Authors: S.E. Myers
Cael paused for a long moment. Just as Tristan was about to speak, Cael continued.
“When he came into his Fae hood, his Becoming, things started to happen. He didn’t need his imp to channel any energy; he was able to take everything he dished out back. His parents did what they were supposed to do. Teach from the time the baby was able to walk and start showing signs of using Chi.” Tristan nodded. Sam stopped sniffling to listen to the story. It was one that she had heard a few times before. “Finar immediately started to show an interest in him. He started showing up and offered to mentor and tutor the boy. Then we noticed changes in his behavior. Jonathan became withdrawn and even started to lose weight. It wasn’t until it was too late that his parents and the Elders found out what Finar was doing. Finar was siphoning energy from the boy; it’s not unusual to share energy to with other Fae. We do it often; however, he wasn’t giving any back. He was almost
feeding
from him.”
“This was unheard of, even in the Fae community. “ Tristan nodded his understanding. “Then Jonathan disappeared. Accusations started flying toward Finar’s direction. When the council convened to decide what to do, Finar interrupted the meeting. He was – more. He was more Fae. He was more powerful.” Cael shuddered when he remembered what happened.
“How do you know all of this?” Tristan wondered. But he was not prepared for the answer that he received.
“Because, I am an elder. I was on the council.” Tristan hadn’t met an elder before. They were to be treated with respect and dignity. Ceremony aside, Tristan needed the answer he craved most.
“Where are my parents?” he asked.
Cael’s face turned to one of regret and sadness. Tristan knew the answer; he just didn’t want to admit it. “They are dead, Tristan. I am so sorry. I promise, we didn’t kill them.”
Tristan swallowed refusing to allow any more emotion pour from him. He pushed it down, into the pit of his stomach. Letting it stew with the other rage and hurt that he was saving. He would release it, but not today.
“We are so sorry, Tristan. Truly,” Sam echoed. “We had no choice to pretend to be your parents. Finar threatened us and took our girls.”
“The only reason he hasn’t yet killed me, is because I have information that he needs,” Cael said.
Tristan wanted to ask what it was but before he could speak the words, the doors to the study exploded open. Splintered wood flew everywhere like bullets raining down. He heard Sam. Cael backed up in front of Tristan.
“My, my, my… are we having an
un
family reunion?” Finar asked snidely. He had Mia with him and a few other imps that Tristan was unfamiliar with. “You know,” Finar’s eyes gleamed with deviousity, “Your parents were brave until the very end, Tristan.”
Tristan could feel the anger start to build in side of him. Cael placed a hand on his chest, “Not now, he’s doing this on purpose. You have to control yourself.”
“Oh Tristan, don’t listen to Cael. You know you want revenge,” Finar continued to goad him. “You know,” Finar started. “You killed that witch. The one who helped me drug you.” Tristan glared at Finar. He clenched his fists wanting to blast him into. He could feel his nails digging into his palms. Feeling the pain was ebbing away the anger.
“Where are our children?” Sam demanded. Her true form gleaming through. Her skin was mottled with golden hues and a tail whipped ferociously behind her. Her hair was like glass shining through red wine. Cael stared at his wife and then back to Finar.
“Oh Sam, your girls are safe. And don’t worry, they have so many years ahead of them,” at those last words Samahara emitted a sound, high-pitched and deafening to human ears. She created a fireball in her palms that reached the size of a basketball and flung it at Finar.
As the ball reached Finar, he caught it and passed it back and forth between his own hands.
“Did you really think that would work?” he asked Sam. Cael was in his true form in a blink. As soon as he reached out to touch his wife to increase their power, Finar flung an energy web, covering Cael, to prevent him from reaching her. Finar laughed, “It doesn’t really matter what you do. I will win. I have consumed too much energy. And Tristan, once you realize that you can’t fight me, you will join me.”
“I will never join you.” Tristan replied.
“Oh, yes you will.”
Before Tristan could react, there was an explosion. Vee felt the energy increasing in the room and prior to the pinnacle; he already started creating a shield surrounding Tristan and attempted to fade him out of the study. The explosion demolished the study and collapsed the bookcase guarding the portal into the Sanctum. The concussion from the explosion knocked Vee flat and threw Tristan into the wall. Cael and Sam were demolished in the blast. Their ashes left blowing in the wind.
***
While Tristan was away, Ryleigh began to read Vera’s diary. She felt bad for deceiving him; however, she wanted to have an opportunity to read the journal without him.
Opening the pages she took a breath. Even though Vera wasn’t the most welcoming, she was her family and she was saddened by her death.
Instead of starting at the beginning, Ryleigh skipped to the end. She wanted to know what Vera was writing or thinking since she moved in.
The Diary of Vera Whitmore
October 21
st
–
I still miss him. I wish that he and I were still together. Unfortunately, due to circumstances and this disconcerting quest that he has taken upon himself. I need him in my life no matter how much it hurts.
He twists me inside like no other could. He is my mate. Supposed to be my mate. I don’t understand what he wants with Ryleigh. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
October 24
th
–
Finar just left. He was furious with me. I could feel that his energy has changed. It no longer sings to me in the same tune it did before and he seems very disconnected. Ryleigh disobeyed me and started hanging out with Tristan and Illeana. I’m afraid they’ve revealed to her what she truly is.
I was a little surprised to find out that she was not aware of who she was. Her parents sheltered her from birth. I can still feel Thomas. I know that he is not dead. I know that Finar has him and I am sure it is in the Sanctum. A place I cannot go. My imp cannot take me there. My family line was supposed to be the protectors of the Sanctum portal. And now Finar is using it to his own devices. I should have never shown him. The Elders will be furious with me.
Today, Siegfried told me that he suspects that Ryleigh is more than what she appears to be. I don’t question Sieg anymore. He was been with me for years and years. Finar still believes he is a human in my employ, however, if he ever found this and ever found out what Sieg truly was, he would kill me.
I am beginning to truly love this child. I wish she would open up more to me and ask me more questions. I don’t know how much I could ever reveal, but I would help her best that I could without Fin finding out.
November 1
st
–
Dear Ryleigh,
If you are reading this, it is because I am now dead. I don’t have much time, but I need to tell you this.
You were supposed to be a twin. I think that you might have absorbed your twin’s energy while in the womb. This would make you more a whole Fae born. I don’t know if my suspicions are correct, but I believe that is why Finar wants you. You don’t need your imp to help you. You are special my darling. Very special.
I hope you find this in time. You need to learn how to control your power. You can defeat Finar, only you can. He will try to kill you or use you, or both.
You should also know that Tristan and Illeana are not your cousins. You are not related by blood at all. Let them help you as much as they can, I fear that you will need them in the future. Tristan was supposed to be your mate but Finar didn’t want you two connected. He wanted you for himself.
Find your parents. Find them quickly.
Know that I love you, and know that your father is still alive. I can feel it. If your father is alive, there is hope your mother might be too. I am truly sorry for everything. I hope that we can get away in time.
Always,
Vera
20
The realization of a romance
The more she researched, the more Ryleigh began to understand why her parents kept all of this information from her. But did they really help? Or did they just retard her ability to make a decision for herself. There was so much she didn’t know and so much she still needed to learn.
The internet with its wonderful unending vastness and wealth of information were her crutch. It didn’t answer all her questions and sometimes created more that needed to be answered. Lilin – defined to be demonic children of Lilith. Each born with varying abilities, super human, super powerful. According to Vera, these were all lies. Ryleigh didn’t want to believe this was what she was.
Waiting for Tristan and tired of being cooped up in the house, she practiced cycling energy through Nissa to gain a faster connection. Nissa was learning to control Ryleigh’s ebb and flow of energy. Nissa was becoming a pro at it and Ryleigh was learning her limits. Any more than that she was afraid to do without Tristan.
The wards that protected the house prevented her from being located by Fae charms. No matter how hard Finar tried to find her, he would not be able to locate her or her imp.
Ryleigh thought of Illeana and chased the thought away. A sob caught in her throat. She swallowed it down. If she began to dwell on it, she would get angry and she needed to use that. Instead, she thought about everything she needed to tell Tristan. She needed to tell him how she felt. She never felt so sure about anything in her life. Before they walked into Fin’s trap. Before the possibility of her death or his happening, she needed to tell him how she felt and what it meant.
As if on cue, Tristan entered the house. He was dirty and bloody and looked as if he had lost the fight to a few of Finar’s bullies.
Ryleigh rushed over to him, “Are you okay?” She glanced him over, but he wasn’t bleeding anywhere that she could see. She looked at Nissa who looked him over and concurred that it was not his blood.
“
Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he offered a small laugh. “You should see the other guy.” Wincing as he stood up, he walked into the kitchen.
Ryleigh decided not to wait. “We need to talk. I’ve done some research.
Tristan turned to Ryleigh, “You have my full attention.”
Ryleigh closed her eyes for a second to clear her mind and think about how she was going to relay all of the information that she just found out, “I just don’t know where to start… yet.”
“What’s the most important?”
“You were right about Vera keeping tabs on me,” Tristan nodded. “She even started to track where my mom and dad moved around to. She even had information about my birth.”
Ryleigh turned away from Tristan, “Absorbing my twins energy… my Yin to its Yang… makes me more whole than any other Halfling. Two in one.”
Tristan staggered back as if he were going to pass out, “That bastard!” Tristan fell to the floor realizing what Finar made him do. Ryleigh fell to the floor and hugged Tristan tight. She covered him with a warm flow to calm him. She could hear the soft gentle hum of Tristan’s energy flow. She so wanted to send a thread to connect with him but was afraid of what he might do, so instead she was content to try to comfort her grieving friend.
She grabbed his face to look into hers, “Tristan, there’s something else. He looked at her with blood shot eyes. She knew the pain he was feeling. “I know this doesn’t even matter now, but – well - we are not related.” Tristan cocked his head to the side, “What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, according to Vera, we are not related. We aren’t even from the same family.”
“Why would they even tell us we were related if we weren’t?” questioned Tristan. He was confused, hurt, and just wanted to sleep.
Ryleigh wasn’t sure if she could even speak the words. She mumbled a few words that were difficult for her to even hear.
“What?”
“Because you and I. We were supposed to be together.” Ryleigh finished barely above a whisper.
“Wait… what?” Tristan sat up and slid with his back to the cabinets. “We were,” he motioned between the two of them.
Ryleigh nodded.
Tristan sat there for a moment. Ryleigh could feel the energy in the room start to thicken and glanced at Tristan. His eyes were on her. That lovely shade of violet that haunted her dreams. Her body started to respond to the energy Tristan was sending out. The hairs on her pale skin started to rise. Her jet black hair static. Tristan reached for Ryleigh’s hands and she gave them to him. Nissa and Vee were on the kitchen cabinets just watching. They knew this ceremony. Even though they were young, the genetic memories were there.