“Do not worry about that. I can get in with simply their names. Our devices can get in and out without a hitch, so discovering that will be a piece of cake for me,” he said with a devilish grin. “How much do you want to transfer to them?”
“I was thinking in the neighborhood of $100,000.”
Xarrid’s jaw hit the floor. “Maddie... are you sure? $50,000 is a lot of money to give to someone.” He was shocked.
“No, I meant $100,000 each. Xarrid, these girls were the closest thing to family that I had since my dad died. I was as close to them as I am to Sharra. Like I said, Cat’s parents can’t afford to pay for her school, and I’m pretty sure January is an orphan. She works two jobs and goes to school full time and burns the candle at both ends. I worry about her a lot. She is carrying some kind of burden that she won’t discuss with anyone. I just feel really sad for her.”
“Maddie, what is an orphan, and why would anyone burn both ends of a candle?” he asked curiously.
Maddie let out a huge laugh. “Burning the candle at both ends is just a saying that means she is working herself to death and will burn herself out if she keeps up that pace. An orphan is someone who doesn’t have any family, parents or anything, kind of like I was. In any case, I don’t need the money, so I figured they could make better use of it than it just sitting there helping no one.”
Xarrid was staring at her with stark appreciation in his eyes. “Maddie, that is a very kind and noble thing to do. You are sure about this? I don’t want you to have any regrets later. Once it is done, it is done.”
“Nah, no regrets with it at all. I don’t need it, and there’s a lot more than that in the bank. I thought that when all of this is over for Rayn and I, I could transfer the rest of it to them at that point. I will also need someone to leave all of my assets as well.”
“If you want, I can draw up a will for you and put it in the proper place for it to be found by someone. That way you could tie up all your loose ends. But, Maddie, think about all of this before we actually go in and do it, because once it is done, it will be irreversible.”
“Xarrid, there really isn’t much to think about here. Even if things go badly for me and Rayn, I can never go back to my old life according to the Vesturion covenants, so I won’t need any of that stuff.”
“I guess you are right. Just say the word, and I will make it all happen.”
“Do it... the sooner the better. Can I ask just one more favor?”
At his nod, she continued. “Would it be possible for someone to sneak into my condo and get all of my photographs? That is really all I would want. Well, that and my family videos. They’re all I have left of my parents, and I would love to have them here with me. And maybe some of my clothes,” she added sheepishly.
Xarrid knew they could retrieve that for her and told her so. He said he could do it himself one night. She would just need to list the things she wanted, and then, while he was there, he could place the will somewhere.
Maddie’s face lit up when he told her that. She never thought she would see her pictures of her parents again, so she was thrilled with the idea.
“Consider it done then.”
“Woohoo!” Maddie went up to Xarrid and gave him a big hug. “Thank you! I know you don’t have to do any of this, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it.”
Xarrid sat there watching her as she walked away. She is a most caring and honorable female, he thought. There is much more to her than meets the eye. He was beginning to understand Rayn’s feelings for her.
Part Two
~ The Trial ~
Chapter 1
Later that night, Maddie finally climbed between the sheets and tried to go to sleep. She was sure that it would elude her, as her mind was scrambling for ideas on how to free Rayn. To Maddie’s surprise, she felt herself promptly drifting.
“Mom, is that you again?” Maddie mumbled.
She was standing next to one of the huge four posters on the bed. Rayn’s room was massive. It had to be in order for this gigantic bed to fit. It was surely the biggest bed Maddie had ever seen; she could make 5 complete body rolls in it and not even come close to the other side. Maddie knew this to be true, for she had done it countless times since moving there. Yeah, it would have been an awesome bed to have when I was a kid, Maddie thought. She had a mental picture of all her friends and her jumping like pogo sticks all over the thing.
“Maddie! Wake up! Quit daydreaming!” she said with exasperation.
“What’s going on, Mom? Why the visit?”
“Are you happy here?” Maddie’s mom asked, returning her question with a question.
Maddie explained to her how much happier she would be if Rayn were there and that she was terribly worried about his upcoming trial.
Then, her mother said something very interesting. “That’s why I’m here. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Ok,” Maddie tried to stay awake, but she began to drift back to sleep. “But let’s talk later… I’m really tired now.”
“MADDIE! Wake UP! This is important, and I need your attention!” frustration was erupting from her.
“Mom, please calm down. I’m just sooo tired. I haven’t been sleeping much these days with the pressure of everything.”
“Madeline Mariah Pearce, you wake up and listen to me right now! I am not here for a little chitchat with you. I must tell you something. Actually, I must show you something, and I need your undivided attention. You can go back to sleep when I’m finished.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Maddie retorted. She knew it was serious when her mom used her full name.
Maddie grudgingly pulled herself out from underneath the cozy nest of blankets and said, “So what’s up? What’s so important that it couldn’t wait?”
“How important is it to you for you and Rayn to be together?” she countered.
“How about... more important than my own life? What kind of question is that? He’s everything to me!” Maddie hotly replied. If she was here just to poke around about that, Maddie was definitely going back to sleep!
“Exactly. That’s why I need you to pay attention. Do you remember the stories I used to tell you about your grandmother and great-grandmother? I used to talk about the mystical place they came from and the beautiful people that were their ancestors.”
Maddie nodded, “Yeah, vaguely.”
“Well, those stories were passed down to me from my mother and she would tell me about her ‘people’ and the miraculous things they could do. My mother was very beautiful. She was dark haired and tall; she reminded me of a goddess. Maddie, you know the birthmark you have on your back? I always told you it was a very special mark; it was placed there for a reason. It means that you were destined for greatness.” Her voice was becoming more and more excited with each word she uttered.
“You always said that to me… but don’t all parents tell their children that?”
“Possibly, but this is different. You are special for many reasons and that mark is the mark of… oh, just give me your hand. I want to take you somewhere.”
She took Maddie’s hand in hers, and suddenly they were swirling through the air, spinning, stars whooshing by, and finally, they came to a halt inside the caves of the Nunne’hi.
Maddie gave her mother a startled look. How could she know about this place?
“I’ve been here many times, Maddie,” she’d read her mind. “Even before you were born.”
“How…? Why…? I don’t understand.”
“Come, I’ll show you.”
She held onto Maddie’s hand as they walked throughout the maze of rock until they came to a group of women.
Maddie felt slightly uneasy, since they were intruders. Again, her mother must have read her mind.
“Don’t worry about that, dear. They can’t see or hear us.”
Now, how is that possible? Maddie thought.
Her mother quickly answered, “We are but looking upon a scene from the
past. Do you see that beautiful older woman standing there?”
Maddie nodded because she was impossible to miss. She was statuesque with coal black hair that hung down to her slender waist. She bore the features of perfection from her lovely eyes to her beautiful smile.
“She’s extraordinary,” Maddie breathed.
“That she is. Do you see the younger version of her standing next to her?”
The woman her mother was referring to was an exact replica of the older woman, but younger and every bit as lovely. But there was something else about them—something Maddie couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“I can see you are wondering about something, but you can’t quite figure it out,” she noticed.
“How do you do that? It’s… well… yes… there is something, but what is it?”
“Look closely at their faces, Maddie. Who do they remind you of?”
Maddie examined their features, inspected them, and it struck her like a bolt of lightning. The profound resemblance between them and her mother was astonishing. What initially threw Maddie off was their coloring. Her mother was blond, and they were dark. However, their features were... nearly identical.
“Yes, I can see you’ve noticed the resemblance. Maddie, the younger of the women is my mother, your grandmother, and the older is her mother, your great-grandmother.”
“Oh, my! How...? Why didn’t you tell me before now?” Maddie screeched.
“Please, let’s walk outside, and I will explain beneath the stars.”
She hooked her arm through Maddie’s, and they left the interior of the caves. When they got outside, Maddie was steered over to an outcropping of rock, and they both sat down.
“Your father and I always intended to tell you the whole story, but our lives were cut short. We never had the chance. So now, it is absolutely imperative that you know the truth as it holds the key to your future, Maddie,” she began.
Maddie’s mother explained that her mother’s lineage was that of the Nunne’hi, and her father had been a Vesturion Guardian. By the time his duties ended here, they had a young daughter. They tried to live apart with his frequent visits back to Earth, but they found that they were miserable without each other.
Lysandra, Maddie’s grandmother, had a sister who was unable to conceive, so with heavy hearts, they left their child with her, and they both returned to Vesturon. Lysandra knew she would not be able to see her daughter again because once she travelled to Vesturon, she would be forbidden to return to Earth.
My aunt did not live among the Nunne’hi. She had married a white male and left the caves. They lived in Spartanburg, which is how I ended up in South Carolina.”
“How could your mother have done that? Left you... never to see you again?” It was incomprehensible to her.
“Maddie, don’t make judgments of anyone until you walk in their shoes. Could you ever live, by choice, without your Rayn? No? I didn’t think so. Lysandra and Taruk, your grandfather, felt the same way. It pained them deeply to leave me behind, but they knew I would be well cared for and loved. My grandmother was near, and I would have the best of everything. For me, well, I have always thought of it as a blessing. I was blessed with having wonderful, beautiful parents, along with a set of adoring, wonderful adoptive parents. I never missed out on anything by this decision. Actually, it allowed me to grow up with a father that was present.”
“I guess I wouldn’t have looked at it that way. So then what happened?” Her mother’s attitude impressed her.
“Well, my parents are still both living… on Vesturon. And here’s the next crucial part: my father, your grandfather, Taruk Cyrden Ballistarius, is an Elder on the Council on Vesturon. After they returned to Vesturon, he served with the Guardians in many different roles, and then, he was elected to the Council as an Elder. My mother, your grandmother, Lysandra also ended up serving in the Democracy of Vesturon in many different capacities, and she wields a great deal of influence as well. Since she was not Vesturon born, she was not able to become an Elder, but she is powerful, nonetheless. Maddie, I hope you understand the meaning of all of this and what it can mean for you and your Rayn. There is one other thing I must share with you: Vesturion blood also runs in your father’s veins. His ancestors were part of the Guardians that patrolled Ireland and England. He is descended from the ancient Celts. That is where you inherited your fiery red hair.”
Amazed... astounded... completely flabbergasted... couldn’t come near to how Maddie felt at that moment. This was monumental—no, more like miraculous!
“Come, Maddie. I need to get you back home to bed. You are going to need your sleep in the days to come. You still face a fight ahead, but I know you will come out the victor. Maddie, just remember what I’ve always said, you are destined for great things, my child.”
Maddie’s mother linked her arm in Maddie’s, and Maddie felt herself spinning through a vortex. She wondered how on God’s green Earth she would ever be able to go back to sleep.
Chapter 2
Maddie slowly came awake to dappled sunlight dotting the floor. She languorously stretched, not ready to get up just yet. She lay there a moment, letting her mind drift, mostly to Rayn and what they faced ahead. The plans they’ve made to go to Vesturon were in place, and Maddie was aware of the role she would play.
Without warning, a vision slammed into Maddie’s mind, knocking her off kilter. Images and scenes started flooding her mind, rapidly, one right after another. Holy moly! The dream! Oh, my Gosh! My parents! My grandparents!
She leaped off the bed in a single bound and flew into the bathroom. She grabbed a hand mirror and ripped off her nightshirt. She was desperately trying to get a solid look at her birthmark. She flipped the mirror over to the magnified side, but she still couldn’t see it well enough to make anything out of it. This needed a second, third... who knows… maybe even a fourth opinion. She threw her nightshirt back on and tore out of her room, screaming at the top of her lungs, “SHARRA! THERRON! RYKERIAN! ANYONE! Where is everyone?!”
There was no response. Maddie’s first guess would be the kitchen. She burst into the kitchen, out of breath, hair flying, screaming, “SOMEONE HAS TO LOOK AT THIS. I CAN’T TELL WHAT IT IS!”
Every eye in that room was glued to her, and they all held expressions that conveyed they thought she had gone completely bonkers.
“Calm down!”
“What in the world?”
“What is going on?”
“Have you gone crazy, female?”
The barrage of questions went on and on.
“Wait a minute! WAIT! LET ME EXPLAIN!” Maddie screamed.
She didn’t ordinarily raise her voice, but she needed a way to get their attention. She succeeded!
Now, they really thought she’d lost it.
“Sorry... sorry... I had to get your attention. Will one of you please get a magnifying glass and check out my birthmark for me… please?”
Therron and Rykerian had both risen to their feet and were moving toward her.
“Maddie, dear, we don’t know what a ‘magnifying glass’ is?”
“Are you ok?” The two men looked at each other warily.
“I’m fine. I just need one of you… heck, all of you… to check out my birthmark for me!”
She was definitely agitated and excited.
“Sweetheart, we’d be happy to, but we don’t know what your birthmark is.”
Therron and Rykerian kept exchanging glances, thinking, “Surely the pressure of the last few months has seriously taken its toll on her.”
“Here. Here. I’ll show you,” she exclaimed as she started to pull her shirt over her head.
“Maddie, please do not disrobe in front of us. It is simply not… proper!” they shouted.
“Oh, for the love of God! I’m not undressing, but my birthmark is on my back. I need to get my shirt out of the way so that you can see it. Here. In the middle of my back, below my neck, can you see it?” Her excitement was finally getti
ng through to them.
Both men came close to examine the birthmark she was pointing out. They bent low, and she exclaimed, “Can you see it? Don’t you need a magnifying glass or something?”
“Dear Divine Being from above!” Therron shouted. “It’s the Mark of Vesturon… the triangle with the crescent. Maddie, did you get that tattooed on you?”
“No! It’s my birthmark. I was born with it. I swear by all that’s holy on Vesturon!” She crossed her hand over her heart and imitated the motion Rayn always made when he pledged an oath. She was starting to sound like one of them now.
“But how can that be?” Rykerian asked.
“I had a dream last night that my mother came to me, but now I’m not so sure it was a dream. I think it really happened. She took me to the caves of the Nunne’hi, but it wasn’t now. It was in the past. Are you following me?”
When they nodded, she continued, “She told me I was descended from both the Nunne’hi and Vesturions. My grandmother was a Nunne’hi and my grandfather was… or is… Vesturion. We have to go to Talasi… now… I mean like right this very moment. I need to ask her… to make sure the dream was real. Can we go now?”
“Should you put on different clothes?”
“NOOO! There’s time for that later. Please! Take me NOW!”
Neither of the men dared to disagree. She was frantic with her need to get there, and they wanted to know the truth too.
They took form right outside the caves, and Rykerian led the way through the labyrinthine dwelling. Maddie was nearly hyperventilating with excitement by the time they found Talasi.
“Talasi! Talasi, tell me! Do I have the blood of the Nunne’hi and Vesturions running through my veins?”
Rykerian looked at Talasi, and they exchanged glances. Maddie knew they were communicating... his fears of her behavior toward Talasi... and her acknowledgement and reassurances to him. Minutes later, Sharra, Therron, Tesslar, and Xarrid arrived. Xarrid’s presence caught her off guard; Maddie never expected it.
“Well, do you know anything about my ancestry, Talasi?” She so wanted to hear the words, the right words that would free her from this state of uncertainty that she had been so mired in.
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