Chapter Thirty Four
I turned the final screw and grabbed the light to turn it off. I rolled out from underneath the Chevy I had been fixing and saw Celeste sitting on a stool near the workbench. Rave was nowhere in sight and I figured Boo was inside the house with Ember. I ignored Celeste as I stood up.
The car door creaked open. I sat down in the driver’s seat and turned the engine on. It purred to life. No banging or sputtering – the car was running smoother today than it probably ever had. I closed my eyes to appreciate my work and tried to avoid the impending conversation with Celeste.
“Rave told me that you fixed it and in record time,” Celeste praised me.
“She does seem to be purring – doesn’t she?” I replied as I wiped off the steering wheel.
Celeste watched me intently, although she didn’t respond to my question. She made no move to leave the garage either. I sensed that she had something to say and I wondered if she was trying to figure out where to start.
“I know I scared you by telling her that she would have died, but it was the truth.”
I started to say something, but she motioned for me to be silent.
“It’s important that we all be truthful with each other – completely candid. My comment inside was intended to terrify her. Before you start yelling or run away with your sister again, I would appreciate it if you would just listen to what I have to say…” she stated and seemed to read my mind.
As her words washed through me, I felt the anger rise like a monster. I was righteously furious that she would intentionally terrify my little girl. Ember had never purposefully hurt anyone, ever. She somehow got Boo to speak and told us that he is spiritually gifted, communicates in his own way and loves them even if he doesn’t always show it.
One would think this woman could be grateful enough to find another way to tell Ember how dangerous her abilities might be. She didn’t have to scare her to do it – there had to be another way…
I didn’t trust myself to speak to Celeste right then, because of the threatening shadows inside my soul. So I picked up tools and slammed them around in frustration.
“Tray, I understand how mad you are at me. However, I feel as though I have earned at least a few minutes of your time, if nothing else…” Celeste requested.
I slammed the toolbox shut and I leaned against the workbench, defiantly. My arms were crossed to demonstrate my annoyance. I had no intention of actually listening, but I had to at least pretend to pay attention.
“You have spent years, probably Ember’s entire life, watching over and protecting her. My husband and I spoke at length about you the day we offered you the job because we sensed your ‘persuasion’ skill – which is technically named an Ay’sha ‘obliteration’ ability. It doesn’t work on either of us as you discovered, but we could still feel it. It’s as much a part of you as your eye color or the shape of your nose.
“Don’t worry though. Most people have no ability to recognize it. That’s the reason some gypsy males can pull off spectacular con jobs and never get caught. I would have recognized your skill because I have a rare immunity to it. That immunity is generally reserved for certain gypsy men because obliteration is exclusively a male ability, if given.
“Rave sensed your extraordinary and unique skill because his Vaydem bloodline gives him a birthright gift called The Seeing. This special gift provides him insight into a person’s true nature or soul – whichever you prefer to think of it as…
“You have yet to realize your full potential and might have more than just your obliteration skill. Ember has many abilities and gifts because she houses a spirit light. As I have previously stated, each of those abilities has two sides – light and dark.
“I know you are wise beyond your years. So I don’t need to tell you how dangerous these spiritual abilities can be in unskilled hands. You witnessed the end result of her spirit rejoining her body. You bandaged the wounds.
“All spiritual gifts can be manipulated by skilled hands, as well. There are evil people in this world that would love nothing more than to use her abilities. I feel that you can see the very real danger that poses. Should Ember continue to demonstrate her spiritual powers without any instruction then, something catastrophic will occur – it’s unavoidable. More importantly though, I want you to consider what might happen if something wicked sees a display of her tremendous powers.
“For some reason, you seem to believe that you can teach her about everything and watch her every move. However, it would be remiss of me to not point out the glaring flaw in that particular brand of logic. Life does not work that way although I sure wish it could.
“I have raised two daughters, so I know what you are going through. You want to believe those things, but that is a luxury you just cannot afford. At the risk of pointing out the obvious, in order to teach your daughter something you have to know what it is first.
“There are a few realizations you must come to terms with, right now. She is a teenage girl, extraordinarily powerful and has a strong-willed mind of her own. That last one’s not any big news – especially since you are the man that raised her. However, her very evident inquisitive nature makes it imperative that she gets guided instruction.
“You realize from the minute our children take their first step that we basically start letting them go. That was never a challenge for Rave. For me though, it took every ounce of strength inside me to permit my children to leave my visual range. And, that task will be exceedingly hard for you. You are Ember’s Spiritual Guardian and her parent. The many bonds you share with her will be life-long, and nothing will ever be able to change that. I need the parental side of you to hear this next part loud and clear.
“You do not have the ability to watch her every movement. It’s just not possible. So that means she has to learn how to use her gifts, start paying attention to her surroundings and maintain awareness. These things require guidance. Some trial and error will obviously be necessary, but that must be accomplished in a controlled setting.
“I understand that most of your anger stems from the feeling of being powerless against this. But I promise you that you are not helpless. You have single handedly kept her gifts and powers in check.
“She is alive and still breathing. That is no small feat to have accomplished, given her potential. You understand now that she has been toying with her gifts and powers without any direction. This needs to change, fast. You would have eventually figured all these things out on your own. We simply don’t have the time it takes for you to arrive at those conclusions. For the sake of expedience, I just spelled it all out for you.
“We find ourselves at this crossroad and you have a decision to make. You can take her away and she will follow you without hesitation. The spirit bond you share is an unbreakable, permanent link to each other.
“You have the option to run away or you can allow me to do what I can to teach her. However, I must warn you that I will continue to use whatever means are necessary in order to guide her to full understanding.
“My spiritual powers are limited and my knowledge is based solely on my family’s history. The Book of Ay’sha Essence and stories that have been handed down to me by word of mouth are all I have to rely on. I am very afraid that Ember’s gifts reach far beyond my knowledge though. But, even my limited teachings are better than blind ignorance. I hope you agree.
“I have witnessed only one other woman who possessed two Ay’sha, spiritual gifts…” Celeste’s eyes filled with tears and she looked up in an effort to keep them from spilling. “I can’t go into the details. It’s sufficient to say that this woman was a very close friend and her abilities took her from this world. I will not be a party to that madness again.
“Ember has the potential to kill herself and kill others as well. Right now, she is like an open book, waiting to be written. Her memory lapses provide us with a warning. I cannot begin to ex
plain how tragic the consequences could be if her wandering mind takes control of even one of her abilities without her full awareness.
“Hopefully, you can understand the breadth and scope of everything I just stated. I will use any and all means necessary to keep her focused so that she does not hurt herself or anyone else. That will include scaring her if required,” Celeste vowed seriously.
The reality of our situation was finally getting through my stubborn head. My anger had already subsided. I felt cautiously hopeful about the future.
I haven’t been lectured by an adult in a very long time…
“Do we understand each other?” she finally asked as she walked toward the door.
“We understand each other, perfectly…”
“By the way, after you left, Ember had only one concern when I told her that she would have died if she had been caught in the support beams of the house. She was scared that the house would have crushed you to death…”
I smiled and shook my head in wonder. Leave it to my little girl to be worried about what would have happened to me instead of being concerned about her own welfare. She’s something else…
“Ember told me that her soul would have died if you had been killed. It wouldn’t have made any difference to her about what happened to her own physical body…” Celeste offered to me and then she paused for a few seconds before she finally stated, “I hope you realize, Tray that she would have been right…”
Ember Rising Light (Book One) Page 38
