“Anyway, that scanner detects the qualian energy, telling us where the shadows are,” her mother continued, unaware that Kendra knew a great deal about qualian energy. She’d commed Kip many times over the years, and Kip, eager to learn about Kendra’s unique relationship with Dina, had always been willing to share his research. “Do you remember how Kip visited us on his way back to Zoria, not long after the kidnapping?”
Kendra nodded. Kip had scanned her multiple times and asked her question after question trying to learn about the isithunzi. He was the only one, outside of her family, who knew the full truth of what had happened in the Roran village.
“Well, he scanned everyone in the family. You, of course, registered as having a current shadow, which we already knew. Berry, Erik, and I all had lower readings, indicating we had been shadowed in the past. Your dad and Mrs. Smitz came up clean.”
“And Grandma?” Kendra’s eyes flicked to the side, where her grandma was frowning thoughtfully.
“Well, I wasn’t there, so Kip never scanned me,” her grandma said. “But I’ve been safe all these years, without so much as a close call.”
There was no way that the only daughter of Captain Ridge had escaped the curse. She had to have a shadow assigned to her.
Dina? she asked, dreading the answer.
Yes.
Kendra swallowed painfully.
Right now?
Yes. I know her. Nepta.
Kendra pulled away from her grandma and started to pace the room, unable to hide her agitation.
She’s been around all this time? You never told me! she accused.
I didn’t want to worry you. And Nepta is weak. She’s never succeeded in persuading your grandmother to so much as go outside in a thunderstorm.
I don’t care if she’s weak! I don’t want anyone shadowing my family! Tell her to go away.
She won’t listen to me. I tried to make her leave years ago, when we first came to live with your grandparents.
“Kendra?” her mother asked worriedly. “Are you all right?”
Kendra’s eyes filled with angry tears. She stopped facing the opposite wall and tried to control her emotions.
So many secrets. So many people to protect. So little she could do. But then she remembered Konrad Roran. A Speaker, the Rorans called him. Like her.
Konrad Roran had been incredibly powerful. The other isithunzi could not resist him.
Can you help me talk to her? Like with Ulyssa?
Not really. It’s different with a twinspark. But I do block her from you. I didn’t want her emotions affecting you through me, Dina explained.
Let me feel her, Kendra ordered.
Dina sighed heavily, and then Kendra noticed it. A creeping sensation of glee, completely unrelated to anything Kendra had felt just a few moments ago. Given how unhappy she was about the whole situation, it was disturbingly foreign.
Tell her I am stronger than she is, and she needs to leave my grandma alone.
In response, the glee turned into something like ghost cackling that she could almost hear. It was the final straw. Kendra’s control snapped, and her bottled-up turbulent emotions spilled out in uncontrolled fury.
Kendra clenched her fists.
Nepta! Leave now! This is your last warning!
“Kendra?” Her grandma spoke from right behind her. Kendra turned around and stared into her grandma’s eyes, knowing the Nepta was right there too.
Suddenly, she could sense it. The energy. It was pulsing right in front of her, beckoning her. And Kendra could use it.
Wanted desperately to use it.
She opened herself up, the way she did with Dina to harness her energy, but this time she opened wider, sensing Nepta. Her energy was right there, a violet glow, beckoning to her.
“Kendra?” her grandma asked again, her tone concerned.
“Sweetheart?” Her mother crossed the room toward her.
Kendra! Don’t!
She called the energy. Nepta’s violet glow rushed toward her, helpless to disregard the call. And Kendra sensed the moment that it entered, recognized that this was how she had once gained the power to call down lightning and break open the earth, the power to roll back the water in the cove. It came from other isithunzi, drawn in by her will alone.
But she couldn’t hold it in. The energy was fighting to be unleashed and she didn’t know how to control it. Desperately, she flung an arm out and every light panel in the room above them suddenly flared brightly, and the large picture window shattered. Her mother screamed, and her grandma pulled her to the ground. Sudden pain lanced through Kendra’s head and she squeezed her eyes shut.
What have I done?
She vaguely registered the door sliding open and feet pounding into the room. There were shouts in the distance, and the traffic and hum of the city street below drifted in through the broken window.
“Are any of you hurt?” demanded Dale.
“I’m fine.” Kendra’s mother sounded shaky.
“I am too,” her grandma said hoarsely. “Kendra?”
Kendra finally opened her eyes. She was kneeling with her grandma on the floor, her mother hovering over them. Dale was standing at the side of the open window, his gun drawn as he scanned outside for threats.
A pair of medtechs rushed into the room.
“What happened?” one gasped. The other one rushed right to the side of Aunt Andie’s medical capsule.
“Kendra?” repeated her mother.
“I’m OK,” she finally whispered. But she wasn’t OK. She was weak and shaky, and she could already sense Dina’s fury.
“We need to get you out of this room and somewhere more secure,” Dale said. “Is hospital security on their way?”
“Yes,” answered the first medtech.
“The patient is still stable,” pronounced the second medtech. “We’ll move her out of the room into the hall until we have a new location.”
Kendra’s grandma climbed back to her feet, pulling Kendra up with her. Kendra’s head swam dizzily.
Her mother took one arm and her grandma the other, and they helped her follow Dale out of the room. Kendra didn’t miss the exchange of significant glances between the two women.
She had a feeling she had a lot of explaining to do.
The Roran Curse Novels
The Legend of Sirra Bruche
Corizen Rising
The Quintan Edge
Rift
The Searth for Ulyssa
Shadows of Zenith
About the Author
Heidi J. Leavitt is a book addict who cannot live without the written word. She has loved science fiction and fantasy since she was young, and eventually, being unable to find enough of the type of stories she loved to read to satisfy her cravings, she decided to write her own. She is the author of the Roran Curse novels.
Heidi lives in Arizona with her family, where she practices juggling life with a husband, five destructive children and two very wiggly dogs. She trains for road races and triathlons to keep her sanity and squeezes more reading into every spare nook of her day.
Visit her blog at www.heidijleavitt.blogspot.com.
The Search for Ulyssa Page 23