Celtic Rose (16 page)

“I see what you mean,” Talus said as he watched. He turned to Kalan. “Well...you can leave your car with ours at our friend’s garage. We’ll come back for it another time.” With that said, they were ready to get everything loaded and be on their way.

After dropping Kalan’s car off, they all piled into Kallisto’s car, the trunk was big enough to hold the entire collection of luggage, although it was a snug fit.

William drove the first 400 miles. Ramina sat up front with him. Talus and Kalan sat on either side of Kallisto so that she’d be touching Kalan at all times and she wouldn’t be far from Talus. Kallisto lay across them in the seat, her feet in Kalan’s lap and her head against Talus’ stomach, cuddled in his arms. She could still see William through the rear view mirror. After a few hours of driving, William started getting the same look that he had at the hotel. Reaching over his seat, Kallisto placed her hand on his neck, and the feeling of the river flowed through her again. William shivered and the strange look melted away just like before. Kallisto kept her hand there for a while, letting the river flow. Eventually, the effects of the comfort Kallisto felt had taken its toll and she fell into a quick, dreamless sleep.

When she woke, they were home. Kalan opened her door and helped her out of the car. The pain was gone, as though being near Kalan really had helped heal her wounds. Talus and William met Kalan and Kallisto at the front of the car, Ramina trailing behind. Hope ran out of the house.

“Kallisto! Are you alright?” She ran up to Kallisto and hugged her neck.

“I feel much better, Mom.” Kallisto paused as she pulled away and looked in Hope’s eyes. “I believe we have a lot to talk about,” Kallisto said with a weak grin. Hope sighed with relief but there was something more in her eyes, Kallisto couldn’t tell what it was, though.

“Yes, it seems that we do,” she said, and then looked at Talus as she spoke. There was sadness in her eyes but her lips curved in a pleased smile, as though she was happy to see him. She looked at Kalan then. “There’s my baby boy. I missed you so much,” she said as she hugged him. Hope led them into the house when she pulled away.

Kallisto settled on the couch between Kalan and Talus. They all got settled around each other in the room; apparently no one wanted to get more than a few feet from the others, but Hope took the chair across from them. She looked at them smiling.

“It is so good to see you all together again.” They exchanged a confused look before turning their gazes back to her. They figured that she knew, but hearing her say that they were together again was a surprise they weren’t expecting. Kallisto scanned the others and saw similar expressions of what she imagined she looked like. Shocked and awed expressions; most of their eyes were wide and William’s and Kalan’s mouths were open. Talus’, Ramina’s, and Kallisto’s were in a tight line. There was nothing they could say. The new information had them shocked into silence. “Seeing you together again is both a happy and sad occurrence,” she continued.

“How is it sad, Mom?” Kallisto said through the astonishment.

“Let me explain a little before I tell you why it’s sad.” Leaning over the arm of the chair, she pulled a box from under the table. “The objects in this box are from some of your previous lives. They were entrusted to my family by you in different lifetimes. Each piece is something you collected to help you remember why you’re here and what you’re supposed to do during the time you have here. I kept this box in storage until you left for Phoenix. The dreams were the first sign. Your eyes were the second. I’ll explain that in a bit. I put this box here and waited for you to come home.” She pulled out the first piece.

“This is a piece of a tablet that is a clue needed to find some kind of door that you’ll need to open. None of you were certain what type of door or where it led, or even where it was, but you collected several pieces of this tablet. You nearly completed it in your last life. I was a teenager when I saw you the last time. Kalan and Kallisto played the part of my younger siblings, rather than my children back then.” She paused, judging their reactions. Kallisto felt Kalan stiffen at the same time she did. Talus’ arm tightened on her shoulders and William’s hand was rubbing her shin. Ramina’s arm was around Kalan and she tightened her grip on Kallisto’s shoulder. Kallisto felt much love but very claustrophobic at the same time.

“The rest of the pieces are in here. You can put them together later.” She placed the piece back in the box. After rummaging through the box for a few seconds Hope pulled out a few pages of yellowed paper. “These are explanations of your tattoos. I’m sorry that I had to tell you that we put them on you, but you must understand now that it was necessary to keep that secret until the right time.”

“We understand Mom, it’s okay,” Kalan said, speaking softly.

“Thank you.” She smiled lovingly, and focused her attention to the paper in her hand. She flipped the first page around so they could see it. “This is a drawing of Talus and Kallisto’s tattoos. On the bottom it explains what it represents, which I’m sure you’ve already figured that one out through your dreams.” She saw them nod and inclined her head to the page.

“It also explains what it really means. Yes, it does mean that you complete each other and that you are meant to be together, but it also means that if something happens to one the other will know. You are two pieces of a whole; what happens to one piece will affect the other. I can’t tell you any more than that, but I can tell you that the longer you are together, the stronger this bond will become.” She paused as she flipped to the next paper and showed then a drawing of Kalan’s and William’s tattoos.

“Before I explain these, I feel that I should explain something else first. Kalan and Kallisto are true full-blood siblings. There was no fabrication to that fact. Your lives are linked together; when one dies, so does the other. There’s no way around this. The only difference between now and then is that you’re able to be apart longer than you ever were before, but in every life being separated for extended periods of time triggers certain abilities. The reason I sent you to your brother so abruptly was because of the dreams. When they started getting more frequent, I knew you would start getting sick soon, and I didn’t want to take the chance of you getting too sick to go. Of course, your brother would’ve come home then, but you would never have met Talus that way. I knew that Kalan had met Talus, because only some connection with Talus can start the dreams. The abilities that I spoke of should’ve already surfaced. Have you noticed anything different?”

“I take it you are referring to the ability to tell lie from truth, Kalan’s ability to control me, and the ability to read thoughts,” Kallisto said quietly, still in a slight state of shock. Hope’s eyes widened.

“You already started reading thoughts?” she asked surprised.

“No; not yet anyway. We’ve seen it in the dreams, but we haven’t tried to do it ourselves; but we do have the gift of discernment now. Why? Are we not supposed to read thoughts yet?” Kalan asked. Hopes expression changed to relief.

“No, it’s not that you’re not supposed to yet, it’s just that you’ve never been able to do it until after Gabriel teaches you how.” She opened her mouth to say more but Kallisto cut her off.

“Are you telling me that he is alive now, too?” Kallisto thought she should have known but she hadn’t really thought about it. Hope smiled and nodded.

“Yes, he’s the one who helps you relearn your abilities.”

“Does he know about everything already, or does he have to relearn with us?” Talus asked.

“He’s been raised to know these things. He doesn’t have to be present for everything to be set in motion.” Kallisto started to ask another question but Hope stopped her. “He’ll be the one to explain everything else to you on that subject. We don’t have time to go through that now. You need to learn about everything else first, and then you’ll need to find Gabriel.” She looked back at the picture.

“I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Christian story of Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for sinners so that they can be cleansed of their sins, and admitted into Heaven?” Seeing their nods, she went on. “The crosses on Kalan and William have much the same type of story, only you won’t go to Heaven for inviting them into your heart,” she said, smiling. “They both loved you and wanted to save you. They died for you in that life and every life after; you have invited them both into your heart and they’re connected to you in important ways.” Most of what she said was directed at Kallisto.

“Gabriel also has a cross tattoo. He loved you and wanted to save you, and he died for you as well. Gabriel’s cross is bigger than Kalan’s and William’s crosses, and there is one other difference. His tattoo is not just a cross, but a compass as well. The reason for that is because he is your protector and your guide; he always has been your protector, but he became your guide when he was chosen to take this position. You have heard of the angel Gabriel, yes? Right hand of God, and all that?” She paused to wait for an answer, and after they nodded, she continued. “Well, Gabriel is your right hand, your angel, for lack of a better word. Believe me, he’s no angel, but you will find out more about all that later.” She put the page down and grabbed the last.

“Ramina’s key. This is fairly easy. She is the key to the door you need to open. That is really all the key represents. I had assumed she would carry a cross like Kalan, since she died trying to save him. If not that, then at least they should’ve had a matching tattoo like the two of you. I never understood that, but I do know that after she opens the door, she’ll still be a part of your entourage; nothing will change that. She is forever connected to the group through Kalan and Talus.” She put the papers back in the box and placed it back on the floor.

“Another reason for the tattoos is that you will be able to identify one another by them. If you noticed, you found like souls and friends in those that carried a mark like you.” She gestured toward the box with her hand. “The rest of the things in the box are for you to go through on your own. Gabriel will be able to tell you more about all of that.” She took a deep breath and leaned forward, settling her elbows on her knees. She laid her head in her hands and exhaled loudly. “Now, it’s time for the bad news,” she said and paused; after a moment she lifted her head and looked at the group.

“You only have two years to get every task you can completed.” She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. They waited patiently as she steadied herself. “Exactly two years to the day after Talus and Kallisto meet, you die.”

Ramina drew in a sharp breath. Kalan wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in the curve of his neck. William grabbed Kallisto’s legs tightly and Talus pulled her closer to him.

“Why only two years?” Kallisto ask softly.

“Two years is the amount of time you were engaged before you died in your first life. I take it you haven’t gotten that far in the dreams yet?”

They shook their heads and she continued. “After you finally became engaged, the king had a castle built for you. It took almost two years to build. He made you wait until then to get married. On the day of your wedding, you were betrayed and murdered. Gabriel will tell you what happened after.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Your eyes, Kallisto, are the way to tell when the time is near. They have started turning green since the dreams started, and they get greener as the days go by. When the time comes for you to die, your eyes will be a bright emerald green. I can’t tell you why because I don’t really know.” When she finished, tears shone bright in her eyes.

An eerie sense of calm washed over Kallisto as she sat with her soul mates. She stared into oblivion and images started filling her head, images of Phoenix and Gabriel. She could feel him in her mind. He had been either watching for them, or he sensed that something was wrong, because he was just there right at the moment she was ready to panic. He was sending her a vision, a message, from where he was. He wanted them to come to him as soon as the shock wore off.

“Kallisto, come back to me, babe.” Talus was holding her face, staring into her eyes. He was able to tell when she came back; he sighed in relief. He pulled her into a tight hug and planted kisses on the side of her head. “You scared me there for a minute. It was weird–your eyes looked smoky, like you went blind in a matter of seconds, then your eyes cleared,” he said, frowning with panicked eyes.

“I guess that explains why I couldn’t see anything but the vision. It was Gabriel. He wants us to come back to Phoenix as soon as we can. He’s been living there.” Kallisto looked at Hope, the woman who had been her mother. Hope grinned but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“He must really be in a hurry to get started. Your eyes are turning greener every day.” Her smile faded as she said it. “Promise me you’ll come home when you can. I may not be your true mother but I am your mother. I love you both so much. If there had been any way to avoid this, I would’ve done it gladly. Please believe me,” she pleaded, and tears started down her cheeks. Kalan and Kallisto stood and went to her. They hugged her and gave her a kiss. She giggled at their identical movements.

“We’ll come home as soon as we can, Mom, we promise,” they said together.

“At least stay for the night and leave in the morning,” she said, as she gave them each a kiss.

“Talus and William can stay in your room with you, Kalan, and Ramina can stay in Kallisto’s room.” She stood and went to get the blankets from the linen closet.

“I take it that means we were never married?” Kallisto asked, only half joking. She had hoped that we were.

“You’ll find out just how far you made it eventually, but as for now, you are not married, and we will keep to the rules for non-married couples in this house,” she chortled. They all laughed as she went on to get the blankets. They went to bed soon after, exhausted from the shock of what they’d learned.

Time passed quickly in the dream world. The castle was close to completion. The Scottish king and queen had come to Ireland to get to know the Irish family. The Scottish king looked at Kallisto with approving eyes.