Read The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel Page 11
Loki sat on the log, in the solitude, and thought back over Morten’s words. She took stock of her feelings and smiled to herself. She was experiencing a mixture of shock from having learned about the Overseers and being invited to join, and intrigue over the secrecy that was so complete that her mother was a member and never let on! She wondered if her father ever knew, but she doubted it.
In the past two days, Loki had been met with surprise after surprise. She began to wonder what else she didn’t know about her mother. One part of her was fascinated with the mystery; another part felt frustrated. She was only getting pieces of information while clearly having the sense that other bits were withheld.
She wished she could see the whole picture. How would her ability to hear the ‘tweenlings and understand messages carried in the ethers, help prevent two powerful orders from obtaining a golden crystal and save some fairies? She also pondered Morten’s comment that she gave the energy a personality. Did that mean that she only imagined the ‘tweenlings? Her mind was racing.
Miss. Spin wit’ us. Spin wit’ us, miss.
“Not now,” she whispered.
The Overseers are a secret order and Morten said their intervention was undercover, so she hoped she wouldn’t have to face her brother or sister. The thought of having a face-to-face conflict with them troubled her. She thought back to what it was like growing up with them and their superior attitudes. She wasn’t concerned about their views or that they each joined their respective orders. She didn’t judge them for their beliefs or choices in life, but unfortunately the same courtesy wasn’t extended to her by them. She couldn’t help but wonder...if the situation did require her to fight them, did she have it in her to do it?
Elwyn could be shrewd and cruel, not to mention intimidating like their father. Tannis was easier to talk to, but when he believed strongly in something, he usually gave a good argument as to why others should adopt his views, and it was nearly impossible to get him to back off. The way Loki dealt with her siblings, when growing up, was to not deal with them. She did her best not to draw attention to herself and was quite good at blending in with the background. She didn’t care that they viewed this as a weakness on her part. All she cared about was that it kept their focus off of her. Besides, there were usually enough conflicts going on between Tannis and their father or Elwyn and Tannis that it didn’t take much effort for Loki to simply stay out of the way.
After sitting on the log for so long that her butt began to ache, her attention was brought back to the present moment. She stood and walked back toward Adele’s cottage, deciding to talk further with Morten. She still felt like the bigger part of the picture was missing. In fact, she was beginning to think that her life, her world as she knew it, wasn’t anything like she had thought all these years. Suddenly her own life felt foreign to her. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
The ‘tweenlings’ whispers swam around in her head, but she couldn’t make out words. She wondered if they were just being dramatic but she also had the sense that she was the subject of their whispers.
As she strolled back, she prodded deeper into her own thoughts. At first, questions flooded her mind, one after another. How could she consider joining the Overseers when she didn’t have the whole picture? Morten was obviously aware of her ability with energy. How did he know about her? As best she could recall, her mother never mentioned him or gave any hint at belonging to a secret organization. She couldn’t recall him visiting their home when she was growing up. So how did he know so much?
For a moment, she felt angry. It was beginning to feel as though others, like Morten, the ‘tweenlings, her mother and Adele, knew more about her life than she did herself! She wanted answers now! She wanted the whole story before she would commit to anything.
The more she let her frustration build, her pace quickened, her heart raced, and her body heated up. Suddenly, a gust of wind hit her head on. She heard the ‘tweenlings but it wasn’t one, unified voice that spoke to her clearly. This time it was like a thousand voices, all whispering different things, all trying to draw her attention in different directions. It was confusing; she felt pulled in multiple directions at once. Their energy swirled around her with more force than she had felt before. They pushed at her body and spun around her head, making her dizzy.
A wave of nausea washed over her and she thought she was going to vomit. The intensity of it grew and Loki had no choice but to drop to her knees on the ground. She curled into a fetal position on her side and pressed her arms to her gut. Their energy washed back and forth through her body, like waves crashing into the seashore, pushing and pulling at her. It was rough at first but then it slowly diminished. Loki lay on the ground for several more minutes before the motion subsided and the nausea left her.
“What was that about?!?” she spoke to the air.
He ask us to, miss. We scrub you good!
Morten? Loki sat up. She was perplexed. The dizziness was gone. She stood and looked around, wondering if she would be hit with another blast of wind.
It be okay, miss.
What have I gotten myself into? Everything that happens and everyone I speak to, just leaves me with more questions. She let her mind wander loosely over the things she had been thinking about before she was knocked off her feet and realized they didn’t seem quite as important now. Of course, she was still curious but it wasn’t as pressing.
Suddenly, her decision wasn’t hanging on getting answers. In fact, she even felt a tinge of excitement. She remembered how she had always yearned for some other alternative, something more meaningful than pursuing the dark arts or the light force or living as a commoner. She had wished for something else and, all of a sudden, here it was! Dumped in her lap. Handed to her on a platter!
She was filled with the knowingness that she was going to join the Overseers. There was no other explanation except that it simply felt like the right thing. She would help.
Oiyeah! Oiyeah!!
Just then, something feathery brushed her cheek again. Her hand reached for her face. She physically sensed a presence and turned in her tracks, expecting someone else to be nearby but there was no one.
The ‘tweenlings giggled.
“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?”
Not us, miss. Giggle.
Loki rolled her eyes and headed back toward the cottage.