Blue Violet (Book #1 of the Svatura Series)

by Abigail Owen

  “What the heck was that?” asked a voice above her head. It was calm and the speaker didn’t take his hands away, but it was evident that he was slightly apprehensive.

  “What?” Alex and Griffin asked in unison.

  “A tingly feeling, similar to an electric shock, but sort of being pulled out of me,” answered the detached voice.

  “Ah,” Griffin relaxed beside her. “She’s definitely healing if you’re feeling that,” he said to Hugh. “One of Ellie’s gifts is the ability to use other people’s powers when she’s touching them,” Griffin explained. “That tingly feeling is her accessing your powers.”

  “Just helping you along a little,” Ellie piped up.

  Ellie guessed the unfamiliar voice must belong to Hugh, Lila and Adelaide’s father. Based on the little she knew of him, and given the current situation, she had an idea that his power was the ability to heal. She really was feeling so much better. Her thoughts were getting much clearer as that warm, tingly feeling continued to move and flow through her body. She now became fully aware of all the people in the room. Tapping into Griffin’s power to read minds, she discovered that the whole family was there.

  “Just a few more minutes,” Hugh murmured.

  The room fell silent for those few remaining moments it took the two of them to work in tandem, healing the last of the wounds she’d sustained in her fight with the wolf pack.

  Wolf pack? Ellie thought. Why does that sound like something important…?

  And in an instant, everything came rushing back to her.

  A small gasp escaped her lips, and she struggled to open her eyes until she heard Griffin reassure her, “It’s alright. Everyone is safe and the Vyusher are gone, Ellie.”

  “What’s wrong?” she heard Alex ask.

  “She just remembered everything that happened.” Griffin’s calm explanation soothed the room in general. To Ellie, he added, “We’ll go over everything once Hugh is done fixing you.”

  “That just about does it,” Hugh finally pronounced, satisfied though weary. The room stayed silent, and Ellie guessed they were all waiting for her to react in some way. But she preferred to just lie here and not have to face everything. She didn’t want to relive the fight. Nor did she particularly want to discuss with these people who she and Griffin were, as well as the reason for the wolves’ attack.

  “Come on, lazy bones,” Griffin gave her a mental prod, clearly amused at her thought process.

  “Get out of my head, Griff,” she responded.

  With a resigned sigh, Ellie opened her eyes and sat up gingerly. The first person she looked at was Griffin, and the nightmare of what she’d just been through rushed over her in waves. Griffin obviously followed her thoughts because she found herself suddenly engulfed in a bear hug. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again,” he ordered gruffly. “I almost lost you there,” he added silently.

  She hugged him back. “Love you, too.”

  *****

  Alex was unsure what to make of the scene unfolding before him. Clearly Ellie and Griffin had a close relationship, though just what the relationship was remained unclear. Alex felt conflicted – on one hand, he was relieved Ellie was better. But on the other, she was in the arms of another guy.

  Who is this guy? Alex thought, as he realized that Ellie was still holding his own hand tightly. What is going on here?

  *****

  Ellie moved from Griffin’s embrace. Still holding Alex’s hand, she pulled him up off the floor and onto the couch beside her, cradling their linked hands in her lap. Griffin moved around from the back of the couch and took a seat on her other side. She silently assessed her surroundings. They were in a large living room. A great stone fireplace took up one wall, with a large flat-screened TV mounted beside it. The furniture was comfortable and laid out in a way that encouraged social gatherings. The other wall was entirely windows, facing out into the clearing behind the house. A lovely, homey room.

  Then she glanced around at the group of Svatura that she and Griffin had been watching from afar. Nate sat beside Adelaide on the floor, cradling her slightly as she leaned back against him. Lila sat beside her sister. Despite the anxious expressions of every single person in the room, Adelaide seemed very pleased about something. Ellie made a mental note to ask her later.

  Hugh had moved across the room to sit with his wife on the loveseat. He had light brown hair and kind brown eyes….what one would consider conventionally handsome. And now Ellie knew that his power was the ability to heal. Judging by the extent of her wounds, and the relatively short amount of time it had taken him to fix her, he had to be very powerful.

  Looking at Lucinda, or Lucy, as they all called her, Ellie saw where Adelaide and Lila got their looks. She had long, honey-blonde hair, wide green eyes and an open, welcoming demeanor. Thanks to Griffin, Ellie already knew of Lucy’s ability to see people’s intentions, as well as the essence of who they were.

  Ellie looked at the other three people in the room. She was aware of their names but knew little else about them. Dexter and Charlotte, the other married couple, sat together in the corner of the room. They were younger than Hugh and Lucy, but still appeared old enough to be Nate and Ramsey’s parents. They both had dark brown hair and eyes. But where Charlotte was tall and willowy, Dexter was stocky and solidly built. Both regarded her with somewhat wary and perplexed expressions.

  Ramsey sat at Charlotte and Dexter’s feet, so determining his height was difficult. He had dark red hair and bottle green eyes. While he shared his adopted parents’ wariness, anger also burned in his eyes. Ellie, unsure who the anger was directed at, glanced at Griffin.

  “He’s not mad at us,” Griffin answered her silently. “Yet.”

  Ellie wrinkled her mental nose at her brother, receiving a quiet chuckle in return. She’d been so curious about these people for so long now. Keeping what she and Griffin really were from them had been incredibly difficult. Too tempting to join their fun, their togetherness. How would they react now? She truly hoped that this family, this group of people just like them, would give her and Griffin the benefit of the doubt and welcome them as one of their own.

  She looked at her twin and shrugged. “I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Good luck with that,” was Griffin’s less than helpful response. He leaned back, casually draping his arms across the top of the couch.

  “Where to begin? So are you planning on telling us what this is all about?” Hugh asked, seeming amused by Ellie and Griffin’s banter.

  “The beginning is a very long time ago,” Ellie replied softly. “It would take too long to go back that far.” She looked up at him with candid eyes. “I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s just that it’s a fairly long story.”

  “So you’re like us?” Adelaide asked. She folded her legs daintily beneath her as she sat on the floor beside her twin.

  Ellie nodded. “Adelaide, Lila, and Nate already know me. So does Alex.” She glanced at him fleetingly. “For the rest of you, my name is Ellie Aubrey. This is my twin brother, Griffin.”

  Ellie felt Alex’s hand clench slightly in her grasp. She shot him another glance, catching what she suspected was a relieved smile. Still holding his hand she looked away. Alex and their relationship was something she would have to deal with later. She was content for now that he remained sitting beside her. First, he and the rest of the people in the room deserved an explanation.

  She glanced at Griffin and their eyes locked. He nodded slowly in reply to her silent question. Ellie cleared her throat.

  “It would actually be easiest to show you our story rather than tell you.”

  Chapter 23

  “Show us?” A slight frown marred Hugh’s brow, showing his bewilderment.

  “Yes. Like you, my brother and I have gifts... powers.”

  “That became pretty obvious when we all saw a jaguar turn back into you,” Alex muttered beside her. She guessed forgiveness for her long deception would not be qui
ck in coming. Especially because he’d asked her directly. Had that only been this morning?

  “Griffin has the ability to read minds,” Ellie said, ignoring Alex. “He’s still learning all the facets of his gift. Eventually he’ll have the ability to control people’s thoughts. He’s not quite there yet though, and he’s only just starting to be able to project his thoughts into other people’s minds.” She gave Griffin a cheeky wink and received a faint smile in return.

  “I don’t understand,” said Hugh. “If he doesn’t have the ability to use those aspects of his power yet, then how would you show us?”

  Griffin smirked. “Because Ellie does have the ability, in a roundabout way.”

  Seeing nine pairs of very baffled eyes, Ellie hurried to enlighten them. “One of my gifts is the ability to manipulate others’ powers if I’m physically touching them. But I quickly become an expert, almost like I’ve had it for years, and so I’m able to use it to its fullest potential.”

  “Awesome!” Nate said.

  “Well… not being an expert at my own power yet, I do miss things here and there,” she confessed with a small shrug. “And it’s dependent on the type of interaction. The longer I spend in physical contact with someone, the more I learn their powers.”

  “Should I be worried?” Alex asked dryly beside her, looking at their linked hands. Ellie took it as a good sign that he was joking with her. He couldn’t be that angry.

  She flicked him a playful look. “I usually ask permission first.” She turned to the others. “So, with your permission, I can use Griffin’s power to show you.”

  Everyone in the room immediately turned toward Lucy. She was already smiling. “She has good intentions. If anything, she’s been trying to protect us,” Lucy said.

  “I would never hurt any of you,” Ellie swore.

  “Nor would I,” Griffin quietly added, leaning forward to emphasize his point.

  “They’re telling the truth,” Lila assured the room, shifting positions to pull her knees up to her chest.

  Ellie blinked in surprise. She’d had the hardest time connecting with Lila. The other girl treated her with friendly camaraderie, but always with a slightly distant air. As a result, she hadn’t been able to figure out Lila’s power yet. It seemed she had the ability to see if people were telling the truth… a variation on her mother’s powers. Ellie gave a small nod of appreciation for Lila’s show of support.

  “We can trust them,” Adelaide said.

  “Why do you say that, Delia?” Hugh asked, turning to look at her.

  “Because they will be part of our family.” Her eyes lost focus and she touched the air with her fingers like she was plucking the strings of a guitar. Ellie could tell that Adelaide was touching the shimmering lines that she alone could see. Adelaide continued, “I’ve seen it since the day I met Ellie. And it just continues to grow in strength every day. Tonight it solidified.”

  Ellie gasped in shock. Silently, so did Griffin, because the girl had said “they.” Everyone else erupted into a bit of a ruckus…only Alex remained silent among all the noise. But he didn’t let go of her hand.

  Eventually, the room quieted enough for Hugh to ask his daughter, “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  “You know I don’t like to influence people with what I can see, Dad. And two additions to our family is a huge deal.” Adelaide’s answer soothed most of the ruffled feelings in the room. “I’m telling you now because it helps us all to trust one another, us to trust them, and vice versa.” Nate wrapped his arms around Adelaide, offering her his silent support.

  “Was that why you approached me in the lunch room on my first day of school?” Ellie asked her friend.

  Adelaide smiled gently. “Yes.”

  Ellie wanted to ask more questions. She was thinking about the first time she’d met Alex and had accidentally seen Adelaide’s power at work. She hadn’t understood it at the time, and wondered what exactly she’d seen. But now wasn’t the time. One more thing to put on the back burner while she dealt with the immediate situation.

  Looking around the room, Ellie could tell some doubt still lingered. “If you need to discuss this without us, Griffin and I can step outside.”

  She tried to stand up but immediately collapsed. Alex reached out as she fell, and she landed right on his lap in the protective circle of his arms.

  “You’re not going anywhere young lady,” Hugh said as Alex’s grip tightened. “All your wounds may be closed and fixed, but your body still has to go through a period of true healing on its own. You’ll be weak for several days at least.”

  “Oh,” Ellie huffed her frustration. Definitely not convenient to be less than a hundred percent right now. Of course, she should just be grateful she was still alive. Still, she didn’t relish playing the role of an invalid.

  She attempted to shift back to her previous seat on the couch beside him, but Alex’s arms remained firm, refusing to let her move away. Looking into his eyes, she murmured, “Are you going to let me go?”

  He answered in a husky voice, “Not in this lifetime.”

  Ellie’s heart paused and then resumed beating at a faster cadence. Has he realized we are te’sorthene? Her breath caught in her throat at the expression in his eyes. He settled her a little more comfortably on his lap. Without taking his eyes off hers, he said a bit louder, “I think we’re ready for you to show us your story.”

  It took a pathetically large amount of will power to look away from him. She could think a little more clearly when she wasn’t trapped in his gaze. She glanced at Griffin.

  “Not one word”, she ordered.

  His lips twitched in a smile. He reached out and took her hand, giving it a little squeeze. Turning to the room he said, “You’ll all need to move in close and be touching one of us.”

  “I’ve never tried projecting Griffin’s gift into more than one mind before,” she warned as they shifted positions.

  Once they were all settled and waiting, Ellie gave an imperceptible nod, as if she was telling herself to proceed. With a deep breath, she allowed her power to flow through her in tingling waves. Behind her closed eyes she saw Griffin’s power within him, almost like a glowing golden beacon of light. Reaching out mentally, she touched the light and drew it inside herself. Once she had control of it, she concentrated on locating each mind in the room, one at a time, until she saw all ten. And then she focused very hard on an image, that of a magnificently terrible black wolf.

  “Wow,” Alex said under his breath.

  “Cool!” Nate exclaimed beside her.

  Once Ellie felt sure everyone could see what she saw, she started playing through the scenes in her head, allowing everyone else to witness the pictures in her mind, organizing her thoughts into a cohesive story of what had led her and Griffin here.

  Ellie’s memories almost overwhelmed her as she worked through them. She started with some of her earlier recollections of life…she thought of her people, their life, and stories. To the outside world they appeared to be just a band of gypsies. But in reality, they were the largest gathering of people with extraordinary abilities in the world. They called themselves the Darane Svatura, choosing to embody a gypsy term referring to magic and mythology.

  In a way, they were the royals of their kind. Both Ellie and Griffin’s great-grandfathers were the original Phuro, or elders. There had been more before them, but in very small numbers. Powers were passed down from generation to generation.

  As young men, her great-grandfathers had befriended each other. They both married gypsy women…princesses from two different tribes. At that time in the world, gypsies had a greater tolerance of people who were unusual or different. Certainly more tolerance than the people who’d killed Svatura for suspected witchcraft. As their great-grandfathers married and had children, they’d gathered more of their kind together.

  Her parents were the descendants of the original patriarchs. By the time Griffin and Ellie had been born, their Svatura clan
numbered in the hundreds. It had eventually broken into smaller groups, travelling far away from the original main group. But they continued to return to the larger community and her great-grandfathers for advice, for protection, for help, and sometimes for judgment or rulings.

  When Ellie had been only a young child, the killings started. First, with the smaller of the families who had moved away. Just one or two would survive and make their way back to the main tribe, bringing with them stories of giant metamorphs who all turned into wolves and had decimated all their people. But no matter how they tried, the Svatura had been unable to track down the wolves responsible. They called them the Vyusher, which meant wolf in Romani, the language of their gypsy allies and ancestors. As far as anyone could tell, the Vyusher were gifted people like the Svatura. The biggest difference between the two clans was that the Vyusher were all wolf metamorphs, which seemed impossible given how few metamorphs roamed the planet.

  By the time Ellie and Griffin were in their early adolescence and coming into their powers, the worldwide community that had once numbered in the hundreds had been whittled down to only about fifty. They had all banded together for support and protection.

  Ellie remembered the heavy feeling of fear that had permeated this time in her life. People with extraordinary gifts—gifts that should have protected them and their families, should have allowed them to fight back— these people had been killed in the attacks. No one knew when or how the attacks came. The survivors were most often younger and weaker or had only just come into their powers. For some reason, they seemed to go undetected by the wolves.

  The attack on the one remaining tribe had come eventually. Even her great-grandfather, a metamorph of incredible size and strength, hadn’t been able to prevent it…or survive it. The wolves had attacked him first, along with the other strongest members. And somehow he hadn’t been able to morph in time. The Vyusher seemed to know what powers each Svatura possessed. It had been coordinated and strategic. And deadly.