Turning up my palm, he looked carefully, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What … what is it? Is it bad?’
‘No, not at all — actually, quite the opposite. Only your mother had access to another element; no other warder in history had a second scar, but it looks like you may be the second, Deirdre. This may potentially give you power over the Element of Water, if it ever gets activated.’
‘Activated? Like what you did with the Earth one?’
‘Yes, though that was also partially the circumstances. I couldn't awaken it alone, but your high emotional level at the time seemed to give Earth the extra incentive. Does this one also itch, Deirdre?’
‘Yeh, sometimes, though I have realized that it tends to itch more when there are nasty paranormal creatures around.’
‘Hmmph, yes, this is like an early warning for warders when their elemental symbol hasn't been activated yet; the itching should stop once you have access to the element.’
I sighed, so much was happening and I felt the responsibility of what I had become and what I now possessed settling heavily between my shoulder blades like a big angry Agrona, yak, yak, huh. Well, at least I could see the humor in these fucked-up times. Still, I had hope, it seemed.
The question now was what was I supposed to do with my newfound enemies? I knew indirectly of one — one, mind you — that could apparently raise the dead and throw nasty ass undead creatures at me. But who was behind him? Who was actually running the show? Because I had a bad feeling that things were only going to get worse when whoever or whatever it was decided to raise its big fat ugly head.
Ghob sighed, looking at me sadly. Sighing again, he spoke softly. ‘In light of this new information, Deirdre, I must tell you more about your mother.’
Head down, he breathed quietly, ‘The taint of evil we found before — well, your mother's body had that same taint, Deirdre.’
I gasped, reeling at his few words.
‘The time wasn't right to mention this to you in the sorceress’s grove. You were still accepting all that had taken place. I was aware that you had questions, and now's the time to tell you more.’
He stood to attention and looked at me. In a monotonic manner, he spoke to me of my mother's death.
‘We had the problems with undead animals and creatures arising in the city you call New York, your previous home, and your mother, she went to investigate and was attacked by an unknown factor. That unknown entity was much stronger than she, and though she had help from a few local elementals she was very quickly overwhelmed. I didn't arrive in time to be able to do anything, but to make sure that she was discovered by the local authorities so that you would know of her passing.’
I was supporting myself against the garage wall. It was too much; my eyes blurred, as I tried to contain my emotions. I had been dealing with the grief and thought I had it contained, but this was more than I thought I could handle at the moment.
‘The elementals were of Earth, and were also destroyed, utterly. I only could feel the tremor of their passing, so I was unable to question them regarding her attacker. He covered his tracks unusually well. I knew not who could have done this to your mother. She was powerful in the ways of Earth, and also had access to Water, though to a lesser degree; there were few her equal.’
Ghob looked at me, eyes conveying a loss that I was just now understanding. He had known my mother for five hundred plus years; he must also be grieving for her. I felt ashamed of myself. I lowered my head, my hair falling in a wave of raven black down over my face.
I heard soft movement from Ghob and felt a gentle touch on my shoulder as he squeezed it in silent support. I shivered at his touch, feeling the strength in those hard fingers.
‘I am sorry, Deirdre, for your loss. We all miss her. But all will be well, Warder. When you get to be as old as I am, you come to the realization that everything, eventually, balances out in the end, even if it can't be seen to be anything but darkness in the beginning.’
I looked up at him, grateful for his soft manner.
‘I regretfully must be on my way, Deirdre. I think I need to see to Agrona and make sure her pride is not going to get in the way of her sense of duty. She can be capricious at times.’
I shook myself, rising and shaking off the news of my mother. I inhaled strongly, raising my head high.
‘Sure,’ I managed, ‘Capricious, huh, that’s one word for it. Well, let her know I apologize for my unexpected reaction, but I will not suffer that sort of “lesson” from her again, even at your direction. She needs to be clear on that Ghob. Lessons are excellent; taking them too far is not.’
‘Noted, Warder,’ he nodded.
I eyed him, unsure of his sincerity. Seeing only support in his bright gaze, I nodded back.
‘We will talk soon,’ he grated, as he slowly slid into the bare concrete floor, and within moments I was alone.
I thought back to my mother and wondered at her life. She never mentioned a word of her abilities to anyone, but now that I think of it, when growing up she had a particularly odd affection for wearing slim-fitting gloves. I looked at my scars. She must have had the same; she hid them from me and everyone else. I never had the notion of protecting mine, though of course she would have been aware of them on my palms as I was growing up, even as faint as they were. Did her scar darken too, making her have to hide it? I wondered when she would have told me about my heritage. She died without sharing that with me, without giving me the chance to lighten the massive responsibility she carried and take some of that weight off her shoulders.
I thought that it was incredibly brave of her to have that burden of being a warder and keeping it to herself, though I understood now that she had no choice. I only hoped that I could fit into her shoes. I wasn't one to shirk responsibility, but knowing my mother died doing this, her job, brought tears of pride, not sadness, to my eyes. Abruptly, I wiped them away. I moved out here to come to terms with her death and to get away from my life in the city, which seemed dull and grey without her in my life, and be damned if I was going to start crying again. I had done enough of that before and after moving here.
I now had a common enemy and more of a reason to find him.
He had my mother's death, her blood, on his hands, and he was now going to feel my wrath.
CHAPTER 13
I went upstairs. I had a lot to digest, mentally speaking and I was also amazed to find myself hungry, especially after hearing about my mother. I quickly organized a fresh salmon slice, quietly frying it up with garlic butter, using, of course, some fresh garlic from the bulbs I had hanging in my kitchen. I sided this with a lemon and orange zest rocket salad and sat with some soothing jazz piping through from the lounge room area.
Reflecting on the week so far, it seemed I also had the issue of keeping my store running while these events appeared to be taking up more of my time. I sat down with my laptop and adjusted a list of orders for book shipments. I thought it would be a good idea to pop into town and hang a sign informing customers that I would be closed for a few days. I couldn't see any other way around it at the moment, as I just hadn't thought this far ahead. It might be that I would need someone else running it for a while. Until then, closing for a few days would do no real long-term harm. The online orders still made up quite a few of my sales, and I had a lot of repeat copies here at home, so organizing them tonight and mailing them tomorrow wouldn't be an issue.
I kept myself busy for a few hours boxing orders. Feeling I had done all I could for the night, I wandered out onto my large back patio, which backed onto a wild landscape of silent forest. Backlit by a high full moon and a darkly sharp mountain scape, it cast an eerie setting. I shivered, reminding myself that I needed to stay alert and focused. I had enemies out there now, and if I wasn't vigilant, well, I've seen a little snippet so far of the nasty paranormal side of things, and it hadn’t been pretty.
Standing there I paused, drinking in the dark beauty of my little slice o
f the world for a delicious moment. I rubbed my arms as goose bumps formed from the chill in the evening air. I gingerly touched down onto the fresh grass. I felt it was time to take a moment to thank Earth for its help over the last few days. It had given me the gift of being able to harness its vast energy. I sank cross-legged onto the ground and put both palms on the grass, sinking my hands into it so that I would have some direct contact with the earth.
Closing my eyes, I breathed out and let my mind wander down. The connection with the earth linked with me immediately, and I let my mind be taken into its embrace. It welcomed me into its fold. I let its raw, powerful energy slowly trickle into my body. In my mind I delved down deeper and could in vivid detail see the layers of dense granite-like rock pass by. I sank lower, my mind trying to catch details, but not comprehending a lot that it saw. I slowed and felt a presence gently surround my mind. It pulsed, and a massive wave of energy flowed toward me enveloping me, seeping into my body. This wasn't a painful process but strangely comforting.
I felt the energy enter my mind and settle there. It radiated an ancient feeling of contentment and pleasure at my new involvement with the earth. I gasped. Was this the spirit of the Gaia perhaps — the spirit of the whole Earth? I wasn't sure of the correct terminology or even if there was a term for what I was feeling and sensing.
As the presence left my mind, I felt a moment of panic. It paused, radiating a feeling of peace towards me. All will be well it seemed to communicate. You are my child now, and all will be well.
I thought of my body up there, however many kilometers above, and just the mere thought of that caused my mind to reel back up at an astounding speed, almost instantaneously reaching my body and the quiet night above. My mind reconnected with my physical body with a soft click.
I lifted my hands, which hadn't moved throughout the entire time, and rubbed my face, giddy with the whole experience. The earth spirit, elemental, call it what you will was now a part of me and me a part of it, and I felt comfort in the fact that no matter what, I had support — hell, support on a freaking global scale.
Going inside, I activated the alarm, and called it a night. My mind felt for the first time at peace. I’d found out a lot more today than in all my time searching since my mother's untimely death. Armed with that information and knowing I had Earth on my side, I fell into a deep sleep, contentment easing the worry from my dreams.
day four
The next day I ran into town and posted all the parcels I had managed to put together the previous night. That sorted, I did a tiny bit of grocery shopping and also stopped by the shop, attaching a small sign I’d done up this morning, letting people know that I would be closed for a couple of days at least. I erred on the side of caution and added more days than I thought were necessary, not really knowing what was going to happen throughout the rest of the week. The orders were done for the remainder of the week anyway, so that income would come through now with no problems.
I passed Zoey's coffee shop and beeped, waving at her through the open customer window where people could order from outside. She saw me, and her eyes lit up. Smiling, she manically waved back, her exuberance more than making up for her overprotective behavior. I laughed out loud — her happiness was catching.
I still had a bone to pick with her, but she just won herself a few brownie points, hah, lucky for her.
I arrived home, unpacked, mentally organizing the rest of my day. I thought about Ghob's training, and what he had shown me so far. I knew I could move faster if I chose, drawing on the earth. I also knew that I could manipulate the land to do my bidding; it seemed my imagination was the only limit. If I wanted to, I believed I could transform the land into any shape I desired if the need dictated the action. I didn’t think Earth or Ghob would appreciate my using my power for frivolous fancies, though.
So going out into the yard, I decided to create the Earth Circle Ghob had shown me how to do, ruminating that being prepared for the worst might be a good idea. Thinking of what Ghob said about this entity being stronger than my mother made me want to be prepared. I took stock of my surroundings, working out the best way to create a circle without coming upon any obstacles — no use walking out the circle if I were going to run into a bloody tree now, would it?
My house was fairly large with immense grounds. Most of the area around the house was clear, so walking the circle should be relatively easy. I pointed at the ground a couple of meters away from the front entrance of my house. I concentrated and visualized my need. A furrow appeared and I started walking; a trench in the ground appeared and I pointed ahead of me downwards, slowly pacing around the perimeter of my house. In my mind the globe arose. Finishing where I started, I came to the beginning of the raised earth and back joined it with my finger. The sphere snapped into place, and I felt it high and stable. I tentatively reached out with my hand, doubting its reality; my hand encountered nothing.
I closed my eyes, and saw it there, a byproduct of Earth’s abilities. I sensed its power and strength, and on an instinctual level realized that it was directed by my will and it kept out or kept me safe from what I chose. I saw it there and mentally programmed it to keep out undead creatures, and creatures of malignant mind and purpose. This was broad but I felt it just might be capable of differentiating. Geez, well, let’s hope so.
Satisfied with my Earth Circle, I checked around me, listening to the deep silence. That's why I loved it out here. After moving and wallowing in self-pity for a while, feeling useless and grieving, I had come to appreciate the quiet here, mixed with the ever-present scent of forest and pine. I didn't realize how calm inducing it was. I took it for granted and had to remind myself every now and then what to be grateful for … Breathing it all in, I felt myself relax by degrees until I caught the sound of a motor.
I frowned; I wasn't expecting company today. It definitely hadn't gone past the main road. I had a long driveway off the main road area, and generally if outside I could tell if someone was arriving well before they got to the house. Paranoia kicked in, but I then I reasoned if it were a ‘new’ enemy, would they be likely to arrive at my house by car? Pfft, hardly — taking me by surprise would more likely be their style.
I was glad I’d had the presence of mind to tuck my small handgun into the small of my back this morning before going out. It was still there, unobtrusive and deadly. It was in a spot a little harder to reach than I was comfortable with, but I wasn't going to be caught unawares this time, not like my big fuck up the other day with the unexpected attack by the rotten dead revenants, and dealing with that moron, Ford.
I took up a position beside the letterbox and casually waited for whoever it was. Zooming up the winding driveway with her music blaring — Def Lepard, yak go figure, not something a bouncy big boobed blonde would be expected to listen to — was my surprisingly absent friend this week, Zoey. She must have run off early from her coffee shop to check on me. I braced myself. Yes, her exuberance was at times invigorating but unfortunately for her, quickly annoying — well, for me anyway. So I braced myself mentally as her zippy red Chevrolet quickly tore up and around my gravel driveway. I felt my Earth Circle vibrate in my head, impressive. It also alerted me if anyone passed through it as she came to a screeching halt in front of me. Jumping out of the car at warp speed, Zoey's smile at wattage a thousand, she ran up to me after I had casually pretended to lean against the said letterbox.
‘Deirdre, Deirdre, oh my god, I am so happy to see that you are okay. I’ve been worried sick. But when I saw you go past today I almost peed my pants in relief. Okay, maybe not peed them, literally, but I think I held it in to stop myself from peeing in excitement. Are you okay? Why didn't you call me, hello … Deirdre?’
‘Take a breath, Zoey, or you're going to hyperventilate. I'm fine, everything's fine, better than ever actually, and I am glad to see you too.’
Zoey leaned in and grabbed me for a hug. God, I am not a hugger, never have been. On the force you didn't hug someone, esp
ecially other cops; a camaraderie slap on the back is more than sufficient to convey your feelings and show support, but Zoey was a hugger and general toucher all round. I sighed and let her. I suppose I had worried her, and been quite slack in keeping in touch.
‘See, Zoey, I’m alright,’ I said, easing out of the embrace, ‘though I do need to pick a bone with you.’
‘What, Deirdre?’ Then she saw the gleam in my eye. ‘Oh Bruce, dammit, I told him not to give away my little prying, ha. Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry before you get cranky.’
I folded my arms and waited. ‘Oh shit, look, Deirdre, we were both concerned, alright? I know you don't like me keeping tabs on you, but you’re my bestie, and I tend to get a bit over-protective sometimes. I just need to know that you're okay after your wild ass country runs; anyway Bruce was just as much a culprit as me, so well … yeah,’ she finished lamely.
‘Well, I have already given ol' Brucey a peace of my mind, though keeping secrets is not one of his fortes, if you know what I mean. So no more, okay, missy? I will go for my runs, and I will try my best to get back to you at some point after … Though no freaking out if I don't, alright?’
‘Crap, did you just compromise with me?’ Zoey grinned. ‘I think that's a first.’
I sighed, this certainly was the day for it, I think.
Chapter 14
Zoey was an attractive bouncy blonde, partial to bright floral dresses at any time of the year, and casually strapped sandals. From her perpetual beaming smile to her perky attitude, she was a well-known and well-liked local that apparently could charm even the most resistive of grouches.
The first time we met, a few years ago, was when she flounced into my bookstore, just a day or two after the opening, with a tray of steaming hot coffees of various flavors, strengths and origins. I pretty much instantly disliked her. She was the sort back in New York I purposely avoided so I wouldn't brain them to shut them up. I also ignored the coffees, since I didn't drink the vile stuff, but Zoey being, well, Zoey didn't seem even slightly offended at my attitude and had handed them out to a few of the customers in the store at the time, telling them it was on the house from me, whom she’d just met.
TERRA: Earth Warder Chronicles Page 9
