Within the Cards

by Donna Altman

  “I know you love me Daught, and I’ll stand with you proudly and fight my family for your existence. You’re my product of love. You’re what I stand for.” She held my hands and kissed my lips.

  We made love again for several hours. It was blissful, sweet and passionate love. When we returned from the shoreline, I saw the witches encircling a fire. Ellie read my thoughts. She knew what they were doing. She explained the witches were raising a shield of protection around the village. They hadn’t found the time of the attack so they were protecting us from a surprise in the night. Once the shield was up we couldn’t leave the village or we would be unprotected. We looked on as the witches performed their ritual. Elizabeth joined in with the witches. She was the most powerful and could make the shield strong and unbreakable.

  That night as Ellie and I settled into one of the huts that the villagers built Dee came to us.

  “I will stand with you and fight with you because you are the only family I have left.” She told us. She held her head down. I felt the sorrow in her speech. Dee was confused about herself. She was under the witchyre rule for so long that she didn’t understand freedom.

  “Don’t attempt to protect me and risk either of yourselves. Protect each other because you’re our future. You hold the key. Remember these words. When the time comes, I will sacrifice myself to bring Suzi down. She’ll come after you and me, Ellie. You must stay close to Daught and let him protect you. The two of you have the power to defeat the others. I’ll defeat Suzi or bring her down with me. You must promise me you will remember my words.” She begged. Ellie let go of me and walked over to Dee.

  “Dee, stand with us. We’ll protect each other.” Ellie pleaded with her. She wrapped her arms around Dee.

  “I must stand with Elizabeth. She needs my help. Daught will protect you.” She explained. Dee looked in my direction, but this time it wasn’t full of hatred.

  By the end of Dee’s request, the witches and Elizabeth completed the ritual. We were shielded from anything that crepe in the night. Nothing could penetrate the impermeable shell around us, but we couldn’t leave or our fates would be our own.

  Dee left the hut. As Ellie lay next to me, she worried about Dee. Her head rested on my chest, and I gently rubbed my fingers through her hair. I felt Ellie’s thoughts change as Elizabeth summonsed her. She had to go.

  While Ellie was gone to see her grandmother, I walked outside to breathe in the thick air of the jungle. The night felt non-ending. The moon shined its brilliant light and illuminated the thick jungle. The sun was hiding from the unknown of war looming in the near distance. There were so many thoughts going on in the village. My mind raced to find Ellie's thoughts. She had gone to find her grandmother and was discussing some plan with her. I wasn’t able to hear her thoughts. She had put up a block to keep out intruders. Only they knew their secret. This upset Dee. She didn't like them keeping their plans from her.

  Ellie found me by the shore after her meeting with her Elizabeth. I read the altercation between her and Dee as she approached me. Dee questioned Ellie as to her distrust of her. Ellie tried to explain she did trust her, but this was something their grandmother had asked only to Ellie. She couldn’t go back on her word to keep Elizabeth’s request a secret. When Ellie refused to reveal her secret to Dee, she spat several obscenities at Ellie and turned off her thoughts. Ellie was getting tired of Dee's bipolar mood swings. Ellie and I retired to our hut to enjoy the rest of the night.

  “Ellie is there something you are keeping from me?” I asked. I looked at her trying to read her thoughts, but she was blocking me from them. I knew Ellie was up to something, but I trusted her.

  “Daught please, don’t ask me to divulge my promise to my grandmother.” She begged me. Her eyes pleaded with me. She needed me to trust her decision. I had no choice, but to respect the privacy she had developed with her grandmother. Besides, she would eventually tell me. Ellie had never been able to keep anything from me.

  “Just please promise me you’ll not put yourself at risk.” I added.

  “I promise I’ll not leave your side once the battle begins.” She meant her words. I kissed her lips and tasted the sweetness I longed for. She was my maker, and I was in love everlasting with her. I trusted her unconditionally. However, I did give Dee one last warning. I wouldn’t live without Ellie, and I would fight for her even if it was against Dee.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  A TALK WITH ELIZABETH

  Most of our daylight hours were spent planning for the attack. When nightfall came, Ellie and I spent time relaxing in our hut. Elizabeth came and requested to speak with me alone. Ellie didn’t act surprised although she wasn’t sure of her intentions. She respected her grandmother’s request and decided to go find Dee to see if they could put their argument behind them.

  Ellie told me she would go and see how Dee was doing with everything that was going on. As I watched her leave the room, she held a grace about her that held every aspect of my thoughts. I didn’t want to take my eyes off her, but I could not disrespect Elizabeth. Ellie was a product of her making. Therefore, so was I.

  Elizabeth sat in a chair the villagers constructed. They adapted well to their surroundings. Before they fled the lairs of their witchyre leaders they lived in luxurious surroundings, but they didn’t want to live as slaves any longer. The jungle was where they wanted to be, and where they would be protected. The vast jungles were abundant with all the resources they needed, but one must be able to survive through its challenges. They called themselves a tribe because they released the qualities of a witchyre clan. They were witchyres with mystical abilities, but they didn’t answer to the laws of the Lords.

  For years, the witchyre leaders left them to survive on their own. The thoughts of them pushed to the back of their minds because they were no threat to them. This changed in the last week. They had drawn a line in the sand with the Lords and claimed their side of this impending war. With them allowing us refuge in their village, they marked themselves as enemies.

  Elizabeth smiled at me with the same smile Ellie gave me. She was as beautiful as Ellie. The years of abolishment hadn’t tainted her youthful looks. She was a breathtaking image of the exact resemblance of Ellie. They were a copy of each other. Ellie had a more modern appearance and Elizabeth maintained the look of a time that stood still dating back to her annihilation. Their only difference was the eyes that Ellie held: the crystal gray eyes. Elizabeth’s eyes were blue not the clear gray of Ellie’s.

  “Daught, what do you know about your making?” She asked. Her eyes told me she knew more about my powers than I did, but I told her what I knew.

  “I know Ellie drank my blood, but before she drained me completely, she opened her wrist so I could drink her venom. This removed my mortal life and replaced it with my immortality.” I told her. I looked at her with question as I continued to reenact my making. I had no idea where she was going with her questioning. Nevertheless, I respected her and tried to answer her.

  “Why do you ask so much about my transformation?” I inquired. She pulled her chair closer to me and touched my hand.

  “Your making was a first for the witchyres.” She stated. “You’re different from any other race of immortals. We know little about your abilities, but I feel you have greater ones than even you have invited.”

  “I can read the minds of others, and I can see things without turning to look, but that’s about it.” I told her. She looked at me and I could see the questions in her eyes. She knew there was more about my abilities than I had not uncovered.

  “You have never realized you know things that are going to happen before they do, or that sometimes you can will things to come to you, and they appear?” She asked. She looked deep into my eyes as if she were looking into a soul that wasn’t there.

  I thought deeply in my past and remembered such instances where this was true but at the time, I left it to chance. I hadn’t tried to make things materialize. My existence was a dull bein
g prior to my finding Ellie again. I didn’t attempt to feel or project my abilities. I enabled myself to block out the thoughts of others before Ellie arrived in my life again.

  “I think I know what you’re talking about.” I told her. I stood up and walked around the room.

  “Daught, try to think of something and see if it appears.” She instructed me. I continued to pace. I shuffled through my mind and looked for something I wanted to see.

  “Think Daught, think hard.” She commanded. Elizabeth’s tone was soft, but firm. She roared with confidence. I was glad she conveyed confidence in me because I was hesitant.

  I thought for a few minutes and then remembered the ring. With every bit of concentration, I thought of the ring that I gave Ellie. Her family removed it from her after they took her from me. I thought hard of what the large diamond looked like. It sat encased in a band of gold with stones of crimson rubies that circled around and hugged the brilliant diamond stone that sat in the center.

  All of a sudden, I felt something in my hand. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Before me laid the beautiful ring, the ring I placed on Ellie’s hand over one hundred years ago. I had given the ring to Ellie on the day we promised our love to each other. With my other hand, I picked it up. It sparkled as if it was new, but it wasn’t new. I saw the inscription I placed in the ring.

  “With all my love and being, Daught.”

  It was the exact ring; I gave her over a hundred years ago. The ring still looked the same as the day I put it on her finger.

  “You see Daught, you have powers and abilities that you didn’t realize you had.” She professed. I sat in the chair in front of her, and I looked at the ring in awe.

  “How did I do that?” I questioned. I looked up at her, and she touched my hand.

  “During your making, Ellie transferred her abilities to you. I feel you have many of her abilities. You just have to concentrate and master them.” She explained. She read my thoughts of wondering what I was. My mind was moving faster than even I could keep up.

  I never realized I could do such things. I don’t think Ellie realized I could do these things either. How could I have expected her too? She hadn't realized the extent of her own powers much less had she took the time to realize what I could do. I hadn’t cared about my existence after Ellie was gone. Before she left me she did all of these things so I had no reason to attempt them.

  “Daught, think about what is happening. Think about the Lords and their plans. I think you can see things in the future, as well. Try to see when they plan to attack. Look for their plans.” She again instructed me. I tried to focus and bring my thoughts back to looking for the lords.

  I closed my eyes and pictured the Lord's lair. I looked deep into the pits of their castle. I could see them sitting and planning, but this wasn't what they were doing at this moment. The time seemed to be early morning in Vancouver. This was what they would be doing tomorrow when morning comes. I could see the future. Elizabeth was right. I saw Suzi pacing. She looked uneasy because she knew and feared the Lords abrupt change in their loyalties to her. She knew they felt she had failed them. I then saw the time they plan to attack. They would appear when the moon was New. It would be dark and their attack obscured by the blackness of the night.

  “Concentrate Daught. What are their plans?” She asked. She continued to touch my hand. Again I concentrated. I drove my mind deeper into their conversation.

  “They have a key.” I told her. She leaned in closer to me.

  “A key to what?” She asked.

  “It’s an old key. He said he would use it to open a box. He said something about a box called Pandora’s Box. He’s laughing.” I told her. “What is Pandora’s box?” I turned and asked.

  Elizabeth got up from the chair and walked to the window. I could tell she looked deep into the distant of her memories. She sat lost in thought and didn’t answer my last question. She studied the air as if it were a book that gave her information. She smiled.

  “Look and see Daught, do they have this box?” she asked. I searched for the box, but I could not find it. However, I didn’t know what to look for. What did it look like? How was I supposed to know if they had it or not? I had no idea what the box looked like.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what to look for.” I told her. I got up and walked around the room. Elizabeth again stared into the distance. She didn’t have the answer to my question. She didn’t know herself what this box looked like, but she knew who did. Ellie had gone to retrieve this being. Her last thoughts caught my attention.

  “What? Ellie is gone, where? You sent Ellie outside the protected shield.” I shouted. I started for the door. I had to find Ellie.

  “She’s fine my son. Dee and one of the wizards followed her to protect her.” She explained. “He has arrived. She did it again, and now he will know the answer of this box.”

  I had to find Ellie. I started to leave the hut when I saw Ellie and Dee walking up with a tall figure. He was different from the rest of the immortals I had known. He had long blonde hair that glowed in the moon light. He was a muscular giant against Ellie’s small frame. His clothing was like Elizabeth's clothing. They were from another time. Elizabeth followed behind me as her eyes remained fixed on him. Her thoughts said his name, Ultress. This was the name of Ellie’s grandfather. Ellie had reenacted the spell and brought her grandfather back from the other world. I hadn’t noticed the descending moon had become full again. Once again, Ellie revolved the blue moon. This time she reversed time to the same blue moon that brought her grandmother back.

  Elizabeth held her arms out to this man. He took her hands and pulled her closes to him. Their eyes were in constant contact.

  “Ultress, my love. You have come back to me.” She said and smiled at him.

  “I am here my dear. I am here to protect you and my granddaughters.” He kissed her gently.

  I knew they shared a love that was the same as Ellie's and mine. I could see the electricity radiate from their touch. He loved her in life, through her immortality and through the time of their extinguishing. Nothing had dampened the love they felt. Ellie looked at me knowing I did not approve of the secret she kept, but I pulled her close. I felt relieved she was safe and back in my arms.

  “Would you just try to stay inside the protected shield from now on, please?” I requested. She looked at me and smiled. Her accomplishments pleased her. I pulled her closer to me. I knew Ellie could take care of herself, but I felt the need to protect her. If she would just let me, but then again, I knew Ellie. Dee rolled her eyes and stuck her finger in her mouth as mimicking gagging herself. I hissed in her direction as Ellie pinched my side.

  Ellie told me the witches enlightened Elizabeth that Ultress was the only one that would be able to remove his sons from their rule. He was here to reclaim his rite as the leader of this clan. He was the only one that knew how to defeat his sons and the only one that could abolish them.

  The silence was long lasting. Ultress's adoring of Elizabeth ended with her remembering my vision. She turned to me as she brought this giant figure in my direction. He was a towering being, one that I wouldn’t want to anger.

  “You must be the one my granddaughter speaks of. This Daughtry” he directed to me.

  “Yes sir, my name is Daughtry, but I prefer to be called Daught.” I spoke.

  “Very well” he replied and turned to Elizabeth.

  “Ultress, he has seen their plan. They have a key to a box.” She exclaimed to him.

  I heard the excitement in her voice. I felt proud that Ellie’s grandmother maintained such confidence in me. However, I felt a knife-piercing glare from Dee. Ultress turned and looked in my direction. His features were bold and frightening, but his speech was as gentle as Elizabeth’s tone.

  “Tell me my son what have you seen.” He spoke.

  Ellie looked at me with many questions. She hadn’t realized her grandmother had found that I indeed had many abilities transferred to me during
my making.

  “What is she talking about?” Ellie asked.

  “Silly woman, I got tricks.” I remember what she said to me back at my dorm when I tried to Google the blue moon. I began to laugh, but I knew she didn’t think it was funny when she pinched my side. Dee smiled. I wasn’t sure if she smiled at the comment I made or the pinch Ellie gave me.

  “He can explain later Eleanor. He must tell your grandfather what he saw.” Elizabeth pulled me back into the hut. The others followed.

  I explained my visions as I had told Elizabeth. Ultress listened unwavering. He didn’t interrupt me nor did he allow anyone else too. I finished telling him about the key and this box I heard them speak about at the meeting. He understood I had no idea what it looked like. He smiled.

  “So that’s what they’re up to these stupid, ignorant sons of mine. They don’t realize what this could bring,” He hissed.

  Ellie couldn’t be quiet any longer. She jumped to her feet, standing directly behind me.

  “What box?” she demanded.

  “Pandora’s” Ultress said with concern in his tone.

  Ellie knew this wasn’t good from many years of hearing stories about this Goddess. She knew the convictions of the Gods and the evils they could pass on to one that had done them wrong.

  Pandora was the first woman goddess. Zeus, the God of Thunder had her created. Each one of the Gods gave her a gift creating her into a beautiful, evil, seductive woman. Her creation was a punishment for Prometheus, who Zeus accused of stealing the secret of fire.

  Prometheus knew Zeus would punish him, and he warned his brother Epimetheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus, but his brother didn’t listen. When he saw Pandora, he couldn’t control his urges. Zeus gave Pandora to him, and he married her. Zeus had given Pandora a box and warned her not to open it, but he knew she was gifted with curiosity that would ultimately cause her to open the box. When she opened it, all of the box's evil escaped and brought sorrow, misery and death to all around it. This was the punishment given to Prometheus that Zeus intended when he gave Pandora to his brother.