They were both quiet as Hank digested this new information.
“Pironin is the wizard who put the curse on Tamaki,” Dulci added as an afterthought. She peeked up at Hank with a sad, empathetic gaze.
“He did that to my grandfather? Why would one of them have been asking about me on the streets? Does he know about me?” Hank asked then.
“Because, they are afraid of you,” Dulci replied, her smile growing again. “Pironin takes it as a personal affront that you were able to enter Faerie. He’d been counting on another generation passing before he had to confront one of Tamaki’s descendants. By that time, he assumed he would be too powerful to be stopped. He wasn’t expecting you.
“Pironin and his Kolograt clan are the danger I warned you about the other day,” she added quickly.
Hank was confused again, and he was getting sick of it. It seemed to him that he now spent most of his time in that state of mind and he wasn’t enjoying one bit of it.
“Why would they even be worried about me? I’m no threat to them!”
“They are scared of your magic. Used in conjunction with other faeries of the Seelie court, we pose a viable threat to them.” Dulci reached for him, seeing his growing distress.
He jumped up, agitated beyond belief as he let out a frustrated growl.
“But I have no magic!” he exclaimed, swinging his staff around the room. “Everything in this room has more magic in it than I could ever have! What does he want from me?”
Dulci smiled at his outburst. “You have much magic within you, exceptional magic, which has only been intensified with the addition of Tamaki’s staff and talisman.”
Hank looked at the stick in his hand incredulously. His heart raced faster than the beating wings of a hummingbird. Could she be right? What if she was? What if she wasn’t?
“The only magic I’ve seen in this thing is when it turned into a snake…and I had nothing to do with that!”
Dulci had the look of a mother as she watches her son take his first steps. Carefully radiant.
“That was you, Hank; you just hadn’t realized that you were the one doing it. Did you not notice the power of your voice as you spoke to the others? Did you not see the way they hesitated when they recognized the powerful magic emanating out of you? They saw it in you. Why don’t you see it?”
Hank was beside himself. How could any of this be real? How could his mind believe what this beautiful woman was telling him?
“Ok, then,” he countered bravely, “Then why am I in danger? If what you say is true, bring on this second rate wiz and I’ll whip his ass!” His doubt was fading as he pressed his fingers into the hard wood of the staff. It reassured him somehow, like his own grandfather was there pushing him on.
Dulci laughed with glee as she covered her mouth, her eyes dancing as she gazed at Hank over her fingers.
“I’m sorry, Hank. I’m not laughing at you. It’s just…the passion you just displayed reminded me so much of something Tamaki might have done!”
Rising from her seat, Hank suddenly found himself clasped in her arms as she gave him a hug. She was warm, soothing and so beautiful. He could hardly breathe when he was around Dulci…
His heart nearly beat out of his chest at her touch.
“You are in danger, Hank, because you are not yet trained. Your magic lies within you, completely dormant until these last few days. Now, you must submit to your training to bring it out to its full and wonderful potential!” Dulci stepped back, clapping her hands as she did a tiny yet excited dance in front of him.
“Wait…what?” Hank asked dumbly. “Training?”
Dulci nodded, her smile a beacon of confidence.
“Yes, Hank…training…we start tomorrow morning! A wizard is not born with the ability to control his own magic. He must work for it!”
Chapter 25
“I can’t!” Hank exclaimed as he pulled away from Dulci. “I have work tomorrow!”
“Very important work too I might add,” Dulci agreed. “We wouldn’t want to interfere with that.”
“But then how…?”
Dulci’s smile made his heart flip as her melodious words crossed his ears like a song.
“You will put in your day at work. When that is done, we will start the day over and devote that to your training.”
He had to sit down again as his world started spinning. He would be putting in two days for every one? Could he even survive something like that?
As he was thinking this through, something else Dulci had said snapped into his mind.
Turning toward the beautiful woman seated beside him, his heart skipped a beat even as he sputtered out the question now on his tongue.
“Wait a minute! Did you say…wizard?”
Dulci smiled proudly, nodding to his question before speaking.
“Yes, Hank. Your family…Tamaki’s family…has always been one with wizardry threaded through it.”
“But Nana…Ariel said that Tamaki didn’t know anything about how his family had obtained the talisman. According to her, he knew nothing of magic before he came here!”
Dulci nodded knowingly.
“Not everyone in a family will be empowered with magic, Hank. Most of the time only one child out of a generation will be graced, and sometimes it skips whole generations such as in your family.”
Hank gave her a quizzical look as she continued.
“Both Tamaki’s father and grandfather’s generations were devoid of magic. His great-grandfather was a powerful wizard named Bukuro, but he died before he could pass the knowledge on to his son.”
Dulci rose and moved across the room as she continued to speak.
“This happens quite frequently in our world,” she continued as she pulled an old leather book off of a shelf. “Generations of magical knowledge can be snuffed out with the loss of a single being.”
She turned to make her way back to her chair, setting herself comfortably before she continued.
“You see, many of those in our world refuse to write down this knowledge, worried about it getting into the wrong hands. It is very common to pass down the information generation to generation within a family…even if that generation has not been graced with magical abilities.”
Patting the chair beside her, she indicated for Hank to join her on the settee. He quickly moved, enjoying the feeling of being closer to her. Her presence was intoxicating, making it hard to focus although he pushed through as best he could.
As Dulci opened the old volume on her lap, he noticed that the page was blank. Moving her hand slowly over the pages, Dulci whispered a few words before writing started showing up clearly on the page.
“Damn,” Hank whispered, watching in awe as the pages before him filled with beautiful script.
“That’s amazing!” he crowed when the conversion was complete.
Dulci grinned at him, enjoying his enthusiasm before turning back to the book and pointing at an entry.
“This is Bukuro…as you can see by the notation beside him; he had the mark of magic within him.”
Hank noticed the small figure beside the name…a mark that resembled an infinity symbol.
“And these are his forbearers, she added as her graceful finger slid up the page and then to the page preceding it.”
He followed her hand with his eyes, amazed at the number with the mark of magic beside them.
“How far does this go back?” He whispered when Dulci turned the page back, revealing even more names.
“Thousands of years, Hank. Your family is regarded as one of the oldest magical clans ever.”
His mind was spinning with her words. How could he be a part of an age-old family of magic when he only found out about it a day ago?
“How do you know all of this?” he asked suddenly. “And why do you have a book with my whole family lineage in it?”
He hadn’t meant for it to come out so briskly, but he couldn’t help being a little suspicious suddenly…even of Dulci.
r /> Dulci smiled warmly at him, her beauty and the warmth he now felt quickly obliterating his suspicions.
“I admit that you and your family hold a special place in my heart, Hank, and as such, I tend to study your lineage a little closer than the others.”
“Others?” Hank questioned, once more and forever confused.
Dulci nodded, “It’s my job you see…I am one of the keepers of the history of the various clans of Faerie.”
He nodded, thoughtful yet still curious about so many things.
“I hope this isn’t improper of me, but do you mind if I ask…?”
“Would you like to know what kind of magical being I am?” Dulci asked with a warm smile, apparently reading his mind.
He could only nod at her question, feeling suddenly unsure if he really wanted to know after all.
“I am an oracle,” Dulci replied with pride, “An elf oracle to be exact.”
Having never heard of such a thing, he found that her revelation had actually calmed his earlier fears…although he had no reason why.
“And as such…?” Hank started.
“I have many differing powers. I am what you would call psychic for one, as is probably quite evident to you at this point.”
Hank grinned sheepishly.
“I can also manipulate time, as well as being able to transport myself and others to different locations. Both of these, of course, you have already witnessed.”
“Wow,” Hank breathed as he sat back in his seat. “With all of those powers, why would you even need me?”
Dulci grew serious as she returned his gaze.
“Although I do have many powers, Hank, there is much more that I can not do…powers that you will gain with your training.”
“Oh yeah?” He grinned, “Like what?”
Dulci continued her gaze for several moments before replying. “I can not take a life.”
Hank nodded thoughtfully at her remark before sitting up straighter again, his emotions suddenly growing cold.
“Does that mean…”
Dulci nodded, “Yes Hank, you will be more than capable of taking even the most powerful being’s life.”
“Oh shit,” Was all that he could think to say.
***
Hank mulled over the newest revelation of his advancing powers. Having never taken a life, he was unsure if he would ever be able to utilize his predicted ability.
“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” he finally responded. “I’ve never taken a life…never even felt the need to. I’ve always been able to overcome even the direst situation with my Kobudo training.”
Dulci nodded silently, seeming troubled…wrestling with something in her mind.
“Having the knowledge does not mean that you have to use it, Hank. It is only another weapon in your arsenal. The wisest of wizards can indeed live their whole life without taking another’s life. Even those that are forced to, use this power sparingly.”
Hank leaned back in his seat again, relief showing on his face.
“That’s good to hear!”
Looking over at Dulci, he noticed the sadness in her eyes.
“Dulci?” he asked, holding out and taking her hand in his, enjoying the tingling in his arm at her touch. “What thoughts could bring so much sadness to the face of my favorite oracle?”
Dulci returned his smile with a strained one of her own.
“There is something else I need to show you,” she replied then.
Turning the book on her lap back to the original page, she then handed the book over to Hank.
“You will perhaps notice something there that you didn’t know before.”
He looked down at the beautiful writing, seeing his name at the bottom of the page. Noticing something else, he looked up in surprise.
“Howie had magic too?”
Dulci nodded with a small smile. “He did indeed! It is extremely rare for two in the same generation to have the power. It is only possible in twins, which is also extremely rare, especially in the lineage of a wizard. Twin wizards are very powerful!”
Emotions came flooding back again as Hank thought about his brother. “It’s too bad that Howie didn’t live,” he said with conviction as he turned his eyes toward Dulci. “We could have teamed up to whip some Unseelie ass!”
Dulci couldn’t help but laugh at Hank’s proclamation, her melodious voice filling the room with sweetness as she placed her hand on his arm.
His heart beat wildly in his chest at her touch.
I could get used to this, he thought to himself.
He noticed Dulci smiling knowingly at him before she continued.
“The souls of most beings don’t die, Hank. They live on in perpetuity, many times watching over those that that they have loved in this life.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve felt that way before…like Howie is still with me.”
A warm glow emanated out of Dulci before she spoke again, her eyes bright with the knowledge she was about to share.
“He is, Hank…he is here with you now…standing right behind you.”
***
Hank jumped out of his seat and turned to stare at the space behind the chair. Although he was hopeful of seeing his brother again, he was equally creeped out at the thought of Howie skulking around behind him.
“He is laughing, Hank,” Dulci grinned as she looked back behind the settee. “He is happy that you now know of his presence.”
Dulci laughed out loud then, “He is also exceedingly thrilled that he gave you a fright!”
Hank’s face turned red.
“Jerk,” he mumbled as he sat back down next to Dulci.
“He is very happy now, Hank. He said he can’t wait to get started!”
Confusions crossed Hank’s face as he spoke.
“Get started with what?”
Dulci’s eyes lit up, “With training! As I said before, twin wizards are very powerful…even if one of them is no longer on this plane of existence.”
Hank grinned at her words, wanting to fist-bump his brother.
“Will I ever be able to see him…to talk to him?”
“Absolutely.” Dulci answered confidently. “After a time you will even consider it second nature.”
“Fantastic,” Hank breathed, feeling somewhat complete for the first time in a long time. “What does he…look like?” The thought of seeing his brother as a child fighting with him was somewhat disturbing.
Dulci gave him a sympathetic look. “He looks just like you. He’s grown with you, shared your triumphs, your pain, your suffering, your excitement. He has lived vicariously through you.”
He scratched his head. Emotions were running rampant across his brain. Mostly the feeling of sadness for what his brother should’ve experienced.
Dulci’s face once again showed concern however, and Hank was at a loss as to why. Handing the book back to him, she sat back and stared at him.
“Although that was one of the things I wanted to show you,” she started, “There is yet one other.”
Confused, he lowered his eyes once again to the pages on his lap. Smiling when he once again saw Howie’s name, the smile disappeared when his focus moved up on the page.
His jaw dropping, he looked back to Dulci for confirmation of what he just discovered.
“It’s true…your mom also had magic within her.”
Hank thought back in time, running through the life he experienced until he was ten.
“I don’t remember her doing anything magical,” he mumbled in disbelief.
Dulci shook her head adamantly. “She was never trained. Tamaki thought it was the right thing to do since she would never be able to get to Faerie alone for her training…he considered it too dangerous to let her know.”
Hank nodded, taking in the sadness as he thought about his parents. He also thought of Tamaki, how he suffered with the knowledge of his magic, unable to even pass it on to his own daughter…in fear for her life.
; “He was a great man,” he mumbled, “Sacrificing all of that for his only daughter.”
Dulci nodded sadly. “Yet in the end…it didn’t matter.”
Hank was slow to pick up on the tone of her voice when she said it, turning toward her only after nearly a minute had passed.
“What do you mean?” he asked then.”
Dulci remained quiet for a time, staring instead at her hands folded on her lap.
When she finally looked up, there was a tear in her eye.
“The accident…the one that killed your parents…the one that nearly killed you? It wasn’t an accident at all…it was Pironin.”
“What are you saying Dulci?” he asked, feeling lightheaded as he spoke the words, certain that he already knew the answer yet unwilling to admit it to himself.
“Pironin instigated the accident, Hank,” Dulci wept, a tear marring her perfect face. He was hoping to kill off two generations of your family in one fell swoop. Had I not pulled you out of the car at the last second…”
Chapter 26
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!
Hank had started early, pummeling the sparing dummy for forty five minutes straight. Finally exhausted, he let the staff drop to the floor before he too let gravity drag him down to his back.
Breathing hard from his efforts, the heavy workout still hadn’t eliminated the seething anger that Dulci’s words had filled him with.
Pironin!
The word dripped from his tongue through the ragged breathing.
The pain of the deliberate loss brought about by Pironin’s own hand filled his soul with anguish and the need for revenge.
Dulci had tried to calm him the night before…anguished at his reaction, yet knowing that it had to come to pass.
Filled with sorrow for Hank’s pain, she had to remind him of his earlier reluctance to end a life.
This is the type of being you will be up against, she cajoled, one that would snuff your life-force out in a second. Without remorse. Without feeling.