Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) (35 page)

The
lesson on my twentieth day was by far the most helpful of anything she’d taught me.
  While we sat in the sun
,
I silently wished for a notebook
, doing my best to commit her words to memory
.
  The mythology
she had been teaching me
was interesting
,
but
this day’s lesson was centered on Centaurs and specifically
Centauride
s
’
skills
. 

She began,
“There were seven
mare
s on the pasture of Th
essaly
when Kentaros arrived
, e
ach
one
part of t
he world’s oldest breeds.  The centaurs born of these
mare
s
each had very distinct markings and
temperaments
.  Many centaurs born of Ken
t
aros and the respective
mare
took on a family name closely tied to the
mare
’s breed
. 

An Andalusian
mare
bore
Centaur
children
,
and they took the name
Andalcio.  Their women were able to move objects with their minds. 

A Schwieken
mare
bore
Centaur
children
that kept the breed’s name as their family name
;
these
Centauride
s could read people’s thoughts. 

A
white
Arabian
m
are
’s
descendants
became Owens
;
they
communicated with spirits. 

A Barb
mare
took the family name Barber
;
her children could see the future. 

A Fjord
mare
also
kept her breed’s name as
the surname
for h
er
blood line
.  Her daughters could
communicate telepathically with others.

Centaurs born of a
Tahki
mare
took the family name Tak
.  T
heir power
was
unique
, the ability to
plant ideas in another’s consciousness.
  They could make others believe an incident had occurred, and were known for their deceit and ruthlessness. 
The Tak
blood line
offended Zeus
,
so
he eventually cast them out
; Zeus barred them from ever returning to Th
essaly
.
  He also forbade all other Centaurs from fraternizing with the Taks. 
Their
blood line
did not survive
.

The Chiron family descended from a
black
Arabian
mare
,
and when Zeus bestowed his gifts on
all the
female
Centauride
s
in all the
blood line
s
, he looked most favorably on Chiron
’s
descendants
.
  We were given all the collective powers bestowed on each
blood line
– except
,
of course, the Taks
’
.”
 

“But I’ve met
Centauride
s
who
have
more than one skill
.
”

Zandra nodded and smiled. 
“
Inbreeding would be catastrophic
for our race
.  We would have long ago perished. 
A
Centauride
typically possess
es
the
skills
of
the two dominant
blood line
s that run through
her body
.
”

“So if someone is a Centaur, their last name can only be one of the six from the original herd?”

“No.  Over the years, m
any opted to take on names other than their family names
.  T
his was done so that the family names
would
not become to
o
obvious to the humans.”

“How many Centaurs are there in the world?”

“Pure-blooded Centaurs?  One in ten
thousand, possibly more.  Half-breeds that have Centaur blood but are unaware they are something more than human –
f
ive in one
thousand. 

I asked my next question cautiously
.  T
his had been one of the few times she openly answered my questions. 
“How does one Centaur know another?”

“
Centauride
s can feel each other in their minds
: 
it is a familiarity with a stranger, a kinship.
 
Centaurs sense other Centaurs through their warrior sense.  I’m told it is a tingling in their chest, a silent warning, useful in battle, I assume.”

“Zandra, I don’t have any skills.
”  Truthfully, I could read minds through touch, but I’d only successfully done that with one person.
  I could read the images from Drake’s mind, but that was a far cry from simply reading another’s thoughts.
“
What’s wrong with me?”  I had opened myself up and expected her to give me a kind response
, encourage me in some
small
way
.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when she responded, “You were born out of wedlock.  You are an amalgamation.
”  The hatred in her words cut me deeply when she added, “
You should not exist.  My daughter did this to you
: 
she allowed you into the world and she taught you nothing.  Her responsibility is now shouldered by me
,
and
you
are not worthy to carry my name.”

I had been here for so long.  I’d had almost no contact with anyone but Zandra
,
and this was the first time she had openly told me she was ashamed of me - that I didn’t belong.  I had fooled myself into believing that this elaborate kidnapping had somehow been done for my protection, that she wanted me to join the Centaur kingdom as a full-fledged
Centauride
– eventually she would see her daughter in me.  There were no words to describe the utter despair that enveloped me. 
Choking back the tears, I pleaded, “Let me go home.  I won’t tell anyone we’re related.  I’ll never breath
e
a word to anyone.”
  I knew I was a pathetic mess as I saw her angry words grow into a look full of disdain
. 
I pleaded,
“I won’t ever tell a soul
.  J
ust let me go home.”

“It is too late for that. 
Because of the idiocy of your father, o
thers know of you.  You must learn your heritage so that you may embrace it.  We must call to the magic in your blood
;
I can feel it in you
. 
I can also feel your denial of who you are.”

A man walked up and leaned down to kiss Zandra’s cheek.
  I had to look at him twice
;
his face was masculine
,
but he looked eerily like my mother.  He had the same brown eyes, bushier eyebrows, dark curly hair, and
the same
pointy nose.  The biggest difference was I rarely saw my mother without a welcoming smile, and this man seemed to have a permanent scowl. 
“Good morning,  Mother.  You’re looking well.”  I was so used to everyone on the property ignoring me
,
except Zandra
,
that I was shocked to see him make eye contact with me.
 

Zandra’s voice softened as she answered,
“
Angelo
, I’m so glad to see you’ve returned from your trip.  I have a surprise for you.”

He took me in with
the same
disgusted look
Zandra had just bestowed on me
, “Word reached me, Mother.  I came to see for myself.  Are you certain she isn’t a half-breed?  I wouldn’t have put it past Angela.”
  He had her eyes, their eyes – this was my Uncle Angelo.  I had just read the entry about his attack on a woman in my mother’s diary.  His presence made me want to shrink into a corner
.  H
e looked so much like my mother in his features, but where she exuded happiness, love and joy - this man gave off hateful, menacing vibes.  Even without reading her diary, instinctively I would never wish to be alone with him. 

Zandra shook her head and continued talking as if I weren’t there.
  “No, she clearly is the spawn of Angela and William Strayer.”

“Where’s her brother?”

“I’m sure he’s tucked away somewhere.  I’ve looked through her thoughts many times
;
she has no recollection of him.  Shame.  I’ve dispatched a team to tear Angela’s past apart.  He’ll turn up.”

Zandra’s words still stung
,
and I was too frightened to ask what they were talking about. 
A brother? Why did they think I had a brother?  This question had escaped me before I caught the thought in my head and hit it behind my mind’s brick.

Zandra did the same thing Gretchen had done to me
. 
I didn’t have to ask the question out loud
.  S
he was only too happy to answer my thoughts.  “Every Chiron
Centauride
who
gives birth, since Kantaros walked the earth, has always given birth to a set of fraternal twins.  You have a brother somewhere in the world.  We need to find him.”

My eyes widened
,
and I felt dizzy.  “A brother
?
  I don’t have a brother.
  I mean
,
I’ve got five half
brothers
, William’s sons
.
”
 
Sh
e had to be wrong.  There had to be some kind of mistake.

Angelo
shot me a glare.  “Of course
,
you’ve got a brother.
Did you not listen to your grandmother?  Things haven’t changed since the beginning of time.  You are a worthless excuse for a
Centauride
,
but that doesn’t surprise me
.  Y
our mother was pathetic, too
.  The Chiron
blood line
is dominate
;
we w
ere favored by Zeus
.
”

He wanted me to challenge him
;
I could feel it.  His words were hurtful
. 
I couldn’t argue h
i
s slanderous comments about me
.  E
ven I was embarrassed that I was unable to do what every other
Centauride
could do without effort
,
but
I wouldn’t allow him to
attack my mother
, “My mother
was not pathetic.  She was wonderful.  She worked hard her whole life
,
and she treated everyone with
kindness and
respect.”

“Ha!  And she’s dead. 
Were you not listening?  I am Angela’s twin. 
I felt her leave this wor
l
d.  I feel her
spirit lurking
here now.” 
Angelo
stopped looking at me and shouted out, “Angela, keep hiding in the corners!  Spend your death the same way you spent your life!  Camille is part of our family.  Mother will not be as soft on her as she was
on
you!”

One of the marble statutes began to weave
. 
I saw it sway twice right before it toppled over. 
Angelo
was fast and jumped free of the statue before it could fall on him.  He shouted, “You’ve got to do better than that
,
Angela!  I’m not surprised to see you are as weak in death as you were in life.  Go to the pastures
;
leave Camille in our care.  We’ll see that she pays your debts!”

I looked in all directions.  I needed her to tell me how she escaped.  I needed to be away from this place.  Why couldn’t I see her?