21.

“Do you want to follow me?” Avalon was suddenly behind me as I dug through my backpack looking for my keys.

“Follow you?” I replied confused, pushing my things around inside of my book bag and reaching deeper beyond the books and loose leaf paper.

“We’re going to work on your magic, remember?” Avalon stood next to me, fidgeting a little, as if his muscular frame was having a hard time containing all of the energy within. He rocked back and forth on his heels and bit his thumb nail nervously. I noticed that his right hand was constantly drumming a beat into the side of his Dockers and imagined that he was playing a rhythm to god-knows-what kind of angry rock music I was too innocent to listen to.

I squinted at him, trying to figure him out. The same feeling of peacefulness and tranquility passed over me again and once more I felt completely focused. I had no reason to fidget or wiggle at all. My energy seemed to be completely balanced.

“Magic, Eden,” Avalon nodded his head in the direction of my backpack and heat quickly rose to my cheeks. How could I keep forgetting the magic when it was so helpful in situations like this?

“Oh yea, I forgot,” I finally focused my magic on the missing keys and used it to direct my hand where to go. I pulled them out of my worn book bag, feeling quite triumphant. “Do you want to go to my place?”

“Just follow me. We have to go somewhere where no one will bother us,” he smiled wide and pointed to his car: a bright red, four door truck, with extended cab and monster wheels. It not only stood apart from the rest of the black something or others, but stood above them as well. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

----

I followed Avalon for twenty minutes. I could tell he wanted to speed, but drove painfully slow so that I could follow him. We drove over the bridge and into Iowa up into the bluffs that look down over the Missouri River.

Eventually the road ended and we continued on a dirt path through some trees. I had never been more thankful for my Rover as I bounced along behind Avalon’s ginormous truck.

We continued for miles on a dirt path barely wide enough to accommodate Avalon’s massive vehicle. Every once in a while a tree branch smacked down on the roof of his truck and I fully expected him to eventually get impaled.

After a while Avalon stopped his truck. His was parked precariously near the edge of a one of Iowa’s famous cliffs. I kept my Land Rover a little ways back and in a more secure area. I loved my yellow SUV and was totally not ready to watch it plummet into the Missouri River just yet.

Avalon hopped down from his cab and I noticed that he had changed out of his school uniform. I looked past him to see a winding path that snaked carefully around his truck and into a clearing surrounded by trees on one side and the cliff’s edge on the other. The sight was beautiful, but I couldn’t help the small tremors of terror making their way across my arms and legs. The familiar acceleration of electricity surged through my veins, reminding me that I was a scaredy-cat.

Avalon wore a short sleeved black t-shirt and loose fitting jeans. His hair was out of the pony tail and hung wildly just below chin level. His jet black hair was semi curly, creating the image of chaos carefully framing his prominent two-dimpled grin. My suspicions from earlier were confirmed and I could make out green tattoo ink tracing his forearms up to his biceps and beyond the shirtsleeve.

I shut my engine off and exited my car as well. Still in my school uniform, I felt oddly out of place next to Avalon, who looked like he belonged in a juvenile detention center. A chill ran up my spine reminding me oddly of Saturday night and the last time I was in a wooded area. Images of murderous men flooded my memory and I shook my head to bring myself back to the present.

“What’s with all of the ink?” I jutted my chin at Avalon’s sleeved tattoos, hoping I sounded a little bit cool.

“What, this?” he held up his arms and shrugged. “I guess I like to define exactly who I am.”

“Ok….” I wished I knew what he was talking about.

“Like this,” he pointed to his right forearm and then suddenly took off his shirt. Although I was surprised by his gesture, I finally understood the strange markings on his arm. The entire right side of Avalon’s torso and arm were covered in an intricate and large tree. The tree was amazingly defined and detailed.

The branches of the tree start at his shoulder and wrap themselves around his arm and to the front and back of his body. The branches and trunk of the tree were thick and gnarled looking. The trunk of the tree wrapped itself from his lower back, around to the right side of his stomach, covering his rock hard abs.

The trees’ branches had no leaves, and were barren, but strong. One branch in particular wrapped its way down Avalon’s arm and to his forearm, breaking off into smaller branches along the way. It was as if someone took a beautiful painting and wrapped it around half of Avalon’s body. The image was powerful and beautiful at the same time.

I walked closer to him, letting my fingers trace the lines running down his forearm. “So what does it mean?” I asked, a little breathless. I had never seen such a vivid tattoo before, although I was not completely sure why it was so powerful to me. Maybe to see such a detailed image on a human body was unusual.

“A tree is the symbol of Eternity, or Immorality. It has been since the beginning of time,” his own fingers traced the lines of the branches.

“Ok, so what is on the back of your neck?” I remembered the first tattoo I saw from that morning.

“Oh that?” he lifted up his hair in the back and revealed the two strong wings I had seen earlier. In the middle of the two wings was a snake wrapped in a circle eating its own tail. The same image of the snake eating his own tail wrapped around his left wrist as well, creating a tattooed bracelet.

“What does that mean?” I asked, not sure if I was grossed out or in awe again of the detailing that went in to each of his tattoos.

“That literally defines who I am. Some day you will understand,” he spoke cryptically and I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to understand.

“Ok, so this one is pretty self-explanatory,” I pointed to his left forearm; a picture of a beautiful bird rising out of an intricately drawn fire. The bird looked commanding and angry; its wings were spread, but remained close to his body as the tattoo sat long on his skinny, but muscular arm. The one wing reached out across his chest until the image of the tangled tree met it and the other one across his shoulder blade.

“Is it?” he asked and cocked his head a little to the side.

“No, I guess not. I mean at least I know it’s a bird,” I responded defensively, realizing that I had no idea what the meaning was.

“I’m just giving you a hard time,” he gave my shoulder a rough but playful push. “This is a phoenix,” he pointed to the bird again, “It’s just another symbol for Immortality.”

“But we’re not really immortal, right? I mean we’re not really going to live forever?” I remembered Principal Saint telling me that immortal was not a literal meaning for our people.

“No, we’ll never live forever as long as Lucan is in charge,” Avalon spat on the ground in disgust. I searched my memory for Lucan and remembered that he was supposedly our king. My king.

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“As long as Lucan tries to control the magic and keep our people separated, we will never live forever. Our magic isn’t strong enough. But he doesn’t care about us. He only cares about himself, his bloodline and his damn prejudices,” he spat again and I was more confused than ever.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tried honesty. Maybe Avalon would give me some explanation.

“The king,” he said, frustrated. When I gave him an even more confused look he continued, “Lucan is the one who has taken away our freedom!” he exclaimed heatedly.

“We’re not free?” I asked in a very small voice.

“No we’re not free, and we’re dying as well. As long as we live under his bondage, we will continue to die. But he could care less. All he cares about is that his blood remains pure, and the blood of his line. The monarchy must never become tarnished,” I could almost feel Avalon’s disgust as an oppressive force weighing down on me.

“Ok, you need to explain…. now,” I tried to be forceful, hoping that he remembered I was new to this whole thing.

“Sorry,” he grunted, not sounding sorry at all. “Derrick is the king that outlawed intermarriage, well for everyone but his precious line. This happened a long time ago. Derrick was the first king, the first Immortal to rule our people. The people cried out for a king and they were given one. Too bad the first thing he did was execute the Oracles.”
“The who?” I interrupted, trying to stay focused and keep my head from spinning out of control.

“The Oracles, they were something like prophets or advisors to our people before the king. There were four of them and they represented one of each of us, and together they were all powerful. They were also the first to die. So anyways,” he shot me a serious look that let me know not to interrupt again, “After Derrick executed the Oracles, he banished the shape-shifters. He claimed they were deceitful and manipulative because they were able to take any form. He turned the other Immortals against them and those who didn’t escape were hunted and thrown into prison until their magic was weak enough that they could be killed. And since the Titans had pledged their allegiance to protect the king before one had ever been elected they were forced into service and remain there today as nothing more than glorified prisoners.” He took a moment to spit on the ground once again. “The only free people are the witches and mediums, but I would hardly call what we have freedom. We live under tyrannical rule and a king who is just as heartless and sick as his forefather. And who knows what the next king will be like; he seems even more clueless than those who came before him. Our people are going to die and they do nothing about it.”

“But what could they do about it?” I thought about Kiran and found it hard to believe he would actually want us all to die. He may have been immature, but he was not a ruthless killer.

“They could break the ban on intermarriage for one. They could allow the full magic to flow between us and they could release us from their dictatorship,” the whole monarchy thing might have been new to me, but I knew enough about world history that if what Avalon just told me was true, then I also knew that what he was saying could probably get him killed.

“What marriage ban?” I asked, feeling more confused than ever.

“The one that got us into this whole mess to begin with. We are not allowed to marry outside of our own kind.”

“You mean, like humans?”

“No, well, yes, but mainly a witch has to marry a witch and a titan has to marry a titan. They keep us compartmentalized that way, and they restrict the flow of magic. See before King Derrick, an immortal could marry whomever they chose and no matter who they married their child was always unique. Like a witch could marry a titan and then have a medium for a child. It was all allowed and the magic flowed freely. But since Derrick, our magic is deteriorating and the royal family could care less,” Avalon laughed bitterly.

“But isn’t their magic deteriorating as well? Won’t they eventually have to intermarry?” I asked, feeling like I was beginning to understand the whole thing and realizing the people I was a part of had just as many problems as humans.… if not more.

“They are the royal family. They can marry whomever they choose,” Avalon said slowly as if I were having trouble understanding his words. I didn’t really blame him. “Not that they would marry just whomever, they only choose the best of the best. And for them that means either a witch or a psychic. They rotate between generations. Up next is a most promising psychic, I’m sure.”

“What? So Kiran has to marry a psychic?” I had a hard time getting the actual word out.

“Yes, that’s the law. Just to ensure the royal blood stays strong. His father of course married a witch, and now it’s his turn to carry out the imperial edict.”

“Huh….” was all I could say. I knew Avalon had just enlightened me on an overwhelming amount of new information; but the hardest part I found myself unwilling to accept was that by law it was illegal for me to marry Kiran. Not that I would even think that far ahead, or have those kind of feelings for him; but the fact that it was against the law, that I was not even an option, was making me a little resentful.

I thought about Lilly then and realized what she was up against. A wave of fear flooded my entire body and I realized that I had to do something to help her. I shuddered at the thought of the court inevitably finding her guilty. My mind began to reel with the crushing feeling of hopelessness that settled on me. I had to talk to Kiran about it, he had to do something.

“So anyways,” Avalon changed the subject, still sounding riled up from his tangent. “Move that tree.”

“Excuse me?” his command brought me out of my inner freak out.

“Move that tree,” he said it slower, but firmer.

“You’re not very nice you know,” I gave him a playful pout.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. I just don’t like those damn Kendricks,” he smiled playfully back. “Please, move that tree.”

I focused my energy on a medium sized tree that sat about twenty feet away from us. I let the electricity surge through my blood and build, using my mind to direct the tree. I lifted it out of the ground slowly; the roots and branches hung limply down on the ground below where it was now suspended in midair, completely unearthed.

“What now?” I faked a yawn, as if holding the tree in midair was the easiest thing in the world.

“Now put it back,” he smiled smugly as the tree wavered a little bit while my mind grasped the task.

Blowing things up and ripping things apart was easy. I had never had to put something back together before. I focused my energy back into the ground. I lowered the tree slowly with my mind until it was positioned just above the earth. I let my mind snake through the roots of the tree, my energy focused completely. I let them dig back into the soil, searching for their homes once again. Slowly and methodically I returned each root and branch to its original position and let the tree rest peacefully, balanced once again deep within the earth.

“Good,” Avalon admired quietly. “You’re better than I though you’d be.”

“Well, thank you,” I gave a sarcastic bow, but was actually very thankful for the words of encouragement.

We spent the rest of the afternoon like that. Avalon giving me task after task, each one getting more difficult. I completed all that he assigned me and continued to impress him. I would think that after hours of using my magic I would have felt fatigued or depleted; but instead I felt more empowered. The more I used the magic, the more magic I had to use. I was filled with a never ending supply of omnipotence.