Forged by Greed

by Angela Orlowski-Peart

  “Is that what happened?” Ivona gasped.

  “After Jatred told me what he remembered, this was the only justification that made sense to me.” Tyrrell sighed.

  “She has the power to meddle in her Shifters’ minds but she can’t do too much.” Andy nodded, his eyes filled with concern. “Although, I still don’t understand why Crystal would endanger Jatred with the Garhanan. The creatures of torment are called that for a reason.”

  “The Goddess can be quite temperamental.” Ivona sighed. “But she never takes an unnecessary risk, especially when the last surviving member of the Royal Family is involved. Jatred is about to become the Race’s King, so why would she jeopardize his life?”

  “I have a feeling it’s about the Amulet,” Tyrrell said. “Crystal took it from Jatred.”

  Everyone except Tyrrell and Jatred shouted with their minds, “What?!”

  Tyrrell nodded. “We think Jasmira somehow convinced Jatred to show her the Amulet, and then she took it. I have no idea how she was able to do that with all the security precautions we have employed in our house.”

  Jatred kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders hunched. “I seriously don’t remember anything about that. I don’t even know who Jasmira is.”

  “Dude! You had the biggest crush on that girl for years. And you two finally started dating last summer.” Bogdan reclined and squared his ankle over one knee.

  “So you say. I still don’t remember anything about her.” Jatred shrugged.

  “This only confirms my theory about Crystal altering Jatred’s memories,” Tyrrell said.

  “But are those memories specifically and only about Jasmira, and nobody else?” Ivona asked.

  Everyone looked at her in silence. Andy said, “Interesting.”

  “So, let’s assume that Crystal erased only the memories about Jasmira, since Jatred seems to remember everyone else.” Ivona cupped her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. “Because the Amulet is involved, there must be a link between Jasmira and the Amulet. Which makes sense, because she’s the Summer Race’s Princess.”

  “As I mentioned before, somehow Jasmira was able to take the Amulet from our house. And immediately after Jatred got it back, Crystal summoned him to fight one of her Garhanans,” Tyrrell explained. “But there is more. I didn’t want to say this on the phone, obviously.”

  “What.” Bogdan looked alarmed.

  “Jatred remembers being in the Summer Realm. I think Jasmira must have transported him there, using the powers of the Amulet. But I’m sure she wouldn’t be able to that without Amber’s help.”

  Everyone started to talk at the same time. The adults spoke with their minds, but Jatred and Bogdan talked out loud. Andy got up, his arms raised, palms facing forward. “Wait. Okay. Unfortunately this is a strong possibility, since Jasmira shouldn’t have known much about the Amulet just yet. Not until she turns seventeen and officially becomes her Race’s Queen. And she definitely wouldn’t be able to bring anyone on her own to the Summer Realm. Especially a Winter Shifter.”

  “Crystal knew immediately that the Amulet was outside the Winter Shifters’ protection. But I hope she didn’t realize that Jatred was in Amber’s Realm. I wonder if this has ever happened in our Race’s history,” Tyrrell said in his low voice.

  “Not that I know of,” Andy remarked, glancing at his wife. “Ivona? Have you read or heard otherwise?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s been thousands of years since the Amulet was created. You would think someone had tried to snatch it before. But nothing’s been mentioned about such an event in any of the records. And there’s nothing about any of our Shifters entering the Summer Realm.”

  “I was there. I’m positive. But I don’t remember anyone with me.” Jatred said.

  “So why would Amber make Jasmira take the Amulet and bring you to there?” Bogdan turned to look at Jatred.

  Jatred averted his eyes. He was angry and ripped with guilt not only because someone was able to take the Amulet from him. But that someone endangered him by taking him to the Summer Realm. And he couldn’t even remember who that was. “It’s about the ten-thousand year mark,” he said, looking down at his knees.

  “How do you know about that!?” Tyrrell almost shouted, getting to his feet. He looked at the Tornwoods and slowly sat back down. “I’ve never told you about the ten-thousand year mark. Who did? The Goddess?”

  CHAPTER 27

  Human World, November 17, morning.

  Nobody spoke for a few long moments until Bogdan asked, “Can someone explain what we’re talking about? I already figured I’m way in the dark about all this, but … come on.”

  “I don’t even know what the ten-thousand year mark is. Seriously.” Jatred avoided looking at the others. “It just popped into my mind.”

  Silence. A few moments passed before Andy cleared his throat and said, “I believe we are dealing with a form of a mind transposition.”

  “English please,” murmured Bogdan.

  “When Crystal entered Jatred’s mind to remove his memories about Jasmira, she inadvertently placed a fragment of the ten-thousand-year mark knowledge,” Andy continued. “Think of it as residue.”

  “Crystal didn’t mean to leave such information in Jatred’s brain,” added Ivona, looking from face to face. “We believe both Goddesses have the power of erasing their Shifters’ memories, but they rarely do so. Only if faced with no other option would they do such a thing. As Andy said, it is a residue of something that she was concerned with while she was actually clearing those memories from Jatred’s mind.”

  “Now that’s super freaky.” Bogdan sat up straight. “Bro, she really messed with your head,” he added sympathetically, glancing at his friend.

  Jatred felt uncomfortable and deliberately looked away.

  Tyrrell leaned forward, fixing his black eyes on his adoptive son’s face. “Nobody is blaming you. You are a target in this strange scheme. I don’t think she knew that you were taken to the Summer Realm though. If she did,” Tyrrell took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, “she would have done much more than what she did to you.”

  Tyrrell stood up and raked his hand in frustration over his closely-cropped hair. He walked around the room, the fingers of both hands linked at the back of his strong neck. Finally, he stopped, turned and looked at Jatred, his gaze filled with concern and unconditional love. For a moment his face revealed the turmoil churning deep inside him. Losing his adoptive son was not an option.

  Ivona watched them in silence, chewing on her lower lip. She cleared her throat and said, “We will get to the bottom of it. But you need to help us understand the Goddess’s motives. She is very methodical and never does anything to deliberately hurt her Shifters.”

  “So why did she make me fight that Garhanan?” Jatred asked quietly.

  “Maybe she knew for sure that you would win.” Ivona’s voice was even less audible than Jatred’s. “Right now it’s hard for you to remember that Crystal is our protector, and only acts in her Race’s best interest.”

  “Hard to believe? I say impossible.” Bogdan snorted, folding his arms over his chest.

  Ignoring her son’s remark, Ivona continued, “The Royal heads of each Race learn about the Amulet when they become adults, at seventeen. Unless, it’s their Race’s turn to keep the Amulet. For the last one thousand years it has been the Winter Shifters’ turn.” She spoke to Bogdan, since he was the only person in the room that needed this explanation.

  Bogdan shook his head. “I don’t get why so much is kept from us.”

  Ivona sighed and ignored her son’s complaint. “Jatred obviously knew about the Amulet, being its appointed Guardian. If his parents were alive, he wouldn’t have learned about it until his seventeenth birthday. But because Tyrrell is Jatred’s adoptive, not biological, father, he only helps Jatred with this difficult task. Tyrrell can’t carry the burden of the actual responsibility for the Amulet. At this point, Jatred is the only one le
ft from our Royal Family.”

  “I still don’t understand why the Goddess would make him fight a Garhanan,” Bogdan interjected. “Jatred could have been killed, and then who would become the Race’s King?”

  “There are rules, clearly outlined in our Race’s Accords, for choosing the next Queen or King in the event of one Royal line ending. But about Crystal—no, she must have known for sure that Jatred would overpower that particular Garhanan,” Andy said. “The question is—why did she do it?”

  “The violence of the fight. I had to kill to be punished.” Jatred’s eyes opened wide. He looked at Andy, shocked.

  “How do you know that?” Bogdan asked. “Is this because of the… what was it, Dad? Oh, a mind transposition?”

  “You’re right! The Goddess couldn’t punish you if there was no act of vast violence. Is that right? Andy? Ivona? I’ve heard about it from my own grandfather years ago,” Tyrrell exclaimed. Both Bogdan’s parents nodded. “The fact that Jasmira took the Amulet wasn’t your fault, Jatred. She deceived you. Most likely because Amber told her to. Or, most likely, it was Amber playing the puppet master with Jasmira. You didn’t give Jasmira the Amulet. You were tricked, which can’t be a reason for a punishment from our Goddess.”

  “Over the centuries the Winter Race had become non-violent by nature, so Crystal wouldn’t be able to alter your memories,” Andy added. “She figured that the only way to do that is to make you kill that Garhanan. I have a feeling the creature was told to fight to the death. But I also bet the Goddess chose a weaker one, so your life wasn’t really at stake. She knew you would kill it.”

  “Crystal made Jatred fight a Garhanan, just so he could kill it? That’s so convoluted.” Bogdan shook his head. “Jatred commits an act of violence, which, in turn, lets the Goddess enter his mind and alter it?”

  “Pretty much. Yes,” Andy agreed. “Also, note that she didn’t make Jatred kill another Shifter or a human. I know that, under the circumstances, it is hard to give her any credit. But, for what it’s worth, this clearly shows that Crystal didn’t want to scar Jatred with the guilt of killing a person. The Garhanans are simply monsters; not that they aren’t living things, but still—”

  “So it’s okay for her to make me kill a Garhanan, just because it’s not a person?” Jatred interrupted, angrily.

  “No, that’s not what he meant.” Tyrrell sighed. “It was wrong to make you fight even a nasty, blood-thirsty creature of torment. You are rightly a victim in this situation. You were used, and I wish Crystal hadn’t made you do that. But Andy is trying to explain, that there must be something bigger at stake. Something that made the Goddess take such extreme measures. And, again, it all points back to Amber. Crystal must’ve known about whatever the Summer Goddess is attempting to do, and she was determined to stop Amber.”

  “Wait. I just thought of something. It popped into my mind, like the other stuff before.” Jatred’s face lit up. “I remember the little fire thingies. They were zooming around, like miniature spaceships. But I couldn’t see the shapes, just a very bright light. Two of them. And one kinda got inside me. At least I think that’s what happened.”

  “Go on.” Andy nodded, his face intent.

  Jatred exhaled in exasperation and shook his head from side to side. “How could something get inside me? That’s freaky to even think of.”

  Ivona answered in her warm, calm voice, “You were in the Winter Realm. After the Shifters die, their Spirits go back to the Realm. Some of them are very ancient and possess amazing powers, knowledge, and long-forgotten skills. We believe these very old Spirits can enhance a Shifter in various ways, but only in the Realm. Or in the place called In-Between.”

  “What?” Bogdan shot his mother a dubious look, his eyebrows arched.

  Andy Tornwood answered, “It’s the place between both Realms, the Winter and the Summer. There is only one tiny passage in The History of The Winter Race book about it.” He walked to the window and stood there, staring at the gray sky.

  When Andy didn’t elaborate, Jatred raised his eyebrows in anticipation. “And?”

  Andy turned to face the room. “It’s a very short section; less than a paragraph, really. As long as I remember, there have been discussions about what the In-Between is all about, why it has been created, and by whom. There are as many opinions as leaves on a tree. We really don’t know much about it. Just that the Spirits from both Realms can freely move between their own Realms and In-Between.”

  “But Winter Spirits can’t go to the Summer Realm and vice versa. Right?” Bogdan asked.

  “No.” Andy shook his head.

  “So, those ancient Spirits can enhance Shifter’s abilities, you said. Maybe make him wield a sword like a pro, even if he never touched one?” Jatred leaned forward in his chair, his eyes wide with interest.

  “Yes,” Ivona and Andy said in unison.

  “Huh.” He reclined back, smiling. “That zipping around Sparky was an ancient Spirit,” he said as if to himself, and then added more loudly, “Now it makes sense. Sparky helped me beat that Garhanan into a pulp. He must have been quite a champ in his days; Shaolin kung-fu master, I betcha.”

  “I’m glad you find some humor in this, son.” Tyrell smiled. “It could’ve been a ‘she’, and not a ‘he’. And, actually, the Shaolin Monastery was established by the Shifters of both Races in the fifth century.”

  “Both Races? Together?” Bogdan sounded incredulous.

  “Yes. In some instances, throughout the centuries, our Races worked side by side. Shaolin was one of the main ‘projects’ that brought Winter and Summer Shifters together,” Ivona answered.

  “Wow. This gets better and better.” Jatred looked at Bogdan.

  “Wicked.” Bogdan flashed a grin.

  “Okay, boys. Let’s try to return to the subject,” Tyrell interjected. “Jatred, I think you’re right about the spirit that entered your body in the Realm. It must have given you skills to overtake that Garhanan.”

  “Yeah. He was good!” Bogdan couldn’t restrain his enthusiasm. “Like a killing machine. Man, I couldn’t believe my eyes how strong and fast his punches were. And when he jumped on the monster—”

  “Bogdan, let’s not go off on a tangent again.” Ivona stopped him from recounting the fight. He turned to glance at her, a look of child-like excitement on his face. Ivona continued, “We can talk about the fight later. So far, it looks like we are on to something. Why would the Goddess need to erase Jatred’s memories about Jasmira?”

  The room fell silent. Everyone looked at Jatred who, in turn, stared at Bogdan.

  “Did you say I had a crush on that girl?” he finally asked.

  “Dude.” Bogdan laughed.

  Jatred held his eyes, waiting for him to say more, but Tyrrell commented, “As the Race’s King-to-be, you were not supposed to date a Summer Shifter at all, especially one of Royal blood. I wish I knew before it was too late. Before you two established a bond. After that… it didn’t even matter if you stopped seeing each other. ”

  Bogdan shook his head in disbelief. “She had you wrapped around her little finger. Look, Jasmira is okay, she’s one of those girls that you can trust,” he said soberly, stealing a quick glance at Tyrrell. “None of us tried to tell you not to mess with the Summer Princess. Well, except Lusia, of course. Even Erik who wouldn’t ever consider dating a Summer chick… well, until recently, that is—”

  “What do you mean by that?” Ivona interrupted.

  Bogdan shrugged. “Erik likes Penelope. That’s all.”

  “I know who Penelope is,” said Jatred, deep in thought, his brows drawn together.

  “She’s Jasmira’s best friend, bro,” Bogdan said.

  “So you say. Again—I have no clue who is Jasmira.” Jatred moved impatiently in his chair. “Can someone think why these memories were so dangerous that Crystal had to rob me of them?”

  The adults looked at each other as if they suddenly discovered something daunting. Andy shot up to his
feet, slapping his forehead. “Jatred was right about the ten-thousand-mark. It must be. But what about it would make Crystal go to such unorthodox measures?”

  “Andy,” Ivona said quietly, getting her husband’s attention. “I think we know what’s at stake.” She looked from Andy to Jatred and back.

  Andy nodded, understanding what she wanted to say.

  “Tyrrell,” she spoke with her mind, keeping her mental guard strong, so the boys wouldn’t hear her. “What exactly does Jatred know about his parents’ death?”

  CHAPTER 28

  Human World, November 17, around noon.

  “No, I think I got enough of this mess,” Jatred said. “I just want to go home to figure things out with Uncle. Or not. I don’t know.”

  “Bro, you got to come with me to Jasmira’s house, I’m sure she has some answers for you—”

  “Why the hell do you insist that I have something to do with her? Why would I want to be with a leopard-girl to begin with?” Jatred interrupted, turning to look at Bogdan, his expression angry. The wind gusted and ruffled his hair. Jatred pushed a thick strand of hair from in front of his eyes and looked away. “Look, I need some time. This…” He shook his head as in disbelief. “This thing with Crystal messing with my memories… and now your parents suspect that Amber has something to do with my parents’ death. Then there’s some Summer girl that I can’t even remember, but everyone says was my girlfriend. I don’t need any more talking for a while.” Jatred kicked a small pebble. It hit the house, bounced off, and sailed away into the bushes.

  “That’s cool.” Bogdan stuffed his hands deep in his jeans pockets. “Call me later if you wanna come over and hang out. Erik might want to drop in, and the girls too. Or we can go to the skateboard park.” He looked at Jatred.

  Jatred turned his head toward the adults. Tyrrell and Bogdan’s parents stood by the gate, talking. They kept their mental guards up, so the boys were unable to hear them.