Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) (30 page)

“No.  I know I was dumped off with a human my mother never met, in a place that gets forty below in the winter time and a hundred plus in the summer.  I know my mother never contacted me.  What’s left of our house isn't worth going back to.  Every relative I’ve met is half crazy.  That’s what I know.”

Roger picked at a tall blade of grass beside him and shook his head.  His lips formed a thin line.  “Well, here’s what I know.  There was some curse on your family.  Basically, the only way to break it was to keep you and your sister apart until you were adults.  Your mom couldn’t be in two places at once, so she asked Athena to help her.  I may look human, but my roots trace back to a Lapith named Lila and a Centaur named Rupert, the same ancestors your father has.  I’m human, but I’m able to hide you from danger.”

I thought I’d imagined it.  “You made me look like a rock inside the cave, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ve made you look like lots of people before.  Any time we went into the city and I sensed a Centaur or Centauride around, I changed your appearance to protect you.  In the tunnel was the first time I had ever tried to disguise you as an object.  Shit, son, I hope I don’t ever have to do that again.  It was harder than I thought it’d be.”

“How do you do it?”

“I told you, I’m a Lapith.  My family’s responsibility is to protect the Lost Herd.”

The Lost Herd?  He didn't take me because I was a Chiron, he took me because I was a Tak?  He took care of me out of a sense of duty.  Roger had done his job.  “So you put your life on hold to raise me.  You did it because you had to.”

“Because I was your guardian.  Because it was my job to keep you safe.  Because it would have killed me if anything had happened to you.  I know you’re not sure what to think right now, but have I ever lied to you?”

Everyone lied to me.  They did it under the guise that it was for my own good, but everyone lied.  “You didn’t tell me my mom called to check on me.”

“That wasn’t a lie.  That was an omission.  Have I ever lied to you?”

“I guess not.”

“Then believe me when I tell you – there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.  You don’t want to go back to Centurion, we don’t go.  You want to go back to South Dakota, or meet my family, or go anywhere in the world, I’m game.  I’m not here out of obligation, I’m here because I care about you and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“I don’t know who to trust.”

“You’re a smart kid.  You always have been.  Do what your gut tells you to do.”

My mind whizzed in all directions, but each thought kept coming back to the same person.  “I want to see Grandma.”

Roger nodded, “Then we’re going to South Africa.”

“She’s back?”

“She wasn’t when I left, but Athena said they were all going to be fine.  The Centaur Council ceremony has to be held in Centurion, so I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.”

“Wait, you were in South Africa?”

“Athena’s been watching out for you your whole life.  You and Camille.  She saw how upset you were when Zandra took off, so she told me you needed me.”

“Just like that,” I snapped my fingers, “you hopped on a plane for South Africa?”

“Shit, I wish.  No, when Athena wants you to be somewhere, planes are rarely an option.  If we hurry, we can get to the airport before she takes us to South Africa herself.  Believe me, you’d much rather ride on a plane.”  Roger stood up and motioned for me to follow him down the trail.

As I carefully put one foot in front of the other, desperately trying not to slide down the steep trail, another thought occurred to me.  “You said in the cave that a new Chairman is going to be named.  No one is forcing Grandma to step down, right?”

Roger stopped in his tracks, turned toward me with a crazy look on his face.  “You know Zandra.  Do you think anyone on the planet could force her to do anything she didn't want to do?”

Roger was right.  Grandma was a formidable woman.  She was sweet to me, but she never backed down, not for anyone. 

We both made our way down the side of the mountain.  Aside from a couple slides and losing our balance here and there, it was much easier going down than it had been climbing up with Angelo.  We walked along the side of a road, and Roger flagged down a pickup truck.  We crawled in the back and caught a ride to the airport.  The whole time Roger spent telling me about what he’d been up to since he left, and I told him about taking his advice and starting “Cameron’s Collectibles” in the barn on the property in South Dakota.

I had missed him more than I realized.  He reminisced about funny stories when I was growing up and close calls he’d had with Centaurs over the years.  The last couple months it felt like I was a feather in the wind, going wherever the wind blew me.  Having Roger here grounded me.  For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel overwhelmed.  I didn’t feel alone.  He was in mid-sentence when I cut him off and said, “Thanks, Roger.”

“For?”

“For being here for me.  For being everything to me.  Thanks for taking me in and following me all over the world to make sure I was okay.”

“No thanks needed, Cam.  I’d do anything for you.”

(Camille Nash – Mountain Top

Chiron trotted along the perimeter of our prison on top of the mountain.  Drake was on his feet, and although I had prodded him to change back into his human form, he wasn’t convinced the threat was over. 

Neither Athena, Aphrodite, nor Zeus reappeared to check on us.  Zandra sat by herself a couple hundred yards away.  Propped on a large boulder, facing the valley below, she wore a lost look on her face.

Drake urged, “Go talk to her.”

“Come with me?”

Drake shook his head, “She needs you.” 

I shrugged.  “What could she possibly need from me?”

Drake smiled, “Just go to her.  You’ll figure out what to say.  Or don’t say anything:  let her talk.”

I took a few apprehensive steps toward her.  She didn’t look at me but she called out, “I’m glad to see you found your magic after all.”

“Yeah, thanks.  I think he’s going to be okay.”  I kicked at the dirt and made a small dirt cloud, “So, are you okay?”

“I’m an old woman, Camille.  I’ve made more mistakes in my life than I can count.  But for the first time in my life, I can say, yes, I’m okay.”

“So, are we okay?”

Zandra’s smile was genuine.  “I hope so.  One day before I go to the pasture, I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“One day, before you go to the pasture, we need to get to know each other.”

She beamed back at me with a genuine smile.  I had seen her smile before, but this was the first time I had ever seen her look happy.  “I’d like that.”

“Are you upset about going back to Centurion?”  She had to have known that Quinton delivered her message.  The families would be expecting her to pass the Chairman job onto me.  She had said as much to Zeus, as well.

“No, of course not.  You will make a fine leader, and I’m ready to pass this burden on.”  Zandra stared back down into the valley, her words heavy, “You are the Chairman now.  It is your decision if you wish to avenge my parents’ deaths.”

“There has been enough hate.  It’s not my job to select a new target for Centaurs to rage against.  It’s my job to bring the herds together.”

Her gaze left the valley below and landed squarely on me.  “Athena was right:  you are wise.  I am indebted to Angela for leaving the world such a gift.”

Laughing at the idea that I was a gift of any kind, I answered, “I’m sure if I had come with a receipt, she would have tried to return me a few times.”

“No.  Angela knew little joy in her life – none that I ever bore witness to.  I wanted her to be strong.  I wanted her to lead the way I had.  I was too blind to see her potential.  It was not until I came to know you that I understood her greatest strength. 
You
were her joy.”

“I’m sorry you never got a chance to make things right with Mom.  One day, when you’re both in the pasture, maybe you’ll be able to say all the things you’re feeling right now.”

“I hope so, Camille.  There are a few I still need to make things right with on this side of death.  That is, if we ever get out of here.”

As if on cue, Zeus’s body appeared floating in the air as it had when Athena and I first arrived.  Oddly enough, Zeus looked at me rather than Zandra when he said, “Chairman, you three may go.  You will remind your race of the punishment should another decide to play a trick on an immortal.  If it happens again, I shall not single out a herd.”

The metal rods protruding from the earth that had looked impossible to move only seconds ago now bowed over as if they were melting sticks of butter.  The right thing would have been to bow or curtsy, but I didn't.  I was the Chairman, it was time our voice was heard.  “And you will remind the gods that the Centaur have more than made amends for past mistakes.  We are not pawns.  I expect any god who perpetrates an act against a Centaur to be answerable to you.”

Zeus answered me with a radiant smile.  “Eris and Ate will no longer interfere with the Centaur or anyone.  Both have been dealt with.  It will be many generations after your death before they are free from the sentence I have passed.  Good luck, Chairman.”

Zeus faded away before my eyes.  Chiron stood to my side, “I must go back to my perch in the stars.”  His lustrous hand touched my cheek as a warmth spread through me.  “I am proud to leave my Centaur in your hands, daughter.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

He smiled a brilliant smile, “Each evening you are in the Southern Hemisphere, you need only look to the sky to see me.”

I laughed.  That was not what I had expected.  “Any final words of wisdom?”

“Be good to one another.  Cherish each breath you are given.  Allow those who have wronged you to make amends.  Traditions are only worthwhile when they serve a purpose.  Enjoy the peace you have earned.”

Traditions?  I thought back to my conversation with Ben.  He said I could change things, make them better.  Was there something I couldn’t see because I was too close to the problem?  “Before you go, I don’t understand why Centaurs who marry humans are shunned from our race?”

“Ah, you are perceptive.  That is a tradition with little purpose.”

“It never had a purpose?”

“Long ago, yes.  When that tradition was started, warriors were necessary for survival.  Allowing our blood lines to dilute could have been catastrophic had the humans learned of our existence.  We have stayed hidden for so long that we have become a fable to them.”

“But if Centaurs openly marry humans, could that put our race in danger?”

“Danger of discovery is a possibility.  But every herd has had family members who have intermingled with humans.  None have betrayed us.  The loss of those family members who have been shunned is a far greater tragedy than any damage that could have been done by discovery.”

“So, if I wanted to make some changes, you aren’t opposed?”

Chiron beamed at me, “Any modified traditions should be done so with the betterment of all Centaurs in mind.  If you have my herds’ best interest at heart, who am I to second guess your decision?”

Who was he?  He was an immortal Centaur who Zeus had placed in the heavens so that he could watch over his herds from above.  If I screwed up royally, I imagine he would be the Centaur I would be answerable to. 

I looked at Zandra, then back to Chiron, “You’re sure I’m the right one to be Chairman?”

“Angela did an exceptional job raising you.  You have a fiercely independent spirit, yet you look at each problem presented to you from all angles.  Many will be curious about you.  Let that curiosity be replaced with admiration – just as mine has.  I look forward to the choices you will make.”

Chiron’s kind words sent tingles all the way to my toes.  Beyond Zandra’s change of heart, the knowledge that Chiron himself believed in me erased the last slivers of doubt I still held.  I stepped toward him, extending my hand.  Chiron brushed my hand aside and took me in a strong embrace.  He was nearly as tall as Drake, so I found myself talking into his chest.  “Thank you for coming to our aid.  I’ll never forget you.”

“Nor I, you.  You have been touched by the gods.  Take care of my herds.”

Chiron faded out, much the same as Zeus had minutes before.  Zandra and Drake stood beside me.  We looked at the melted metal bars before us. 

Zandra looked out into the distance.  She asked, "Can you feel them?"

Feel them?  What was she talking about.  But just over the next mountain top I saw a plane in the distance.  I couldn’t make out the tail markings, but I didn’t need to.  Zandra was right:  I could feel Gretchen scanning for Drake and Zandra.  A warm glow grew from my heart – my family had kept their promise.  I had left with Athena shortly after they left for the airport.  They were trying to bring Drake and Zandra back to me.

I closed my eyes, cleared my mind, and focused on Gretchen.  “
We are here.  We’re okay
.”

Gretchen’s voice resonated loud in my head, “
Cami?  What are you doing in Peru?  You’re supposed to be under escort in the hotel?
”