Emiran was furious. “I told that little girl I would help her. I don’t see how killing her is helping. I don’t care what I did in any past life; you can’t expect me to kill an innocent young girl.” She felt sick to her stomach now. It suddenly hit her why she’d felt the heavy feeling in her gut when she told the girl she’d help. Some part of her must have known that was the only way to take her gift.
Traevin stood there silently, seemingly waiting for her to be done throwing her temper tantrum. “If that’s the only way I can take her gift, then how were Cherity and Jareth able to pass on their gift to me without me killing them?” she said. She huffed furiously at him waiting for an answer. He remained quiet for a long time before he replied, she assumed to try and give her time to relax. “Because they passed their marks on to you, so you’d have their powers too. They didn’t lose their own ability when they gave it you.”
He pointed in the direction of the cabin now and continued “As Meredith, you should have passed the mark on to your descendants. But Akina killed you before you had the chance. Because he interrupted the cycle, the mark wasn’t passed on and only one out of every 30 or so descendants of his inherited the ability he stole from you. With no mark to pass on, the only way you can take her gift is to take her life.”
Emiran looked at him with a cold stare now. “You led me to her didn’t you, just as you led me to the cabin? Why?” she said “What is so important about this gift? Why do I need it to accomplish my mission?” her anger was blinding and she wanted so bad to hurt him. This felt like another betrayal by him in a way. Traevin lowered his arm and clasped his hands behind his back. He walked slowly around the edge of the clearing as he replied “Yes, it was partly me that led you here, but some of it was you. Even though you don’t understand it all yet, your soul desires to be whole once more. A part of your soul resides in Hera, and to get it back you must kill her.”
“With or without me, you eventually would have been drawn to Hera. Believe it or not, I’m here to make this journey easier. You must be whole before you can go up against COLO, if you expect to win. And they will come for you, whether you’re ready or not.” Emiran clenched her fists, trying to remain calm. “Ok, so I’m not whole, yet anyway. The first woman you brought me looked just like me. She was me, according to you.” she said, “I’ll accept I was Meredith. Even if I have no idea what she looks like. I don’t really have any other explanation for my familiarity with somewhere I’ve never been.”
“But Hera looks nothing like me. How did a piece of my soul end up in her? How many pieces of myself am I missing?” she unclenched her fists now and turned away from Traevin. Her anger still boiled under the surface but she said nothing more. “Your empathic power was stolen from you, but it’s an integral part of who you are. When Akina took it from you, as Meredith you placed a curse on his family so that the piece he took would never fade. He replied “It only pops up in one of his descendants when it coincides with a life you live. This is the first time it has coincided with the correct life.”
He approached her now and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You must have your empathic abilities to be a fair judge when the time comes. It’s the only way you can understand someone’s true motivations.” Emiran sighed heavily and replied “What is it Meredith did that was so horrible? You must know if you led me here. I want to know.” Traevin turned her to face him now, his face was a strange mixture of pain and what she took to be guilt.
“Yes I know.” He said “It was my fault. I found you, as I do with every piece you’re missing. Until you I never realized you weren’t meant to be whole again until now. So every time I found a piece of you, I attempted to put you back together.” He grabbed her chin so he could look in her eyes as he continued “I came to you and tried to make you whole again. It was with Meredith that I tried to tell you everything at once. I tried to put you back together too quickly.”
“She went a bit insane, unable to come to terms with everything she’d learned. She felt strongly that several people in the town were plotting against her, even though it wasn’t true. So she killed them all, without judging them fairly. Because one of the people she killed was Akina’s brother, he turned against her. He couldn’t see past what she did even though he loved her. So he took justice into his own hands and killed her.” He went quiet for a minute and let her chin go, but Emiran continued to look at him. “That’s why I’m trying not to push you too hard now. If you get one piece back at a time, you’ll have time to adjust and become the woman I once loved again.”
He went back to pacing around the edge of the clearing now and continued “You can blame me for this if you want, I blame myself believe me. But you have no choice but to kill her to get the piece back, if you don’t you’ll never be whole again.” He said no more but continued his circles around her while she thought about what he said. Finally she said “You didn’t tell me how many pieces I’m missing. Am I going to have to kill everyone that holds a piece of me inside them?”
He stopped where he was and turned towards her “You’re missing 8 pieces. The other pieces of your soul are from past lives you led, passed on through your descendants. Except the woman you started with. She was from another place. She held a piece of your soul for safety reasons, in case I failed here. Hera is the only one living right now that holds a piece. The other pieces I’ll have to bring to you from wherever they reside. You can’t get to them on your own. I know how to find them though. The answer to your question is yes. You will have to kill everyone who holds a piece of your soul. It’s the only way to absorb and reintegrate the missing piece.”
Emiran sat down in the middle of the clearing, her heart heavy and her mind a tangled mess. “What happens if I refuse? What if I don’t want to reclaim the pieces?” she said quietly. A tear slipped from her eyes before she could suppress the sadness and hurt. Traevin came and sat in front of her, close enough to reach out his hand and wipe the tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry my love. I never said it would be easy. But it will get easier the more whole you become, and the more powerful you get.”
“If you refuse, then I’ll have no choice but to force your hand. You’re the only one who can stop COLO before they execute their plan, and if they succeed, it will be the end of every magical family. If they succeed in killing them off, then I’ll have given you up for nothing. And I refuse to accept that. Go back to your car. Read the Bloodlines book I left to your sister. Then Read the book Ancient power: tracing your roots to the source of your power. Once you’ve read them you’ll understand who you were when I fell in love with you. Once you understand that, I’ll explain to you how you ended up in pieces.”
He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he stood up. Without waiting for her to reply, he disappeared into the trees in the same direction he’d come from. Emiran didn’t bother to try and go after him. She sat in the clearing for a long time, still as a statue, trying to shake the heavy feeling that seemed to keep her stuck there. She finally found the will to get up and brushed the dirt off her pants. She walked slowly out of the woods; every step seemed heavier than the last. By the time she reached her car, her phone told her it was 4am. She needed to find a place to get something to eat, and somewhere she could charge her phone.
She opened her phone and searched for the closest inn or 24 hour diner, praying it wasn’t in the village where Hera lived. Luckily the closest diner to her was actually further past her village in another little cluster of people that apparently counted as a town. It was on the furthest outskirts of sector 13, before it turned into sector 14 where she was now. She closed the phone again to save what little battery remained and started the car. It would take her a good hour and a half to reach the little bed and breakfast she’d found and she didn’t want her phone to die before she got there. She figured by the time she arrived, they’d be close to serving breakfast, and then she could go to bed.
She was hesitant to read the books Traevin had mentioned. She was still stuck on the fact that he expected her to kill Hera. How was he going to force her hand if she refused? Emiran felt horrible and wanted nothing more than to crawl in her bed at home and forget this had ever happened. But she knew that was impossible. With a heavy heart she drove quickly past the village where Hera lived and sped down the empty road at speeds that rivaled that of the man who’d brought her stuff to her. She wanted to get there as fast as possible, preferably before the sun had risen on the first of her two days.
She smiled forcibly as she pulled into the parking lot just as the sky on the horizon started to lighten with the first rays of the morning sun. It was a silly goal, but she’d accomplished it, even if just by the skin of her teeth. She had to smile at that. It was a much easier goal than the one Traevin had set for her. She turned the car off and sat with her head against the steering wheel for a few minutes, trying to work up the strength to talk to anyone else. Eventually though, her growling stomach won out and she opened her door. She slid out carefully and reached in to grab the box sitting in the passenger seat.
Emiran certainly had no interest in doing what Traevin wanted. But she brought the books in with her anyway. If she truly had to kill this girl she wanted a very good reason. To her, her own life wasn’t more important than this innocent girls life was, but Traevin hadn’t just put her life on the line as incentive. He’d put hundreds of thousands of lives on the table, including her own. How had the old saying gone? She had to think for a minute before she could recall it. Sometimes you must sacrifice a few to save the many. Who was she to play god with all those lives? If what he said was true then she would have no real choice as far as she was concerned.
That didn’t make what he was asking any easier. She stumbled up the stairs and through the tiny front door of the building that looked like it couldn’t comfortably accommodate more than six people. She wondered how they could even pass it off as a bed and breakfast. Hopefully they actually had some room available for her. A young man with a cheery smile walked out of the adjoining room as the little bell on the door rang with Emiran’s entrance. He looked at her with a faintly worried look but kept his smile in place. Clearly he’d been greeting people long enough to keep his cool.
Emiran waited to see if he would say anything, but when he didn’t she said “I’m just passing though. I only need a room for the night; I’ll be gone by early morning, probably after breakfast tomorrow. Do you have an empty room I could use?” The young man nodded his head and pointed to the stairs to the left of her. “Sorry it’s a little small, but it’s the last room available. We’re not usually this full. You picked a good time didn’t you?” he said laughing. He walked past her and started ascending the stairs ahead of her. She couldn’t help but chuckle at how polite the young man was being. It certainly made her feel like she’d stepped from the present and straight into an old Victorian bed and breakfast. Most people in the city seemed to have lost the majority of their manners long ago.
“That’s ok” she said “like I said I only need it for a short period of time, as long as it has a bed I can sleep in I wouldn’t care if it was a closet. But I would be very interested in what you’re serving for breakfast.” She walked behind him trying not to walk to fast. The young man had a slow pace and she nearly overtook him if she wasn’t careful. “Well now that you mention it… I guess it basically is a closet. But! It does have a bed, lamp, and single outlet in it. He replied “as far as breakfast is concerned, today’s entrée is a simple homemade biscuits and gravy. Cooked by yours truly.” He pointed at himself as he said this.
He turned towards her as he crested the stairs and smiling extended his hand in greeting. “My name is Victor. This is my family’s house. This bed and breakfast has been in my family for 13 generations.” Since she only had one free hand, she extended her left hand awkwardly to shake his, even though he’d also extended his left hand. “Well how can I turn down such a sincerely cooked home meal? It’s nice to meet you Victor. What time will breakfast be ready?” she replied as she pulled her hand back to shift the awkward weight of the box in her right arm. He moved to the side to allow her room to finish ascending the stairs.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Breakfast will be ready in about an hour.” He pointed down the hallway to an open door at the very end of the hall. “I can come get you when it’s ready if you like, if you want to settle in your room first.” She smiled at him and nodded politely. “That would be lovely thank you. You sure know how to make a guest feel welcome.” He laughed now and said “Well I should hope so; I’ve only been doing this for my whole life. I grew up in this house; my father is the current owner. He’ll pass it on to me pretty soon though.”
With that he started back down the stairs, leaving Emiran to walk down the thickly carpeted hallway to the little green door at the end of it. She peered inside and agreed that this definitely must have been a closet at one time. But they’d managed to fit a bed inside it and that was good enough for her. She placed the box on the tiny little area that counted as the floor, and settled onto the bed. She plugged her phone in the single outlet available underneath the lamps cord and lay back on the bed staring up at the ceiling. She didn’t have any real motivation to move or do anything else, and she had an hour to kill.
She was too tired though to consider trying to start reading now. She closed her eyes and let out a slow, heavy sigh. It didn’t take her very long at all to fall into a deep sleep. She had every intention of eating breakfast, but sleep sounded just as good right now. No dreams disturbed the sleep this time. When she finally opened her eyes she knew it had to have been more than an hour. Her door was closed and the lamp was on. On the table beneath it sat a plate of biscuits and gravy with a little note sitting next to it. She felt the gravy, it was ice cold. She picked up the note and read the little message scrawled on it.
‘I didn’t want to wake you. You looked like you really needed the sleep. Microwave is in the kitchen if you’re still interested in breakfast. If not I’ll see you at dinner, also cooked by yours truly. -Victor’
She set it back down and picked up her phone, it read 2pm. Clearly she was more exhausted than she’d thought. Her sleep had been pretty sporadic and mostly unrestful since that first night Traevin had shown up. She stretched and rolled out of the bed carefully since she didn’t have much room. Grabbing the plate she stood up and opened the door. The room was so tiny she had to open it from where she stood so that she wasn’t in the way of it. Open it was just an inch or two away from the foot of the bed. She carefully slid her way past it once she could open it no farther.
She made her way down the hallway peering into the open rooms as she passed them. She was thankful that she didn’t have to deal with many people here. Most of the people appeared to be gone. She assumed just for the day but she wasn’t that concerned about who was there. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Victor popped up from the chair he was sitting in at the other end of the living room/entryway. He set his book down in the seat and smiled at her just as cheery as he’d been that morning. “Well it’s nice to see you. I was starting to think you’d sleep straight through to dinner.”
Emiran smiled back at him and said “I appreciate you letting me sleep. I definitely needed it. If it’s not too late I’d like to warm this up. I can pick at it while I read, to tide me over until dinner.” He grabbed the plate from her and walked towards the kitchen. “Well you look like you’ve been through hell and back. You looked pretty exhausted and checked out when you came in.” he called over his shoulder “So when I came to get you for breakfast and you were curled up and out like a light I thought it best to let you sleep.”
“Not yet I haven’t” Emiran muttered under her breath as he disappeared into the kitchen. She waited silently for a few minutes until he reappeared with her plate and some silverware. “Do you want to eat down here or up in your room?” he asked. Emiran wasn’t particularly eager to read the books out in plain sight. She didn’t want to seem rude though so she grabbed the plate and silverware and replied “I have quite a bit of reading to get done and not a lot of time to do it in. So I’d prefer not to be disturbed. I didn’t mean to sleep as late as I did. So I think I’ll eat in my room. But I would appreciate it if you’d grab me when it’s dinner time.”
She got a bite of the food and blew on it carefully until it was cool enough to put in her mouth. As she chewed it she nodded her head appreciatively. “It’s very good” she said swallowing the bite in between sentences “You’re an excellent cook. I can’t wait to see what you make for dinner.” Victor blushed and looked at the floor “Thank you ma’am. I’m glad you approve.” He replied. “I’ll see you at dinner, enjoy your reading!” Emiran didn’t reply to the last part, as she didn’t expect she would enjoy it, but said “I’ll see you then” As she turned to go back up the stairs.
She took a few small bites as she ascended the stairs. She was much hungrier than she’d thought. As nice as the meal was that Jareth had given her, she hadn’t had an opportunity to put the leftovers he’d sent her with in a fridge and she was very hesitant to try eating it now. The last motel she’d stopped at was so small that she didn’t have a fridge, only a coffee maker. She had eaten some for lunch the day before but after more than two days out of the fridge she didn’t trust it. And she hadn’t eaten since then; she’d been too busy chasing leads. By the time she reached her room she had already eaten a quarter of the plate. It had been a really long time since she had biscuits and gravy.
In fact the last time she could think of, was when her grandma had still been alive. It was a small comfort, but one she desperately needed right now, more than she really wanted to admit. She slid around the door of her closet and closed it behind her so she could get to the bed easier. Sitting on the side of the bed she took a few more hefty bites then set the plate on the table. She picked up the box and set it in her lap. She peeled the flaps apart and carefully set the wrapped up dagger and Elanore’s dairy on the bed so she could get to the books.
Pulling them out in one giant handful she turned them so she could read the spines. She grabbed the two she needed and put everything else back. Emiran sat back cross legged in the bed and opened the first book. The first several pages of Bloodlines consisted of different family trees. She recognized one as her family’s tree because she recognized her grandmother’s name. The whole book was written by hand, which confirmed her suspicion that these books were really old, even though they looked brand new. Her family’s tree ended with her grandmother’s name. Since it was all handwritten anyway, she was tempted to add her mother and sister as well as herself.
That wasn’t really pressingly important though, and she needed to read. Plus she had no pen on hand, so she shrugged the idea off. She thumbed through the pages to see what else it held, while holding her place with her other hand. The whole book appeared to be nothing but family trees. There had to be at least 120 pages in the book, though without counting them she had no way of knowing for certain, as they weren’t numbered. Who had been keeping track of families for this long? There were more generations than she could estimate.
The only person she could think of was Traevin as he was obviously much older than he appeared. But why would he go to this much trouble to keep track of several different families? She set the book on the bed and opened up the second book. This book was also handwritten, in the same scrawling writing as the other one. She started reading the first page, which to her seemed perfectly understandable. She wondered why Elanore hadn’t been able to understand them. It seemed like perfectly clear English to her.
The power within you stems from a long line of powerful witches. The knowledge must be passed down through each generation to ensure that the power remains consistent and strong. To figure out who the source of your power comes from, trace your family tree in the book Bloodlines until you get to the end of it. Trace it back generation by generation, and once you’ve reached the end of it, figure out which family the beginning of your family came from. The first name in your family tree should coincide with the end of another tree. The names and dates of birth will match if you’ve traced it correctly. If you can trace it back far enough you’ll be able to figure out where the magical bloodlines stemmed from.
If you’ve traced it correctly you’ll find two names, a mother and father, followed by six children. Each of the six children is the beginning of one family tree. To keep this knowledge from falling into the wrong hands, the names of each different family are not listed. Anyone who attempts to figure out the clues that shouldn’t have access to this information will be unable to follow the breadcrumbs and will see all this in fragmented and broken sentences. Only one person in the world, other than me and my chosen heir, should be able to understand the information these books contain.
I have left clues throughout this book to help you find your way through the maze of names. Each family tree is spread out through the referenced book, to make it harder to trace the clues. I dared not write each family tree as a whole, in case these books fell into enemy hands. I know not who the enemy is yet, so I assume everyone is the enemy except who this information is meant for. She is the only one who knows who the enemy is, and she did not enlighten me before she died. I will follow each family until the appropriate time, so that she may understand who she was before it’s too late.
Emiran stopped and picked up the plate to shovel down a few more bites. She needed a notebook to be able to track the trees correctly. Since she didn’t have one, she’d have to go find Victor and hope he had some paper to spare. The plate was half gone now so she figured that was a decent place to stop. She uncrossed her legs, groaning lightly at the ache in her knee from keeping them crossed too long. This time, she stood as close to the wall as she could, trying to flatten herself against it as she opened the door so she didn’t have to try and slink past the bed.
Even with as small as she was, the door pushed against her uncomfortably as she pushed it past her upper body. She was definitely glad she wouldn’t be using this room long. She was already starting to feel a little claustrophobic in it. Shaking it off, she walked quickly down the hallway and started down the stairs. The staircase was small, much like the rest of the building, and really only allowed enough space for one person at a time. She was halted at the top of the stairs by a man coming up the staircase. Since he was already halfway up she really had no choice but to wait until he was out of the way.
He was an older gentleman, by her guess he must have been pushing 70. Even though she stood to the side and out of his way, he gave her a dirty look as he passed by. Emiran rolled her eyes and continued on her way until a thought pinged in her brain that she knew wasn’t hers. It stopped her cold in her tracks. That’s the girl from the newspapers! She must be dangerous if the authorities want her that bad. I should probably call them and let them know where she is. She knew it had to have come from the old man. Most people didn’t even read newspapers anymore, but if anyone would it would be an elder like him.
She cursed at herself under her breath. In her haste to follow the clues she hadn’t bothered to see if COLO had put out an alert for her yet. She knew they must have in the cities already. Since she was getting out into the lesser patrolled areas she thought she’d have a better chance at escaping detection. But if they were putting alerts for her out in newspapers too, she’d not really be safe anywhere. She had never known COLO to want someone so badly they searched the outer quadrants away from the packed city centers. She knew it was time to disguise herself. If she were to accomplish her goal, she couldn’t afford to be caught before she was ready.
As she came upon Victor, who was locked away in the kitchen preparing dinner, she set her plate on the counter and said “Hey Victor, sorry to disturb your wonderful cooking. I was wondering if you had some paper and a pencil I could steal away from you. I need it to continue my reading.” He turned to her and pointed at a drawer on the bottom of a row of them. Emiran opened the drawer and found loose notebook paper and a whole host of writing utensils. She shrugged and grabbed a handful of the paper and two of the pens.
As she slid the pens in her pocket, she poked into Victor’s thoughts. He was suspicious of her now, but too fearful to act. The old man must have shared the newspaper with him. He remained quiet and continued cooking. Emiran squinted trying to keep the migraine at bay and said “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful. As much as I’d love to taste your dinner, I’m afraid I have to check out a little earlier than planned. Who can I settle my bill with?” Victor turned to her again, this time the suspicion was evident on his face, even though he tried to hide it. He wiped his hands on his apron and replied “You can settle your bill with me. My father is resting right now. He’s growing old I’m afraid, and can’t run this place as efficiently as he used to.”
Emiran raised an eyebrow at this but only said “Ok, let me go get my things and I’ll be right back. Let me know what I owe you and I’ll get you taken care of.” She took off up the stairs as quickly as she could, nearly tripping on the last step, just managing to save herself by grabbing hold of the railing and the banister. The old man was still standing in the hallway and watched her as she raced down the hallway to shove everything in the box except her phone. She made it back down the stairs in record time, trying her best to ignore the old man watching her every move.
Victor waited at the bottom with a handwritten receipt in his hand. She set her box on a table and looked it over. It really wasn’t much, since she hadn’t even been there a whole day, so she doubled it in the hopes that the extra amount would persuade him to keep his mouth shut. He tried to return the extra amount but Emiran would have none of it and replied “Keep it. You’ve been very gracious. You deserve it. Thank you for your generosity.” Grabbing the box quickly she ran out the door without waiting for a reply. Once she was in the driver’s seat she quickly looked up the nearest apothecaries shop. She may not be able to find traditional hair dye there, but she could find the ingredients she needed to make her own. She dared not head back towards the more crowded city center to find a regular store.
The nearest one, of course it would be she thought, was back in Hera’s village. If this was where she would do something deserving of a fugitive title, it seemed the perfect place to ditch her car and her phone and change her hair so she wasn’t so easily recognized. Starting the car she headed back the direction she’d come from, grudgingly accepting that she had no choice anymore. It was her life, and hundreds of thousands of others as well, or the life of one young girl. She would have to follow the clues in the books once she’d accomplished this mission.
Wondering in the back of her mind if Traevin had done this to force her hand, she drove slowly so as to not attract any more attention until the sun had settled down into twilight. She knew that it was unlikely the apothecaries shop would be open by time she got there, so she saw no point in speeding. The night would give her an opportunity to find another means of transportation, and ideally give her time to trace at least some of the clues in the book before the morning dawned, and she approached the edge of the abyss.