by KT Webb
According to the History of the Old Immortals, Absalom had been a bad seed from the beginning. Try as he might, Dorian couldn't remember if there was ever a time when his brother was on their side. He recalled the incidents that had gotten his brother into trouble: volcanoes, hot springs, wildfires. But he didn't want to believe that Absalom had always been evil. Could finding these evil beings have set the events in motion that led to his corruption? Could he have been corrupted even then? No. Dorian refused to believe that all those years ago, at the very beginning, even then his brother was plotting against them.
He finished writing his notes and put his tablet away. He felt someone watching him and turned to see Keira peering above the back of the couch. He smiled at her and held his arms open.
“Happy birthday, little one!” he said as he enveloped her in a hug.
Keira sat on his lap and reached up to touch his face, then stroked his beard. He knew she could sense his frustration because this was how she always tried to calm him when he was on edge.
“Papa, everything will be alright,” Keira said soothingly.
Dorian gave her a perplexed look as he tried to determine how much she truly knew about her world. The child was wise beyond her years, but he wanted to protect her for as long as possible.
“I know, sweet pea. I just need to reassure everyone else,” he whispered conspiratorially and touched the tip of her nose.
She grinned and leaned back into his arms. This was their morning tradition. Keira would come into the library, reminding him for all the world of her mother, and climb up into his lap for a morning chat. He knew from the day she was born that she would be a force to be reckoned with. The daughter of two strong-willed descendants of an ancient race, she had double the ability coursing through her body, and only time would tell how it would manifest.
Dorian knew that no matter who Keira became, she would be protected from the Maladies and taught the history of her family. But he also knew that his granddaughter was described as the hope of the future. Was she in more danger than they thought because of her connection to the spirit of hope?
“Papa, I had a bad dream last night,” Keira said quietly.
“Oh, did you? Well, tell me all about it, sweetheart,” Dorian said seriously.
Keira bit her lip for a moment, before launching into the story that would change the direction of Dorian’s research.
“Well, I was in the middle of a field with trees around me. Big trees. It was dark, and I was scared. Then Lia ran out of the trees,” Keira paused.
Dorian felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he recognized the story Tahlia had told him. “What happened then, Keira?”
“I don’t want to say. I didn’t like it,” she said with a serious tone and strained face.
“Okay. Well, if you can’t tell me about your bad dreams, how can I help you see there’s nothing to fear?” Dorian asked her, trying not to press her.
Keira nodded; this made sense to her. She was looking for reassurance that it had just been a dream and not to be scared. Her little face relaxed and she closed her eyes as though trying to remember.
“Lia stopped and turned around. I tried to yell to her that there was someone there, but she couldn’t hear me. The others came through the trees and started walking toward her. One of them looked like he was hurt, but not the kind of hurt you can fix. Another looked like everything scared him, and the last one looked like she hated everyone.” Keira paused, waiting for reassurance.
“Sounds scary. What happened next?” Dorian asked as he shifted in the chair until he was facing her.
“It was scary. But Lia wasn’t scared. She just talked to them. Then two more scary people came out. One was a girl. She was kinda pretty, but not in a nice way. The other one . . . ” Keira shuddered involuntary. “He was yucky. He smelled and needed to see a doctor.”
“With so many bad people around, what did Tahlia do?” Dorian asked carefully.
“Nothing. She just stood there. But I could tell she was getting scared. I thought maybe a hug would help, so I went up beside her and wrapped my arms around her legs. I felt her shaking and wanted to give her some of my brave like you always do if I’m scared.”
Dorian nodded, he was very interested in where this was going. Somehow, little Keira had been present but unseen in the clearing with Tahlia.
“Is there more?” he asked.
Keira nodded. “That’s the crazy part, Papa. I was hugging Lia and it felt like she was trying to use her magic and couldn’t. So I gave her some of mine.”
Dorian froze for a moment, before stroking her back to provide some comfort. Keira always referred to their abilities as “magic.” He blamed fairy tales and Disney, but knew she wasn’t quite old enough to understand how much deeper their abilities ran than magic beans and fairy godmothers.
“Oh. I didn’t know you had magic, little one,” Dorian said curiously.
“Neither did I. But it was just a bad dream. So I thought I could do anything. I just imagined my magic going into her legs and helping her get away from the scary people. And it did. She had more than enough magic to knock those bad guys on their butts,” Keira said with a smug smile.
“Wow. What a fascinating dream,” Dorian told her. “Have you ever had a dream like that before?”
Keira shook her head seriously. Then her bright green eyes widened as she jumped off Dorians lap.
“I smell pancakes!” she called over her shoulder as she bounded out of the room at break-neck speed.
Dorian grabbed his tablet and quickly made more notes so he wouldn’t forget everything Keira had just told him.
Chapter Seven:
Nora
Nora smiled to herself as she watched Kerr make breakfast for the family. He had made it a tradition to make Keira her favorite breakfast on her birthday. He started mixing the ingredients for the pancakes. Keira giggled uncontrollably when he dropped an egg on the floor, and he smiled and kissed her forehead.
Nora glanced at the clock on the wall and wondered when Thatcher and Romulus would call for her to come get them. They had been able to save money on travel with Nora’s gift, and she loved being the person they depended on when they wanted to come home.
Nora went down the hallway to see how Dorian was doing, but stopped when she heard Tahlia speaking to him. They were discussing what had happened to Tahlia the night before, but Dorian kept bringing Keira up. He told Tahlia about a dream Keira had; a dream that indicated she had been there during the failed attack on Tahlia. After a few minutes, she decided she had heard enough and barged into the library without knocking.
“And when were you going to tell me about this?” Nora asked, barely controlling her anger.
“Nora,” Tahlia exclaimed. “Dorian only just told me. Keira told him this morning. We were going to tell you.”
Nora calmed down a bit and tried to process what she’d just overheard. Her daughter was projecting herself into other places while she slept. Her little, four-year-old daughter was appearing in a field in the middle of nowhere, and giving her power to someone else. How could she possibly protect her if she was involuntarily travelling to God knows where?
Nora sank down onto the oversized chair she’d spent so much time in over the years. She buried her face in her hands. Dorian knelt in front of her and took her hands in his.
“Nora, we will figure it out. This doesn’t change anything. Tahlia didn’t know she was there. The Maladies thought Tahlia was alone. They couldn’t sense Keira either. If anything, this gives us a better idea of what to expect as Keira gets older. We know more about what her gifts may be.”
Nora knew he was right. It sounded like her abilities were going to be amazing. She could travel unseen but still have an effect on her surroundings. She could share her abilities with others. But it’s a mother’s job to worry about her child. And her concern was strong regarding this new development.
“How did it feel when she gave you her power,
Tahlia?” Nora asked quietly.
“I didn’t know that was what was happening at the time, but I’d only been able to produce a shield until that moment. Then I suddenly knew I could do it. I felt the power pulsing through me. I knew it was there, and I used it. I honestly didn’t think I had that much power left in me. And now I know I probably don’t,” Tahlia said. “Keira saved my life. I don’t know how she knew I would need her, but she was there when I needed her most.”
Nora felt a tear fall down her cheek. Her little girl had saved the only mother Nora had ever known. Keira was showing them just how special she was.
“We can’t tell her it was real. Not yet,” Nora told them firmly. “Once she’s in bed tonight, we can have a meeting and tell everyone else.”
Dorian and Tahlia agreed.
As she was about to get up and head back into the kitchen she heard and felt the distress in Thatcher’s voice screaming in her head.
“I have to go,” Nora said suddenly. “I need Hadley with me. It’s not good.”
Dorian looked at her with concern. She didn’t have time to explain. She ran out of the library in search of Hadley.
She found Hadley playing a clapping game with Keira in the kitchen. She grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
“It’s Thatcher. We need to go. Now,” she whispered.
The look in Hadley’s eyes told her she understood, and she took her hand without hesitation.
“I’ll be back soon, baby,” Nora told Keira as she blew her a kiss and disappeared.
They rematerialized on a rooftop in Chicago. She whirled around, looking for Thatcher and Romulus. She didn’t see them anywhere.
This had been where the call was coming from. She knew it. Where were they?
“Nora?” Hadley asked with concern.
“I know, Had. Something is off.” Nora took Hadley’s hand and made them invisible to anyone who may stumble upon them.
They started looking around for a door, but couldn’t find one. There was only one thing left to do. Nora had to concentrate. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She reached out with her mind.
Where was he? She couldn’t hear him. Which meant he was either dead or unconscious. But what about Romulus? She reached out for him and heard a small moan in her mind. He was hurt.
“We need to go,” Nora told Hadley. She didn’t want to let her know she couldn’t reach Thatcher. Hadley had lost so much already.
“Nora, what’s going on? Where are they? You better start talking or I’ll . . . ” Hadley was cut off when Nora put a hand over her mouth and took them to where she felt Romulus.
They appeared in an alley. When Nora looked up, she realized they were at the base of the building they’d been on moments ago.
Hadley was glaring at her as Nora took her hand away from her mouth, but she didn’t make a sound.
Nora closed her eyes and reached for Romulus again. Grabbing Hadley’s hand, she led her further into the alley and found Romulus lying beside a dumpster. He was covered in blood and barely conscious.
A gasp escaped from Hadley as she instantly went into guard mode while Nora knelt next to Romulus. She checked his pulse; it was so faint. She tried to see where the blood was coming from, but it appeared to be coming from too many places to count. Romulus was barely clinging to consciousness, but she had to know what happened if she was going to help him.
“What happened to you?” Nora asked him as she gently held his face in her hands.
“Mmmm,” Romulus groaned.
Nora turned to Hadley. “I need to get him back to Kerr. He’s lost a lot of blood, he’s not going to be any help to us now.”
Hadley nodded. “I’m staying here. I need to find Thatcher.”
Nora started to respond, but was cut off when Romulus grabbed her arm. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. She felt so helpless.
“Can’t leave. Bring Kerr.”
Nora understood his plea and disappeared in an instant.
She materialized in the kitchen again, to the stunned, pancake-filled faces of her family. She realized she was covered in blood from trying to wake Romulus, a and Kerr was at her side in an instant.
She looked at her little girl covered in syrup and tried to give them a reassuring smile as she disappeared with Kerr.
Chapter Eight:
Kerr
When Kerr saw Romulus, his stomach fell. He was much paler than he usually was, and the bleeding didn’t seem to be slowing down. He knew this didn’t mean he would die; only the Evolved could kill an Old Immortal.
Kerr rushed forward to begin the healing process. He fell to his knees next to his ancestor and placed a hand on his forehead. He focused on the pain and began willing it to leave Romulus’ body. The now familiar green light began to wind its way around the man in front of him. To his horror, he was filled with fragmented memories of the events that left Romulus bleeding in the alley.
When the healing light dissipated, Romulus looked at Kerr sadly. Kerr couldn’t believe what he had seen; he wouldn’t believe it.
“No,” Kerr said firmly to Romulus.
“What?” Hadley demanded, panic evident in her voice.
“It’s true, Kerr. I don’t know how or why, but it’s true. We need to find him,” Romulus told him, ignoring Hadley’s question.
Kerr shook his head. He was lost. He had seen Thatcher attacking Romulus. A vicious, maniacal attack that only stopped when Thatcher thought he had killed Romulus. The worst part of it all was exactly how close he had been to killing Romulus. Kerr knew Thatcher was not that person. He knew Thatcher would not have done something that heinous under normal circumstances.
But what had caused him to attack the gentle Old Immortal?
“Kerr. You have to tell us what’s going on,” Nora told him, placing a hand on his arm.
Kerr looked apologetically at his wife and Hadley.
“It was Thatcher. He did this,” Kerr said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“No way!” Hadley said breathlessly. “He would never. I don’t believe it.”
Nora looked troubled by this development. Kerr knew this would not be received well, but he wasn’t mistaken. Thatcher had attacked Romulus.
“It was strange. We caught the guy who was killing women. I couldn’t counter his emotions when we confronted him. Thatcher lunged at him and sucker punched him. Then he began beating him mercilessly after another man ran past and grabbed at his back, but he stopped when I took hold of his arm and told him to stop,” Romulus told them.
“What happened after that?” Nora asked gently.
“We waited in the alley for the police to come because we couldn’t leave until we were sure he had been taken into custody. The other man had fled just after touching Thatcher. Once the police arrived, we left. We didn’t want to be there for questioning. We were going to call for you Nora, but when we got to the alley here it was almost like Thatcher was fighting with himself.” Romulus closed his eyes.
“He seemed irrational. He yelled at people for looking at him. When I told him to relax, he lost it. He was using his abilities against me. Every swipe of his hand caused my skin to rip open violently. I begged him to stop.” Romulus was crying as he recounted what happened to him.
“I told him he was killing me. I fell to my knees in front of him and put my head down, waiting for the final blow. But it didn’t come. Instead, I heard him say, ‘Oh God.’ I looked up at him in time to see him launch into the air. He was almost out of sight when I heard a tortured scream for you, Nora. That was when I knew that the real Thatcher was fighting with whatever was going on inside his mind.” Romulus buried his face in his hands and cried.
Kerr didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what would make any of it better for Romulus or Hadley. He glanced at Hadley and saw how heartbroken she looked after hearing what Thatcher had done.
“That explains why the call led me to the top of that building,” Nora said, dumfounded.
�
�So what do you think happened to him?” Hadley asked with concern.
“I hate to say it, but the man who touched him, I've seen him before. He was one of the Maladies. I asked Thatcher how he felt after the contact, but he said he was alright. It didn't hit him until a little later,” Romulus told them.
Kerr didn’t know what to think, but he knew they had to find Thatcher. They couldn’t let him run around when he was a danger to himself and others. He knew that when Thatcher recovered from whatever this was, he would feel terrible about what happened with Romulus. He could only imagine how much worse he would feel if he hurt anyone else.
Chapter Nine:
Tahlia
Tahlia smiled at Keira as she slept on the couch where she had been patiently waiting for the family to return. Eric arrived shortly after the Evolved left. He found her sitting with Dorian and Keira, talking about all the things she hoped to receive for her birthday.
Tahlia was preoccupied with worry as they had no connection to the Evolved or Romulus. She knew that for them to be gone this long something was terribly wrong. When Nora had returned covered in blood to take Kerr back with her, Tahlia knew there was something serious going on.
“Lia, calm down,” Eric said, placing a hand on her knee to still her nervous bouncing.
“I can’t. They may be special, but they’re still so young. Anyone who lost enough blood to cover Nora like that had to have been close to death. If it was Thatcher . . . ” Her voice caught as she thought of her daughter and everything she had been through over the last five years.
“Kerr is with them. I’m certain they would have returned if they hadn’t been able to save whoever was injured. They are probably working together to stop whoever harmed them,” Dorian told her calmly.
Tahlia didn’t know how he could sit there so calmly. He didn’t seem to be concerned for the safety of the Evolved at all. She knew she shouldn’t be worried either, but she embraced all of those kids as though they were her own. She had lost one of her daughters because of the battles they had to fight. She knew she would not be calm until her family was back home.
