Chapter 21

Sophie didn't seem put off by her tantrum, in fact she looked surprised she had come back so soon. She was sitting at a large desk in an office that had walls lined with books. Her laptop was open, and she seemed to be reading email. She closed it when she saw Ree and gave her a big smile.

“You're back,” she said, standing up.

“I'm back. But I have questions before we get started. I want some answers,” Ree held up her hand to stop Sophie from leaving her desk. This seemed to kill some of the Guardian’s smile, but she nodded.

“Fair enough.”

Ree sat down in a giant wingback chair and pulled her legs up under her.  She had so many different questions, but decided to stick with the basics. For now.

“What exactly is the power?” Ree really wanted to understand just what it was the flowed in her veins.

“It is a bit of the larger aspect of Creation. It is what makes up the bits of our soul, and it is in everything. The power you can touch, and the power that is inside of you, lets you manipulate creation in small ways. You can sense things, move things, and use the power as if it were an actual object.”

“Creation? Like the big bang?” Ree couldn't begin to fathom all of the power it would have taken to set the universe into motion.

“On a much smaller scale. You can't create a planet, or its inhabitants. You can only adjust things that are already here and on this plane.” Sophie rested her chin on the palm of one hand. “It is still a great deal of power. When you think of all the things you can touch here on this planet, the Earth, people, weather, animals, and the Power itself.”

“How come you can touch the power? I thought it was only given to a human.”

Sophie looked down at her desk and shuffled some papers. Ree realized it was an uncomfortable subject, but she needed to understand everything.

“My sister was an Alastriana. She fought a long hard battle, one that was waged not just against her mind and physical strength but against her heart as well. She suffered a mortal blow I wasn't able to prevent. When she was dying, she gave me a Death Gift.”

“Death Gift?” Ree leaned forward.

“Yes. With the last of her strength she passed on her ability. I am the only Guardian to ever be able to touch the power.”

“Did that upset the gods?” Ree asked.

“Not in the way you would think. Some Guardians have gifts similar to their godly relatives. It is actually beneficial that I can touch the source; it means I am able to better teach you how to use it.”

“Do the others have any gifts?” Ree thought it might be helpful if they could do some extra things as well.

“It is too early to tell. But you should know that it is a very rare thing. Most are of the normal Immortal variety.” Ree chuckled along with Sophie.

“So, how do I use the power to kill Dark Ones?”

“Well, you will be able to sense them and lead the others to their hideouts. You can use the power almost like a spear, which is what happened in front of the Civic Center. Though, I have to tell you that you got very lucky that time. He was a young bloodhound and not expecting you to be able to call the power. Of course, I don't think any of us were expecting you to call the power to you so quickly. I could tell it wouldn't be long, which is why I hired you at the shop, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon.”

“How long have you been watching me? No offense, but it’s a little creepy. I used to dream people were outside my window all the time. It got really bad just before Trist died.”

“I've been in Savannah for almost twenty years. The Dark One population seemed to be growing substantially and the gods sent me to try and keep it down. It became clear this would likely be the place of the last battle, so I stayed. I kept track of all families that seemed to be a good candidate to host the Alastriana. Your family was on the list to be watched.”

“What about the other families? Are there a lot of others out there that have the potential to touch the source?” Ree wondered if she might have met any of them.

Sophie grimaced and looked away from Ree before answering. Her whole profile changed, her shoulders tensed, and her face took on a tired look. “I've been fighting the Dark Ones for so long, but I can't win all of the time. I learned that lesson early on when my sister died. She defeated their warrior, but died in the process. Sometimes, sacrifices are made for the greater good.” She turned and looked at Ree, her eyes hard. “The Dark Ones began hunting down the mortal lines that could produce an Alastriana. They have murdered hundreds, even thousands of people. I did my best to protect all of the families in my range, but I can't save them all.”

Ree swallowed and felt a little sick.

“You have to understand that for a lot of reasons, I felt like it would be your family that would produce the Alastriana. I was right, and the day your mother named you in the hospital, you became my main concern. While I tried to protect the others, you were the one that had to be kept safe at all costs.”

“Oh man,” Ree got up and paced around the room. “They died because you were watching me? Was I really in that much danger?”

“Every Alastriana is in that much danger. The Dark Ones can sense you just as well as you can sense them.”

“Does that mean the Dark Ones have been watching me for that long?”

“They have been stalking your family since you began going to school.”

Ree made another lap around the room, her shoes sinking in the thick carpet as she wore a path in front of the fireplace that was quietly glowing. She stopped in front of the mantel and stared into the flames that were licking the wood.  She was tired of feeling frightened and scared of shadows. In fact, she could feel the anger from yesterday gathering in her chest. The flames jumped and started to grow as she watched. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself and the fire returned to a gentle crackle.

“Okay, it’s time to learn what to do.”