Chapter Thirty Three
My footfalls pounded the unsuspecting ground. Adrenaline coursed through my body in tidal waves. I didn’t think it was humanly possible to run this fast…
This was too much to take. I felt like all the wind had been knocked out of me and it was never going to return. Misty raindrops bulleted into my flesh like I was riding a motorcycle going full speed ahead.
I can’t protect Ember…there’s no way to do it…I was and I am, totally helpless.
“You would have died…”
Those horrific words repeatedly thundered around my head, threatening to take me over the brink. They assaulted me from the inside. Celeste didn’t say “you maybe could have died” or “you might have possibly died.”
She said, “You would have died instantly…”
It was a hideous fact that I wish I could somehow not have heard. It’s just not possible….
Ember was standing not more than twenty five feet away from me that evening and she had almost killed herself!
I ran even faster, and tried to outpace my reality. There’s really no way to avoid something like that regardless of the desire. The truth will always follow, like an unwelcomed shadow. Eventually, I had to stop running since I couldn’t leave the state without Ember. I also needed to catch my breath – even though I felt like dying.
Rave was puttering around in the garage (as usual) when I returned to Sunridge. My mad dash was pointless because I couldn’t avoid my detestable new reality. I wasn’t out of breath anymore because I had walked the six miles back instead of running. It was odd, but I wasn’t even tired. I could have run another ten miles or more, but I figured what’s the use.
All the running in the world won’t change a single thing about my life…
“You alright, Son?” Rave asked me, nonchalantly.
“I suppose I will have to be at some point – I just don’t know when that’ll be…” I replied honestly.
“Listen, that little sister of yours is tough. Ya’ know, women are much stronger than we think they are,” Rave offered.
“They’d have to be…otherwise, they’d be extinct if their survival depended on a man. I can’t even protect her when she’s just in the next flippin’ room…” I blurted out my exasperated thoughts without thinking.
“You were born to protect. You didn’t read the book Celeste sent home with your sister, did you?” he asked me the rhetorical question, so I sat silently brooding and didn’t offer a response.
“There are stories in that book that’ll make your chest hair fall out, so it’s probably better that you don’t read them ‘til your feeling strong again. Celeste’s people have a long, long history that’s full of dominant females – not that I mind that part of it. My own Vaydem heritage has more than its fair share of strong woman that do amazing things. But Celeste’s people find a reverence in women because they give birth. So that book is stuffed full of women doing this and that.
“The one story in that book that I remember best is about a Spiritual Guardian. I’d like to share it with you. That way you don’t have to read it. I’m guessing that reading is not your priority right now.
“The legend tells us about a fierce race of two hundred warriors called the Lor’Tirin – Keepers of Lightning. They were formed by the essences of strength and courage. The Lor’Tirin were created to protect the women and children during the long summer hunts. These celestial guardians surrounded the Ay’sha village to keep watch until the clansmen returned with the bounty. They would move the women and children outta harm’s way whenever possible.
“But the lesser sun god, Turish saw how beautiful the Ay’sha women were and wanted to know them all – like his own personal gypsy harem. He tracked them for years, but he was always a second too late to capture them. So Turish got ticked off and decided to create another race to fight the Lor’Tirin. He called them the Kle’Ramdi which means Justice of the Sun God. They were a pack of warriors and they outnumbered the Lor’Tirin Guardians by a hundred fold.
“The Sun God’s army somehow managed to track down the Ay’sha women and children. They were surrounded by the time they were discovered. So the Lor’Tirin had to either surrender or stand and fight. Surrendering wasn’t an option they would consider – not in that case at least. After a fierce battle only one Guardian was left standing. His name was Valin’Jaqua.
“When the clansmen returned, they paid homage to the lone Spiritual Guardian by giving him the most beautiful Ay’sha woman of the village for his bride. They say his descendants’ will rise to form a great and powerful lineage of Guardians with warrior hearts – born to protect the women and children. These gypsy Spiritual Guardians will be known by strength of character – noble and brave in the face of their enemies…”
“That legend is the best one in the whole book. Well, I might hold this particular opinion because it’s about a bunch of strong men in a book full of powerful women. I’ll never admit that to Celeste though, not in this lifetime, at least. I’ve condensed the story as I’m sure you gathered, but you get the gist.
“Tray, when you applied for the job I felt your spiritual power. I knew you had the blood and spirit of a Spiritual Guardian. Even Guardians have their doubts from time to time. I’m sure Valin’Jaqua questioned whether he’d win that battle because the odds weren’t in his favor. In the end, he was still standing because he didn’t give in – no matter how many guys he had to take on.
“Ya’ know, I’ve witnessed Celeste’s abilities only a handful of times. Honestly, they scared the life outta me. She hasn’t used many of them since we’ve been living among my people. It’s not my most shining or admirable trait, but we live here mostly outta my fear for her safety and Boo’s. Celeste’s people, well let’s just say they have a tendency to be self-centered. They look out for their own family’s interests, without thinking of anybody else’s. The Vaydem – we take care of our own, collectively. I know that sounds strange, but that’s how we operate,” Rave stated honestly.
“But Ember and I aren’t Vaydem…”
“Don’t make my mistakes, son. My wife has been hidden away on this hallowed Preserve for years because I was afraid of what might happen. I’m not a Guardian at heart, but you are. I’m a healer – a shaman – so a fierce heart is not a part of my emotional capabilities,” he admitted.
I was trying to process all his information, so I remained quiet for a few minutes and thought it through.
“Are you a religious person?” Rave asked me directly.
“Not religious – I’ve never been to church or anything. I would call it ‘spiritual’ because I pray and believe the answers will come,” I answered.
“Then it sounds like you believe as I do, in the Creator and that he has a plan. Trust in that, learn from your elders and allow your abilities to be used to realize those plans. Never let your fear guide your decisions – trust in what you know to be right and the details will always work themselves out…”
Ember Rising Light (Book One) Page 37
