“So?” I became aware of something I’d missed because of my nightmare-clouded mind—Grampa and Aunt Janelle wore ceremonial robes, white with burgundy lapels and bulbous sleeves. I’d only seen Grampa dress like that once—when he was going to meet with the Circle of Twelve in Xenith to petition them to allow Bran to join us.
“Lil,” Grampa snapped, drawing my attention to his face. He’d shaven. “Tell us about the woman. What did she say?”
Aunt Janelle touched his arm and added in a softer voice, “Take your time.”
I closed my eyes and the images sprang into my head. My eyes snapped open. “She said I must stop the Tribe, or they’ll win and make her sacrifices be for nothing. She kept urging me to fight back, but it hurt and I didn’t know what to do.” I blew out a breath.
“Go on,” Grampa urged.
“She said they make you feel a pain that’s not there, a sorrow that’s forgotten and a nightmare that never ends, and the power to stop them was within me. What did she mean? I tried to focus but it was useless. In the end, I reached for my memories of you guys and Bran and the others, then I woke up.”
“She didn’t say anything else?” Grampa asked.
Why was he so interested in what the woman said? “Uh, just before I woke up, she said find the Summoners or something about her weapon.”
Silence followed, but their disappointment hung heavy in the air. When they exchanged a glance, I pounced. “Did I just relive what happened on the beach last weekend? Who is she? Why would she want to help me? Is she the reason the dagger’s powers shifted to me?”
Aunt Janelle rubbed my arms and smiled. “Yes.”
“Who is she?”
Grampa and Aunt Janelle looked at each other and stayed silent.
“Tell me, please. From your expressions you know the answer. Who—”
“The Goddess. She is known to guide us from time to time when we face formidable enemies. She chooses a conduit and relays her message through him or her. In this case, that conduit is you. It’s an honor.”
Something the librarian had said about Xenia listening and answering flashed into my head. Then there was Master Haziel giving me a book about her, and Grampa searching my mind for residual energy. Her energy?
“So you knew she was the one who did this to me on the island?” I asked.
Grampa shook his head. “No, she didn’t attack you. She helped you deal with the attack.”
“But you knew. All this time you knew and didn’t say anything?” I yelled.
“We suspected,” Grampa said calmly.
Sometimes they made me so mad I wanted to scream. “Why is she talking to me?”
“Because you are special,” Grampa added.
“Special? That’s the kind of answer you give a three-year-old, Grampa. Were you searching for her energy or the demons’ when you blended with me?”
“Her’s. Other than you, she’s the only one with the ability to control the powers of the dagger. As soon as you told us what Master Haziel said, we suspected she must have made contact with you.” Grampa glanced at Aunt Janelle then added, “We couldn’t tell you the truth until we were sure. That is why we didn’t wake you from the nightmare tonight.”
I wanted to yell at them again, but it wouldn’t change anything. “But she didn’t tell me anything we don’t already know. I mean, you already knew about the Summoners.”
Grampa smiled, though there was no humor in his eyes. “Master Haziel has vast knowledge of our world and how it works. Unfortunately, he only tells us what he thinks we should know. As for the Goddess, we expected more.” He stood, Aunt Janelle joining him. “But we now know that the images the Tribe project in our heads are not real, and the way to stop that kind of invasion is to focus on happy memories. That is what you did when you focused on us, Bran, and your friends. Love got you out of that nightmare.”
I got up too, the wet facecloth still clenched in my hands. “What about the dagger’s powers? If thinking of you helped me, what were the powers of the dagger doing inside me? And why are they gone?”
“Gone?” Aunt Janelle asked.
I turned around, and lifted the back of my pajama top, then glanced at Grampa and Aunt Janelle over my shoulder. Their expression was unreadable, but they couldn’t hide their puzzlement. “They are gone, right?”
“Were you holding the Kris when it happened?” Grampa asked slowly.
“No. The Kris is with Master Haziel. I use it during training and leave it with him. I didn’t realize the writings were gone until last night. What does it mean? And please don’t lie or say you don’t know. I don’t care if it is a theory, just tell me. Not knowing only drives me crazy. Please?”
“It means that the Kris Dagger has completely bonded with you. Do you still have the headache?” Grampa asked, his expression unreadable.
I shook my head. “It’s gone. I thought Kylie’s…never mind. Completely bonded with me? What happened to ‘it’s only temporary’?”
Grampa sighed. “I don’t like it either. The powers were supposed to move back to the dagger. They always move back.”
I blinked. “So this is not the first time this has happened to its wielder?”
“No.” Aunt Janelle rubbed his back gently. “I’m sure there’s a reason for this, Luminitsa. Maybe Master Haziel has an answer or the Goddess will let us know what it means.”
Yeah, I had a question or two for the Goddess. Like why was she screwing with my head? I couldn’t do my job when I was busy worrying about my powers.
“You know what? I don’t care anymore. I don’t have the headache, so I’m fine with whatever this means. How was the meeting?” I asked in an upbeat voice and pointed at their priestly robes. “Did everyone wear those?”
Grampa frowned. “We reached a consensus, which we plan to convey to the elders. Lil, about the dagger—”
“I’m not going to discuss it anymore, Grampa.” I rubbed my arms as goose bumps spread fast on the surface of my skin. The sleeveless pajama top and shorts weren’t exactly warm, but the chill wasn’t brought on by cold. “When you say elders, do you mean the CT?”
He nodded. “Yes. The final decision rests with them.”
“You can’t leave now,” I protested, hating the panic coiling inside me. “The CT takes forever to decide on anything. It took them days to sanction canceling contracts, yet they knew Bran’s soul was at stake.”
Aunt Janelle chuckled. “Mass canceling of contracts is not something we’ve done before and they had to weigh the pros and the cons.”
What were the cons of canceling contracts and Bran getting his soul back? Senile old goats! They made it so easy for me to hate them.
Grampa dropped a kiss on my temple. “Now go back to bed. We’ll be back by the end of the day. Cardinals Seth, Moira, and Hsia will keep an eye on things while we are gone. Don’t forget to tell Master Haziel about the missing ancient texts first thing in the morning.”
Talking about them wasn’t going to change a thing.
- 12 -
SECURITY GUARDIANS
I couldn’t sleep. Maybe I was too used to falling asleep in Bran’s arms, or the worries about the Tribe, my wacky powers, and the fact that Grampa was in Xenith got to me. The other three senior Cardinals were around, but having my grandfather in charge often made me feel safer.
Whatever the reason, I tossed and turned the rest of the night until I gave up on sleep, turned on the lights and picked up the book Master Haziel had given me.
Starting from where I had previously stopped, I scanned the pages for clues, read captions under drawings, and scrutinized the pictures. There was nothing about transfer of powers from the dagger to its wielder. About to give up, words leapt out at me when I turned the next page and saw the subtitle.