I took a deep breath and went on. “I just want to go home, but I don’t have anywhere to go. My adoptive parents are dead and so are my real ones. I have no family, no friends, and no one cares what happens to me.”
I sat back down in my chair and bent over, holding my head in my hands. I had come to the end of the road. I had never felt so alone, so helpless and at a loss as to what to do next.
Suddenly, all the loneliness and despair of my life that I had bottled up for all these years came rushing back. This was worse than the hollow feeling in my chest when I realized I was adopted and thought that my real parents never wanted me. It brought back a flood of memories. The years of waiting for the day when my parents would return and sweep me away to a beautiful, loving home surrounded by my real family. And the day I finally realized that they were never coming back. I couldn’t help releasing the tears that splashed down my face. Wrenching sobs racked my body. I couldn’t stop crying, and I wept for what seemed like hours but was probably just a few minutes.
When I finally lifted my head and pulled myself together, the duke was smiling. I dried my eyes with the handkerchief he very politely handed to me.
“Thank you.” I was embarrassed at my watery outburst. The duke must have thought I was nothing more than a scared child who cried every time life seemed too hard.
The duke came over and put his hand on my shoulder. “Everything happens for a reason, and nothing is an accident. It is all part of a much larger divine plan.” His tone was kind. “When difficulties come, we must see them as what they are—opportunities and a new path to discover your potential. How will you ever know the magnitude of your courage if you have never experienced the hopelessness of fear?”
I nodded and tried to act like like he made perfect sense, but frankly, at the moment, it wasn’t helping.
After I had finally composed myself, the duke clapped his hands together. “Now, about the test. It’s only a simple one. Every mage has a specific magical essence, and I can touch your mind and read yours.”
I must have looked as alarmed as I felt, because the duke quickly tried to reassure me. “Now, my dear, you must not be worried. I would never delve into your private thoughts. That would be considered the height of rudeness in our world, since a lot of us can talk by mind contact.”
My brows knitted together. “We have phones for that.”
The duke laughed. “Yes, it is quite a mystery how you came to be brought up in a different world. I have traveled there on occasion myself for some work. Didn’t like it much, though.” He chuckled to himself.
I smiled at that. I wondered what he had been doing, wandering around other worlds. Were there more gateways like the one I came through?
Finally he stopped laughing and leaned back in his chair. “I do believe you have traveled here from a different world, and the tapestry you have described is the last of its kind, although there are many other ways to travel to your land. But whether you really are the child of Elayna and Azaren remains to be seen.”
I nodded, clasping my hands together in my lap.
His eyes narrowed as he regarded me from under his bushy eyebrows. “If you are truly of Azaren’s bloodline, I will know. But you must not fight me. I would not want to hurt your mind in any way.”
I didn’t particularly like the thought of someone poking around in there. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Don’t worry—calm your mind and let me look into it. It is quite a simple test we do when the paternity of a child is in question.” He coughed, looking embarrassed. “We perform this on babies, but their minds are so free that it’s easier.”
“Oh, like a magical DNA test.” I felt a little relieved. That made sense.
The duke gave me a half-smile. “Yes! I am sure that in your world you can ascertain these things by way of what I believe the human race calls science.”
I nodded. “Yup, that’s it! Science. Not much use around here though, since you guys have magic and all.”
The duke’s smile grew. He seemed to find me amusing for some reason. “You’re correct. Magic and science have never done well together, one of the main reasons for Avalonia growing apart from the human world—science and magic clashed.”
“Okay, let’s get this over with.” I sounded braver than I felt.
“Please come and sit in front of me.” The duke gestured to a high-backed, velvet-upholstered chair. I went over and sat down opposite him.
“Now, my dear, just concentrate,” he began. “Make your mind blank. Try to rid yourself of all thoughts so I can see clearly who and what you are. Your essence will also tell me if you have the potential to be a mage, or if you have taken on the traits of your mother’s race.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m ready.”
The duke placed his fingertips lightly on my temples, and I tried to shut out my wayward thoughts, but they flitted in and out of my head like mischievous butterflies. It was difficult to make my mind go completely blank. I opened my eyes to peek a little. The duke was frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Duke Silverthorne removed his hands from my temples. “I should be able to sense your magic, but somehow there is nothing. I can’t sense a thing.”
“That’s what Penelope said.”
The duke looked even more perturbed. “Penelope could not sense your magic either?”
I shook my head. “No,
