The Gathering (47 page)

Alia looked back at Ferage.

“You know I’ll do whatever I can to protect you and your family, Ferage, but I don’t have much magic either…and what I do have, I’m just learning to use.
 
What do you mean, save myself?”

Ferage continued to look out at his herd.

“Haven’t you wondered why the Shape is here?
 
Really here?
 
He fears you.”

Alia shook her head and walked towards the group grazing and then stopped, turned and looked at Ferage.

“Why would he fear me?
 
I don’t have any great powers, Ferage.
 
I’m just a woman trying to raise her kids and keep her home safe.
 
I’m hardly a threat to anyone.”

“Not yet, but you know that she has chosen you, Alia.
 
She has
been calling for many years to bestow on you her gifts.
 
Why do you not answer?”

Alia felt her breathing get short and the pit of her stomach lurch.
 
She remembered what Ferage had said the day before,
look only to her messengers.
 
Alia knew about whom Ferage was speaking and she took a deep breath, sucking the cold air in deeply.
 
Ferage looked at her.

“You are afraid.
 
What do you fear?”

“Losing myself…if I invoke the goddess, how can I know I won’t lose myself?”

Ferage smiled.

“You cannot, but that is why you must be brave… and have faith.”

“Brave?
 
I'm working on it, Ferage."

“You are the one, Alia.
 
She has a plan for you.
 
You must answer her call.
 
For all of us.”

Alia shook her head and watched the young unicorns playing in the sun, their tiny horns glistening in the sun.
 
Then she felt a love she knew too well and her eyes welled up and she turned to look at Ferage.

“I won't let him hurt your family, Ferage…I promise."

“You are a good friend, Alia Stark."

Alia walked over to Ferage and leaned into his mane.
 
She could still feel sadness coming from the great beast.
 

“So are you, Ferage.”

They watched the unicorns in the distance, unaware that they were being watched.
  
Slowly, a young girl crept up behind them, ever so quietly, until her foot stepped on a stick.

Both Alia and Ferage spun around to see Coeli being knocked over by a young silver unicorn, with crystal blue eyes.

“Coeli!”

Coeli had fallen on her back and the unicorn was on top of her and they were nose to nose.
 
Coeli couldn’t help but smile as she thought to herself.

“Wow, you're beautiful.”

“Thank you, so are you.”

Coeli’s eyes grew large, so that she barely noticed her mother pulling her up from the ground.

“She talked to me, Mom…in my head.”

“Yeah, I know, I heard her.”

Coeli turned, mouth agape and then smiled.

“This is totally cool!!”

“No, it is not!
 
Why are you outside those walls?”

Coeli’s dark eyes grew wide and she shrugged.

“I don’t really know.”

Alia frowned and looked at her daughter.

“Really?”

“I wanted to meet the unicorns, so I snuck out here, but then I saw you coming out of the gates, so I..."

Coeli lowered her head again.
 
Alia sighed and took her daughter’s face gently in her hand and lifted her gaze.

“It’s dangerous out here, Shay.
 
We just had this conversation about the army and the dreams…”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

The young unicorn now moved forward and her face was about equal in height to Coeli’s.
 
She nuzzled softly against Coeli’s cheek, making Coeli smile.

“Alia, this is my daughter, Schepta.”

Alia nodded at Schepta and smiled at Ferage.

“I’m sure you know this is another one of my children, Coeli.
 
Wait…why can Coeli hear Schepta?
 
She wasn’t out here when you gave us the ability to hear you.”

Schepta and Coeli looked at Ferage.

“It would appear that they are bound.”

“What does that mean?”

“There are some creatures that become ‘tied’ to one of us, a special relationship that just occurs randomly.
 
Coeli can hear Schepta, but she cannot hear the rest of us.”

Coeli turned and looked at Schepta, as she relayed what her father had described, and Coeli smiled.

“Really?
 
That's awesome!”

“Hey, we need to go back inside,” Alia said.

Coeli dropped her shoulders and sighed.

“Ok…can I still come out again later?

“Yeah, but don't tell your brothers and sisters about this, ok?
 
It'll just cause a lot of drama.”

Coeli smiled.

"Sure, Mom, I won't say anything."

Alia looked over at Ferage, who was smiling.

“Perhaps we should finish this conversation later.”

Alia started to smile and nodded.

“Perhaps we should.”

She took Coeli's hand and they walked back towards the village as Coeli watched the unicorns over her shoulder.
 
She felt like a little girl again.

59

Sara and Scott were sitting at a quiet table in the Dining Hall.
 
They were talking when Elian and Albion Merganser walked over to them.

Scott looked up and smiled as Sara struggled to get a smile on her face.

"Hello, Elian, Albion."

Elian smiled and took a deep breath.

"We're sorry to interrupt you, but we wanted to talk to you…both of you."

Scott motioned for them to sit down and then winced at the voice in his head.

"What are you doing?"

Scott looked over at Sara and raised his eyebrows.

"Finding out what they want to talk about.
 
Relax."

Sara sighed and looked over at the brothers, smiling.

"Ok, what's up?"

Elian looked at Albion and then over at Scott and Sara.

"First, I'd like to apologize for my behavior.
 
I know that the two of you are together and I'm glad.
 
You make a good pairing."

Scott looked like he wanted to slide off his chair and Sara's mouth dropped open.

"I've been a jerk and I'm sorry."

"Wow!"

Sara nodded and then shook her head.

"Thanks, Elian."

Elian shrugged and then began again.

"You're welcome, but we actually came to tell you about a strange thing that happened to me earlier."

Elian recounted the story of what had happened at the stables.
 
When he had finished, Sara was frowning.

"Is this a joke, Elian?
 
I thought you just said…"

"It's not a joke," Albion said.

Sara looked at Albion.

"The same thing happened to my father, only he wasn't paying close enough attention and that Rona Mason woman seduced him."

Scott leaned in.

"You saw it?"

"Yeah, one minute he was talking to Ms. Mason and then he was having sex with your mother, but then it wasn't your mother.
 
It was Ms. Mason…only my father couldn't see it was her.
 
He thought it was your mom."

Albion was looking at Sara, who had sat back in her chair.
 
Elian looked at Scott.

"I know this all sounds crazy, but I swear on everything I hold dear that it is the truth."

Scott looked at Sara.

"I believe them."

"Yeah, I do too."

Sara looked at the brothers.

"Have you guys seen your dad since the meeting?"

They shook their heads.

"What meeting?"

Sara and Scott told them about St. Viviana's and then what happened at the meeting.
 
Albion looked away pale and embarrassed as Elian breathed deeply.
 
Scott took a mouthful of food.

"Your dad was lucky that Myron was able to hold Sean back."

Elian shook his head.

"We'd hope to stop this before it happened."

Sara looked up.

"We can still help your dad, Elian.
 
I think we should go and tell my mother and Beverly Watson what you just told us."

Elian shrugged.

"What good would it do?"

Scott shrugged.

"It couldn't hurt, right?
 
And I bet they would love to know about Rona."

Albion nodded.

"I think we should, Elian.
 
Something is wrong and it must be stopped."

Elian nodded and the four of them got up and left the Dining Hall together.
 
Coeli and Sam watched them all leave, then they looked at each other.

"That was weird."

Coeli nodded in agreement.
 

"Should we follow them?"
 
Sam asked.

Coeli nodded again.
 
They got up and left the hall as well.