Her mother sighed. “Oh the trouble your siblings caused. I know it wasn’t always easy for you.”
“Caus-ed?” Juliska eyed her mother hard. “It never stops.”
“They are a voracious bunch.”
“That’s one way to describe my siblings.” Juliska’s tone noted irritation over having to see them.
“Perhaps your father and I shouldn’t have taken you in. Maybe you’d have been happier with another family,” her words were not cutting or harsh, more wondering and understanding.
Juliska rolled her eyes and smiled.
“Truth is, I fell in love with you right away,” stated Adeline. “And so did your father. We were greedy and decided to keep you.”
“I am glad you did, Mom. I miss him. So much more than I ever thought I could.”
“Me too. It’s been a tough year since he left us.”
Juliska leaned in and hugged her mother again. “You’re right. It hasn’t always been easy. But I can’t imagine a better mother, or father. I’m very lucky. Lucky for the time I got to have with him. And you.”
She had no idea how her poor mother was coping with the loss of her husband.
Or her siblings with the loss of their father.
Regardless of her sibling’s treatment of her, the family had been close. Their father a big part of their daily lives.
However, this empathy was easy to lose when faced with time spent with her siblings. She lifted her head and peered toward the kitchen. She was going to have to go in.
“Oh it won’t be so bad,” claimed her mother. She tugged her daughter along. “I made them promise not to cause any trouble.”
“And you think today’s the day they’re going to start listening to you?”
Her mother laughed. “Come on. Let’s celebrate this happy day.”
Juliska sighed and followed her mother into the kitchen. It was still exactly the same. The kitchen hadn’t changed since she’d first seen it. A wood stove with a teapot on the back burner. A deep steel basin with a water pump attached to the right-hand side. The same rectangular wooden table that she sat at each day since her arrival to this house. It was old. A little beaten. And if it could talk… she couldn’t imagine all the stories…
This place didn’t just hold bad memories. There were a few good ones. They were harder to find, but they were there, and almost always had to do with her father. Or mother.
And there they were. All four of her siblings.
“You’re here. Happy birthday, Juliska.” Alex, the eldest. Recently turned thirty-six, and about to become a father for the first time. His wife was absent though, home resting.
“It’s good to see you, Juliska. You look well.” Amelia, thirty-three in a few months. Her tone was flat. She was trying to be nice at least. But this was new for her.
Juliska gave her a curt nod.
Her younger siblings, twins, Anna and Adam. Eighteen years old. Precocious. Spoiled. And an unplanned surprise. Their mother had them when she was forty-two, after many years of insisting she was finished having children. She called them her lucky accidents, although more often than not, she really called them pain in the butt one and two.
The twins ignored the traditional greetings and barraged her with questions.
“Had any cool visions lately?”-Adam.
“Any about us?”-Anna.
“Anyone die in them?”-Adam
“Do you have a boyfriend yet?”-Anna.
“Screw that, tell us about a vision. You know so many people’s secrets.”- Adam
“I bet you get to meet all the best guys.”-Anna. She ended it with a giggle.
The older siblings rolled their eyes.
“We were never like this, right Mom?” jeered Alex.
“Oh, no. Not at all. I hope you heard the extreme sarcasm in that reply…”
“I have a strong feeling I’ll be paid back in full once my baby arrives.”
They laughed. Even Juliska thought it funny. Not so much the part about meeting guys. She wasn’t interested. Only in her work. That’s all that mattered right now. Especially after her meeting with Banon Havelock today. Focus on her job was more important than ever.
“My job keeps me pretty busy,” Juliska said to them all. “So no dates. And you guys know I can’t tell you about my visions, or break people’s confidences.”
“You’re just no fun,” Adam accused.
“And what’s the point of being in the public eye if not to get a handsome man to tug alongside?” Anna said with a wink.
“I’m not in the public eye by choice,” Juliska breathed out. “It’s my job.”
There was an under the breath cluck from Amelia. Juliska ignored it.
“I can’t help that I’m easily recognized because of my job,” she finished.
“But you’re so pretty… you must be swatting away men like flies,” Anna assumed.
Amelia let out a smug chuckle. “Your sister is a workaholic. I’m not sure she’s ever been on a proper date.”
“Of course she has,” defended Alex.
“Yes. And they obviously went very well,” remarked Amelia.
Juliska held her tongue. Always the one to hold her tongue. Why did it always come down to Amelia? All her siblings drove her crazy in their own way, but Amelia liked to push every button. She just never understood why. There was no reason to be jealous. Their parents had given them all equal attention.
“You know what?” interjected their mother. “Let’s cut the cake. Now what did I do with my knife?” She strolled around the kitchen searching.
Amelia gave Juliska a wry smile, almost as if daring her to pick a fight. All she wanted to say was, act your age! You’re a grown woman so stop acting like a spoiled child! Juliska ignored the attempt at goading. Amelia wasn’t like this in public.
And Juliska’s past boyfriends and dates were not a topic a conversation she wished to discuss. They all ended the same way… with her finding out they were just hoping she’d have some vision of the guy’s future.
And if he got a little canoodling on the side… well, someone left the relationship satisfied and it certainly wasn’t her. She was done with men. They all wanted the same thing… to use her ability to try to get some edge in their jobs, or school, or whatever their endeavors had been, or were.
Besides, once she took over as First Seer to the Banon, she’d have no time anyway. She’d need complete focus all the time to do her job correctly.
“Ah, there it is. Sitting under the cake plate.”
Juliska grinned, wondering how her mother still managed to find anything after raising four children, plus her.
There was another round of giggles from Anna, and a held back stream of laughter from Adam, followed by more annoyed eye rolls from Alex and Amelia.
“We had nothing to do with it,” claimed Alex. He aimed his words at Juliska with a look of humored warning.
“What have you done now?” their mother demanded. “You promised. Both of you.”
“It’s okay, Mom.” Juliska blew it off. She’d expected nothing less and waited for them to reveal their latest insult to what she referred to as her life.
Their mother lifted the cover off the cake plate, to reveal a newly redecorated birthday cake.
“Anna! Adam! Really?” Adeline put her hands on her hips. “I put a lot of time into that cake.”
They just laughed and collected plates so they could eat. It was still edible. Although rather ugly looking.
“It was beautiful,” insisted her mother. “Covered in freshly picked flowers from the back garden. Amelia even helped me collect them.”
The look on Amelia’s face said she’d rather that fact had remained secret.
Juliska also caught a whiff of annoyance over the fact her mother had stated it like she was shocked her daughter had helped. Adeline meant it in a nice way, more like, she’d even helped though it was for Juliska… but Amelia would take it as a slight just the same. She really needed
to toughen up and not take things so personally.
“Thank you,” said Juliska anyway. “I’m sure it was lovely. Although, I suppose the redecoration fits as well.” She pretended it didn’t bother her. It did. And it didn’t. She was used to it and forced a smile.
Her younger siblings had singed the flowers, leaving behind burnt edges and melted frosting. They had replaced the Happy Birthday Juliska, with her old nickname… Burniska.
She’d never live down her teen years. Her siblings would never let her. The first couple of years after learning she was Firemancer were tough. There was a rough patch, an adjustment period, when she first started lessons with her mentor, PanSofia. She’d often wake in the middle of the night with her sheets ablaze, or be walking down a hall and flames would burst out of her and she’d set fire to curtains.
It was never on purpose, and only acerbated by the torment from her siblings. But she always had terrible guilt about it as it created extra work for her mother to keep up with. The constant repairing and replacing of things. Putting out actual fires, along with the metaphorical fires between her and her siblings.
Her mother guessed this. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Look at you now,” she stated proudly.
“Hm. Yes,” sneered Amelia.
At least it sounded like a sneer to Juliska.
Could she just skip the cake and leave now?
“Second Seer,” boasted her mother.
“Lucky you,” Amelia remarked. “Once old PanSofia kicks the bucket, you’re the Seer to the Banon.”
Juliska cleared her throat. “PanSofia is in fine health. I’m sure she won’t be going anywhere, anytime soon.” She could not tell them what she’d found out today. Not yet. And it was the last thing she wanted to talk about with her siblings, it would only add more fuel to the fire.
“PanSofia looks great,” Alex piped in. “I ran into her the other day in town.”
“Yes. She may be in her seventies, but she gets around like someone half her age,” said Juliska. “But, um…” she stopped, catching herself.
Maybe it was better not to say anything. Although they’d all find out about the task the Banon had asked her to do soon enough. Better from her she supposed. But she needed to be careful not to reveal too much.
“What is it darling?” Her mother waited patiently.
“Well… PanSofia recently turned down a special job on behalf of the Banon. She decided she was a little uncomfortable with it. I guess her mind is willing but she thinks the body, not so much. Anyway, Banon Havelock asked me to do this task in her place and I’ve agreed to it.”
Her mother took on a worried look.
“What kind of project?” asked Alex.
“I can’t really say, yet… the Banon’s request,” she explained.
“How intriguing,” said Adam, looking like he was about to shoot twenty questions at her.
“Tell us, please, please, please,” Anna begged. “Any hot guys working with you on this task?”
Juliska grumbled out a sigh.
“I only brought it up because we were talking about PanSofia and it’s not something I can talk freely about until the Banon makes his official announcement in a few days. And I’ll be on the job, and this is a very important job. It will be completely work related and nothing more. I don’t even know who else is involved and I don’t care.”
“You’re really are no fun,” scowled Adam.
“You’re so serious all the time,” Anna charged.
“Oh cut the cake already,” groaned Alex. “I’m starting to wonder if there’s a return policy on infants…” There were a few laughs, but the tension didn’t lift for long.
Amelia shook her head. “How is it luck just follows you? Another reason to celebrate Juliska.” She turned and busied herself grabbing some glasses from a cupboard.
What is her deal today? Juliska moaned silently. She really is picking for a fight.
Alex and his mother exchanged a fleeting glance. Amelia had always been the jealous kind. Preferring the attention always be on her, but never really having any reason for it to.
Although talented in her own right as a potion maker, and highly sought after, her vocation was mostly dull and uneventful. It did not come with any high level of prestige, or notoriety.
Juliska let out a long puff of air. When would she learn to just keep her mouth shut? She shouldn’t have said a thing. Should just have eaten a piece of cake and left. And let them all find out when everyone else did.
She couldn’t help what she was. It wasn’t like she’d been given any choice. She was a Firemancer. A seer. She hadn’t chosen it. It just was. But for some reason Amelia had always had issue with the attention given her, even though she was years older and living the life she’d chosen for herself.
“Is this task dangerous?” asked her mother.
Juliska shook her head. “Um. No. Not at all. You don’t have to worry about that. I wish I could tell you all more, but no, it’s not dangerous. PanSofia just felt I would be a better fit I guess. I can say, it will be a momentous occasion when he makes the announcement.”
Adam and Anna looked riotous.
“You are the lucky one!”- Anna.
“Get to have all the fun!” – Adam.
“Yeah, that’s me. All about fun.” She shot Adam a glare as he’d just complained how not fun she was.
“Okay everyone. Enough.” Their mother put an end to the conversation. “Let’s go out in the yard to eat our cake. It’s a lovely summer evening.”
Juliska accepted the slice of cake her mother handed her, but wasn’t in the mood to eat it. She didn’t want to celebrate. She just wanted to leave and go home.
It was a perfect evening to be outdoors though. Warm. A light salty breeze coming off the ocean. Stars brightening overhead, with a pinkish backsplash as the sun disappeared down over the horizon.
There was a long tense moment as everyone ate their cake, in silence.
Juliska caught another fleeting look between Alex and their mother. Now that Alex was about to have a baby, it seemed like they were suddenly speaking on some privately silent understood wavelength.
He turned to Amelia. “Earlier, you were about to tell us about a recurring dream you’ve been having, but never got to it.”
Juliska lowered her head and grinned tightly. Her mother and Alex were playing right into Amelia’s needs. To be the center of attention.
And let her have it… Juliska didn’t want it. She’d had enough.
Amelia shrugged. “No matter really. Just a silly dream.”
“No. Tell us,” encouraged their mother. “It must be an important one, seeing as you remembered it so clearly.”
“Well, okay then. If you really want to hear it?” She cheered up a little, the attention on her.
“Especially if there’s a hot guy,” sighed Anna.
Amelia rolled her eyes. “No. It’s not that type of dream. Why don’t you go find yourself a boyfriend already?”
“Oh dear lord,” their mother whispered.
“Anyway,” Amelia drawled. “This dream is a more existential type dream. Got me to thinking. So much so, that I took out a notepad and started writing down the dream and all the thoughts screaming out of my head at the same time. I’ve had it a few times now, not exactly the same. A little different, you know how dreams are. But each time it just wakes up my mind and gets me wired and I cannot go back to sleep.”
“I’m intrigued. What did it get you to thinking about?” asked Alex. He liked a good debate.
“Magic. The existence of it. About how everyone used to have it. About how incredible it would be if everyone did again. You know? The entire world, not just our little corner of it. What if we didn’t have to hide anymore? Didn’t have to be stuck on this island? Could roam freely.”
Juliska cleared her throat. What her sister was talking about sounded eerily similar to what these rumored undergrounders were talking like. Was Amelia one of them?
“Yes. Can’t you imagine it? How incredible it would be?”
“Incredible, sure,” agreed Alex. “But…”
“But what?” Amelia retorted.
“It’s a nice thought. A very nice thought. But there’s no reality in it.”
“How so?”
“Let’s just say for a minute it is possible for this to happen… I can’t even fathom how one would return magic to the entire world… but let’s just pretend it’s doable. Can you even imagine the chaos that would follow such an event?”
“It could be planned for. If it was done right…” Amelia argued. “I’m not saying it would be easy or without complication. I’m not that naïve.”
“I don’t think there’s enough planning in the world to prepare the entire planet to suddenly have magic return.” Juliska couldn’t help herself. The idea was preposterous.
“Of course, you wouldn’t agree with it.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Juliska demanded.
Amelia rose from her chair. “It just means you’d never agree to anything I suggested, ever. Even if it was the best idea about anything.”
“That’s not true. But the very idea of returning magic to a world that’s forgotten it even existed… the outside world fears what it does not understand. It would never work. Not with a lifetime of planning.”
Amelia fumed, but said nothing.
Juliska tried to smooth things over. “I shouldn’t say anything, but if you just wait a few days until the Banon’s announcement… I wish I could tell you, really I do. But if it works out, it might satisfy your need for adventure. To roam freely, Amelia. For everyone who feels this need.”
“I don’t have a need for adventure. I have a need for freedom. To come and go as I please. As I decide. There’s a world out there we are forbidden to enter. Unless your name is Juliska Blackwell. Couldn’t even take on the Cobb family name.”
“Amelia!” their mother scolded. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you today but that was uncalled for. You are an adult, so act like one. We do not treat each other with such disrespect.”
Forsaken (Fated Saga Fantasy Series Book 8) Page 4
