Hunted

“Special? That’s the kind of answer you give a three-year-old, Grampa. Were you searching for her energy or the demons’ when you blended with me?”

“Her’s. Other than you, she’s the only one with the ability to control the powers of the dagger. As soon as you told us what Master Haziel said, we suspected she must have made contact with you.” Grampa glanced at Aunt Janelle then added, “We couldn’t tell you the truth until we were sure. That is why we didn’t wake you from the nightmare tonight.”

I wanted to yell at them again, but it wouldn’t change anything. “But she didn’t tell me anything we don’t already know. I mean, you already knew about the Summoners.”

Grampa smiled, though there was no humor in his eyes. “Master Haziel has vast knowledge of our world and how it works. Unfortunately, he only tells us what he thinks we should know. As for the Goddess, we expected more.” He stood, Aunt Janelle joining him. “But we now know that the images the Tribe project in our heads are not real, and the way to stop that kind of invasion is to focus on happy memories. That is what you did when you focused on us, Bran, and your friends. Love got you out of that nightmare.”

I got up too, the wet facecloth still clenched in my hands. “What about the dagger’s powers? If thinking of you helped me, what were the powers of the dagger doing inside me? And why are they gone?”

“Gone?” Aunt Janelle asked.

I turned around, and lifted the back of my pajama top, then glanced at Grampa and Aunt Janelle over my shoulder. Their expression was unreadable, but they couldn’t hide their puzzlement. “They are gone, right?”

“Were you holding the Kris when it happened?” Grampa asked slowly.

“No. The Kris is with Master Haziel. I use it during training and leave it with him. I didn’t realize the writings were gone until last night. What does it mean? And please don’t lie or say you don’t know. I don’t care if it is a theory, just tell me. Not knowing only drives me crazy. Please?”

“It means that the Kris Dagger has completely bonded with you. Do you still have the headache?” Grampa asked, his expression unreadable.

I shook my head. “It’s gone. I thought Kylie’s…never mind. Completely bonded with me? What happened to ‘it’s only temporary’?”

Grampa sighed. “I don’t like it either. The powers were supposed to move back to the dagger. They always move back.”

I blinked. “So this is not the first time this has happened to its wielder?”

“No.” Aunt Janelle rubbed his back gently. “I’m sure there’s a reason for this, Luminitsa. Maybe Master Haziel has an answer or the Goddess will let us know what it means.”

Yeah, I had a question or two for the Goddess. Like why was she screwing with my head? I couldn’t do my job when I was busy worrying about my powers.

“You know what? I don’t care anymore. I don’t have the headache, so I’m fine with whatever this means. How was the meeting?” I asked in an upbeat voice and pointed at their priestly robes. “Did everyone wear those?”

Grampa frowned. “We reached a consensus, which we plan to convey to the elders. Lil, about the dagger —”

“I’m not going to discuss it anymore, Grampa.” I rubbed my arms as goose bumps spread fast on the surface of my skin. The sleeveless pajama top and shorts weren’t exactly warm, but the chill wasn’t brought on by cold. “When you say elders, do you mean the CT?”

He nodded. “Yes. The final decision rests with them.”

“You can’t leave now,” I protested, hating the panic coiling inside me. “The CT takes forever to decide on anything. It took them days to sanction canceling contracts, yet they knew Bran’s soul was at stake.”

Aunt Janelle chuckled. “Mass canceling of contracts is not something we’ve done before and they had to weigh the pros and the cons.”

What were the cons of canceling contracts and Bran getting his soul back? Senile old goats! They made it so easy for me to hate them.

Grampa dropped a kiss on my temple. “Now go back to bed. We’ll be back by the end of the day. Cardinals Seth, Moira, and Hsia will keep an eye on things while we are gone. Don’t forget to tell Master Haziel about the missing ancient texts first thing in the morning.”

Talking about them wasn’t going to change a thing.

- 12 - SECURITY GUARDIANS

I couldn’t sleep. Maybe I was too used to falling asleep in Bran’s arms, or the worries about the Tribe, my wacky powers, and the fact that Grampa was in Xenith got to me. The other three senior Cardinals were around, but having my grandfather in charge often made me feel safer.

Whatever the reason, I tossed and turned the rest of the night until I gave up on sleep, turned on the lights and picked up the book Master Haziel had given me.

Starting from where I had previously stopped, I scanned the pages for clues, read captions under drawings, and scrutinized the pictures. There was nothing about transfer of powers from the dagger to its wielder. About to give up, words leapt out at me when I turned the next page and saw the subtitle.

‘Vessels’.

I sat up with excitement and read.

“To communicate with her people, Goddess Xenia used Guardians as vessels from time to time. This practice allowed her to interact with her people on a physical level even though the bodies she chose were not hers. The Guardians got the chance to hear her voice and even see her mannerisms manifested by her vessels. It was considered an honor to be chosen as a vessel. Unfortunately, the effect of possession by the more powerful Goddess often proved detrimental to the chosen Guardians. The vessels…”

My heart pounded with dread as I turned the page.

“…often ascended as soon as the Goddess left their bodies. Even though the ability to ascend was and is still a coveted achievement among the Guardians, the Goddess stopped this practice after several millennia. She did not think it was right for the chosen vessels to sacrifice their physical lives for her. Also, most of her vessels were Cardinals, which deprived them of their primary objective, which was and still is to defend humanity and help the remaining Guardians get their glory back.”

My admiration for the Goddess went up a notch.

“Instead, Goddess Xenia chose to telepathically link with her people in their time of need. Until a more powerful Cardinal is born to be the Goddess’ vessel, the Guardians must be content with telepathed words from our Goddess. Even though such messages are often misunderstood, it is better than completely severing ties between the Guardians and their exalted Goddess.”

A more powerful Cardinal? Like the Chosen One, or a Cardinal with the dagger’s powers inside her perhaps? I didn’t want to speculate, yet I couldn’t help myself.

I changed and was ready to go training by seven before I remembered Master Haziel’s instructions not to go to the pit until eight. I pinged him anyway.

Can I come and talk to you? I asked.

Now is not a good time.

Why? What are you doing? I mean, you are not training us or anything, and I really need to know something.

He chuckled. Always impatient. Okay. What is it, Lil? Is it your headache?

My headache is gone. The writings are gone too. Am I the Goddess’ vessel?

There was silence then, Lil—

Just give me a yes or no answer, Master Haziel. I tried to stay calm but my inner voice rose. I hated losing control and the hollow feeling in my stomach just kept growing. Am I or am