See How She Falls (9 page)

“But
why? Why does he show such an interest? Can he be trusted?” Score one for mom,
at least she wasn’t as accepting of him as everyone else seemed to be.

“I
will never understand the reasons of the Old Ones. Can he be trusted? I suppose
we will have to let time tell. We must go now. People mustn’t know that we are
still in contact.”

“I
know. I miss you. Just know that I will haunt your ass if you don’t take care
of my baby when I’m gone.”

“I
said I promise, now go get the Old One to wipe her memory. You know what the
big chiefs said. She can’t know what she is.”

“Will
I see you again?”

“I
don’t know. I pray that the gods allow it.”

“As
do I.” My mother hugged her sister tightly. Hesitant to let go, she finally
closed her eyes and pulled away to move towards Aberto. “I need you to erase
any memory she may have of the dreaming or what she is. She can’t know until
she comes of age. Can you do this for me?”

“I
can. She will resent what has been stolen.” Aberto’s face looked forelorn.

“It
is the will of the gods, God, whoever is using my sister as a loudspeaker.”

“Then
so be it.” He paused for a moment, turning to look at the happy girl skipping
around the fog. “Izzy, come here for a moment.” My feet carried me closer
towards the memory.

“What
is it, Aberto? Can we play some more?” My child-self pleaded.

“No,
Izzy. Now it is time for a different game. This is a game of memory. I am going
to hide memories so that someday, when you need them, you may find them. Does
that sound like a fun game?”  The child’s eyes lit up as she nodded.
“Izzy, the dreaming will be no more for you. You shall not remember your friend
from sleep, nor shall you remember that your mother can come here as well. The
dreaming is but a hazy memory locked away tightly. There is no dreaming, there
are no people with special powers, and you are a normal little girl with a
grand imagination. Do you understand?”

“Who
are you?” the little girl asked. Aberto’s eyes clouded over with a look that I
had come accustomed to. He had lost something that brought him joy, and it had
been replaced with yet another burden to bear.

“It’s
time to get you tucked in, my sweet.” My mother held her hand out for the
child. They walked hand in hand, disappearing into the fog, leaving Aberto and
I standing there.

“Not
everything is always so simple, Izzy. There are times when there is no clear
right or wrong, only what must be done. I beg forgiveness for what you feel I
have stolen, but I cannot apologize for protecting you. I am honor bound to
guard you until my last breath.” He was staring straight at me, where I stood.

“How
did you know I would be here?” 

“I
told you, we would play a game of hide and seek. You sought out answers, and
you found them. Now, you must wake up. There is much to be done.”

“But….”

“Awaken.”

I
sat up in the bed, trying to catch my breath. How in the heck had I gotten into
bed? I looked around the room until my eyes came to rest on the clock and my
sleeping Guardian. It was only three in the morning, why in the world had
Aberto wanted me to wake up?

“Because
we have much to discuss.”

“Son
of a…. Gah, give a girl some warning, and you aren’t supposed to read my mind!”
I jumped, waking Kennan up in the process.

“Why
are you in our room?” Kennan asked groggily.

“Izzy
and I have important matters to attend to. Namely, the darkness. Perhaps you
remember, she is the only thing standing between it and the world’s undoing.”

“There
isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remember. But perhaps she would be better
equipped to save us all if she got a little rest.”

“There
will be time to rest later," Aberto replied shortly.

“Yeah,
when I’m dead," I muttered.

“Not
funny," they simultaneously reprimanded.

“Fine,
but can I please put on some clothes before we get started? Oh, and maybe drink
some coffee?”

“If
you must.” Aberto moved to lean his mountainous form against the door.

“Umm,
turn around.” I raised my brows at him, hoping to get the point across.

“You
could just conjure some," Aberto mumbled as he turned. I knew that there
had to be some sort of a perk to this whole thing. I thought up a pair of
pants, but nothing appeared. That trick still needed a bit of work, sad really.
I moved towards the dresser and pulled out my last pair of jeans.

Fully
clothed, I turned to look at Kennan who was still lingering in bed. “You
coming?”

“Am
I needed?” 

“Pretty
sure you are always needed," I answered with a raised brow.

“Not
at this juncture. Izzy and I must discuss things she is remembering. The time
has come for the rest of our story.” Aberto nodded towards Kennan before
turning to leave the room.

“You
really aren’t coming?”

“Izzy,
it is easier this way. I know he won’t let anything harm you, but when the two
of you are together, it is difficult for me not to interfere. He was right, and
so were you. I need to let you start standing on your own feet, Iz.” The covers
fell away from his boxer brief clad body as he got up from the bed to move
towards me. “I will always be there when you need me. If you want, I can come
now.”

“No,
I know you’re right. But, I don’t want you to feel like I’m choosing him over
being in bed with you. Because, trust me, I would much rather be back in that
bed wrapped up in you.” 

“That
isn’t fair, and you know it," Kennan growled as I tried to climb him. “You
know that the risk of transference is too great. Even the times we have tried
to be careful, it was almost too close.”

Once
more, I cursed the blasted runes decorating my body. If any Guardians or Seers
touched them, the runes could potentially harness their power to strengthen the
bridge. It wasn’t a risk either of us was willing to take, but that didn’t mean
I had to like it.

“This
job sucks," I grumbled, disentangling myself from my resilient Guardian.
“Moreover, your self-control is stupid.”

“Get
back to work, oh fearless leader.” Kennan swatted my butt before flinging
himself back on the bed.

“I
don’t like you anymore. Just so we’re clear," I muttered as I left the
room, only to hear a, “You love me and you know it,” shouted at my back.

Chapter
Eleven

“Alright,
spill the goods," I said, limping my sore-legged self into the hall.

“We
shall discuss your memories once we have reached the protections of the
office.” Aberto reached out grabbing my hand inside of his. He pulled me close,
helping me to steady myself as we made our way down into the main part of the
house where my office was being guarded by a seemingly tireless Conall.

“You
know you don’t have to stand there all night, right?” I questioned.

“Milady,
I wish to ensure that you are kept safe and that your information is
uncompromised,”  Conall’s calm voice echoed through the empty hall.

“Right,
okay then. Well, we are here now, so go sleep.” I moved into the office,
wishing desperately that they would put a coffee maker in there.

“Your
wish," Conall smiled as he moved down the hall towards the stairs.

“I
wish he would stop saying that.”

“You
are not in high spirits this morning, Izzy. What bothers you?” Aberto moved
into the room behind me, pulling the door shut in the process.

“What’s
the matter?” I groused.

“That
is what I am inquiring, what burdens your mind?” Aberto seemed confused as I
threw myself onto the closest comfortable surface, which just happened to be
the couch.

“No,
I’m saying that you should have asked ‘what’s the matter?' Remember, we are
trying to get you hip to the times, old man.”

“Ah,
I see. What’s the matter?” Aberto asked slowly, as though the words tasted
strange upon his tongue.

“The
dreams, or memories, are they real?”

“They
are.”

Aberto
moved to crouch in front of my prone form on the couch. I rolled to the side so
that I could face him.

“Why
were you always there? Why was I even there as a child? I thought that wasn’t
supposed to happen. And my mother and aunt, how do you know them?” I rubbed my
eyes, still fighting off the exhaustion that threatened to pull me under.

“You
came into this world like a bright shining star, Izzy. There is not one Seer or
Guardian in existence that did not feel the moment you came into being. The
purity of your life, of your soul, it awakened something in me that I had long
forgotten existed. It pulled me from the fog, from the brink of despair, and
made me want to be the man I was created to be. You drew me out from the fog,
for I knew that I had to rest my eyes upon the being that brought that much
light into the world.” Aberto lifted his hand to stroke my cheek. This time, I
didn’t fight him. This time, my soul cried out for the touch. “Then it
happened.” Aberto paused as if afraid to go on.

“What
happened? You are doing the riddle thing again.” I raised a brow at him as he
stilled his hand on my face staring intently into my eyes.

“I
saw you, and everything changed. I knew from that moment that I would do
whatever it took to ensure your survival.” His voice choked in his throat as he
stood to move away.

“Do
you regret it? Saving me?” I’d wondered that since he’d told me that he would
be stuck like this for all of time.

“Never.”
Aberto breathed the word, never looking my way. “I would gladly live this
unending existence if it meant you were safe. It seems that by interfering I
have done you more harm than good. I’ve put you in this position, owing the
gods for something you weren’t meant to have. The real question is, how can you
ever forgive me? For changing you, for interfering without your consent, I put
you more in harms’ way, Izzy.”

“I’d
be dead if it weren’t for you.” I marveled at Aberto. I’d never once regretted
being saved. I might not like the changes happening, but it was way better than
being dead. I struggled to pull him back from his dark thoughts. “Don’t get me
wrong, some days death seems like it would be an easier choice than trying to
suppress these new abilities. Then there is the whole ouchie rune thing, that
kind of sucks. But, Aberto, I don’t blame you for what’s happening to me. I
just want to understand it. You aren’t exactly the most open person I’ve ever
known. Prying answers from you could be an Olympic Sport.”

“I
don’t understand.” Aberto looked confused by my reference.

“I’m
saying, it is hard to get you to give a clear answer on anything. You have this
uncanny ability to steer our conversations in completely opposite directions
leaving me unsure of what it was I’d wanted to know. That is, until you’re gone
again and then I remember what I’d asked you, and what you hadn’t answered. So
no more misdirection. Tell me about me, about my family. What do you know?”

He
turned back towards me, closing the distance between us before he finally began
to give me long awaited answers. “As I said before, I wanted to see what
brought such a light into the world. I approached your family, stepping out of
the fog for the first time in hundreds of years to see you. Many had come to
seek my help before, but I’d grown weary of the endless battle. You may imagine
the surprise of your father when I first appeared. He’d been there through
countless battles with the Division. He didn’t trust me, nor did he want me
anywhere near his family. He knew that I had the power to intercede on Cait’s
behalf, yet I had not. Your mother, she was quite a remarkable woman. She
convinced your father to allow me to see you. That was the day you came home
from the hospital. I walked into your nursery and saw you laying there in the
crib, this bright ray of optimistic sunshine and I knew, deep in my soul, that
you were my destiny.”

“Okay,
creepy, but okay, let’s move on now.” I had a hard time imagining him thinking
of me like that when I was a baby.

“I
did not see you in that way. You forget that I see throughout time, I could see
your life play out in the mere moments it took for you to lift your tiny hand
to mine. I saw the tragedy of your parents, of all the suffering that would
come to you. I saw everything up until the sacrifices of the Seers. Your life,
a series of events that I was powerless to change. Tragedy after tragedy played
out, yet after each I saw that the sun still burned brightly. I knew, I would
do whatever it took to keep that sun shining. Even if it meant changing destiny
and going against the gods.”

“Yeah,
thanks for that. Did you ever stop to think that if you hadn’t interfered, I
wouldn’t be the one the Prophecy was talking about?” I peered into his face,
wondering if anything we did really mattered.