The Dark Gifts Birthright

by Willow Cross

  Standing in the front of the room, hands on her hips, Cass explained. “It is simple really. It is just a matter of bending space with your mind. Visualize where you are right now. Now, see where you want to be.”

  Groans of frustration filtered though the room.

  “Think of it like this. You are not trying to go to a place. You are bringing that place to you. Pull it to you in your mind.”

  Throughout the room, several tiny blue orbs floated in front of the vampires.

  “That’s right. Just like that. Now make them larger. See them in your head. Feel them grow.”

  As she watched, the orbs grew in size.

  “Be certain that you are fully viewing the place you are pulling to you. It wouldn’t do to come out inside a wall.”

  Minerva snickered from the table behind her.

  Cass glanced over her shoulder, smiled, and continued, “Remember your mind is the most powerful part of your essence. When you have discovered how to tap into that energy, you can accomplish nearly anything.”

  Faces pinched, eyes closed tight, they concentrated. Tiny puffs of smoke would bloom around the room as a portal evaporated. A few of the vampires stumbled on their feet. Several sat on the floor. All of them exhausted from the activity.

  “That’s enough for today. Feed and rest. Do not forget to do your meditation,” Cass said as she dismissed the vampires. Then turning to Minerva, she sighed and said, “Bring your covens.”

  “No rest for the wicked, dearie.” Minerva replied as she motioned to the witches to take their places.

  Cass concentrated on teaching the witches to control space and time. By reaching within the deepest recesses of themselves, they found that time could be stretched to a slow crawl around them. Any enemy they concentrated on would appear to be frozen while everything else would move at a regular pace. Cass also taught them power attack and shield protection.

  Those not involved with magic class, were training with Michael. He was determined that they would not make the mistake of the Eldest, his army would be suitably and thoroughly trained.

  Although Jenna belonged to Cass, it was agreed that any decision regarding her education would be decided by the Council, as Cass was biased in most things concerning the girl. It was a heavy weight that the Council carried, knowing the power that lay dormant within the child. Cass had requested repeatedly to begin teaching the child magic. She had already stated that Jenna’s turning would be over her dead body, but she felt the girl’s safety was a risk, and wanted her to be able to fully protect herself. The Council vetoed each request, and then finally called a special meeting to address the issue of Jenna’s training.

  As usual, Gregorio took the floor as the meeting began. “We are convened today to decide whether or not our Jenna should be taught magic. I would like to hear from each of you in this matter, starting with her mother.”

  Cass took a deep breath, and reminding herself that all those gathered there also loved her daughter, began to speak, “You all know how I feel about this particular situation. Knowing what I saw in Sekhmet’s mind, I believe that Jenna will always be in danger unless she learns to control the power within her. Teaching her now, while she is so young, will help her in many ways.”

  She paced back and forth across the room while she spoke. “First and foremost, she can learn to protect herself and get out of harm’s way. Secondly, but of equal importance, it will be much easier for her to master while she is so young. I will not have the child turned, but if she were to be taken and turned by a renegade, the connection would sway her to the darkness. If she does not, at minimum, learn to use shielding magic, then there will always be the possibility of her being taken.” Her eyes pleaded with them as she finished, “You all know when Monroe finds out about her, if he hasn’t already, her life is forfeit. He will not stop until he is able to use her for his own twisted purposes.”

  Liz and Michael nodded in agreement.

  Michael spoke up, “I agree with Cass. I think we have tarried too long in this matter. He may not know of Jenna’s potential, but it is a certainty that he knows of her existence and what she is already capable of.”

  One by one the council members spoke, most agreed with Cass. Until, finally, the only one left to speak was Minerva.

  She stood rubbing her hands together, her mouth drawn up with worry. “Although I do agree that the danger for the child is great, I must say this at least.” Her wise eyes moved slowly over those in the room, lingering on Cass as she continued, “I have seen for myself how powerful magic can sway the soul of the user. There have been three in my lifetime that have done so. None of them changed with purpose or intention, but were entangled before any of us even knew it was upon them. Teaching the child now, while she is so very young, might only ensure that as she grows she will delve deeper into her own natural magic. If that be the case, we have no comprehension where such a thing might lead her. So many things can happen as we grow to darken our true nature. How can we be sure that we will not end up with an angry, powerful witch that cannot be stopped?”

  Minerva paused.

  Cass’ gaze remained transfixed on the table in front of her.

  “Cass.”

  Their eyes met across the table.

  “If the child is not turned by one of you when she is old enough, and she has been given this vast knowledge; whom among us would have the power or heart to stop her should she be turned by the other side?”

  The Council sat in silence.

  A loud scraping noise filled the room as Athena pushed her chair away from the table and stood. “We need to take the utmost consideration in this matter. Let us take some time today to think this thing through before we come to any kind of decision. For now, we should consider this our prime objective. All other matters cannot be dealt with at this time.”

  They agreed and withdrew, each to their own quarters.

  ***

  Curled up on their couch beside the fire, Michael and Liz discussed the Council meeting.

  “I just don’t get it,” said Liz.

  “I understand Minerva’s trepidation, but it seems logical the child should be taught how to protect herself. The person guarding her would be in less danger if they could concentrate on fighting instead of keeping her safe.” Michael answered.

  “Right. And that person is our Angie. I don’t like the idea of her being in constant danger.”

  “They are being overly protective.” Michael began scraping the carved wooden hand rest of the sofa, losing himself in his thoughts.

  “Stop it.”

  “Stop what?” He looked up, his face a mask of surprise.

  “Every time you think, you mangle the furniture.” She laughed.

  “I do not.”

  Liz reached up and brushed the hair from his face. “I don’t understand Cass.”

  “She’s very human.” Michael snickered.

  “No, she’s not. Believe me, I know mortals. Just was one, remember?”

  Michael turned and positioned himself so his head was in her lap, letting his long legs dangle over the arm of the sofa. “Okay, fill me in. What is she doing that is not cohesive with human behavior?”

  “She does not want her daughter turned, correct?”

  “Correct.’

  “She will never die. She will live forever without her daughter?”

  Michael abruptly sat up staring at Liz.

  “Humans don’t choose to live without their loved ones. Ever. Besides, there is no way that girl would ever be able to live a normal human life after being raised by vampires. She will never fit in out there. Our world is the only world that will make sense to her. I don‘t think the problem is in convincing the Council to let her learn magic. The problem is that we need to convince Cass that--should Jenna desire it--she should be turned at the appropriate age.”

  Michael pulled her forward and gently kissed her tender lips. “Have I told you that I love you today? Let’s
make sure that Gregorio and Athena have just enough time to really get into a tizzy about all of this. Then we’ll go have a talk.”

  Liz grinned as he pulled her head down to his and planted a kiss on her forehead.

  When enough time had passed for Gregorio and Athena to discuss the situation, Michael and Liz sought them out. Enclosed in the rooms that the two elders had taken together, the four of them began a rather heated discussion. Gregorio was completely against the child's teaching. He was of the opinion that whatever came to her naturally would be in her best interest. To train one so young, intentionally, seemed unconscionable to him. Athena wanted her trained and ready, just in case she needed to protect herself. While Gregorio and Michael hashed it out, the women sat and listened. Both men were being extremely stubborn, and neither would budge an inch.

  Finally having enough of their argument, Liz spoke up. “Listen you two; you are both being silly at this point.”

  Both men looked at her in disbelief. Being several thousand years old, Gregorio was unaccustomed to being called silly. Michael knew that Liz was on his side and didn’t understand why she would include him in that statement.

  “If we are going to fight amongst ourselves, then isn’t Monroe already winning? Seriously. We don’t know for sure that what Sekhmet saw was even real. The woman was deranged from using the dark magic. Isn’t it possible she saw only what she wanted to see instead of what was really there?”

  Gregorio‘s forehead furrowed in thought. “I think you’ve got something there, Liz. We’ve all been assuming, because of her power, her knowledge was accurate. I’d say it is more than probable that she was delusional.”

  Michael clapped his father on the shoulder saying, “Father, I know this is the right thing to do.”

  “What would it hurt to try?” Athena chimed in placing her hand on his arm.

  “The entire Council has to agree on this you know, it’s not completely up to us.” Gregorio countered. Then he shrugged his massive shoulders slowly exhaling his defeat.

  The Council met again that evening and by unanimous vote decreed that Jenna’s lessons would start the following day. Cass was ecstatic, and although they voted for her magical education to begin, a few council members remained uneasy.

  Early the next morning, Angie brought Jenna to her mother’s chambers. Minerva replaced Cass as the new instructor for the adult class to free up time for her to teach Jenna. From the first day, Jenna excelled in her studies. It took the child a scant five days to learn how to open a portal, levitation, blue flame control, and something entirely new.

  She practiced moving from one portal to the next in the same room. Cass had her create a portal on one side of the room and move through it to the other side of the room.

  Jenna had been opening portals like a pro for three days, so when she stepped into her newly-created portal and didn’t come out on the other side of the room, Cass was worried. She immediately tried to open a link to Jenna. As hard as she tried, she could not find the girl.

  Just before the frantic mother became completely hysterical, a portal opened and Jenna returned. She held in her little hands, a small red suitcase, her favorite teddy bear was tucked under her arm.

  Cass ran to her, pulling her close. She was so relieved to see her unharmed, that it took a moment for her to realize that the things Jenna held were personal items from her bedroom at their cabin. Guardedly she asked, “Baby, where did you get those things?”

  “My bedroom. Well my other bedroom, not the one here.”

  “You were at our house?”

  “Yes, I didn’t mean too! Are you mad?” Jenna looked at the floor, biting her lower lip.

  “No I’m not mad. Do you know how you got there?”

  “Well…just before I opened the portal I was thinking how I missed teddy.” She looked into her mother’s eyes as a small tear escaped down her cheek. “You know how much I missed teddy, Mommy.”

  Cass nodded, wiping away the lone tear.

  “And then, when it opened, I was in my room. So…I thought since I was there anyhow, I would get my favorite things to bring back here.”

  Cass thought for a few seconds before speaking. “But baby, your teddy and that suit case have been missing for at least a year, remember?”

  “But they were there mommy; all of my stuff was there. Am I in trouble?”

  Cass patted the child on the head and let her go. “You’re not in trouble. Mommy needs to think a minute, okay?”

  Jenna smiled brightly, sat down, and opened the suitcase, pulling out one toy after another, and placing them in a line in front of her.

  Cass wracked her brain, trying to remember the last time she had actually seen teddy and Jenna’s little suitcase. She vividly remembered the day that the child had come home from preschool distraught because she couldn’t find either. She was positive that it had happened several months before the attack on the car. She stood completely still as it dawned on her what might have happened. It was impossible! Wasn’t it? Her mind reeled with the ramifications of what Jenna had been able to do. Time travel? Through portals?

  Quickly, Cass called Angie and asked her to come and get the child. She had to have time to think. She knelt down beside Jenna and said, “You know Mommy loves you, right?”

  Jenna nodded.

  “And no one loves you like Mommy, right?”

  She nodded again.

  “You must not tell anyone how you got your things Jenna; it has to be our secret for right now, okay? Not even Angie.”

  Jenna solemnly looked at her mother, crossed her heart, and promised not to tell anyone.

  After Angie collected Jenna, Cass paced the room in thought. It just didn’t seem plausible that this could happen, but it had. She knew she could not tell the Council. They would all go crazy! She couldn’t tell anyone. If others knew that portal magic could be used to time travel, then they could go to any when and possibly change time lines. One mistake and thousands of people might not ever be born. That was providing that it was possible for others to use a portal that way. It might be just a fluke, or part of Jenna’s personal abilities. Good grief, Minerva would have a field day with this!

  She thought and paced for hours, and then decided that before she got too worked up over something only Jenna could do, she should try it herself. If she couldn’t do it, then no one else, besides Jenna, could either.

  Cass emptied her mind of all thoughts and worries. She pictured in her mind their cabin in the mountains. She pulled from memory, a rainy day she’d been out hunting while Jenna had gone to town with her father. Her mind focused on that day. She pictured the house, the rain, and her front porch, then opened the portal. Stepping through, she found herself on the long front porch looking right at the front door. Stunned, she entered the house, and looked around; unsure of whether she just happened to be there on a rainy day, or if she had truly gone back in time. The calendar hanging on the kitchen wall showed that today’s date was April 15. But it was October 29, two days before Halloween. At least that’s what day it had been at the Citadel.

  She moved into the bedroom. The long mahogany dresser that Dan insisted they buy was covered in family pictures. Sorrow overwhelmed her. She had been so busy with everything else, she hadn’t fully taken the time to mourn her lost husband.

  Cass lay on the bed, pulled his pillow over her face, and breathed in his scent.

  Outside, there was the sound of a car pulling into the drive. Her time was up. As much as she wanted to see Dan again, she couldn’t take the chance of disrupting the natural flow of time. Hurriedly, she grabbed two pictures from the dresser. In her mind, she pictured her room at the Citadel, created a portal, and left.

  Cass returned to her proper place and time, and found a very angry Angie sitting in a chair with Jenna on her lap.

  “Where have you been?” Angie snarled as she stood and placed Jenna in the chair. “Do you have any idea how long we’ve sat here wait
ing on you? You have been gone for hours. Jenna was a nervous wreck! She has some crazy idea that you left because you are mad at her and weren’t coming back.”

  Cass took Jenna in her arms, “Of course I‘m not mad at you, darling. I was just exploring that’s all. I’d never leave you and not come back.”

  Angie was not letting it go. “Cass you have been gone five hours. Five hours! Don’t you think you should at least let one of us know if you’re going to be gone that long?”

  “What do you mean I’ve been gone five hours? I haven’t been gone more than ten minutes.” Cass replied.

  “I am telling you that we have been sitting in this room for four hours waiting on you to return. We got here an hour after I picked Jenna up from her lessons, and you were nowhere to be found.”

  “But that’s impossible. I just left ten minutes ago!” Cass exclaimed. Her thoughts became erratic. Time travel works both ways. You can go back and you can go forward. She had gone forward five hours in time. It was impossible. “Angie, please take Jenna and go, I need some time to think. I’ll try to explain everything to you later.”

  “What's going on here? Don’t look at me like that.”

  Jenna tugged on Cass’ sleeve. “Mommy, can I have one of those?” She asked, pointing to the pictures in Cass’ hand.

  “Of course you can,” she said, pressing a small framed picture into her hand. “Baby, you be a good girl for me, okay? Go play with Angie and have a good time. I’m not mad at you; I’m just working on that thing you taught me. And remember what we talked about!” Cass said as she walked Jenna to the door.

  “But--” Angie tried to stop her.

  “But nothing. Scoot. I’ll tell you more later.” Her hand on the small of Angie’s back, she moved her toward the door.

  Angie anchored her feet and would not budge.

  “This is important, Angie. Extremely so. As soon as I get it all worked out, I will fill you in. Now please take Jenna and go.” Cass pleaded.