by Diana Nixon
“I don’t understand,” Evan said. “What did my father have to do with the triangles? He was the only child in the family, wasn’t he?”
“Actually, he was the third son in the family.”
“What? Do I have two uncles whom I have never heard about?”
“No. Unfortunately, they died at birth. And that’s why a part of those powers they were supposed to possess passed to your father. But it was not even close to what he needed to protect the gift of magic after his mother died. It also meant that his children would be born weak and powerless, and they would most likely die before they turned eighteen. That’s why when Dominick’s mother told him about the triangle’s curse, he did the only thing that he believed would save his heirs from death and misery… He created the Dragons Brotherhood, making the most talented and powerful magicians become a part of it. He took away their powers, so you and Kevin could inherit them when your time came. Then he found out about the existence of the Lords, and his predestination to become one of them. But like I said, he had never had enough powers to do what he was meant or wanted to do. That’s why he made sure you would become the Master of Lords.” I looked at Evan. “He wanted you to become the most powerful man on the planet. Not to spread evil, but to protect the gift that you were born with and that you were supposed to guard after his death, and to make sure you have all the powers you need to live and have healthy heirs.”
Evan shook his head in disbelief. “To say that I’m shocked is not even close enough to describe the level of my surprise. But… Why me? Why did he want me to inherit the biggest part of his powers?”
“I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that question. Only time will tell. It was a mission predestined to pass to you, not to Kevin or Tai. Even though Tai locks the triangle, your fate has chosen you as the next Keeper of magic. The gift is in no danger now, unless you do something reckless to say good-bye to your life.”
“How did you manage to find out so much about my father?”
“Tai helped me. Well, his amulet to be exact. I used it to create a bond with his mind, so I could learn more about Clarion’s plans. But somehow, the amulet showed me so much more than I had expected to see. By the way, I wanted to ask Patrick something. Where is he?”
“Cleaning the mess left after Clarions,” Amanda said. “Shall I call him?”
I looked at Marion. “Do you know anything about Elizabeth’s wedding ring?”
“You mean the spells hidden in it? I do.”
“What is so special about them?” Evan asked.
“The spells were intended to protect Elizabeth’s children from the evil and dark magic. Dominick was not strong enough to read them all by himself, he would lose all the life energy that he had. That’s why he asked Patrick to help him. Though I don’t think Patrick knew exactly what Dominick had been afraid of.”
“Then why did Dominick’s mother say that the spells were not working?” I remembered their conversation that I witnessed in one of my visions.
“Probably because she believed they would also protect her grandchildren from the curse of the magical triangle.”
“Does my mother know anything about it?”
“I guess the only person who knew the whole truth was Dominick’s mother. But I never met her in person.”
“Mom will be shocked to hear about it.”
“Speaking of shock… Has she met Taima?” I asked Evan.
“Oh, yes, she has.” He smiled sadly. “She said Tai is just another reason that makes her believe that killing my father was a great idea. But she is not angry at the boy, or anything. Just like Kevin and I, she believes that children shouldn’t respond for their parents’ mistakes.”
“Has she seen Amitola?”
“She has. And I guess some of those scars the girl got were Mom’s handiwork. Do you think I should tell her about the triangle and the rest?”
Marion spoke, “If she knows the truth, she will never forgive herself for setting up the accident that took Dominick’s life away. After all, she thought she was doing the right thing.”
“I think Marion is right,” I said. “It’s better if she doesn’t know. She loved him, I know she did. And I’m sure that killing him was the hardest decision she had ever made. But…”
“There are things that can’t be changed,” Evan said, repeating the words Tara told him during their last conversation.
His eyes met mine and I knew what he was thinking. I smiled at him, and touched his hand to support him. The pain of losing Tara was still strong. But Evan did his best to not let it affect anyone else, but him.
“Marion, can I have a word with you? In private.”
“I wanna stay,” Evan said. He knew I wanted to ask Marion about Tara, so naturally he wanted to stay. But I didn’t think it was a good idea. After all, he had had enough of suffering.
“No, please, leave us alone,” I said.
“Let’s go check on Tai,” Amanda said.
Christian gave me a kiss, and then everyone, except Marion, left.
She took Evan’s place in a chair near my bed, and waited patiently for me to ask the questions that bother me.
“What happened after you took Tara away from the church?”
“Once Tara realized that she was going to die, she asked me to freeze her and keep her charmed for as long as I could. She said she could try helping us find out more about the attackers, and that’s why she agreed to live in hell, up until she would be able to get the information we needed.”
“She was in so much pain…” I whispered, unable to stay emotionless. I could still remember the pain that Evan felt whenever Marion’s spells got weaker and Tara’s pain passed to Evan.
“I tried to reduce it as much as I could,” Marion said. “I told her to stop torturing herself, but she wouldn’t listen to me. And so, all I could do was to keep charming her.”
“Did she tell you what was going on in her mind after the attack?”
“She said she started to see everything that the man who attacked her had ever done or seen. He was a dark magic user, so needless to say, none of those visions were bright or beautiful.”
“Did she tell you about Evan?”
“She did… She said she would never let him be unhappy, simply because she loved him and didn’t want to let him go.” Marion sighed. “Whatever she did, she did it for Evan.”
“Yeah… Do you know what’s written in the letter that she left for me?”
“No. Tara said there was something that only you needed to know.”
“I will read it when we are back in Britain. And before that, I need to do one more thing.”
I couldn’t leave without visiting the Waroi tribe one last time. I wanted to thank Songaa for his help, and I wanted to talk to Amitola. No doubt, she was worried about Tai staying in Dever and leaving for Britain with us.
I took a shower, though my back still hurt a little from hitting the ground. I guess there were stones that I didn’t notice, but landed on. That’s why I could see a few ugly bruises on my skin. But they didn’t hurt as much as the memories of what Amitola made me see in her illusion. Christian said that he, Evan and Amanda saw them too, but only I knew what it felt like to be there and see those I love die, one by one. But I was glad I was the target for Amitola’s revenge. I wouldn’t want Christian or anyone else to be in my shoes.
***
My father agreed to accompany me to the pueblo. He wanted to talk to Songaa before we would leave the States.
“Frederick! What a surprise,” Elu said, giving him a hug.
“It’s been a long time since I was here last.”
“We are always happy to see you here. You know that, right?”
“Of course. Eileen and I would like to see Songaa. Is he here?”
“He went to the river. Come with me, I’ll take you there. He said he needed to stay alone for a while, but I think he will be glad to see you two.”
“How’s Ami doing?” I asked, as we
followed Elu.
“She’s getting better. At least physically. Songaa and I made an elixir to heal her wounds, so I think she’ll be fine in a couple of days or so.”
“Can I see her after we talk to Songaa? I’d like to talk to her.”
“Of course. She’s staying in our hut now. Later, I’ll take you there.”
We came to the river and saw Songaa sitting on the ground with a small fire burning next to him. His eyes were closed, and he looked so peaceful, as if all those terrible things in Dever had never happened at all.
“Songaa,” my father said. “We have come to thank you.”
He stood up and nodded, saying, “I did what I needed to do. After all, this is my world too. I couldn’t let anyone destroy it.”
“We are so sorry about Leno,” I said.
“It’s not your fault, Eileen. No one expected that he would leave the pueblo and come to Dever. It was a mistake, but it’s too late to change anything. His fate has made a decision; we need to respect it.”
“He wanted to protect his family,” my father said. “Just like we did.”
“He has always been a very brave young man. His spirit will stay with us forever.”
“Eileen,” Elu said. “Why don’t we leave your father and Songaa alone? I bet they have a lot to discuss.”
“Sure. Take me to Amitola, please.”
She and I went back to the huts. It was uncharacteristically quiet in the pueblo. No kids were out playing. And everyone, except a few people, had been staying in their huts.
“Leno’s death is a tragedy for everyone. The tribe is getting ready for the funeral ceremony. We will say our good-bye to Leno at midnight. Would you and Frederick like to stay?”
“I’m afraid we can’t. We are going back to Britain.”
“Right. But still, it’s been a pleasure to meet you, Eileen. Despite the reason for your arrival to the States and everything that followed it.”
“Likewise.” I smiled at Elu. “I’d like to come back one day, to see you again.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
“And I can bring Taima with me. I’m sure he will miss you.”
Elu laughed. “He’s so excited about staying in Dever. His life there will be so much more interesting than here.”
“We will take care of him, Elu. I promise you that.”
“I know, Eileen. I appreciate everything you have done for him. He likes you and he trusts you, which is very important. I have no doubt he will be happy in Dever.”
We entered Elu’s hut and she showed me to the room where Amitola had been staying.
She was a little surprised to see me.
“I thought you hated me for what I had done to you,” she said. She set up in her bed and I sat facing her. She looked tired and so, so sad. I couldn’t blame her for that. Unlike me, losing the love of her life was not just an illusion. It was real, and I bet it hurt like hell.
“I understand why you did what you did,” I said. “Maybe I would do the same thing to someone I thought was responsible for the death of my beloved one.”
“Leno’s death wasn’t your fault,” she said. “Now I understand that. And I feel so awful because of what I did to you. I’m sorry, Eileen… It was not something I wanted to do. It was just…”
“A desperate move, I know.”
“I knew it wouldn’t bring Leno back, but I just couldn’t stop myself…everything happened so fast. By the time I realized what I had done, it was too late to break the illusion. Someone attacked me, and I got distracted, and lost control. I’m so sorry, Eileen. No words are enough to justify what I did.”
I touched her hand, saying, “It doesn’t matter, Ami. What happened in Dever will always be a lesson for every one of us.”
“How’s Tai doing?”
“Oh, trust me, he is fine. Probably enjoying the blueberry pie he made the girls bake for him.”
“You will be there for him, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will. As well as his brothers. We won’t let anything bad happen to him. Ever.”
“Thank you, Eileen. Maybe at least he will be able to find his happiness in Dever. I failed, unfortunately. But my son deserves to live the life that he wants to live. I gave it to him, but I have no right to take it away from him. I know that Dever is where he truly belongs.”
“You can come back to Dever whenever you want.”
She shook her head. “No, my place is here, with my tribe.”
We talked a little more and then, when Songaa and my father returned, he and I went back to Dever – the only place where we belonged…
Epilogue
Two months later…
“For God’s sake, Amanda, we are leaving for vacation, not forever!” Evan said irritably, trying to put her third suitcase into the car.
It was the end of May, and the weather was beautiful. Christian, Evan, Amanda and I were going to Norfield for a few days, and then we were going to spend the summer in France. Carine had invited us to stay at her place, and considering how much Evan wanted to know more about her masterminding tricks, we couldn’t refuse the offer.
“A girl can’t have too many clothes, especially when it comes to going on vacation,” Amanda said, giving Evan another bag to put into the car.
“That’s it,” he said. “I can’t put anything else in the trunk, so either we leave a part of your luggage here, or one of us stays. Because even in the back seat there is not enough room for two people.”
“You can stay, if you want,” Amanda said. “But we are going to the beach.” She and I laughed.
“Christian, will you say something?” Evan gave his friend a desperate look.
But Christian only made a helpless gesture. “Sorry, Evan. I want to see the sun too. So, the sooner we leave the better.”
Evan muttered something in response, slammed the trunk shut and went back to the dorms. There were a few more things, apart from packing, that we needed to do before we left.
“I should probably go talk to him,” Amanda said, giggling.
“Just make it quick,” I said. “We don’t want to drive in the darkness, do we?”
“Relax, Eileen. I know a few tricks that will make Evan feel better in no time.”
Christian rolled his eyes. “No details, please.”
Amanda and I laughed again.
“I wanna go to the Lake,” I said, turning to Christian.
“What for?”
I touched the envelope I had in my pocket and said, “There’s something I need to leave there.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll go tell my father that we will be ready to leave in about an hour. Will that be okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.” I gave him a quick kiss and headed for the Lake.
Even though it had been two months since the day Marion gave me a letter that Tara left for me, I couldn’t find enough courage to read it. But today felt like a perfect day to do that.
Dever and its dwellers were back to their lives, with classes, trainings and the rest. Slowly, everything got back to normal. The scars left after the fight with Clarions had healed, and even though the memories of that night were still too vivid in our minds, we couldn’t let them ruin our future.
Right after my father and I returned from the pueblo, I went to talk to Evan. I wanted him to do something for me… Something very important.
“Make Amanda and Christian forget what they saw in Amitola’s illusion.”
“What?”
“I don’t want them to remember anything about the hell she made me live through.”
“Do you want me to change their memories?”
“Yes.”
“But you will remember everything, right? Or shall I change your memories too?”
“No, just theirs.”
No one except the four of us knew what happened in the illusion. Unfortunately, no one could mastermind the Master of Lords, so there was no way to make Evan forget things. But Christian and Amanda deserved to be
happy. And Evan and I were ready to do everything to make that happen. That’s why he agreed to change their memories. Because just like me, he knew how much losing someone you love hurt…
I never told Evan about my conversation with Songaa about masterminding and Evan’s possible ability to make gifted people abandon their gifts. After what happened in Dever, I realized that no one except Clarions actually wanted to forget what they were capable of. Those who didn’t want to use their gifts, could handle living without them. But those who couldn’t imagine their lives without magic and other gifts they possessed deserve to keep them. No one had a right to take them away.
I came to the Lake, took out the envelope from my pocket and opened it. To my surprise, there was nothing written on the piece of paper that I found inside. But as soon as my fingers touched the smooth surface of the paper, something unexpected happened.
Visions started to form behind my eyes…
Again, I saw the day of my wedding. Everything was just the way I remembered it from the vision created by the tribe’s song. Only this time, nothing distracted me from saying my vow and I saw what was going to happen after the wedding day.
I was standing at the shore of the Black Lake, just like now. The sun was shining high in the sky, leaving gentle kisses on my skin, and making the water of the Lake glisten whenever its rays touched the surface. Instinctively, my hands touched my belly; something was wrong with it. I looked down and gasped. My belly was round, and I could swear I could feel the movement inside it.
“Oh, my God…” I whispered, stunned. I was not just watching my future from aside. I was living it.
“Have you chosen a name for her?” Evan asked. He appeared out of nowhere; as if he knew I would be ‘reading’ Tara’s letter and wanted to be there with me when it happened.
