Between Shadows

by Joanne Durann

  She was still concerned with the nagging feeling that something was wrong, or that she was missing something, something important.

  “No, well not really new, I just heard that there won’t be any sneak attacks on you anymore. Apparently something has changed, I heard you have too many bodyguards; you went and tore up the Storehouse. It’s all anyone has been talking about back home. Unfortunately it also means everyone thinks I’ve been hiding my daughter, so when we get back, I’ve already called for a town Concillium meeting.”

  He turned to Jared and Miranda, “I need to officially introduce you to our world and to the whole Concillium. Do you think you can handle it? You still need to stay in control of yourself and not give your powers away because they still think you’re human. I know it will be hard but it’s not impossible.”

  Miranda looked around the room, “I’m getting very good at controlling my temper and my powers. I need to know how Jared is going to fit in at this meeting, I need him at my side, and so if you can handle that, I can only ask one thing, when do we leave?” She smiled; grabbed Jared’s hand and they held each other tightly.

  Chapter 17

  Jared looked at everyone, “I know it’s early but we can’t leave tonight.” Miranda started to protest and he took her hands in his, “Your dad doesn’t know any of what we have learned about who is after you and what we believe they are going to do.”

  He stood up and walked to the front of the room, “This is going to take some time to explain so let’s get comfortable.” He looked over at Miranda’s father, “We have a lot of information for you. We learned a lot of things about Miranda and who has seen her powers just going through her regular day to day human life.”

  He motioned to Sahen and Carmen, “Can you bring in more of my wine stock for everyone? I think we are going to need all of our strength before the night is over and we go home in the morning.”

  Gage got up and walked across the room toward Jared, “I think while those two are goofing around getting the wine, I need to tell you the rest of what I learned. I want you to understand there’s not much but maybe combined with your information it could be valuable.” Gage looked serious, “I’m afraid most people on our side are tight lipped about anything to do with Emina and Mical. I guess when people saw what they did and got away with when it came to my wife and son, they are afraid to cross them. I really can’t blame them, with all my power I was able to touch them, at least I can’t until they show their true colors and get caught red-handed.”

  Gage walked over to Miranda and hugged her tightly, “My family didn’t have a third of the power you have my dear.”

  He knew as head of the Concillium, in his mind Miranda could handle herself, but in his heart and as a father he couldn’t help but worry about her.

  “Dad I can see it in your eyes, and I don’t mean with my powers, I mean the worried look on your face. Everything will be fine, I know we have a long road ahead of us and that something big is looming on the horizon, but I have seen my eyes and I’m going to be ok. Besides,” she said with her arms outstretched moving her body around in a circle, “with friends like this, how can it be any other way.”

  Jared whispered to Gage, “I wouldn’t mention those two around Mattis, he’s pretty angry about the race mixing himself, right now. It seems the two of you have something in common.”

  He turned to Miranda, “Why don’t you go in and help them with wine?” He was watching Mattis as he started to get up in order to break up anything that was going on in the kitchen and knew sending Miranda was a better choice. “We don’t want any family feuding right now, do we?” He said it looking right at Mattis.

  Miranda agreed and left for the kitchen, before too long everyone was back together in the room waiting for Gage to start. “The only thing I have heard is that they need Miranda for something big and it’s something they want to change. I also know they understand and are willing to kill Jared to make it happen. So whatever it is, it’s big enough, that Celbris is the one they plan on using. He’s not directly connected to them and he is the most powerful person they have in their little clique, so he’s the perfect one. What I don’t get is why they are so willing to sacrifice him because they know they have one problem, they’re not sure he can defeat Jared, so they are working now on boosting his powers.”

  Gage turned to Jared, “That’s why he wasn’t at the Storehouse today when you all strolled in. So imagine their surprise when they figured out Miranda has been in their mist for the past eight months and they didn’t know it. They were all fuming; I heard there was a lot of yelling and screaming going on today. Anyway, that’s what they are working on right now, Jared I know you beat him before, do you think you still can?”

  Jared smiled, “I have your daughter’s shield. It’s good to know why he wasn’t there today because that’s the only thing we couldn’t figure out. We know that they are after your sit on the Concillium. They figure if they ask for her hand then they can go after me without fear of consequence. If they defeat me, they take Miranda and you’ll do anything, including give up your seat to get her back. What they haven’t figured out is that Miranda is the most powerful being in our land, and that she can take all three down all by herself. We have decided to keep her power use to a minimum; we don’t want them to change their plans on us. We also know that they think that you’ll step down to keep the attacks away and that there’s no one in the land more powerful then Emina so by default she gets the head of the table and takes over the Concillium. They don‘t realize that Miranda gets the family seat and the Concillium.”

  Jared smiled, he and the others were feeling very proud of themselves, they had done a lot in the little time that they were given.

  Jared continued on, “Our plan after they fail trying for her hand is when you’re ready, we will have you and my father step down at the same time. Emina will try to take the head of the Concillium and at that very same minute Miranda and I will step up together and take our places. She will sit at the head and I will simply sit in my father’s place, they will have already tried for her hand, and they can’t ask again. After that Miranda and I will be bound, I want you to know I told her she had to wait until you stepped down and she took over. I won’t take her place there when it belongs to her family line.”

  Gage thought about all of this for a few minutes and spoke only after considering everything that was involved, “Is your father ready to step down? I only ask because I have been for a long time, if Miranda and you are ready, you can have it as soon as you want it. I won’t stop it, even if it means you will be bound quicker, because I know that will make her happy.”

  “My father wanted me to take it as soon as I finished the job of killing your daughter, although in his defense, we didn’t know at the time who she was. So he doesn’t need to know anything other then what I tell him, he has already said that he is done with all of that messy business.”

  Jared knew his father would do whatever he asked as long as Gage stood with him, “I want you to tell him you approve because he and I both need to know that you do.”

  “I will do whatever is necessary, the fact is I do approve, and your father should hear that from me directly. As for Celbris, I will keep spies on him here, in this world at the Storehouse and in our world. I need to make sure he can’t kill you or even harm you.”

  Gage noticed a strange look on Jared’s face, “Please stop, if you think you will get hurt or killed because in her anger Miranda has enough power to annihilate us all, do you think I want that?”

  Gage stopped to look at Miranda, “Miranda I’m sorry that I’m talking about you like you aren’t even in the room but he needs to know where I’m coming from.”

  He turned back to Jared like it didn’t matter if she even cared, this was between him and a future son to be, “There’s also the chance that Miranda might leave and go back to the human world and destroy that too, or worse just never come back at all.”

  Gage wanted J
ared to know that he was ok with Miranda marry him as long as she was happy and that he also knew that Jared would be able to take care of her. He looked back in Miranda’s direction; he really wanted Miranda to answer the next question.

  “By the way, in all of this did you discuss where you were going to live? I really would like Miranda to stay at the house for awhile, as you said before, I’m not ready to lose her again. I know it sounds weird to live with me when you will be married my dear but that is why I gave you a whole wing. I want you to be around and yet have your own space. Maybe for just a little while, please don’t say you‘re going a cottage no one can ever find!”

  Miranda smiled she was ready to answer him, “I do like the cottage but I think Jared and I can come to some agreement about staying at your house for awhile. However we need to talk about it alone when the pressure of being killed or attacked isn’t looming about our heads. Can we just agree to get through tonight and whatever tomorrow brings?”

  She looked at her father and boyfriend wondering where the middle ground was going to be with them and sighed, “Now back to the announcement? What exactly is going to happen tomorrow? Who is going to be a problem for me when I look them in the eyes? I’m sure Celbris has told Emina and Mical that I can tell if they are lying, but they don’t know I can block them yet. The bigger problem I see is what do I do if I find out things and I can’t hold back.”

  She turned to the group, “I’ve been working on my temper, but if I see death to any of you, who knows what will happen! I could really loss it, is there any way at least that Carma and Jared could be by my side when I meet everyone? I also need to know if there is some kind of protocol, or should I not know to prove I’m new to it all?”

  Gage paced back and forth, “I’m not sure. You’re right handling this situation will not be easy, Jared I can’t believe I’m saying this but, what do you think? How do you think we should approach this, with or without knowledge?”

  Jared looked concerned, “I think we should give Miranda the knowledge and let her decide based on what she sees in them. She can be the only judge of what is going on when we are there, because she is the only person I know who can figure it all out, as its happening.”

  “I like that approach, it gives her the leeway she needs without looking foolish.” Gage smiled as they turned to Miranda, “What do you think dear? Do you think that idea will work for you?”

  “Well since the two of you have it all figured out, why not? Leave it up to me to screw up and then you can say it was my idea.”

  Miranda was getting angry and she couldn’t change the helpless feeling inside of her as the two men in her life just took over. As her hair started to glow she tried to change thoughts but it was difficult.

  “Don’t try to help me,” Carma was in her mind, “I need to work this out alone, you won’t be there all of the time and I need to be more in control.” With that she started to think about her grandmother who had always encouraged her to be herself, and with that thought she calmed down rather fast.

  “Miranda, that was great, it only looked like you were going to put up a very weak shield, they’ll never guess! Great job!”

  Carma was a lot like Miranda’s grandmother, always there with encouragement and a kind word, even if she didn’t deserve it.

  “Now what I want to know is can you get angry on command? I know it sounds wrong of me to ask, but you may need to someday, a day when your only emotions are fear, sadness or devastation. Miranda they may try to do it to you, so you can’t defeat them, remember how cunning they are. I think you need to be able to work your powers in all directions to use them to their fullest capacity.”

  Miranda stood very silent, she was happy for most of the last few days, and had very little reason to be angry. She went deep down inside of herself and remembered all of the different times when people called her crazy. Then she remembered the night her husband did it in front of the kids, threaten to leave her and take the kids away from her and she saw her children crying. It was only a week before they all died, and before she knew it she was filled with rage. She was hovering over the floor, her body was a complete gold glow, she could feel the power flow through her and knew if tested she could destroy a city block in one wave of her hand. She brought herself back down, thinking of not only her grandmother but of the people she would lose the people in front of her and that was the moment she saw it.

  She looked at all of their faces and she started to apologize, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to try, and see if I could do it, I wouldn’t hurt any of you.”

  She ran back up stairs like so many times before, she felt too strong to be around them and to afraid that she would hurt them.

  Jared chased up after her, “Miranda don’t go, come down please, we just didn’t know that you could go that far and come back to us.” He was only one step behind her when they got to the top of the steps; he grabbed her, held her tightly, and kissed her. Please don’t leave us, it’s all new for us too, we need time to adjust. Please understand we have never seen anything like this before, we want to understand you, and help you. You are in a different place now, we know you are normal, and we don’t think the way those humans did.”

  She looked down the staircase and everyone was there, they all came to see if she was ok, she wasn’t use to people really caring about her feelings, she was only use to running.

  “I need time too; I’m not use to people caring about my feelings, that’s new to me.”

  “Then I guess we better get to telling you what to expect tomorrow, you’re going to need it. I am proud at how you can control yourself already, Miranda you have come such a long way in such a short time.”

  Gage was the proud father again and he was holding his daughter’s hand. They went back downstairs and sat down for Miranda’s next lesson. “Tomorrow I will introduce my daughter first to the Concillium and then to our world. When you meet a member, no matter who they are, you must bow until they bow back to you. Now Emina and Mical have been known to make you wait until they are ready, but I’m not sure they will do it this time, I don’t think they want to test anyone and in the Concillium Room, this would be a violation because you are my daughter, for anyone else it wouldn’t matter. We will be asked a lot of questions and some may not make sense to you, try not to give information about your human parents out, I don’t know what they would do with that. “

  “Hold on, do I have the right to not answer, or to move on to a different question? Can I simply say I don’t understand even if I do?” Miranda was already looking for ways out of the questions, “Can I answer something different then what was asked as if I am stupid or not listening?”

  “The table knows everything and it doesn’t interfere normally, I’m not sure what it will do in your case, because you are as strong as the table is, in some ways. I would say be honest and if you don’t like the question, politely tell them or say I don’t feel comfortable answering that. Be honest and polite, try to keep your wits about you, and never look flustered. They thrive on that and they will keep at you if they find an area that hits home.”

  Gage wanted to prepare Miranda for anything and he wanted her to understand the way business was done. “It’s kind of like your human lawyer and sometimes I have been known to do it that way to, so just understand some may try just for that reason alone, because I did it to.”

  “Ok I get it, but hopefully I will know their hearts before they ask me anything. I’m more worried if they don’t looked into my eyes, then I’ve got nothing, I’ll need to use what I’ve learned.” Miranda covered the bases as best she could and moved on, “Is that all they will do? Greet me and then asked questions? Do have to sit down at the table because if I do it will tell a tale we are trying to keep a secret.”

  Gage answered swiftly, “No matter what stay standing! Any place you sit in that room the table has to reveal you and your powers, if you stand it can keep your secret, but only if you stand. They ar
e only going to greet you and they are only suppose to ask minor questions, just be prepared in case. After that we go outside and stand on a podium, that’s where you will be introduced as my daughter to our whole world and you will be given the rights that we all have. What we all forgot earlier is that without formal introductions killing you wasn’t a crime it was a need. Humans aren’t allowed in our land and they must be killed, so if they had killed you there would have been nothing anyone could do about it. Now that I have called for a formal introduction no one can touch you without consequence and the table dishes it out so it is fair.”

  Gage smiled knowing his daughter was safe for now, “as for your friends, only two can come into the Concillium with you, the rest can meet us on the podium. It’s up to you how many are on the podium.”

  “Jared and Carma should be with me in the meeting room. Dad you will be there because you are the head of the Concillium, but they are the two who can get to me and calm me down, if needed. It doesn’t hurt to have an insurance policy, right? I want everyone with me on the podium, is that ok with all of you, I want all of my friends there with me.” Miranda knew that was the right thing to do and that’s how she wanted it.

  Sahen spoke up, “I’ll wait in the crowd until you are all done, I’m new here and I don’t want to get in the way.” He looked a little upset.

  Miranda walked over toward him, “I understand if you don’t want to be there with me. It is a large responsibility being seen with me it could be the end of your life, so anyone else that doesn’t want to be on the podium, do feel bad I understand.”

  Sahen looked shocked, “That’s not what I meant, I just assumed, well we just met. I didn’t think you called me in with your friends, I figured you only wanted them around you; I will stand up and fight for you. Miranda you are the first person I have known that has been kind to every race no matter what they are. The fact that you don’t judge me and Carma like many others will is amazing to me; I will take anything they throw at you, and be proud to do it.”