Aracus stopped outside a small house on the left. “Melinda I’m back, and we have visitors,” he called, as they stepped onto the carpet-like grass surrounding the house.
A middle-aged woman opened the front door, a warm, welcoming, smile on her lined face. The smile was quickly replaced by a concerned frown when she saw the state of the visitors. “Good gracious Aracus, these children are bleeding. Why didn’t you take them straight to the healers?”
Belle smiled. “It’s okay. I’m a healer. I just figured it was a bit more urgent to actually leave the place where we were attacked before taking the time to do it.”
The woman’s eyes flew to Aracus. “Where exactly was this attack? Please tell me it was a long way from here?”
Aracus shrugged. “It’s a long story my love. But I think you’re going to like the ending. Shall we go in and have this conversation somewhere a little more comfortable… and private?”
Melinda blushed. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Where are my manners? Come in, come in.” She ushered them into a small, comfortable sitting room, fussing and tsking as she found chairs for everyone.
Belle sat on the floor, pulling Raff down beside her so she could start healing him. “This won’t take long. I’d hate to get blood on your beautiful furniture.”
Melinda was still bustling around, and looked up at Belle’s voice. “Oh, yes of course. You’re going to need a change of clothes, those are ruined. I have some old clothes stored in a chest in the spare room. I’m sure there’ll be something there to fit. And you’ll be wanting hot baths as well, so I’ll go and organise those now.” She smiled and hurried from the room. Belle frowned at the woman’s obvious need to keep busy. Something about their presence was making Melinda very uneasy. She pushed the thought aside and focused her attention on Raff’s wounds.
Belle’s hands started to glow as she held them over the first of Raff’s wounds. Instantly, the torn flesh began to knit itself back together, and she felt the sigh of relief from Raff as she finished.
“Thanks Belle, I love your work.”
Belle smiled and turned her attention to the wound on his other side. She heard the sharp intake of breath from Aracus and knew what was coming.
“How can you heal again so quickly? The healers I know would be close to collapse from healing that first wound.”
Raff’s second wound wasn’t as deep as the first, and she was almost done when she answered Aracus’ question.
“I’ve no idea how or why I can do it, I just can. Apparently, it’s a throwback to an ancient relative who had the same ability. It’s definitely come in handy though.” She chuckled as she looked from Raff to Leah.
“Now will be the test though; I’ve never tried healing myself. Here goes nothing!” She closed her eyes, and held her glowing hand over the wound on her own shoulder. She felt the flesh tingle as it knitted itself back together, the pain easing almost immediately. She let out the breath she’d been holding and grinned. “Feels kinda weird, eh?”
Aracus shook his head in wonder, as Melinda returned carrying the clothes she’d promised. Her jaw dropped when she saw the wounds were already healed.
“How…?”
Aracus stood up and draped his arm around her shoulder. “Before anyone asks any more questions, I think you need to sit down my love.” He guided her towards the chair he’d recently vacated, and took a deep breath.
“Okay, I don’t know the best way to tell you this, so I’m just gonna say it. Honey, this boy’s name is Raff, and I believe he’s our grandson.”
A stunned silence hung in the air, as Melinda stared at Aracus and then slowly turned her head to take a closer look at Raff. Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears as she studied him. Belle had to swallow the lump that rose into her throat as she watched the scene unfold.
Finally, a smile transformed Melinda’s worry-worn face. She had obviously been very beautiful when she was younger, and now this beauty shone through the wrinkled old face. Belle was amazed at the transformation in her previously standoffish attitude. The sadness the older woman had been trying to conceal evaporated before her eyes.
Melinda held out her hands to Raff, and he scrambled to his feet and placed his hands in hers. He was blushing so badly Belle couldn’t see where his face ended and his hair began. His ‘pumpkin-head look’ was in full swing.
Raff’s grandmother jumped up and enveloped him in a bear hug. “Welcome home, grandson.”
Chapter Thirteen
-The Haven-
Leah watched Raff’s animated face as he laughed and chatted with his newly found grandparents, fighting the envy knifing its way through her body as she watched them together. She should have been perfectly content. She’d enjoyed the luxury of soaking in a hot bath, was wearing clean clothes, and had eaten until her stomach felt ready to explode. Instead, she was miserable.
She was super excited for Raff that he’d found his family, and she knew she was being unfair, but she wanted what he had so bad it hurt. Belle and Lyricus were snuggled up together, talking quietly on the lounge opposite her and oblivious to the rest of the world. Leah smiled, glad they finally had the chance to spend some quiet time together. But when Belle looked up and caught the look in Leah’s eyes, a frown replaced the happy smile on her friend’s face.
Belle whispered something in Lyricus’ ear and leaned towards her. “You okay?” she asked softly.
Leah nodded. She was afraid if she spoke the dam would burst, and the tears would come pouring out.
Belle sighed, and moved over to sit beside her. “It’s okay, I get it. I know how desperately you want to find your own family, and I’m sure when this is all over we’ll find them.”
“It’s just that… I feel like I don’t belong anywhere. You have the Forever Forest to go to when this is all over, and now Raff has his grandparents. Sorry, I know I sound like the ‘poor me’ spoilt brat, but I feel so lost!”
Raff must have sensed something was wrong, or overheard what Leah had said, because he was on the floor reaching for her hand within seconds.
“I’ve done it again, haven’t I? I’m so sorry, Leah. I know how desperately you want to find your family, and here I am excluding you from mine. You can hit me if it’ll make you feel better.” He squeezed her hand, his sad eyes making her smile.
“I’m not angry at you. I’m happy for you… I really am! And I’m sorry I’m pulling everyone else down. It’s just that ever since you reminded me about being offered the three doors in the portal, I’ve been thinking how impossible it is that I’ll ever find my family.”
“We’ll find them, okay? There must be some way of tracking which world you actually came from. Oh, and in the meantime, I’m happy to share my new family!” He winked, and looked at his grandparents, who smiled and nodded in agreement.
Leah threw her arms around his neck and thanked him. She plastered her brightest smile on her face, and silently vowed never to let him know that ‘borrowing’ his family would never be the same as finding her own.
Aracus cleared his throat. “Ummm… sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask. What’s this about the three doors in the portal?”
Raff explained to him about how children with mixed-blood were offered doors into each of the worlds from which they were descended.
“So that’s how the Guardians know when a child has mixed-blood! How many doors did you get?”
“Two, and so did Belle. I gotta tell you; ever since I set eyes on Valleron College, I’ve been really glad I picked the door to Florisia.”
Belle shuddered. “Tell me about it! From what I can gather, my other door would have come out in Dragardia! I don’t even want to think about that!”
A knock at the front door interrupted them. Aracus and Melinda looked at each other, and Leah saw fear leap into Melinda’s eyes. Aracus patted her knee and turned to the children.
“Something’s wrong. Nobody around here would knock on someone’s door at this late hour, unless it w
as an emergency. I’ll be right back.”
They watched him stride to the door, open it and exchange a few words with whoever was there. He turned and smiled at Melinda, and then stepped outside, closing the door gently behind him.
* * *
Leah woke with a start when she heard the front door open and close. She had no idea how long Aracus had been gone; she’d nodded off after the first hour. She heard the soft murmuring of voices, and knew Melinda must have met him inside the door.
They entered the room together; Aracus wearing a haunted look, his arm wrapped tightly around Melinda’s waist. Melinda’s eyes sought Raff, who was peacefully snoring on the lounge, and she covered her mouth to prevent a sob escaping.
“I’ll make some tea,” she whispered, as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Aracus sighed and scratched his head. He flopped down on a chair on the other side of the room and dropped his face into his hands.
Leah sat up straighter. “The bad news was about us wasn’t it? What’s happened?”
Aracus jumped, lifting his face to look at her. “Sorry, I didn’t realise anyone was awake. I was going to leave it until the morning to discuss what happened.”
“No chance of that now,” Raff grumbled. “There’s no way I’m gonna be able to go back to sleep after seeing the look on your face.”
Aracus jumped up out of his chair and started pacing the floor. Melinda arrived from the kitchen carrying a tray with six cups of steaming liquid, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Belle and Lyricus were awake as well, and all eyes were now fixed on Aracus.
He took a deep breath, his fists clenched beside him. “We have a problem. I know it’s no excuse, but I think finding my long lost grandson may have clouded my judgement earlier today. I should never have brought you through the shield so soon after those creatures attacked. Serbus knew where you were, and when you vanished, he became curious. Now he’s found the shield around the secret Haven we have protected for hundreds of years.”
He rubbed his forehead, pain in his eyes. “I’ve agreed we’ll leave at first light, and hopefully lure them away from here. But I’ve endangered the entire Haven. Serbus knows about us now, and he’s not the type to walk away and ignore the discovery of a community full of rebels.”
Lyricus sat forward, his eyes on Aracus. “Then why don’t you band together, and fight him? Surely the people here can wield enough magic to fight him and his minions. I saw you dispose of those beasts today within seconds of their arrival. There must be others here with similar Gifts?”
Aracus looked at him sadly. “None but myself have ever used their Gifts as weapons.”
Raff spoke through gritted teeth. “Then maybe it’s time they learned how. Belle, Leah and I had been in Florisia less than a week when we had to learn to use our Gifts as weapons. We had no choice; someone was trying to kill us. That tends to be an excellent incentive for learning how to defend yourself in a hurry. Plus the fact that we had a prophecy to fulfil, and needed to find all the pieces of the amulet and join them back together.”
Aracus was doing the fish mouth thing again, and Raff chuckled. “Oops, did I forget to mention that earlier?”
“So did you? Find and restore the amulet I mean?” Aracus looked over their heads to where Melinda stood behind them, a small ray of hope lifting the corners of his mouth.
Raff opened the sheath attached to his hip and pulled out the amulet. “Of course we did. How else do you think we killed Tyranius, the Elder Guardian of Florisia, who was really a nine-tailed magical fox in disguise?”
Chapter Fourteen
-Gift Lessons-
They talked for hours, the children taking it in turns to tell Aracus and Melinda about their adventures since arriving in Florisia.
When they were finished, Aracus told them more about the Haven and Valleron. He explained how they'd established the Haven as a refuge to hide those who refused to give up their children.
Aracus finally yawned and scratched his head. “I had a feeling when we first met you’d have some interesting stories to tell, but I had no idea they’d be this important. Having the amulet changes everything. The legend of the prophecy, and the amulet, are equally as well known here as in Florisia.”
“I’ve heard rumours that Serbus is building an army, supposedly to defend this world against invasion. He has the people of Valleron convinced that Florisia covets our land. The weak-minded are so easily swayed by what he says. I’ll call a meeting of the community advisors first thing in the morning, and bring them up to speed. Right now though, I think we all need to get some sleep. There’s a bed in the spare room the girls can share, but I’m afraid you boys will have to make do with the lounge for now.”
“Sounds good to me,” Raff said, as the others stood to head off to bed. “One thing though; I think we should come to the meeting with you.”
“I’m not sure how the advisors will feel about that.”
Raff shrugged. “Too bad. If they still want to kick us out after we tell them what’s been going on, then they can tell us to our faces. G’night all.” He stretched out on the lounge and sighed.
Aracus looked at Melinda and chuckled. “Remind you of anyone? He’s his father all over again!”
Melinda’s eyes filled with tears. “He is, isn’t he. I just hope he doesn’t share his father’s fate.”
* * *
All things considered, the meeting went quite well. The advisors listened in silence as the children once again told their story. There were a few gasps when Raff pulled out the amulet, and he explained how they’d exposed and then destroyed Tyranius. When Raff got to the part about the amulet bringing them through the veil, Belle had almost laughed aloud at the amount of faces doing the fish mouth thing.
When they were finished, Aracus had stood and addressed the meeting. “I’m sure you’ll all agree that this new information changes any decisions made last night. In fact, I don’t think we should make any hasty decisions at this point that we may later regret. I vote we all take the rest of the day to consider our available options.”
Aracus raised his hand to silence the murmured whispers following his words. “There is one other thing I’d like you to consider. The children have suggested we band together and fight Serbus. He knows where we are, but he doesn’t know our numbers, or our strengths. You’ve heard what these children accomplished in Florisia. I believe it’s time we did the same here in Valleron! We’ll reconvene at sundown. Thank you.”
Ignoring the flood of protests and questions from the other members, Aracus ushered the children out onto the road. “Well, I’m glad that’s over. They’ll have the rest of the day to calm down and consider their options. Let’s hope enough of them have the good sense to see we’re right.”
Melinda was hovering in the doorway when they reached the house, eager to hear about the meeting. She’d laid out lunch on the table in the sitting room, so they sat and told her what had happened as they ate.
As soon as they were finished, Aracus jumped to his feet and started pacing again. “I don’t know about you lot, but I’m sick of sitting around talking. I’m thinking we might go for a walk and give our Gifts a bit of a workout. Who knows, we may even get a few others to join us.” He winked, and Belle chuckled. They all knew that what he really meant, was let’s go show off a bit.
* * *
As they walked towards the meadow at the end of the road, Aracus called out greetings to those watching them as they passed, his arm proudly draped around his grandson’s shoulder. Belle guessed that in such a small community, news of who they were, and why they were here, would have spread like wildfire.
Before leaving the house, Leah had asked Raff’s grandmother to cut some slits into the back of her borrowed T-shirt. As soon as they arrived at the meadow, she unfurled her beautiful, gossamer wings and lifted into the air. Belle watched in awe as her friend danced across the sky. Having wings would be so cool.
“Aracus… I mean grandfather… the
re’s something I wanted to ask you. When the flying creatures attacked us on the way to Ellissidil, I needed to use my Gift to create weapons back to back, and it nearly wiped me out. What’s with that?”
Aracus frowned. “Using your Gift will always drain your energy. You need to learn how to conserve it, by using only what’s required to do the job. I’m assuming you used a fireball both times? That’s the most draining of all your weapons. Sometimes, other weapons will do the job just as well, and not drain quite as much energy.”
Raff scratched his head. “Well, I used the lightning spear once, but other than that, I’ve only used the fireball.”
Aracus grinned, putting his hand on Raff’s shoulder. “Aah, I see we have a lot of work to do today then. Let’s get some practice in while we have the time. I have an area set up where I teach some of the kids who come from the college. Most of them don’t even know they have a Gift, let alone what it is.”
Belle smiled as Raff and his grandfather headed off to the other end of the meadow, deep in conversation. She knew Raff was excited he finally had someone to teach him more about his Gift.
She sighed. Sometimes she really wished her Gift was a little bit more… spectacular. Healing people and talking to animals just seemed so boring compared to being able to fly and conjure up weapons. She was snapped out of her ‘poor-me’ thoughts when Lyricus nudged her, a twinkle in his eye. “Maybe now would be a good time to see if you can erect and control a shield? Would you like to try?”
“What makes you think I’d be able to do that?”
Valleron (Book 2) Page 7