Chapter 5
“Well there goes any chance I’ve ever had at sleeping tonight.” I sigh, putting my forehead into my hands and drawing circular patterns to match the wood grain of the kitchen table.
“Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“I grew up in some rough parts.” I say looking up at him darkly.
“I see.”
“I was a waitress, and I used to hustle losers in the city for money and food. I started out throwing darts when I was a teenager, and I became talented at it. Eventually I started throwing knives at targets for fun, but my foster parents didn’t approve and so I kept getting in trouble. It was the only thing I’ve ever actually been good at.” I say.
“I’d say. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure to fight with. Your aim is impeccable, and I’ll never know how you spotted that last Sneak.”
“Luck, Fate … Destiny… whatever you believe, I guess.”
Theo looks at me oddly as if I’ve said something that has offended him.
“Your father isn’t dead, you know.” He says looking at me pointedly.
The room starts to spin, encircling me into a deep oblivion. My throat tightens up. I can’t breathe. What did he just say?
“I mean he appears dead but we can save him still. That’s what I came here for. I somehow was lucky enough to be on the same bus as you after a mission to go to a few towns and get rid of some remaining Sneaks.”
How?
“Just because we can use telecommunication doesn’t mean we should. It drains you of essential energy and magic that you may need later. He isn’t dead because he’s just been poisoned by the same stuff that’s in that bottle I used back there. “
“What was that stuff?” I question.
“Vampire’s blood. It’s potent to the sneaks but not deadly to us—we can only be killed by wolf venom.”
“Wolves… and vampires… and ghosts, oh my.” I mock him.
“This isn’t funny, Alison. We are never, ever supposed to let the humans know of our existence. It could mean another war is on the horizon…and it’s easy to see that Mathew has a very dark scheme he’d like to unleash.”
“Who’s Mathew? I’ve heard you mention him before?” I ask.
“Mathew was my predecessor. He was the King’s Advisor, one of the most important and influential parts of the King’s Guard. Mathew had a secret obsession with the Queen, but he was also your father’s best friend—sworn to serve and protect him until his own death.”
“When your mother became pregnant, Mathew realized that he could not have her because she had been tainted by the King. She no longer had the pure blood that he was looKing for. He grew impatient so while the King and Queen slept peacefully, Mathew plotted.”
“Mathew was very powerful and even more evil; he had the ability to implant memories into anyone’s mind. He could make them see and believe anything that he imagined. Your mother was a great Seer, and she could predict the future. She prophesied that terrible things would happen if they remained in the palace.”
“Your father was stubborn and believed that he could protect her from anything. And so on one particularly stressful night, Mathew snuck into the sleeping chambers of the King and Queen and began to implant memories into the Queen’s mind. The King was aware that there was a stranger in the room, but by the time he reached him it was too late.”
“He had been betrayed by his best friend. He pinned him against the wall and shouted for the King’s Guards who rushed in to imprison him, while he awaited judgment in the prison your mother’s health slowly deteriorated. She believed that the baby inside of her was killing her, and so her body began to follow suit. Your father finally found a young Implanter who couldn’t erase all the implantations, but who convinced her that the baby wasn’t going to kill her so her health was once again restored, but her mind would never be the same again.”
“Your father tried for years to find cures to rid your mother of the false memories. There were none. She would never again laugh or dance the way she once had. Mathew was exiled from the Kingdom on account of treason and murder. He was sent to the human world and locked away in a frozen chamber deep in the mountains. The Kingdom put an enchantment on Mathew to strip him of his abilities once he was in the human world, but someone had enchanted the world long ago to allow us to keep our powers so that we could survive. Mathew was a prisoner in a world that he could still control, and he had tricked the Elders and escaped the prison in a matter of weeks.”
Theo sighs deeply and takes a sip of his coffee. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a leather bound book with golden pages and decorative green ink symbols.
“This is for you.” He slides the book across the table.
I look at it, but the words are out of focus and unclear. They look like Egyptian symbols.
“I can’t read it.” I rub my eyes and the words begin to run together in a beautiful cursive scroll. The History and Tales of the Ancients the cover reads. “Thank you.”
“It has always belonged to you. I thought it might help you figure out who you are: who we are.” He says extending his hand across the table. I reach mine towards his and embrace it joyfully. Another tear rolls down my cheek and lands in a puddle on the table.
“Nothing makes sense anymore, least of all you…” I trail off.
“I hope that one day everything will make sense again, but it’s a lot to take in. Just take it easy, maybe you could try to go to sleep?”
“I can’t.” I say.
“I know.” He answers.
“Will you tell me about my father?” I ask. “Earlier you said he wasn’t dead, but that he had been poisoned. Who would do such a thing?”
“It’s my belief that Mathew learned your father would be in the human world so he sent someone to poison him and had plans to keep him locked away as a prisoner. But before Mathew could retrieve the body the humans found him, and they were convinced that he was dead. So they pronounced him deceased and contacted you—his only living relative here, other than your mother.”
“So we can save him?” I demand.
“We can’t. A Healer will be able to save him once we return to New Hollow.”
“A Healer… and we’re going to New Hollow?” I ask.
“Healers have special abilities that can cure and heal all kinds of ailments, while we are practically immortal in terms of human standards—we still suffer from many wounds, illnesses and injuries. My mission is to retrieve the King’s body and return with you safely.”
“What do you mean by ‘immortal’?” I wonder aloud.
“Our bodies can survive for much longer than the average humans, but we also have a limit—4,000 years. After 4,000 years we fade away peacefully and we become animal spirits. Our animals…they do not die because they are us in death. We each have a guide, a sort of animal that we call our guardian, and it watches over us until we finally merge on our 4,000th day. My spirit will be a hawk.” He says dreamily. “So if we ever get in trouble and you see the hawk—run. Danger is not far from it.”
“Is anyone able to be immortal, I mean live forever?” I inquire.
“Yes… there have been two known cases in our recorded history where our race has been granted immortality. The first case was the Historian because we needed to keep a written record of our race’s history for future generations. She was the first of our kind and she will be the last. The second case was an accident, but we believe he was created because the Historian grew lonely with no companion. He was a twin, these twins were the loveliest creatures in our land but one of them did not have any abilities. The other was granted double abilities—which is quite a rare case. He turned of age and still his ability never revealed itself, and the strangest part was that he had no spirit. He was taken to the Elders who finally revealed that he was a rare Immortal. That was his ability. He aides our Historian in keeping track of records, and they live together eternally happy.” He answ
ers with a strange mix of frustration and resentment lingering in his glittering eyes.
“I sense something beneath the surface of your answer…” I trail off.
“What do you mean?” He snaps.
“You answered my question as if you were envious…as if these two were undeserving of happiness or immortality.” I reply.
“Oh…I hadn’t realized you could read me so easily. I’ve always felt that it was unfair that royalty such as yourself and your family should not be given the gift of immortality.” He whispers, looking down at his folded hands in embarrassment.
“I appreciate your kind words but just because someone is ‘royal,’ doesn’t mean that they should not be given the same limitations and restrictions as everyone else. These two Immortals will live for eternity: they will never experience death, and they will certainly have to spend forever watching their friends and everyone they love die around them.” I respond, suddenly feeling sorry for the Historians.
“Princess, I did not mean to offend you. I have never looked at our Historians in that way.” He answers looking deeply at me with his large shimmering eyes.
It’s hard to feel anything but admiration for someone so focused… and attractive. I try to distract myself by staring at the book. I look up, and he’s still staring at me—strange, I thought this had all been a dream.
“Could you walk me to my room?”
“Um… sure. I mean, it is my duty to serve and protect you. Although, I think you’re the one who saved me tonight.” He jokes.
“Yeah, those things give me the creeps just thinking about them.” I whisper nervously.
“That’s an understatement.” He replies. “I hope you don’t think I’m crazy.”
“Why would I think that?” I ask.
“Well, with everything that has happened today—why wouldn’t you?”
We stop in front of my tall white door that still has the same “Keep Out. No Boys Allowed” sign and I feel strangely embarrassed by it. Of course, I would have the first guy that I’ve ever even shown a faint interest in see this sign from my weird childhood.
“That’s cute.” He says pointing out my attempt at a dragon breathing fire. “Does it still apply?”
“Yes.” I say laughing. “It still applies.”
He looks at his feet dejected. I feel a little bad for him because that may have been the only line he’s ever used on a girl. He looks at me. I breathe in deeply, and he smells faintly of pine trees and the forest. He looks at me longingly; he’s inches from my lips. I lick them, and they feel chapped. Now I can’t stop overthinking everything.
Is this going to be my first kiss? We stand there awkwardly; neither of us knows what to do. Where do I put my hands? Why hasn’t he kissed me yet? It feels like an eternity. I open my eyes and his eyes look concerned. Oh no. He takes a step back and pouts his lip.
“Special orders from the boss, I can’t kiss the girl.” He leans down and kisses me on the forehead. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them though.”
He winks at me. And I look down crushed. That was supposed to be the moment. It was perfect. Damn. I open my door as he quietly slips away like a cat that was never there, but his scent lingers behind him.