Chapter Ninety Three
“I’ll never understand that kid even though I do spend some time in her head on a daily basis…” I informed Willow as we sat outside on the porch.
“Ours is not to question – just to follow her around and keep her from tumbling into a pit on her endless quest for knowledge and trouble…” Willow offered jokingly.
“There’s an understatement if ever I’ve heard one! You and Celeste can’t teach her fast enough. Celeste uses the term ‘indescribable’ so often in reference to Ember’s channeling gifts that it flips me out…”
“Uncle Rave told me that you both might have a Vaydem bloodline as well,” Willow stated gently and then, waited to gage my reaction.
“He’s sort of brought that up to me in passing a few times. Honestly, on my end of the spectrum it doesn’t seem likely. If it turns out to be true, I’ll somehow manage to incorporate it. I guess that would help explain some of Ember’s ‘indescribable’ channeling gifts. I can’t imagine how much time Rave will have to spend teaching her all about the Vaydem lineage on top of everything else he does…” I replied.
“He’s been thoroughly engrossed in something going on at the Arboretum. I think it’s some type of festival or ritual ceremony preparation. But, I’m sure he’ll find the time to teach her because he realizes that she’ll try her hand at using her ‘inborn-Vaydem-skills’ if he doesn’t. He’s rather fond of the Arboretum and wouldn’t want to see her flatten it like a pancake due to her misguided curiosity…” she told me and we doubled over laughing.
“I know Rave’s fairly certain we do have a Vaydem lineage, but he’s kind of been holding back instead of just coming out and saying it. He’s discovered that I can only handle so much and is giving me time to process it.”
“Yeah, he’s very perceptive. I guess the question comes down to – are you prepared to accept it yet?”
“I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about it, but it appears that the Creator has other plans in mind. Every time I turn around the fact that we’re Vaydem too is getting shoved at me.
“Celeste told me a few days ago that Ember walked into a sacred chamber and then, put on some Vaydem elder’s vestment the night of her birthday. That type of vestment normally would’ve repelled someone her age. I told her I’d apologize to Rave the next time I saw him. She said there wasn’t any need to do that because Ember’s ability to wear it is an honor given by the vestment – as in, it wouldn’t have allowed her to touch it, much less wear it without a ‘divine’ type of permission.
“That freaked me out, because suddenly my little girl can walk inside the Vaydem Sacred Fire and Ice Chamber and yank on an elder’s vestment. So, I guess my days of ignoring our Vaydem bloodline are rapidly drawing to a close – regardless of what I’m currently prepared to handle…” I informed her and shook my head in exhaustion.
“Uncle Rave told me that she can effortlessly breach the wards and protection runes that surround the Arboretum. I know for a fact that she can walk right through some very powerful repelling runes that surround the entire Preserve. It’s strange, but I don’t think she realizes that she’s even doing it. She’s always so involved inside her own internal world that she’s kinda oblivious to the fact that I have to ask Uncle Rave to drop the protections, so I can follow her when she wanders away.”
“I guess that kind of seals it, huh? We definitely have a Vaydem bloodline. I’ll figure out a way to manage this, but I’m not ready to share the revelation with Ember quite yet. She’ll turn into a fountain of questions and Rave will have to be the one to answer them. I don’t know what’s keeping him so busy, but you’re right about that ‘inborn-Vaydem-skills-test’ if he can’t teach her immediately.
“Also her internal furnace scorches her when she gets frustrated. I’ve felt that internal blaze and even burning at a low roar it’s still a flippin’ incinerator…” I told Willow.
We both agreed that all new forms of information should flow very gradually in her direction. That’s a pace well suited for my liking. I needed to chat this over with Rave before I said anything to my little girl about our newly discovered heritage. I wanted him to give me the details first and be able to plan for a time to teach her.
I started to shiver when I thought about how fast Ember could destroy the Arboretum with some unknown Vaydem ability…
“Willow, my queen, you ever gonna spill it about what’s got her so bouncy tonight?” I stated and used the word ‘bouncy’ because I couldn’t think of any other way to describe it.
“You must be kidding?? I’ll never break the female code for any price or any male servant either…”
“I should just duck and run before I get taken hostage by the two of you…”
“It’s way too late for that, honey. Sorry, but you’re kind of stuck at this point…” Willow informed me and laughed.
“Did you discover anything new today about our local gang affiliates?” I asked her about the dark clique.
“Nothing – I never knew how frustrating our gypsy culture could be until I met these kids. Every gypsy in the known universe would be considered a raving songbird compared to them…”
“Well, the DC girls are anything but silent, usually…” I thought out loud.
“Everything they talk about is useless to our investigation. Trust me – I’ve listened to their conversations carefully. They’re all about hair, makeup, fashion, boys and more boys.”
“Something will turn up eventually because we’re extremely patient – we stay the course…”
“Yes, as always – we stay our course…”
We sat up talking until 11:30 and then, we both went to bed. I had given Willow her own bedroom in the house because she spends so much time with us during the week. She occasionally spends some weekend nights at Sunridge too. I didn’t want Ember to think we were sharing a bedroom in our house though, because we weren’t.
My little girl had seen Willow many nights before she went to sleep and she would still be here in the morning. I had originally thought that my separate bedrooms idea would be enough to alleviate her curiosity about any possible physical relationship going on between me and Willow. That assumption turned out to be wrong. Ember questioned me about it out of the clear blue sky one day last weekend.
“Tray, do you and Willow sleep together?” she asked me.
“Have you ever seen us sleep together?” I countered her with a question because she had caught me off guard.
“You realize that you can just say it’s none of my business and I’ll leave it at that. You don’t have to lead me in circles…” Ember offered me a way out.
I had two choices when she said that. I could tell her it was none of her business because technically, it wasn’t. She would leave the subject alone because she respected my privacy. Or I could answer her question directly and use this rare opportunity to teach her an important life lesson.
“I love Willow, so that means – no, we’ve never slept together…” I revealed and waited for her to process what I had just said.
“I don’t get it? I thought if the two of you are in love with each other that…” Ember started to say, but I interrupted her train of thought.
“Little Girl, physical love creates and takes a tremendous amount of commitment to another person. Lots of people believe it’s sorta commonplace and that’s a real tragedy in my opinion. The act of physical love shouldn’t ever be taken lightly.
“If I love Willow then, I wanna wait until I’m ready to offer her my full lifelong commitment. So that means complete devotion of heart, soul and then, body – in that order. Why would anyone want to just jump to the end?? No one can reverse time and once the act is complete there’s no going back. The middle stuff is super important. Those are memories she and I both deserve to have. I would hate to think that all we had to look back on was the ending…” I explained it as best I could and hoped she understood.
“So, you rob yourself of something special and unique if you skip the middle stuff for the temporary pleasure of the last…” Ember pondered out loud. “That’d be dumb…”
Yes, it would be…
Ember Rising Light (Book One) Page 97
