Folk Lore (33 page)

“Only because they wanted to return home.”

Kalar appeared to ponder this for a moment before speaking.
“Perhaps you are right, Sampson. Further discussion and a vote are required before we continue down this path.”

“What about Sera?” Anna asked anxiously.

“Cornelius, remove the spell and you will be allowed to return. The others and the law can be decided on later.”

“Finally,” Sam muttered.

Keelor allowed Cornelius to utilise his hands and they all watched and waited.

Through a thick haze and troubled dreams, Sera felt herself being drawn back through the darkness. Bright sunlight reddened her vision as she slowly attempted to open her heavy lids. Distant familiar voices swam around her as she tried to wake up. Forcing her mind to focus she remembered the poison which pumped through her veins but realised the unpleasant burn had disappeared. Realisation hit her like a tidal wave. They’d changed her.

“Her wounds are healing,” she thought she heard Sam say.

“Is it working?” 
Definitely her mother’s voice.

“We will not know until she opens her eyes.”  Keelor 

How would he feel about her now? She felt no sudden compulsion to feed, there was no thirst. Was she supposed to feel something? With trepidation she forced her eyes open.

“Sera,” Anna said.
“How do you feel?” 

Sera didn’t know. She sought out each face looking down on her in turn. Anna, Sam, Keelor and Kalar waited with apprehensive expressions. What were they waiting for?
Her bloodlust to kick in?
It hadn’t. None of them looked any different. Shouldn’t her new vampire eyes see things in an altered state?

“I feel the same,” she told them as she sat up.

“I told you,” Keelor said, with, was that awe in his voice?
“She is the chosen one.”

“Chosen one?” she asked. What was he talking about?
“I’m not a vampire?”

“No, honey, you’re not,” Anna answered.
“You feel alright though?”

“Yes, I feel how I did before.”

Sam laughed and held out his hand. Surprised, she took it and he helped her up.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” he told her.

When he embraced her, as he used to, surprise turned to astonishment.

“You can be near me now?” she asked him.

“Yes, the fear of losing you seems to have helped me control the
...
anyway you still smell the same.”  He smirked.

“How?”
She asked.

“Cornelius took off the binding spell and your powers healed you, repelled the poison. Just as Keelor predicted,” Sam told her.

Sera looked around to discover Keelor standing rigid a few paces from the group surrounding her, his eyes averted. She closed the gap and stood in front of him. His eyes flashed to hers for a brief moment but she couldn’t distinguish what she saw in them.

“How did you know it would work?”

“I do not know.”

“So you guessed?”

“I felt it.”

“Do you remember?”

“No.” 

“So you think I’m some kind of chosen one?”

“There is only one kind and you are the one. It is in the book. Have you not read it?”

“Yes, we did it toge
ther.”
Her heart sank.
“I remember we read the legend briefly. Isn’t the chosen one supposed to bring peace?”

“So it has been foretold.”

“Why do you think it’s me?”

“You have abilities which no human or folk has ever possessed before and your compassion exceeds your abilities or so I have been informed. Your powers expelled the poison from your blood and in turn may create a truce between the banished and the circle.”

Still totally confused she waited for him to explain further.

“Sera,” Sam said as he came to stand beside her, placing a cold hand on her arm.
“I’ll explain it all to you. We have some catching up to do anyway.”

As much as she wanted to continue to be around Keelor to try and coax some feelings or memories to return, the idea of spending time with Sam again won out.

“OK, I’m hungry. Can we talk in the village?”

“Sure.”

After one last longing gaze at Keelor, Sera allowed Sam to lead her from the garden.

46

Memory

“Sam, that doesn’t make any sense. Keelor is ‘Mr Law’ again, why would he want them abolished?”

“I don’t think when he realised you could be the one that this would be how it would happen. The book says nothing about abolishing law when the chosen one is discovered, just that a truce would be made. I don’t think he anticipated this being the way. I supposed he figured you were powerful and this would force the banished ones to form a treaty. This way is much better. Everyone will return to the lands, there would be no need for the shield and only folk who break the treaty will be punished. If you remember the books states ‘the chosen one will bring peace to the lands in the form of a treaty’. It doesn’t say how, no-one really knew until now. Kalar realised this when Keelor said you were the chosen one and this is why she allowed Cornelius’ banishment to be lifted. There will be a vote but it will return in the favour of a treaty.”

“I think Kalar may have suspected I could be before today. She said something to me one day in the garden, before we had saved Nermina and I paid no heed to it at the time. I suppose that makes sense and I just can’t believe that I will be the one to bring peace.” She shook her head in disbelief until she remembered Keelor and his stubbornness over not wanting to have his memories returned.
“Maybe Nermo’s vision was right after all. Maybe we are destined to be together. Keelor isn’t interested in remembering me so why not? I quite like him but he’s still not Keelor.” She paused then shook her head again.
“What am I thinking? Nermo isn’t the one. It hurts so much that Keelor doesn’t know who I am. He’s so co
ld. Oh Sam, what do I do now?”
Warm tears slid down her cheeks.

“He might remember. Just give it some time. I had to wait a long time to be with Angel, well, without having to hide anyway.” 

He offered a glib smile before taking her warm hands into his cold ones. She felt immense comfort from her best friend, who she
thought was lost to her forever. If there was hope for her and Sam, could she dare to hope Keelor would love her again?

Sera left Keelor more confused than ever. She was the chosen one and this only endeared her to him further. He may not remember their time together or his feelings but he felt drawn to her, as though there was an invisible gravitational pull between them. There was no doubting his attraction to
her,
perhaps these feelings were purely physical. There was only one way to find out. He strode towards the village to test out his theory. Perhaps getting her out of his system once and for all would cure his uncertainty.

He heard them before he saw them and determined they must be sitting just past the trees from which he approached. He stopped when he heard the subject and when the words Nermo and destiny passed her lips a jolt of jealously shot through his system. Red fury replaced the
jealousy,
he turned on his heel and headed straight for the garden.

As the elders were in conference and the circle members were taking advantage of the quiet, the garden was empty. Grateful, he sat on the grass by the river and attempted to control the overwhelming emotions flooding his chest. Serenity did not come. Was she so fickle that she was considering moving on with Nermo, the pixie, of all folk? Why did he care? The answer suddenly became apparent. He may not remember her in his mind but in his heart she still resided. His logic had mistaken love for curiosity. Did it matter that he didn’t know her? No, he would just have to get to know her all over again. What he needed to find out right at this moment though was where her heart lay, with him or the pixie. When she said him she loved him in the cave, did she mean it? He growled in confusion and cursed his memory loss.

Ready to confront her, to find out for sure, to discover the reason for his angst, he stood and turned to find her walking towards him. She stopped and appeared to deliberate over coming closer. He made the decision for her.

“I need to talk to you,” he told her.

“Why?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

“Yes.”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m listening.”

“
I feel drawn to you.”
Her only reply, a delicate
raising
of her right eyebrow.
“I need to find out why.”

“Maybe if you tried to get your memories back, with a spell or something, then there would be no confusion.”

“I think magic has caused enough trouble of late.”

“You are so stubborn, so
...
so
...” 

Colour rose in her cheeks and her angry frown drew him in. Losing all control of his senses, he bridged the gap between them, buried his hands in her hair and brought her lips to his. Electricity pulses surged through his blood, quickening his pulse. He felt her hands exploring his chest and shoulders which caused his skin to tingle. When her tongue sought out his, the last of his restraint vanished.

The kiss evoked a familiar sensation and then like molten lava from a volcano, the memories flowed through his mind. Their first meeting and kiss, lying idly in his bed, sharing their secrets and lives with each other. The past weeks returned in seconds like they’d never left. He pulled back to gaze into the eyes of the woman he loved.
Her trusting eyes staring fervently up at him.

“I’m sorry,” he told her.

And he was, for doubting her, for hurting her, for putting herself in danger because of his indifference.

He didn’t say all the words he wanted to say, thinking those two simple words would be enough. When her face contorted in surprise and then anger, he should have been prepared for what was to follow. Her hands still on his chest grew hot and the pulse which followed was stronger than he anticipated. When he hurt the turf, his breath whooshed out in a single
whoomf
.

“Sorry!  You would apologise for kissing me you heartless brute.” 

She turned to leave and he tried to speak but his winded lungs could only gasp. He sat up and heaved in shallow breaths as she strode away.

47

Peace

Her anger barely had time to fizzle when Anna arrived to summon Sera to the gardens. Elder Kalar was ready with her announcement. Sera hoped for good news, something to distract her mind. Keelor’s kiss albeit so wonderful to feel again was a mistake. At least while he couldn’t remember her anyway. Why kiss her then apologise? Sera mulled this over as she waited for the remainder of the party to arrive.

She caught Keelor’s arrival out the corner of her eye and decided ignorance would be the best course of action. When he came to stand beside her, she realised it would be harder than she anticipated.

“Sera, I would very much like to talk to you,” he told her in a hushed tone.

“I don’t want to talk to you, this is hard enough.”

“It is not want you assume.”

Kalar called for attention and Sera
was
saved from further discussion for the moment.

“Thank you all for returning again, we hope this will be out last meeting for a while. We considered a vote regarding a new regime in light of recent events. However as we all wholeheartedly agreed we have come to the decision ourselves. A document or treaty has been drafted which allows all banished folk to return to the lands if they so wish. They will be required to sign the peace treaty which contains one law. Peace is to be upheld at all times. If this is not obeyed the culprit will be incarcerated. The shield will be lowered and will remain down unless it is deemed necessary to be raised again. Protectors will continue to guard their Princess to ensure their continued safety. Word has already been dispatched to the banished lands and folk will be entitled to return post haste.”

During Kalar’s speech, Sera could feel Keelor’s eyes on her back, as though waiting for the proceedings to be over so he could talk to
her. She decided to prevent this from happening. She needed to be alone for a while and it hurt way too much to be around him. Barely managing to concentrate on Kalar’s words, as his scrutiny of her was so intense, Sera
pulsed
her hands behind her shoving him back a step. A quiet chuckle followed and this only confused her further. When Kalar finished Sera didn’t notice.

“I knew you were special,” Keelor whispered, appeared at her side again.

Confused by his tone she turned to frown at him, to be greeted with a dazzling smile. She turned away and waited for the meeting to conclude.