Chapter Thirty One
The next morning was cold and dreary. The rain was pouring down so hard that my clothes were soaked within a minute.
Sunridge Automotive was still closed when we arrived, but Celeste had asked us to come over first thing in the morning. I had wrapped the borrowed antique book in plastic bags so it wouldn’t get wet. I held it close to me when I sprinted from the car into the Jansens’ house. I handed it to Celeste as I rushed through the door.
“Morning,” I greeted them and then peeled off my jacket.
Rave nodded and smiled at me. He was sitting at the dining room table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper that was written in a foreign language. A stereo was playing softly in the background. Boo ran out of his bedroom and waved at me.
“Ember swim,” Boo exclaimed as he prepared to pull on his winter boots.
He must have thought I had been in the water since my clothes are wringing wet.
“No, it’s too cold to go outside. Remember – only ducks can swim right now. Let’s play a game inside,” I coaxed.
Boo’s face twisted up with obvious displeasure. He doesn’t care how cold or wet it is – he wants to play at the creek. He stood there indecisively with one boot on and one boot off. Then I felt the wind brush by me as Tray opened the door to come inside.
A warm, comforting feeling welled up inside me as the outside air touched my damp skin. Suddenly, my inner light illuminated. It surrounded me and Boo. He tilted his head upward to look into my eyes – searching them for all the answers.
He can see into my soul…
Boo promptly pulled off his boot and tossed it back into the basket. He was content for the moment at least, to play inside.
“Heaven swims,” he informed us and ran to his room.
They rest of us watched in wonder as the ethereal light faded back inside my body. I stood in awestruck silence, not knowing what to say.
“How long have you been able to call on your spirit light?” Celeste broke the silence and asked me.
“I didn’t know that was what I was doing – calling to my spirit light…” I stated.
“Not calling to the light – calling on your spirit light,” she explained.
“It just appeared one day without warning. I didn’t know what it was or why it happened or anything…” I offered.
Celeste was obviously astounded by my revelation.
“You mean you’ve been able to call on your spirit light without knowledge of its existence?” she questioned me, incredulously.
“Well, I guess so…”
I didn’t really know how to answer her question because none of it made any sense to me. It was true that the spirit light radiated from my body, and I could feel it happen. I didn’t realize the fact that I was the one controlling it – well, at least I was supposed to be the one that was controlling it.
Celeste quickly explained how dangerous it was to call on my spirit light and not be fully in command of its incredible power.
“Your spirit light holds all of the power of the elements within it – the pure energies of all things in nature and those found in all living creatures. When you call on the light it’s drawn directly from your spirit. It’s critical that you release and withdraw your spirit light only in the presence of purity. This is especially true because it appears that you haven’t been educated in our ways. What do you know about your bloodline and heritage?” Celeste inquired.
“Who me?? I…well…I don’t know…I mean – not very much,” I stammered and waited for Tray to interrupt my idiotic ravings.
He just sat silently and listened to me stumble around with the words.
I didn’t know what to tell her…
“How much is ‘not very much’?” she pressed me for more answers.
I exchanged a knowing glance with Tray that I hoped conveyed, “you gotta help me here because I don’t know which life I should tell her about…” I’m no good at making stuff up on a second’s notice. That’s my brother’s area of expertise. I couldn’t risk saying something that would alert her to the fact that we are on our own.
This woman seemed to know what was happening to me. So, I wasn’t even sure I could fabricate a lie worthy enough to be believed. This situation was turning awkward, fast.
Then miraculously, Tray decided to rescue me. Thank you Creator…
“Ember doesn’t remember anything about our parents or their bloodlines. I guess she was too young at the time that I took her and we ran away from home,” Tray announced plainly.
Outright terror swept through my body and rocked my mind. He had just blurted out the unaltered truth! I wasn’t prepared for him to say that. My mouth fell open in shock.
“So, did your parents teach you anything about your lineage before you took Ember and left home?” Celeste turned her full attention to Tray.
“My grandma told me a little bit about her ancestors, but my parents never taught me about our family history or anything like that – if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“Did they ever speak of their gifts, hers or yours?” Celeste inquired, worriedly.
Tray simply shook his head no.
“That is incredibly irresponsible – very, very irresponsible in fact,” Celeste informed us, scratching her head perplexed.
He watched her try to reconcile the facts in her mind. It was clear that he didn’t know what to tell her.
“I suppose this means we have to start from square one. I will try my best to teach you about our ways – at least as much as I know. Frankly though, I’m surprised you haven’t destroyed something already. You have been very lucky,” Celeste said.
Her facial expression conveyed absolute astonishment. She looked at Tray like he had just announced that we had walked directly across the Atlantic Ocean to get here.
“If the look on your face is any indication of just how lucky we’ve been up until now, then I think we should call it something else – like divine intervention. We’ve been stumbling around in the dark without a clue,” Tray said.
“Okay, divine intervention it is. Still, like all the powers, wielding them without true knowledge of their essence is like lighting a match near gasoline. So Ember, we will start with your spirit light because that is what you have been toying with, and then we go from there. Before she and I can begin, I need you to answers some questions for me, Tray. You must be totally honest,” Celeste stated.
Tray nodded his head in affirmation. However, I could sense the reserve behind his gesture. He would only give her so much because trust doesn’t come easily for him. In fact, he only trusts one other person on this planet – me.
“I realize this will be very difficult for you because it goes against your nature. In order to prove my good intentions and that you can trust us, I will share some of our secrets first. Then, you will share yours last. Do we have a deal?” she offered and then waited for his reply.
He nodded again in agreement, but the reserve was still evident.
“Do I have your word of honor, Traywick Shane Pateman, that you will share your secrets, honestly if I willingly share ours first?” Celeste questioned him intently.
It was clear that she would not accept his nod as an answer.
“Yes, you have my word…”
I knew this would seal the deal because he would never back out after giving his word.
“As you are already aware – I am a descendent of the Ay’sha bloodline – gypsy is the more familiar term. Rave’s parents were both full-blooded Vaydem. His father was the clan’s most powerful shaman.
“The Vaydem are a relatively small, clandestine society. They have lived in these mountains for generations, but not even the locals know about their existence. They are a race unknown to the outside world. Skilled herbalists, extraordinary healers, pacifists by nature, they are the spiritual keepers of the Teira’shavalan – the sacred Arboretum.
“The Arboretu
m is positioned within the center of their hallowed land. The ground you are standing on is part of a cherished Preserve. All Vaydem are entitled to property and can withdraw funds as necessary from the High Council. So business ownership, such as an automotive repair shop, is designed more for pleasure or companionship than for necessity of income…”
“Now, I have shared some of ours – so, who were your parents?” she asked.
“Our dad was probably a gypsy because that’s the lifestyle we lived. I don’t know if he was full-blooded or anything. I’m fairly sure he had the gift of persuasion or whatever your book calls it. But, I didn’t realize it at the time. I guess I was too young or something. Looking back, I can see how he used his ability. But, he didn’t use it for anything good that I can remember. As far as our mom, well, she was usually high, falling down drunk or gone for days on end,” Tray stated with deep regret – it’s hard to relive the past.
“Your grandma that you referred to previously – was she your maternal or paternal grandmother?” Celeste asked.
“Grandma Edie was mom’s mother. She died a couple of years after Ember was born. Like I said, she told me a few stories about her relatives in the old country. She didn’t have too many chances to speak to me alone. So what I know about her is kinda limited.
“Her stories weren’t a part of any con. Translated, that means my dad didn’t want me to listen. He monopolized most of my time. He didn’t drink alcohol or do drugs like mom. He educated me in the family business. He also threatened me, came through on his threats and yelled at my mom – when she was there to be yelled at, that is.
“We lived in rat infested apartments or houses during the winter months, because conning was a year-round venture. Summers were spent mostly in tents or campers – easier to make money that way. We even spent a summer living with another family in a pop-up…” Tray offered and his face shadowed over.
My heart was shattered from his revelations. Maybe I couldn’t remember anything about my parents, because there was nothing good to recollect…only sorrow.
“I’m sorry that happened to you both. Our gifts grant us tremendous power, but it is important to remember that every power has two sides – one light and one dark. If a power is always channeled for evil purposes, it will eventually warp and destroy the channeler. It sounds like your parents chose the dark side and it swallowed them alive,” Celeste replied.
We sat and waited for him to provide more details, but he had said all he planned to say for a while. His face shadowed more deeply as Celeste resumed talking.
“The pure Ay’sha bloodlines have not been able to hold their integrity like the Vaydem. Our children no longer follow our customs and many have turned to drugs and alcohol. Intoxicants irreversibly taint Ay’sha powers if used for any length of time.
“Our bloodlines are mixed with impure races. They have become watered down because this new generation believes only in pleasure seeking and selfish rewards. They do not believe in hard work or diligence. The old ways are dying out and our children’s children are given no gifts…” Celeste stopped talking and looked longingly towards Boo’s bedroom.
The pain was reflected in her tear-filled eyes. She was struggling to keep them from falling. It struck me suddenly that she believes that her grandson has no special abilities. That is not the case, at all.
“Boo does have gifts,” I announced.
She stared at me hopefully, in anticipation.
“He doesn’t communicate like you and I do right now, but that doesn’t mean he’s not gifted. I actually think he might be more gifted than all of us. Think about it. He led me to the creek because he knew the water wanted to commune with me. You had the opportunity to see my spirit light only because Boo intervened.
“I know you passed out yesterday and then, you were focused on me. So maybe you didn’t see the fact that he possesses your light blue aura –they’re identical.
“He might not talk or even act like us because he lives inside his own world for the moment. I promise you this – he loves just like we do. He only shows it in a different way,” I said with true conviction and my spirit light shimmered around me as proof.
The tears finally spilled from her eyes as she realized the truth in my words…
Ember Rising Light (Book One) Page 35
