. It reminded me of the same red stone on Solange’s dagger.
“So, uh, Solange said something about starting school,” I said, hoping to get a conversation going.
He shook his head. “Not yet. You will work with a private tutor before joining the other students.”
I wanted to protest. How was I going to recover my memory cooped behind the castle walls with a tutor? Maybe I would meet someone who could trigger my memories at the banquet.
“Is it true we’re having a celebration tonight?”
Annoyance flashed across Lord Valafar’s face. “No, not tonight. I’m postponing it for now. You need to get your strength back and our people need time to prepare. They can’t wait to meet you.”
I frowned. “They’ve never met me before?”
“No. You were lost to us for years, Lilith. Having you back means a lot to our people.” He became silent, his expression dark as though he was reliving something unpleasant. “That it took the Great Battle for it to happen is something we must live with.”
“So, I haven’t always lived with you?”
“Not since you were three years old.”
Maybe that was why I couldn’t think of him as my father. “The people who kidnapped me—”
“Are traitors to our race,” he said calmly, like it didn’t bother him, but I noticed his clenched jaw. He studied me intently. “How much do you remember?”
I searched my memories. “Nothing about me or you or any of this”—I waved to indicate the room—“yet I know basic things when I see them and hear about them.”
He nodded. “It will come back to you, but in the meantime, we’ll fill in the blanks. You
will have doors and knobs and anything else that you need to make you feel at home. The one thing you must never forget is who you are. You are my daughter, a descendant of the mighty Principality Azazel. Our destiny is to bring light to the human world, to guide them and protect them from themselves. Humans,” he added in the voice of a father talking about a difficult child, “are incapable of taking care of anything or themselves. The Principalities gave them knowledge, but what do they do with it? They use it to kill each other, pollute their bodies and minds, destroy everything they touch.” He paused and studied me as though checking my reaction. “Do you think it’s wise to allow someone to destroy your home while you stand back and do nothing?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“That’s the situation we are in with humans. If we do nothing, they will destroy this world. This is our home, too.” He poured himself a glass of juice and sipped, but I was impatient to hear more.
“How do the people who kidnapped me fit into all this?”
His eyes flashed with hatred, but his voice continued to be calm as he spoke. “The Guardians are our misguided brothers and sisters who have appointed themselves protectors of the human race. They enable humans to continue in their foolish ways and hunt us down instead of joining us. They don’t care about this world, because they have theirs in Xenith.”
A feeling I couldn’t explain washed over me. Was it sadness or longing? I couldn’t tell. “Xenith?”
“It was once our world, the world of all the Nephilim, but some of our people didn’t like our progressive way of thinking and banished us. Those who follow this faction of our people are the Guardians. They hide in Xenith and only send their most powerful to Earth to protect humans. So when all this”—he lifted his hands to indicate the world—“is destroyed, they can just retreat to the safety of Xenith. But this is our only home and we must protect it.”
It made perfect sense. “Why did they kidnap me?”
“Because you are special,” he said with conviction, his eyes locked with mine. “There is a prophecy about a child with the power over all elements. That child will unite our race. Under her, Hermonites and Guardians will once again become one.”
I frowned. “Power over all elements” sounded daunting. “You think I’m this child?”
“I don’t think,” Lord Valafar said. “I know, and so do the Guardians. That’s why they wanted you on their side. You belong with your family, with me and your sister.” He studied me intently as though waiting for my response. What could I possibly say? Of course I belonged with my family. “I never gave up searching for you, Lilith. Nothing gives me greater joy than having you here with me.” He patted my hand. “Rest. If you want to explore, call for a guard or Lady Nemea to go with you, but stay within the castle walls.”
“But—” I protested before I could stop myself.
“What is it?”
For one brief moment, I wasn’t sure whether to speak up. His expression said he wasn’t used to being contradicted or challenged, but something egged me on. “I’m too old for a babysitter.”
He scowled. “You’re only seventeen, eighteen in about five months. And yes, you need to be guarded.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want the Guardians sneaking in here and kidnapping you again.”
Great. From kidnapped victim to a prisoner in my own home. My emotions must have shown on my face, because he added, “This is for your own good, Lilith. Anything else you’d like to know before I leave?”
“How did Mom die?”
There was silence, but a change came over his face. His eyes blazed and his lips tightened. “Your mother died the night the Guardians took you. She’d be here with us if it weren’t for the events of that night.”
I was seriously beginning to hate these Guardians.
“But I blame myself for her death,” he continued. “I failed her as her husband and chosen mate. I should have made her understand who you are and our duty to guide you. The problem was that I didn’t know everything at the time, either.” He sighed. “Sometimes things happen that we regret, Lilith, and your mother’s death is one of them.” He paused, his expression softening for the first time since we sat. “You are a lot like her. Stubborn and brave but kind.” He looked over my shoulder. “She loved butterflies.”
I followed his gaze to the embroidered canopy over my bed. “Did she make that?”
“Yes, she did.” He stood, studied me intently again as though something about me bothered or fascinated him, but then he said, “Rest. I will see you tomorrow.”
I waited until he left the room, then walked to the window seat and stared outside, everything he’d told me running through my head. Singing and laughter filled my head, but this time, I could filter it like a person tuning a radio. I listened, dimmed some, and made others clearer. Below, I actually saw people. They kept appearing and disappearing in the courtyard, although I couldn’t tell what they were doing.
One particular guy stood by the gazebo and stared up at the castle. Not the castle. He seemed to be staring at my window. I felt a slight pressure inside my head then a soft voice said, Lil.
A chill shot up my spine. There was something very familiar about the voice. I angled my head to catch more words from him, but all I got was the knock on my door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Lady Nemea walked in with two men and a girl around my age. They avoided looking at me, just pressed hand to chest and bowed, then grabbed the table, chairs, and tray before teleporting, leaving me with Lady Nemea.
She joined me at the window and glanced outside. The guy by the gazebo was gone. “They are getting the castle ready for the celebrations. Your father wants it to be spectacular.”
Lord Valafar looked like the type who always got his way. “Is he always so curt and distant?”
“What do you mean?” Lady Nemea asked.
Something in her voice had me evading her question. “It’s hard to explain. He just seemed, uh, preoccupied.”
“He’s a busy man. Our people here and around the world depend on him to guide them. If he seemed distant, it’s because he’s still worried about you. When was he curt with you? What were you discussing?”
I shrugged, not wanting to discuss my father anymore. “How do you teleport? Lord, uh, Father was supposed to explain but he forgot.” Lady Nemea threw me a brief look of pity. I learned another thing about myself in that instant. I hated to be pitied. “Forget it.”
“No, it’s okay. You keep a mental picture of where you want to go and will yourself there,” she explained. “You dematerialize and become energy, then rematerialize when you reach your destination. Most people can’t stay in the energized state for too long, so the sooner you reappear the better. Otherwise, you might reappear too soon and crash land or get stuck inside a solid object.” She reached out and stroked my hair, which was still wet. “Teleporting is one of those things you never forget once you learn it. It’s like riding a bike.”
I moved, forcing her hand to fall from my hair. “So, is teleporting a special ability?”
Lady Nemea chuckled. “Oh, no. All Hermonites can teleport and use telepathy. Even the minions with their weak psi energy and lack of abilities do it.”
From her words, we were Hermonites. Did that mean I was to unite Guardians and Hermonites? Two factions of the same race. The idea was mind-boggling.
“How does telepathy work?” I asked.
She shook her head and stepped away from the window. “I’m sure your tutor will explain all these abilities better than I can ever do.”
“I just wanted to see if I can do it, but I guess I can wait.”
Once again, she sighed. “Telepathy is no different from talking to a person, dear. When you want to talk to someone, you either call out or whisper to get their attention, depending on the distance. When you want to do it, you send your thoughts to them.”
“But won’t others hear you?”
She nodded.
“Yes, but there’s a way around that. You know how you reach out and touch someone when you want to get their attention? We send a burst of energy when we desire a connection. They can either let you connect with them or ignore you. Once you are connected, thoughts flow back and forth.”
I felt and then her voice. Did you feel that?
Grinning, I nodded. I’d felt the same tag earlier before a voice said Lil. Should I ask her if anyone called me Lil? Or had I intercepted a communication between two other people?
“That was a ping, followed by my thoughts,” Lady Nemea said. “When your powers are back, you’ll be able to connect with anyone. Prime Psis can send mass pings and block people from pinging them or even noticing their presence.” She smiled. “Your father said you might want to explore the castle.”
I nodded. “Do we have a library?” Once again, it was weird how I remembered basic things like libraries, but I had no memories of ever being inside one.
“We have two. I can escort you in a day or two. You need to rest now.”
I’ve been resting for nearly seven months, I wanted to protest. “What floor are they on?”
Lady Nemea frowned. “One is on the second floor and another on the first sublevel.”
“Sublevel? How big is this place?”
She chuckled. “It’s huge, with a city underground. We have more levels below and inside the mountain than above it. The library caters to all of us. We have all kinds of books. From history books about our people to contemporary human books—”
“Human books?”
“Yes, popular fiction they read for entertainment, as well as newspapers and magazines. We have them here and at the Academy for students to learn and understand human behavior.”
I frowned. “Why do we need to understand their behavior?”
She chuckled. “As their future leaders, we must learn about their desires, weaknesses, and strengths. Right now, only a few hundred of our people live among them. In a few years, we’ll be living with them”—she made a face as though disgusted by the idea—“heading most of their organizations. At least, that is your father’s vision. The island may be our home now, but not for long. The majority of us, even your father, own businesses and homes in major cities around the world. He lived among them for many years after he became an adult, and he got to know their world very well.”
Forgotten (Guardian Legacy Book 3) Page 3