Having experienced something similar in the past, I recognized the sensation and knew exactly what it was: the death throes of a powerful telepath – most likely as the result of some massive trauma. Psychic or not, almost everyone for miles around had surely felt the impact, and it continued to mentally reverberate.
As the telepathic keening lingered and echoed, I picked up the hint of something familiar about it – and then froze, reeling in horror.
Oh no…
Chapter 77
I teleported back to the embassy, popping up in my room. Almost immediately, I picked up on extreme anxiety and duress, among other things, coming from several sources. At the same time, my mother and grandmother both began telepathically yelling at me – Mom almost hysterically. Although they were mentally talking over each other, I was able to make out where they were: the main living room. A moment later, I had teleported there and stood, dumbfounded, by the scene before me.
My grandfather was lying on the floor, with my grandmother cradling his head in her lap. Gramps seemed to be muttering something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. My mother was on the floor as well – on my grandfather’s right side, holding his hand, while Myshtal was on his left side doing the same. All three of them – my mother, grandmother, and Myshtal – were sobbing.
I dashed over at super speed, and then stared, completely aghast at what I saw.
The right side of my grandfather’s head was caved in, liked someone had smashed him in the temple with a sledgehammer. However it had happened, the trauma had been so forceful that it had caused his right eye to pop out of its socket, and it lay dangling on his cheek. Beneath him was a widening pool of blood – my grandmother’s clothes were soaked with it. And his brains. I could see his brains…
I dropped to my knees at my grandfather’s feet, practically in shock. My vision got blurry as my eyes watered, and a second later, the tears started to flow, hot and heavy. I didn’t try to stop them…didn’t want to.
“Sxibbo!!!” Indigo screamed, and I suddenly realized she had been calling out to me. “The Beobona!”
Of course! The Beobona! The ancient artifact had healed me on more than one occasion – saved my life, in fact. It could do the same for Gramps.
I nodded to my grandmother to indicate I understood, and then concentrated on where the Beobona was kept. A moment later, the armored, spider-like relic appeared near my grandfather’s head as I teleported it.
Indigo looked up at the Beobona expectantly. I know what she was hoping, because I was wishing for the same thing: that the Beobona’s chest cavity would open and it would shine its healing light on my grandfather. Unfortunately, the relic’s torso stayed closed. Even worse, the Beobona turned and began striding from the room – presumably headed back to its normal spot.
I lowered my eyes. Pleading with the Beobona wouldn’t do any good. The thing did as it pleased. My cheeks now soaked with tears, I reached out and laid a hand on my grandfather’s leg.
Gramps was still muttering, and I could finally make out some of what he was saying.
“Birdsong?” my grandfather muttered. “That’ll be bayside…the Prexin Twins…Indigo, don’t want to…”
He continued rambling nonsensically, plainly the result of his head injury. However, as he spoke, his voice began to fade.
“John!” Indigo howled, obviously hoping her voice (and hearing his name) would be a source of strength. “John!”
At the same time, my mother fervently whispered, “Hang on, Dad. Hang on.”
On my part, I struggled to find words, but none would come. Instead, I simply closed my eyes and focused on Gramps – what he meant to me, all that he’d done for me, and how he’d always been there for me. I desperately wished we had more time together. More time to talk, more time to laugh, more time to build memories.
A harsh intake of breath interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes, and for a moment had trouble making sense of what I was seeing.
Gramps was encompassed by a soft blue glow that covered him from head to foot. Mom, Indigo, and Myshtal had all moved back, causing me to realize that the glow was actually coming from me – emanating from where my hand still touched my grandfather’s leg.
I blinked in surprise, but managed to keep my composure as I realized what was happening. This was the power I had developed on Caeles, the ability that had saved Queen Dornoccia’s life. And I knew without a doubt that it would save my grandfather, too.
Chapter 78
The blue glow faded after a few minutes. After it disappeared, my grandfather appeared to simply be asleep (albeit on the floor). Notably, the dent in his skull was gone, and his eye was back in place. Also, thankfully, I could no longer see any gray matter. (The blood was still on the floor, but there wasn’t much to be done about that.)
“He’ll be okay now,” I said to no one in particular as I stood up. “Now, tell me what happened.”
It didn’t take long to get the story from the three women, and I could almost have guessed what had happened: my doppelganger, Jack, had shown up at the embassy.
He had seemingly gotten inside by using telekinesis to unlock the door. It wasn’t clear what he’d wanted, but Gramps had told everyone else to stay back (presumably to keep them out of harm’s way) and had then tried to subdue Jack telepathically. Jack had lashed out in retaliation, telekinetically whipsawing my grandfather around before finally smashing his head against a marble countertop. (Looking around as they told the tale, I could see that the living room was in disarray, with furniture thrown around helter-skelter, a bookshelf knocked over, and so on.) Shortly thereafter, I had shown up.
As I heard about
