Bliath: Shattered (14 page)

She just sat there in thought as Desree washed her hair while humming.  Her thoughts kept mixing together, Vance knew her and her mother, Desree, as well, Vance seemed to be her protector, even before she could remember.  Was he the one that gave her the binding mark?  Was that his. . . . well, she stopped herself there, she knew she was starting to put the cart in front of the horse, and he had only kind of kissed her in limbo. Her thoughts were pulled back to the tattoos.

“Desree, can I, um take the bandage off my wrist? I want to see it. Please?” Fera’s face gave way to a little trepidation.

Desree laughed inward at Fera, she has so much muchness to her, but still like a child in this world because she was so sheltered, “Of course you may see it, it is yours after all, but we are going to cover it back up, and do not take it off until you are with the Dwarves or Elves is that understood?  People around here are not magic fans since it has threat and almost has wiped them out on several occasions.”  

Fera gave a vague “uh huh,” she knew from studying with Markus that the war started over the Elves wanting to be equal, then got other races with magic involved to help their cause, and it became a hunt of who could get to whom first.  A few tears escaped Fera’s eyes. 

“Now, now, it is not that bad, as far as marks go child, the more complex the magic, the more complex the mark and I have only seen 5 others as intricate as yours.  It is nothing to cry over though,” Desree said in a motherly tone.

Fera just shook her head no, “that is not it, why didn’t they just give me away, or drop me down a well, or I don’t know, how am I going to stop this? And if I mess up it is game over, and I am just me.” 

Desree was taken back, “Child your parents love you so much, you will fix this one way or another, and they were giving you the best chance at that.  Nothing you can do will make it worse, trust me there.”

Her words were of little comfort, she tried to give up thinking about it at that point.  She stared at her left wrist, the circle full of twists and turns seemed to move on its own, giving way to sharpened points. Fera found a strange comfort in the mark. It seemed like it was giving her a bearing, it reminded her of the compasses Markus drew on all his maps. Maybe it was meant to guide her she thought; then shook her head no in an attempt to stop her jumbled thoughts.  

Desree braided her hair back, and gave her a set of clean riding clothes to wear, as Fera changed she asked her, if she had been to the Dwarf strong hold, or the Elfin lands, she gave her a vague answer saying she has been a little bit of everywhere. 

When leaving the bathroom area, they ran into Leo, who was over joyed to see her out of bed.  Desree kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear that she would see her in the future, and that made a shiver run down Fera’s spine.  She knew it would be time to go soon and that was Desree’s goodbye. Before she got too far down the hall, Fera launched her arms around her and thanked her. 

“Fera…” Leo was looking at her captivated “Would you like to see the castle and the grounds?”

“That would be very nice, seeing only one room off and on for days has me a bit stir crazy.  Can we see Oren?”  She half laughed with excitement over being out of her own head and that room.

“Oren?” Leo puzzled.

“My horse.”  Fera then realized how much Leo was in the dark.

He agreed, then again he probably would have agreed to anything she would have asked, she took his offered arm and went on their way.

Chapter 20

Vance was brooding in the barn when he saw his mother on her way out to see him.  

She stopped in front of him, looking up, taking him in, she knew there was good chance she might not see this boy she raised and loved for a long time, or even ever again.  She could tell he was on edge and with good reason, and would be even more so after she told him what she needed to.

“What?” Vance half barked at her, his face read like an annoyed teenager.

“Is that anyway to spend our last few hours?  I know you’re mad, and confused, but I have to do something, to help you.  I have to give you an explanation, then I have to tell you what I have to do, and I need you to listen to all of it before you create a tornado and toss us all in the air.”  She raised her eyebrow waiting for him to answer.

“I thought you said you were bound and banded to not tell me things?”  His tone gave off insolence.

“Sit.” Desree barked at Vance, he gave in and slid down the back wall to the ground, and brought his knees up to his chest. “Now listen!  I showed you the night your parents were taken from you, from us.  Your mother knew it was going to happen.  She was a seer - at first a weak one, but with your father’s power hers was unlocked and she was much like Larin is now. She did not tell him, because she said in her heart she knew it was meant to be.  In the weeks before she set the binds in place, with me and with you, I was made to promise to keep all your memories for the first 10 years of your life away from you or at least very ambiguous.”  She paused as she watched him try to think of anything, his face was scrunched and when he gave up he stared blankly at her waiting for her to go on.

“You know your father was an Elemental, and with his gift you should be able to recall anything from the first moment you opened your eyes and took your first breath.  I was told to take that from you and I did, and it hurt, I loved you back then like you were my own family.  What I am getting at, the time has come for me to give you the memory that will help unlock the rest, but they won’t flood you, things will trigger them, and it won’t be physically painful, but I know emotional pain can trump almost any other form of pain.  Are you ready?”

Vance just sat there, eyes closed, trying to calm his breathing to focus on anything other than this horrible betrayal he felt down to his very core.  He knew this is what Fera was feeling too, it was all so unfair, and he hated thinking it unfair, because most things are rarely fair.

When he opened his eyes, Desree was right next to him, and without warning said words that were foreign and touched his forehead, before slipping into the memory he felt something ice cold tear through his body, then was in the memory.

Vance found himself in a room that gave him a feeling of deja vu, it looked like a big sitting room, he was on the floor by a Desree, she was playing with him, letting him put a spark of energy in a toy horse on wheels and watching it go on its own and clapping like what he was doing was brilliant.  Laughter on the other side of the room caught both his and his little forms attention.  He saw the same woman from the carriage, his mother, she was truly beautiful and looked so happy.  His little form toddled to her and she scooped him up.  Next to her sat the biggest shock, it was Riel.

“Oh Ava, he is so cute.”  Riel smiled so warmly at him

His little form wiggled off his mom’s lap and snuggled into the side of Riel, his chubby little hand touched her stomach, “baby” his little voice said and smiled up at her then to his mother.

His mother gently patted his leg, “Yes, baby Fera will be here before we know it.  Then we can go to Thoren and meet her.” 

Vance just caught that, that meant they were not in Thoren, they must be in his home, he looked around a little more, it was a nice room, so that meant his parents were well off, so they must have been important to wherever they were, that was the most frustrating thing. Not knowing where you’re from and in the same sense who he was. 

His attention snapped back when Riel let out a laugh, Ava looked alarmed at her, but she just looked down at his little form.  His hand was glowing slightly and he was tracing circles around Riel’s stomach and there was a little bump that seemed to follow his hand around, then he stopped and his little form leaned in and whispered, “Baby, baby, ‘ello.”

Fera gave a big kick or punch, Riel gave a small gasp and a slight jump, but then her stomach seemed to give a slight glow, and his little hand was back on it. Ava, Riel, and Desree all three looked slightly stunned. Then the two women started speaking a language Vance couldn’t understand, but the memory started to fade out as he watched himself fall asleep cuddled on Riel’s stomach.

He waited to come back to the barn, but the memory changed, like it did when he was in Fera’s last memory. 

The room was lowly lit, he knew it the second he looked around, it was his bedroom, it was dark blue and light green and there were dragons everywhere, he remembered loving dragons. 

His little form was in bed, but not asleep, he was sending little fireworks into the air.  A form walked into the room.

“Mama?”  He asked

“Shhh, its ok, it’s Riel.”  She went over and though it looked tough in her condition she got down on the floor and ran her fingers through his hair. “I have to go sweetpea, but I wanted to come say goodbye to you.” 

“No.”  The tone was strong and not unwavering for someone so small, it was clear he did not want her to go.

“Shhhh, I will see you soon, and when I see you Fera will be here.”

His little face was scrunched up like he was thinking about it.

“Van, she is going to need you, can you be a big boy and protect her when she gets here?”

He sat up more and touched Riel’s stomach again and it lit up, from the inside and from Vance’s hand. “Mine.” 

Vance laughed at his little form.  He held true to at least one thing- Fera was his, always has been and he would do everything to make sure she always will be. 

Riel got up and kissed Vance on the forehead and told him to sleep sweet.  Ava was now in the doorway watching.

“Riel, do you think he is the one Andler was talking about?”

“I cannot presume to think anything anymore, but I have to take everything a day at a time and put all the love into her I can before I have to go.”  Her voice was bittersweet.

“You don’t have to do what you’re thinking, Riel give us time and we can come up with something, we can hide you?”  His mother’s voice was strained and sounded like tears were close. 

“Hiding is asking me to leave Goodale, I can’t, and they don’t want me they want her, but bluffing them, buying time, it will, it has to work.”

Vance was no longer watching his real mother, and Fera’s, he was pacing the room, he needed to know who he was, why was Riel there.  Everything is connected but cloaked in such secrecy the dots are impossible to connect. 

“I have to go, the carriage is here and it is over a day to get home, and I think she will come early, I get feelings from her, she is impatient, good luck Ava, I will miss you.”  She leaned in and kissed Ava’s cheek and left.

The memory faded out as his mother was tucking him in bed.

When the barn was surrounding him again, he couldn’t move or talk, he did not want to, he wanted to shut his brain off, his control was all but gone, he felt the wetness on his cheek, tears of pain, confusion, frustration, and sheer loss washed down his face.

Desree was trying to let him take his time, but she knew they were running out.  She needed to address the rest of it, but if she did not give enough time the consequences could be catastrophic. 

As his breathing became less erratic, she handed him a hanky.  He looked at her, the mix of emotion playing across his face.

“Why, all of it why?” Vance was not sure he wanted all the answers, but his head was pounding, his body was buzzing.

Desree was wanting to take him in her arms, and treat him like the baby he would always be to her, but right now he was like a force of nature, true to who his father was.

“Whys are hard, I am bound by so much, I am sorry, but what I could say, for Bliath, for justice, what is right or can be right, and for her, for Fera.”   She let out a ragged breath, his eyes locked on hers, “Vance, you are going to get your memories back, you will sort through them, and find a way to the truth.” 

“How did they know each other, my mothe..” He trailed off he couldn’t call her his mother especially to Desree, she was just as much if not more his mother. “Ava, how did they know each other?” 

“They were very close friends, what I can say is, Riel went seeking the truth about her past well more like her mother’s, and found me, and in return found your father, but they are only friends if that is what you are asking?” 

Vance felt some relief in that.

“Desree, she called me Van?”

“Yes, that was your nickname, you loved Riel so much, and she was one of the first people to hold you after you were born.”  She half smiled.

Vance blew one big breath out and the air crackled “You need something mom, you better ask it sooner rather than later?”

“I have to leave too, I need you to ready my horse, our stuff is packed and behind the house, it was not part of the plan I know, but if it plays out like, well just please?”   Desree looked worried, and she normally was a rock. Vance never remembered seeing her conviction waver.

“Who is going with you, you said our stuff, or are you coming with us?”

“Larin is not going to be safe here, and after you skirt Fera away, Leo will not forgive you, and in return more than likely myself as well.  Fera’s crazy energy did the same thing to Larin that your father’s energy did to your mother’s and I….I don’t think it will be reversible.  Oh Vance, this kingdom would drown her or burn her, or someone would kidnap her to know the past, and future.”  Desree was shaken.