“She added to your power base, Kallisto. That’s why you were levitating.” He started ranting and pacing. “I’d seen you levitate before, so I didn’t think anything about it until you mentioned the power. She’s done it again. I can’t believe she’d do that.” He started ranting and pacing. Kallisto could barely keep up with what he was saying. She finally got tired of chasing him down and she was sure Kalan was getting tired of being pulled around, since they hadn’t released hands since he grabbed hers. She stepped in Gabriel’s path so that he had to either stop or run over her; he stopped.
“Gabriel, what did she do?” Kallisto stood firm with Kalan at her side. Gabriel looked from one to the other of them.
“She’s increased the rate of the curse, again. We only have a month, maybe a little more but not much. We’re going to have to move faster than I ever imagined would be possible for us. Everything is accelerated. It was shortened enough from effects of the witch and warlock, but your eyes started to turn brown again. It was like we only lost a couple of months rather than over a year. But now for some reason the enchantress has sped the process again. Curse you, Celeste! Why did you do this?” Gabriel talked as though she was right in the room, and then, suddenly, she was.
“Gabriel, calm down. This is the way it must be done. The curse has gone off track for a reason.” She seemed to float over to him. Gabriel turned angry eyes on her.
“Celeste, her eyes were changing back. We had more time. Why did you take that away? Now we have even less time than we started out with.” Gabriel turned to Kallisto and looked in her eyes. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, shaking it. Kalan pulled Kallisto into his arms. Talus went to them and put his arms around them. Ramina put her arms around them and Ephiny and William did the same. Gabriel looked up at the group, his legs twitched as though he was about to walk forward, but then he stopped and turned to face Celeste again. Celeste was smiling at the group.
“How can you smile in the midst of our destruction? Do we, your children and friends, mean so little to you?” Kallisto said from the center of the group. They released her so she could face Celeste. “Don’t you care that your own children are about to die?” A tear streamed down her cheek. She longed for the mother she knew. She longed for Hope to be there instead of Celeste. Hope wouldn’t have taken away the life she had left.
“Yes, child, I do care for you and your brother. I’ve been there with you in every life, even though you couldn’t see me, or feel me. I was there for everything that happened to you. Do you remember what the Bible says, child? Think about the footprints in the sand. During good times, there were two sets of prints, but when the hardships came, there was only one set because He carried you. The Lord makes you go through trials, but it all has a purpose. This is His purpose, not mine. There’s a reason the curse has changed, and there’s a reason that it’s now. Keep God in your heart, child, no matter what happens.” She looked at Kalan as she said the last. Celeste placed her arms around him and reached for Kallisto.
“But why does this have to happen and why now?” Kalan spoke into her shoulder.
“Have faith. Know that God has his reasons and know that He’s here with you, no matter what. You all need to go through certain things for the curse to be broken. The curse is nearing its end; that I can promise you. Please understand if I could keep you from going through any of this I would, but this is the way that everything is supposed to happen.” She kissed their heads and released them, turning to Gabriel.
“You must have faith too, strong one. It’s as it should be, but know this; you’re allowed to love. Even though you’re their protector, it doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to be a part of the group as well. Join them Gabriel–join them fully. Be a part of everything and you won’t be alone.” With that, she disappeared.
At first they just sat around feeling sorry for themselves, but Kallisto grew tired of it quickly. There was only so much moping she could take.
“Alright, that’s it! Everybody get up. We have less than a month to live and I’m not going to spend one more minute wallowing in sorrow. Gabriel, what’s our next move? Where were we before we died the last time?” She was determined not to let them sulk. Gabriel stood up slowly, his brow creased in deep thought.
“We’d just gotten the last pieces of the tablet and were going to put them together. We lost track of time going after the witch’s son. We killed him, or at least I did, time ran out and we died. Did you bring the box with the artifacts in it from Hope’s?” Gabriel looked more determined now. Kallisto nodded.
“Good. Where are they?” Gabriel looked around at each of them for an answer. Kallisto glanced at Kalan and showed him where they were by putting the image in his head—their silent communication.
“Okay,” Kalan said, and went out the door. The others looked at Kallisto, confused, and she watched as realization dawned on them; all but Gabriel, who smiled slightly, although it didn’t reach his eyes. Turning, he went to retrieve the last missing piece.
“Everything will be fine, all of you. We’ll live our last few days as though we don’t know the end is coming,” Kallisto said, knowing Gabriel would hear it too. Kalan entered the room carrying the box from Hope’s house. “We’ll figure these clues out and get the next before we die. We can mail it back to Hope if there is no time to go back home, but I’d really like to tell her goodbye before we die. So…Kalan, lay out the pieces and let’s put this jigsaw puzzle together, shall we?”
Everyone smiled as well as they could and followed them to the dining room. It was hard to believe that just around twelve hours ago, they were eating and laughing at that very table.
Kalan dumped the contents of the box onto the table and everyone surrounded it. They started to paw through everything, picking out pieces of the tablet and placing them in the center. Gabriel came in and added the last piece. With all of them pitching in, they pieced together the stone jigsaw puzzle in minutes. Staring at the completed tablet, Kallisto had no idea what she was looking at. She thought she recognized the carvings as Egyptian, but she couldn’t read it. Looking around the circle of friends and family, she saw the same confusion. Gabriel and Ephiny, though, looked deep in thought as they read the text then sat back in their chairs. Ephiny’s face was calm, but Gabriel bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. His brow was creased and Kallisto could tell there was something wrong.
“So…what does it say?” Kalan asked impatiently.
Gabriel looked up. “How do you feel about Egypt?” He gave a small smirk, but it was troubled looking instead of cocky.
“We have to go to Egypt for the next clue?” Kallisto sat down roughly and sighed. “We have to go back to Garber and let Hope know what’s going on and say goodbye before we go. I won’t leave without at least saying goodbye. We’ll most likely need to mail the clues to Hope from Egypt, not to mention the fact that we’ll need more money. I have to have things in order before we leave.”
Kalan nodded in agreement. Gabriel stared at Kallisto for a moment and dipped his head once in agreement. Kallisto jumped up and ran to her room. She needed to get her thoughts in order and pack for the trip. When she reached her room, she closed the door and went to the bed. Sitting on the edge, she felt numb and disconnected as she stared into space and wondered what to do next. She’d given that speech downstairs about living their lives like they didn’t know the end was coming, but there she was, wasting time worrying about what to do. She thought some leader I’ve turned out to be. No wonder she didn’t live to be a queen; she would’ve been horrible at it. She was always eager to give advice, but she rarely took her own words to heart, and how could she be an effective leader if she couldn’t practice what she preached? A knock at the door interrupted her self-depreciation, and she crossed the room to the dresser so she’d at least look like she was busy.
“Come in!” she called, a little harsher than she needed to, and felt guilty immediately. It wasn’t their fault she wa
s a failure.
“It’s me, babe. Are you alright?” Talus peeked through the door, seemingly unsure whether to come in or not. His caution made her smile; he was always so polite and kind and charming.
“You can come in, Talus. I’m sorry I snapped. I’m just a little on edge right now.” She turned toward him but stood still.
He nodded as he came in and closed the door behind him. “Kallisto, you never need to apologize to me. This is very hard on all of us—emotions are running high. I probably would’ve snapped if someone had come to my room.” He walked over to her with his arms outstretched. She fell into them as he reached her and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. The weight of the situation finally took its toll and she started sobbing into his shoulder. Murmuring comforting words, he rubbed her back and smoothed her hair. She felt his lips press to her head several times. They stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s embrace, for what felt like a wonderful eternity. Another knock at the door interrupted them, and Kallisto straightened up. The tears were already gone and her face reflected the calm she felt.
“Who is it?” she said quietly, not wanting to snap at another person who didn’t deserve it.
“It’s me. Can I come in?” Gabriel said.
“Of course you can, Gabriel.” Kallisto stepped to the side of Talus so she could see the door and Talus turned beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulders. Kallisto thought his support felt nice and comforting, like being at home.
Gabriel came in slowly and shut the door behind him. “Everyone’s ready when you are.” He looked at the room, taking in the unmoved state of Kallisto’s belongings.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should’ve been packed long ago.” She bowed her head in shame.
Quickly closing the space between them, Gabriel tilted her chin up to look in her eyes. “Never apologize to me, Princess. You’ve done nothing wrong. This is harsh news for anyone to take, and it takes a lot out of a person.”
“Everyone else seemed to take it just fine. They’re already finished and I’ve done nothing but stand here being comforted. Some princess I am.” Kallisto tried to look away but Gabriel grabbed her chin roughly, but not enough to hurt.
“You’re the best princess I’ve ever served. Your heart is tender and kind. There’s no snobbery in your personality at all, and you’re stronger than any other princess I’ve known, with the exception of Ramina, of course,” he said the last with a smirk and released her chin. It was an attempt to cheer her up and she let it work. She smiled back, a true smile, even though it was slightly sad.
They finally packed up and loaded their luggage into the cars. Talus, Ephiny and Kallisto rode with Gabriel. William, Ramina and Kalan drove Kallisto’s car. They were finally on their way back to Oklahoma. They would stop at Hope’s and ask to borrow her SUV so they could all ride together; it was big enough to haul all of them plus their belongings.
The trip was long. Ramina, William, and Kalan took turns driving Kallisto’s car, but Ephiny and Kallisto were too nervous about driving the monster truck so Talus and Gabriel switched off. Talus was ecstatic about driving a truck that size. It was a new and exciting experience for him.
Around midnight, they finally reached Hope’s house. They were too nervous and exhilarated to go to sleep on the drive, so they were wide awake when they arrived. Hope was awake and waiting. Kallisto assumed Kalan had called her until Hope ran up and thanked Gabriel for letting her know. Gabriel never used the phone, so he must’ve put it in her head like he had with Kallisto. She really wanted to learn how to do that.
Hope ran up and hugged Kalan and Kallisto and kissed their heads. Then, she went to Talus and Ramina. Confusion seeped into her warm expression when she looked at Ephiny. She walked up to her and Ephiny wrapped her arms around Hope. Hope stood there a moment and then returned the hug.
“Grandma?” Hope said, still confused.
“Yes darling, it’s me. The enchantress saw fit that I should come back and help.” Ephiny looked far too young to be Hope’s grandmother, but she acted just like one. Kallisto was confused as to how Hope knew who she was. Gabriel must have seen it.
“Hope, why don’t you show everyone how you know this is Ephiny,” Gabriel suggested.
Hope pulled back from Ephiny and nodded. “Yes of course.” She led them into the house, leaving them in the living room while she went into the attic for a moment. Soon, she came back downstairs with a painting. She turned it around and showed them. In the portrait, Ephiny sat in a chair, but it wasn’t the same Ephiny that stood looking at the painting with them. The Ephiny in the painting was older, with gray streaks through her hair and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. Hope called them laugh lines when Kallisto was a child. Ephiny looked as though she was in her late forties. Ephiny must’ve been a very happy woman in her life. Her eyes sparkled, like the painter caught the glimpse of humor in them that wasn’t shown on her face. None of the people in the painting smiled but they still looked happy in the eyes. A man stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder. He looked much like William, but with dark brown, almost black hair with gray streaks all through it, and the eyes were darker than William’s as well. Although he was much older, that man could’ve been William’s twin or grandpa. He looked as though he was in his early fifties. William stared at the painting in disbelief.
There were children in the painting. One child was poised in Ephiny’s lap and another at her feet. They were identical twins, about eight or nine years old, and both had blonde hair and blue eyes that gleamed like their parents’. They truly looked as though they wanted to laugh. There was a boy standing beside the man with his hands clasped in front of him. He had dark hair and eyes and looked to be around twenty years old. Another man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties stood with his hand on Ephiny’s other shoulder. A blonde girl stood in front of the older boy. She looked like a younger version of Hope, around eighteen years old. The last child was a dark haired girl that looked like a younger version of Ephiny, who looked as though she might be about twelve. The happy unit sat in their group staring out of the painting as the younger Ephiny gazed lovingly back. They felt strange, looking at the painting, while the object of it stood next to them, younger and more vital. Ephiny sighed as she looked at the painting.
“I lived a full and happy life. I watched my children grow and have children of their own. I thought I was too old to have the twins but there they sit, happy and healthy. I loved that man with all my heart, but the only thing that started the relationship…was William. If he hadn’t looked so much like William I don’t think I would’ve given him a second look.” She turned and smiled at William. William’s cheeks flushed, surprising Kallisto. He was always so self-confident; she’d never seen him embarrassed by anything. He walked over to Ephiny and wrapped his arms around her.
“We lived in the same castle for over two years. Why didn’t you ever say anything?” He pulled back and looked in Ephiny’s eyes, glittering with unshed tears.
“You were so in love with Kallisto, there was no way I’d have risked rejection,” Ephiny said in a small voice. “Besides, you always looked at all the servants as though you were so much better than us. My self-esteem couldn’t take a blow like that.”
“I would never have said that about you, Ephiny. You were the only servant that didn’t seem like a servant to me. Kallisto treated you like a sister so much that I always considered you like a part of the royal family. I think of you that way even more now that I know it was your family who brought us up and protected us. The ones who raised me were such good parents that I really felt as though they were my parents. I loved them very much.” William pulled her back into the circle of his arms. “If I love them, how can I not love the mother of their whole family?” He pulled back again and kissed her.
The others stood there in shock, all but Gabriel and Hope. Watching them was a little awkward for the others, so they turned and started talking about Eg
ypt. Gabriel finally got annoyed with their show of affection.
“Alright you two, that’s enough. You’re making us uncomfortable.” Gabriel looked down as he said it. He was blushing, which was strange because he never blushed, not in all the lives Kallisto could remember. It made her wonder if he was starting to soften up in this incarnation. Laughing, Ephiny and William pulled apart. Everyone now had a partner, except Gabriel. Maybe that was why he’d acted that way; maybe it was the realization that he was without someone.
Gabriel went out to the truck to get the box. They still needed to go over a few things before they went to Egypt. As they went through the box, they found a layout of where they were supposed to stand during the ceremony to open the door to get the next clue. There was an extra spot on the layout and they didn’t know what it was for. Ephiny looked at the spot for a moment and smiled.
“That’s for someone we haven’t collected yet,” Ephiny said, still smiling. They turned to her with shock, even Gabriel.
“You mean we’re going to be joined by someone else?” Gabriel said taken aback. Ephiny smiled wider.
“‘She’s the path. She’ll lead the way. She’ll come in when the curse nears an end and be a savior to us all’,” Ephiny quoted. Everyone was still in shock.
“What’s that, some sort of prophecy?” William asked with sarcasm. Ephiny just kept smiling and nodded as though she hadn’t heard the sarcasm.
“Gabriel, you know this whole curse has had prophecy told throughout. Did the monks not tell you this one?” Ephiny asked. Gabriel nodded his head.
“They did, but I thought it was a reference to Ramina being the key. I thought she would lead the way and open the door once we got there. I guess I thought wrong,” Gabriel said finally. Everyone looked to Ramina. Her eyes were wide and she shrugged.
Celtic Rose Page 20
