Forsaken (Fated Saga Fantasy Series Book 8) (4 page)

It was also difficult to stay out of other people’s business. Especially for her. As Second Seer to the Banon she was recognizable to almost anyone on the island. Sometimes, she didn’t mind their openness, other times… not so much.

At one point or another, many of the people walking down this very street had come to her, hoping she’d see some vision of their future, or answer to a problem. They were far too eager to confide details she really had no interest in knowing.

Now and then, she was able to help someone. But sometimes it took weeks or months. And too often, she saw nothing of use at all. Visions didn’t really work like that. With many long years of practice, a seer could get better at having specific visions, but it was never a guarantee.

This is how most seers earned a living on the island. And she was no different as an apprentice until she’d been named Second Seer. Which meant she was to be groomed as First Seer to the Banon. A much more difficult and time consuming job, with a lot more on the line than someone’s job promotion, or marital problems, or some other menial issues she did not care about in the least.

Island security.

Uprisings.

Attacks from the Grosvenor…

These were much more exciting and dangerous things. And as First Seer, like her mentor, PanSofia, she’d be expected to have visions that would keep the Svoda safe. Or warn of potential dangers. It was considered a high stress job… although her mentor took it all in stride. As long as you had a Banon that understood visions could not be forced… and feeling the pressure to have a vision might well keep you from doing so.

It was a difficult line to walk.

But Juliska was ready for it if her mentor was ready to step down.

But first, she was going on a quest.

Leaving the island, for the first time since she’d been found by the Svoda and brought here. Although she had no memory of her time before coming here. For whatever reason, her first memory only went as far back as age eleven, from when they first found her in an orphanage on the mainland. She had no recollection of how she’d gotten there, who her parents were or where she’d come from.

Regardless, the Svoda had taken her in and she’d been adopted into a family. Her new parents had loved her just as one of their own.

Before long, the carriage pulled up to her mother’s road and she shouted for Ian to stop here.

“You sure?”

“Yes.” She hopped out on her own. “I’d like to walk, just a little. This road is one of my favorites at this time of year.”

“All right then. Have a good night.” He nodded and pulled around to head back to the Banon’s office. Little Ivan peeked at her with a shy smile. She waved goodbye with a lighthearted chuckle. He giggled and his father shook his head and laughed.

He really was an adorable child. With a great dad. It just made her miss hers all the more.

She turned and headed toward her mother’s. It was one of Juliska’s favorite streets to walk down.
Not
because she’d grown up here, but for the cozy shingled cottages that lined the street. With beautiful, well manicured gardens surrounding them. The people on this street prided themselves in perfection and it showed. Not a bloom, a blade of grass, or a tree limb out of place.

Crisp.

Clean.

Maintained.

If she ever had a house, she’d want in on a street like this.

But not
this
one.
Any street but this one…

She sucked in a breath and stopped in front of three-foot iron gate. There was a sign hanging on it that read, “Cobb.” She closed her eyes and let out her breath, slowly. All her excitement and anxiety turned to dread… she’d have to spend the next few hours here.

And now, make sure she kept the Banon’s secret. She’d have to tell them something, to prepare them for the fact she’d be gone and busy… but she could not give away too much.

She pushed opened the gate and walked through.

Her mother, Adeline Cobb, met her at the door.

“Happy birthday, Juliska.”

She smiled, stepped through the front door and hugged her mother.

“Thanks, Mom. Although twenty-five feels exactly the same as twenty-four.”

“Birthday’s always feel the same until you’re over thirty-five.”

Juliska laughed. “I’ll let you know once I get there.”

Her mother looked tired. Worn a bit. A few more lines creasing around her eyes and mouth. It had only been a month since her last visit, but it seemed that age was creeping up fast.

Juliska heard voices from the kitchen and frowned.

Her mother shot her an apologetic smirk. “
All
your siblings are here to help celebrate.”

“Oh.
Joy.
” Juliska put on a sarcastic grin. “Another wonderful, drama-filled fun time awaits.”

“They mean well,” her mother insisted.

“I know. Sorry. It’s just…” she shook her head unsure what she meant to say. Growing up the middle child of two much older, and two much younger, siblings, had not been fun. Or easy. Or even anything she thought back on with any fondness. Her good memories were all of her mother and father.

Her mother sighed. “Oh the trouble your siblings caused. I know it wasn’t always easy for you.”

“Caus
-ed?
” Juliska eyed her mother hard. “It never stops.”

“They are a voracious bunch.”

“That’s one way to describe my
siblings.
” Juliska’s tone noted irritation over having to see them.

“Perhaps your father and I shouldn’t have taken you in. Maybe you’d have been happier with another family,” her words were not cutting or harsh, more wondering and understanding.

Juliska rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Truth is, I fell in love with you right away,” stated Adeline. “And so did your father. We were greedy and decided to keep you.”

“I am glad you did, Mom. I miss him. So much more than I ever thought I could.”

“Me too. It’s been a tough year since he left us.”

Juliska leaned in and hugged her mother again. “You’re right. It hasn’t always been easy. But I can’t imagine a better mother, or father. I’m very lucky. Lucky for the time I got to have with him. And you.”

She had no idea how her poor mother was coping with the loss of her husband.

Or her siblings with the loss of their father.

Regardless of her sibling’s treatment of her, the family had been close. Their father a big part of their daily lives.

However, this empathy was easy to lose when faced with time spent with her siblings. She lifted her head and peered toward the kitchen. She was going to have to go in.

“Oh it won’t be so bad,” claimed her mother. She tugged her daughter along. “I made them promise not to cause any trouble.”

“And you think today’s the day they’re going to start listening to you?”

Her mother laughed. “Come on. Let’s celebrate this
happy
day.”

Juliska sighed and followed her mother into the kitchen. It was still exactly the same. The kitchen hadn’t changed since she’d first seen it. A wood stove with a teapot on the back burner. A deep steel basin with a water pump attached to the right-hand side. The same rectangular wooden table that she sat at each day since her arrival to this house. It was old. A little beaten. And if it could talk… she couldn’t imagine all the stories…

This place didn’t just hold bad memories. There were a few good ones. They were harder to find, but they were there, and almost always had to do with her father. Or mother.

And there
they
were. All four of her siblings.

“You’re here. Happy birthday, Juliska.” Alex, the eldest. Recently turned thirty-six, and about to become a father for the first time. His wife was absent though, home resting.

“It’s good to see you, Juliska. You look well.” Amelia, thirty-three in a few months. Her tone was flat. She was trying to be nice at least. But this was new for her.

Juliska gave her a curt nod.

Her younger siblings, twins, Anna and Adam. Eighteen years old. Precocious. Spoiled. And an unplanned surprise. Their mother had them when she was forty-two, after many years of insisting she was finished having children. She called them her lucky accidents, although more often than not, she really called them pain in the butt one and two.

The twins ignored the traditional greetings and barraged her with questions.

“Had any cool visions lately?”-Adam.

“Any about us?”-Anna.

“Anyone die in them?”-Adam

“Do you have a boyfriend yet?”-Anna.

“Screw that, tell us about a vision. You know so many people’s secrets.”- Adam

“I bet you get to meet all the best guys.”-Anna. She ended it with a giggle.

The older siblings rolled their eyes.

“We were never like this, right Mom?” jeered Alex.

“Oh, no. Not at all. I hope you heard the
extreme
sarcasm in that reply…”

“I have a strong feeling I’ll be paid back in full once my baby arrives.”

They laughed. Even Juliska thought it funny. Not so much the part about meeting guys. She wasn’t interested. Only in her work. That’s all that mattered right now. Especially after her meeting with Banon Havelock today. Focus on her job was more important than ever.

“My job keeps me pretty busy,” Juliska said to them all. “So no dates. And you guys know I can’t tell you about my visions, or break people’s confidences.”

“You’re just no fun,” Adam accused.

“And what’s the point of being in the public eye if not to get a handsome man to tug alongside?” Anna said with a wink.

“I’m not in the public eye by choice,” Juliska breathed out. “It’s my job.”

There was an under the breath cluck from Amelia. Juliska ignored it.

“I can’t help that I’m easily recognized because of my job,” she finished.

“But you’re so pretty… you must be swatting away men like flies,” Anna assumed.

Amelia let out a smug chuckle. “Your sister is a workaholic. I’m not sure she’s ever been on a proper date.”

“Of course she has,” defended Alex.

“Yes. And they obviously went very well,” remarked Amelia.

Juliska held her tongue. Always the one to hold her tongue. Why did it always come down to Amelia? All her siblings drove her crazy in their own way, but Amelia liked to push every button. She just never understood why. There was no reason to be jealous. Their parents had given them all equal attention.

“You know what?” interjected their mother. “Let’s cut the cake. Now what did I do with my knife?” She strolled around the kitchen searching.

Amelia gave Juliska a wry smile, almost as if daring her to pick a fight. All she wanted to say was,
act your age! You’re a grown woman so stop acting like a spoiled child!
Juliska ignored the attempt at goading. Amelia wasn’t like this in public.

And Juliska’s past boyfriends and dates were not a topic a conversation she wished to discuss. They all ended the same way… with her finding out they were just hoping she’d have some vision of the guy’s future.

And if he got a little canoodling on the side… well, someone left the relationship satisfied and it certainly wasn’t her. She was done with men. They all wanted the same thing… to use her ability to try to get some edge in their jobs, or school, or whatever their endeavors had been, or were.

Besides, once she took over as First Seer to the Banon, she’d have no time anyway. She’d need complete focus all the time to do her job correctly.

“Ah, there it is. Sitting under the cake plate.”

Juliska grinned, wondering how her mother still managed to find anything after raising four children, plus her.

There was another round of giggles from Anna, and a held back stream of laughter from Adam, followed by more annoyed eye rolls from Alex and Amelia.

“We had nothing to do with it,” claimed Alex. He aimed his words at Juliska with a look of humored warning.

“What have you done now?” their mother demanded. “You promised. Both of you.”

“It’s okay, Mom.” Juliska blew it off. She’d expected nothing less and waited for them to reveal their latest insult to what she referred to as her life.

Their mother lifted the cover off the cake plate, to reveal a newly redecorated birthday cake.

“Anna! Adam!
Really?
” Adeline put her hands on her hips. “I put a lot of time into that cake.”

They just laughed and collected plates so they could eat. It was still edible. Although rather ugly looking.

“It
was
beautiful,” insisted her mother. “Covered in freshly picked flowers from the back garden. Amelia even helped me collect them.”

The look on Amelia’s face said she’d rather that fact had remained secret.

Juliska also caught a whiff of annoyance over the fact her mother had stated it like she was shocked her daughter had helped. Adeline meant it in a nice way, more like, she’d even helped though it was for Juliska… but Amelia would take it as a slight just the same. She really needed to toughen up and not take things so personally.