Energy - Awakening

by MJ Schutte

  ‘She will betray him,’ Thomas said flatly. ‘That’s what women do.’

  ‘THOMAS!’ Carmen snapped. ‘Because of one incident almost seventy years ago you distrust all women?’ she asked angrily.

  Thomas started to speak but Carmen noticed Brighton and Lilian coming down the road. They were walking close together, arms around each other.

  Carmen wagged her finger in front of Thomas’ nose.

  ‘Not a word of this to either of them,’ she said in a stern voice.

  ‘But Brighton needs….’

  ‘Thomas!’ Carmen cut him off.

  He kept quiet instantly. They waited in silence until the young couple reached the house. It seemed that nothing could wipe the smiles off those young faces.

  ‘Lily, do you remember old Thomas from Four Mountains?’ Brighton asked.

  ‘Yes, I do,’ she replied.

  ‘Hello Thomas, hello Carmen,’ she said politely.

  Carmen echoed her greeting, Thomas stayed quiet.

  ‘Lilian and her father had to travel to Farrendale, that’s why she didn’t come back here until now,’ Brighton said happily.

  Farrendale was less than two days travel east of Avarya.

  ‘I’m so glad you came to visit again,’ Carmen said to Lilian.

  ‘Come, help me with lunch,’ she added.

  Addressing Thomas and Brighton, she said. ‘Go see if there are any rabbits around. Bring at least six if you can.’

  Brighton started saying he would rather stay with Lilian but an urgent tug on his arm from Thomas made him shut his mouth.

  Instead, he asked, ‘Don’t we have enough food?’

  ‘Yes we do,’ Carmen answered. ‘But have you seen the state of Thomas’ clothes? I want you to go to town and trade the rabbits for new clothes for him later this afternoon. Now go, lunch will be ready when you get back.’

  Brighton picked up the Yew bow and followed Thomas towards the woods.

  Carmen gestured for Lilian to follow her into the house.

  Seth watched the two men disappear into the woods. He was hiding in the trees on the other side of the road. This was so much better than what he had hoped for. He’d been searching for six years and finally he found the young man whose energy he can’t feel, the young man who gave him this round black mark on his chest. Better still, the older man fits the description of the man he has been hunting for seventy years.

  He touched the scar on his face.

  I’ll repay you for this he thought.

  His intention when he followed Lilian was simply to kill this boy she was so infatuated with but now he changed his mind. Seth was not prone to hasty action; time was never a factor for him. Lilian told him about the boy that morning.

  At first, he was not interested. He had seen many girls swoon over handsome young men. When she told him that she believed the boy had the gift he reminded her about the law forbidding two gifted people from being together.

  Lilian reminded him about Evangeline’s bracelet. Seth instantly understood what Lilian’s plan was. She wanted to use the bracelet to drain both her and the boy’s talent so that they could be together. He agreed simply to stop her nagging.

  Slowly he made his way through the trees to a more comfortable spot. He knew they would come back this way so he didn’t follow them. The man he hunted had the talent. If this was that man and he used his sense, he might realize Seth was close by. Patience was the answer for now.

  Both these men would die soon enough.

  Chapter 9

  CARMEN LOOKED LILIAN in the eyes. They were in the kitchen preparing lunch.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

  ‘I came to see Bri,’ Lilian responded.

  ‘You’re just as bad a liar as Brighton,’ Carmen remarked. ‘The truth please?’

  ‘I want Brighton to go with me and Seth to Zedonia,’ Lilian answered honestly.

  Carmen controlled her voice.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We can be together there,’ Lilian said unwilling to reveal her plan to the older woman.

  ‘Why not here?’ Carmen asked.

  ‘It won’t work here,’ Lilian said, avoiding Carmen’s eyes.

  ‘You know he will go if you ask him,’ Carmen said.

  ‘I hope so,’ Lilian answered.

  ‘He will. What’s the harm in telling me why it can only work in Zedonia? I love Brighton too. I only want the best for him.’

  Lilian thought for a moment. Carmen was right, what would be the harm in telling her the plan?

  ‘In the palace there is a bracelet that belonged to my grandmother, Evangeline. This bracelet can drain a gifted one’s power. Both Brighton and I could use this and become normal people, that way we could be together,’ Lilian explained.

  ‘So you know Brighton has the talent?’ she asked.

  Lilian nodded.

  ‘I felt his sense for the first time when we were at the river the other day. Can you feel it?’

  ‘Yes,’ Carmen lied.

  ‘He seems to be using the sense constantly,’ Lilian said, looking quizzically at Carmen.

  Carmen had to think quickly. This business of lying and keeping secrets was starting to irritate her.

  ‘He doesn’t. Perhaps he just uses it when you’re with him,’ she lied again.

  ‘Why would he do that?’ Lilian asked, still confused.

  ‘To make sure you’re safe I think. He can feel danger approaching and wants to keep you out of harms way.’

  ‘He didn’t sense you coming,’ Lilian remembered.

  ‘Do I look dangerous to you?’ Carmen asked with a smile.

  ‘No,’ Lilian laughed. ‘You’re a sweet old…I mean a sweet lady.’

  ‘I’m old?’ Carmen asked with mock surprise. ‘Give me a mirror so I can see! When did this happen?’

  Lilian played along and pulled a small round piece of highly polished steel out of her pocket.

  ‘Here’s a mirror, see for yourself. You’re older than the mountains!’ she giggled.

  ‘Oh dear, that’s bad. I suppose Brighton would never look at such an old woman when a beautiful young girl like you is around,’ Carmen joked.

  Lilian was laughing so hard now she had to sit down.

  When she was able to speak again she said, ‘What about Thomas? He’s handsome.’

  ‘He is also my brother. Don’t worry, I’ve known love. I was married once,’ Carmen said, sadness creeping into her voice.

  She could see the question in Lilian’s eyes.

  ‘Matthew was killed when we were young,’ Carmen explained, ‘I never loved another in that way.’

  Lilian’s face turned serious.

  ‘Do you think that a person can only ever love once?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then you understand why I have to take Brighton to Zedonia? He is my one true love.’

  ‘Do you know where this bracelet is?’ Carmen asked.

  ‘In the palace. Seth keeps it in his room,’ Lilian answered.

  ‘And you will just walk in and take it?’

  ‘No, Seth agreed to let us use it,’ Lilian explained.

  Carmen spoke carefully, ‘Seth is a bad man. Are you sure he will let you use the bracelet? You can’t trust him.’

  ‘I know he can’t be trusted but this will suit him. I think he’s getting tired of my refusal to steal energy and my constant nagging,’ Lilian said confidently.

  ‘Why doesn’t he just let you go,’ Carmen asked.

  ‘I’m the daughter of a Supreme. It would be bad for them if I were allowed to roam free without them controlling me. My talent is very strong. If, however, I did not have the talent anymore they have nothing to worry about.’

  ‘That makes sense. You’re a clever young woman,’ Carmen complimented her.

  Brighton let out a loud whoop.

  ‘That was the furthest yet!’ he shouted.

  ‘How does that bow shoot so far?’ Thomas mused.

&
nbsp; Brighton ran over to the dead rabbit.

  ‘That makes six!’ he shouted as he picked it up.

  He walked back to Thomas.

  ‘Now we can get you new clothes,’ he said.

  Thomas didn’t hear him. He was deep in thought.

  ‘No bow can shoot that far. There is something else here that we’re not seeing yet,’ he muttered.

  ‘What are you on about old man,’ Brighton asked with a smile. ‘We already know why I never miss.’

  ‘Yes, we do, but how can that bow shoot so far?’ Thomas asked.

  ‘Strong wood,’ Brighton offered.

  ‘No, that’s not it,’ Thomas mumbled.

  He looked at the river.

  ‘Do you think you can hit a tree on the other side of the river?’

  Brighton’s mouth dropped open.

  ‘That’s too far. It’s easily twice the distance of the furthest shot I’ve ever made.’

  ‘Try,’ was all Thomas said.

  ‘Here we go again,’ Brighton said under his breath as he nocked an arrow.

  ‘Aim for something specific, don’t just shoot.’

  Brighton took aim at a tree on the far side of the river. He let the arrow fly. It dropped into the water only twenty paces short of the tree. Brighton looked at the bow and then at Thomas.

  ‘How….’

  ‘It’s not the bow. It’s you.’

  ‘Yes, we know I can make the arrow change course but it still only has the energy from the string that pushed it. There is a limit to that energy.’

  ‘You’re right, but the arrow is also getting energy from somewhere else. You,’ Thomas said.

  Brighton frowned.

  ‘You are adding some of your own energy to the arrow, that’s how it can go that far,’ Thomas said excitedly.

  Brighton thought about it for a moment.

  ‘I understand what you’re suggesting but if that were true how come the arrow did not reach the tree,’ he said pointing across the river.

  ‘You already have the answer to that,’ Thomas said cryptically.

  Brighton starred across the river.

  Slowly he said, ‘There is a limit.’

  ‘YES!’ Thomas shouted excitedly, ‘There is a limit to the amount of energy you can put onto the arrow.’

  Brighton looked across the river again.

  ‘I guess we’ve established the limit of my skills with a bow,’ he said.

  He picked up all the rabbits.

  ‘I’m hungry, let’s go see what’s for lunch,’ he said to Thomas.

  They started walking back to the house.

  ‘Do you remember when you broke my shoulder,’ Thomas asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Brighton said uncomfortably.

  ‘I’ve often wondered how it healed that fast. I know the bones were completely crushed but the next morning there was only a dull pain left.’

  Thomas saw the guilty look on Brighton’s face.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just wondering about something else,’ he said quickly.

  ‘It never stops with you, does it?’ Brighton sighed.

  Ignoring the comment Thomas went on, ‘I did not steal energy from anyone to heal my shoulder. What if you gave me some of yours? Your talent seems to work purely on instinct. You hurt me and wanted to fix it.’

  Brighton just nodded. He was tired of all this talk about his talent and what he could do. Thomas also had a valid point so he decided not to argue.

  Thomas went on, ‘This is probably why your vegetables and goats do so well. You’re helping them with your energy. There is an abundance available to you, just look at all the trees, plants and animals around. I think you…’

  Brighton turned to the old man and softly said, ‘Thomas, please. Let’s stop talking about this for a while.’

  Thomas was about to tell Brighton that his talent did not work for almost two days afterwards. He looked at the pleading expression on the young man’s face and decided it could wait for some other time.

  Instead, he asked, ‘So what clothes do you think I should get?’

  ‘Best we ask Carmen first,’ Brighton replied. ‘If we get the wrong things she will chase us back to town with that walking stick of yours.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right,’ Thomas laughed.

  When Thomas and Brighton got back to the house, lunch was ready.

  ‘Let’s eat on the porch, it’s such a lovely day,’ Carmen suggested.

  Brighton and Lilian sat close together, whispering and giggling.

  As soon as lunch was finished, Carmen said to Thomas, ‘Come, let’s go fetch water to do the dishes.’

  For once, Thomas didn’t argue, he realized that the young people would like some privacy.

  Carmen gave Thomas the bucket to carry and they set off for the river.

  As soon as they were out of earshot Carmen said, ‘Brighton is leaving.’

  ‘How do you know?’ Thomas asked.

  ‘Lilian will ask him and he will say yes,’ Carmen said matter-of-factly.

  ‘Why?’ Thomas asked, a bit confused.

  ‘Seth has a bracelet that can extract the talent from someone. Brighton and Lilian both want to use it so that they can be together,’ Carmen answered.

  Trying hard to stay calm Thomas said, ‘Will you stop him?’

  ‘No. why should I?’ she replied.

  ‘Then I will!’ Thomas said heatedly.

  ‘Yes, I know you will try. Good luck with that,’ Carmen said calmly.

  ‘How can you be so calm about this?’ Thomas shouted.

  ‘Brighton has his own life, it’s not ours to control. We’ve done enough of that already,’ Carmen replied, still staying calm.

  ‘First we need to understand his talent!’ Thomas said, not willing to let it go.

  He continued heatedly, ‘I think Brighton can take and give energy as well as manipulate it. This has to be explored!’

  ‘No, Brighton has to explore and understand his talent, that’s not for us to do. We’ve helped him enough. It’s time he goes on his own path. If he chooses to give up the talent there is nothing we can do about it.’

  Carmen had to concentrate to keep calm. All she wanted to do was run back and try to stop Brighton from going. She knew he would go, he would never miss an opportunity to be with Lilian. It broke her heart but she knew he had to make his own choices.

  When she was sure she could control her voice she said, ‘Please don’t turn this into another argument. Brighton will go, no matter what we do. Do you really want to send him off with anger in his heart?’

  Thomas was beside himself, ‘He is a boy! He does not know what’s best for him.’

  He waved his walking stick around aggressively.

  ‘I’ll use this if I have to but Brighton is staying.’

  Despite her sadness, Carmen smiled.

  ‘I would give up my best dress to see you try that,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll…he won’t…uh…’ Thomas stuttered.

  He took a deep breath.

  ‘Yes, perhaps using the stick on Brighton is not my best idea ever,’ he said more calmly.

  ‘That’s a shame, it probably would have been the funniest thing ever to see you try. Seriously though, Brighton will break more than your shoulder if you were really that stupid. He will leave and we will never be quite ready. We will make excuses to try and keep him here just a little while longer. That is not fair on him,’ Carmen said gently.

  Lilian sat down on Brighton’s lap.

  ‘I’m sorry it took so long for me to come back. You must have thought I disappeared again,’ she said looking into his eyes.

  ‘No, I knew you would come,’ he lied.

  ‘Carmen is right, you’re a bad liar!’ Lilian giggled.

  ‘I should keep the two of you apart,’ he said teasingly.

  ‘We had a really good talk about you. I know all your secrets and bad habits now,’ she teased.

  ‘Well, it can�
�t be that bad. You’re sitting on my lap right now. If my logic is correct that means you still like me a little,’ he teased back.

  Lilian’s face got serious as she said, ‘No, I love you!’

  He pulled her closer. Their lips met tenderly. Lilian’s arm snaked around his neck. She pressed her lips more firmly onto his, parting them slightly.

  He responded. Her heart was racing, she could feel his did the same. Finally, when they both needed to breathe, the kiss ended. They sat in silence for a while just enjoying being close to each other.

  ‘Bri, can I ask you something?’ Lilian broke the silence.

  ‘Anything,’ he said.

  ‘If I wanted you to come to Zedonia with me, what would you say?’

  Brighton thought for a moment.

  ‘I would go but why can’t we stay here?’ he replied.

  ‘You know it’s the law that two gifted people can’t be together?’ she asked.

  Without waiting for an answer she went on, ‘That’s a problem for us.’

  ‘Why?’ Brighton asked.

  ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Lilian asked, a little confused.

  ‘No, not to me. That law does not apply to us.’

  I have the talent and you have the talent. It applies,’ Lilian countered.

  ‘No I don’t,’ Brighton said.

  ‘Bri, I can feel it when you use your sense, like right now. You have the talent.’

  Brighton stiffened.

  ‘You can feel it?’ he asked carefully.

  ‘Yes, all Dark Ones can feel each other’s sense when they use it. Didn’t you know that?’ she asked.

  ‘No, I didn’t,’ he lied.

  ‘Besides, I only have the sense, nothing else,’ he lied again.

  This time Lilian did not see the deception.

  ‘So you see; the law does not apply,’ Brighton concluded.

  Lilian decided to try a different approach.

  ‘What if we could both get rid of this talent then we wouldn’t have to worry about the law. We could be together without worrying that we were breaking some obscure and ancient law?’

  ‘Now that’s an interesting concept,’ Brighton said. ‘It would certainly be better than trying to argue with the Dark Ones that we’re not breaking their stupid laws.’