Dark Weaver (Weaver Series) (10 page)

He’d been there from the very beginning.  He was my teacher and my friend and we’d always loved each other.  We were married in a small ceremony on my family property just before my Papaw died…he’d made our rings! My family had known him! A rush of memories whirled in my mind.  My pulse was thudding in my ears.  All of my memories were lies!  It wasn’t Kalan I loved, it never was!  Kalan didn’t know that his mother had gifted her powers to my Papaw until she was on her death bed.  She died at the same moment he did…and that’s when he came looking for me.  He wiped out all of my memories so that he could get closer to me, learn how to use my abilities and steal them for himself.  I began to piece things together faster.  It must have backfired when he realized that by wiping Kess from my memories, I also lost the majority of the knowledge behind how to use my gift.

“My sister and Kalan
are to blame for all of this Joey.  Fortunately neither of them knew the extent of my history with you.  I kept that as protected as I could. They only knew that I had been your mentor.  As manipulative as they both are, they used each other in an effort to take your gift from you – although both of them wanted it for themselves.  Kalan was a fool for trusting my sister.  She’d already undone his efforts once when he was getting closer than she was.  Yet, for some reason, he still fell for her.”

I shook my head trying to grasp the depth of this mess.  Time was a precious gift and the core essence of weaving was to make life better for people, not to gain power.  Kess gave me a chance to absorb everything he was saying before he continued.  “
Kalan was just arrogant enough to believe that he could make you love him, and that he’d taught you enough to bring your powers up…and he was stupid enough to trust my sister to take him to the grave.  They believed that you would use your abilities to bring him back and then they could figure out how to use the master weaver skills.  The trouble was, he was a lousy mentor so you weren’t ready.  On top of that, my sister would have left Kalan in the grave to rot and she would have killed you.  I had no choice but to lie to protect them because it was the only way to keep you safe.  I lived on the hope that I could build you back to what you were, and that at some point you would remember me.” 

It took me
approximately two seconds to turn and push him into the sand where I could kiss him properly.  It wasn’t a gentle kiss.  No, this was ravenous, and desperate.  His hands caressed my back as I demanded more of his soft lips.  He willingly obliged with the same veracious hunger.  Talk could come later —right then I didn’t care about a single thing beyond the depth of those kisses.  Okay, I cared about those broad shoulders, and I cared about that chiseled chest, and I cared about those strong arms, and those hands…and those tattoos.  His knuckles, tattooed with ‘Jo-Jo’ in the ancient language of the weavers and the ring, the ring he wore on his thumb…his wedding ring!  I tore myself away from his lips and sucked in a breath. “Oh Kess, how have you survived this?”

“I knew you’d find your way back to me.  You’re mine, and you always have been.”  He sat up and reached into his pocket pulling out a matching silver ring inset with tiny crystals
(that came from the mines on my family property), and he placed it on my finger were it belonged.  Time is an elusive thing but what had been stolen from the two of us was no longer intangible.  I’d had my awakening.  I had my husband back…and there would be hell to pay.  Make no mistake, my days of whimpering were done.  It was time to fight, and I was prepared now.  We stood up together as the sun dipped down leaving us beneath the full, new moon.  Kess put a finger to his lips and then touched them to my own.  I kissed that finger and smiled up at him as he removed his hat and placed it on my head.

“Ready love?”

“Ready,” I replied.  My voice was now firm and sure.  I may not have had my weaving abilities, but I had faith in my husband who knew how to use his better than any other weaver could imagine. 

When we arrived back at the beach
house I was still wearing Kessler’s hat.  We materialized hand in hand and the second everyone saw the ring on my finger their conversation stopped.  Pepper jumped up and ran to me, hugging me so tight I thought my ribs might snap.  “Can you imagine how hard it’s been not to say something?”  Her expression told me she was relieved and Gen stood up and literally applauded.  Digger just stroked his beard and said, “I knew she’d come around.  Didn’t I tell you all she would?”

“Why didn’t anyone just tell me?”  I said with a laugh.

Kess tapped the hat on top of my head and said, “if it was that easy, don’t you think I would have a long time ago?”

“You’re right,” I said
mockingly, “I never would have believed it.” 

“Okay lovey-dovey birds, let’s get this plan in action,” said Digger.  As he spread his hands out, a black velvet cloth appeared on the table wrapped with gold strings.  He untied the threads and spread the folds open revealing an assortment of
daggers, which appeared to be made of black ice. 

“What are those made of?”  I asked inquisitively.

“Hematite, and Adularia,” Digger said proudly.  As if that helped me to understand a dang thing. I just stared at him blankly as did Pepper.  I guess it made more sense to Kess and Gen.  “It’s minerals girls.  The kind that can kill a dark weaver,” said Gen.  I noticed that one of the daggers had a milky white handle while the other three had handles that were made from the same material.  “That one is for Kess.  I made it special.”  Kess nodded his appreciation and took it from the table.  The rest of them quietly selected from the remaining pile.  We were going back to Era, and I was going to be bait.  I took my ring off and placed it in his palm.  “For safe keeping,” I said tenderly.  He tucked it in the front pocket of his jeans and said, “Just lead them in and we’ll be waiting.”  He kissed my forehead and placed an intricate weave around me which would cast a deceptive thought pattern the equivalent of a distraught lover.  “Like deers to the stand,” I said with a wink.  Pepper weaved me an outfit more suited to the occasion (all white), and then I took Digger’s chunky little hands and closed my eyes.  I knew the sensation I was about to feel and though I dreaded it, I was anxious to get there and make this happen.

The falling sensation wasn’t as bad this time, maybe because my adrenaline was already pumping but when we landed on the glass
block my eyes were wide open and alert.  “Welcome Digger, you are free to enter Era with your prisoner.”  Digger made a show of nudging me as we stepped down and I did my part by pretending to be terrified.  Kessler’s weave was working just as we had expected.  Torvin appeared at the top of the stairs and boy was his smile huge.  I couldn’t wait to knock it off of his face.  “Fantastic work Digger.  Simply superb. His majesty will be so pleased! Follow me,” he said brightly.  He almost had a spring in his step!  I was led into a separate chamber this time.  I guess they didn’t want to parade me before the community just yet.  Kalan appeared at the opposite end of the room.  The rest of the council members appeared one by one behind him.  If looks could kill, Chloe, Jazelle, and Bernice would have taken me out with their expressions.  I allowed myself to stumble, as if seeing him made me weak in the knees. 

“Where did you find her?”
  He asked in a tight voice.

“She was back in Arkansas just like you said.  I found her down by the bayou just crying like a baby.”

“It was our spot Kalan, I thought you’d come back to me if I waited there.  I’d hoped and prayed that you were under the power of some dark weave or something,” I twisted my hands for added effect, the way I’d seen my Mamaw do when she was lost without my Papaw.  He rolled his eyes at this and strode toward me. 
C’mon baby, just a little closer,
I thought to myself.  His left arm reached out in a flash and he had me by the throat.  His grip was intensely firm and I could feel the blood rushing to my head.  “Don’t say another word,” he said through gritted teeth.  I centered my breathing, looked him dead in the eye, and called out mentally to Kess,
NOW!
  The shocked look on Kalan’s face told me he’d registered what I’d just done, and I felt a ridiculous surge of satisfaction in that. I met his eyes and pushed out a very clear mental message to him,
My turn
.

Several things happened simultaneously.  Digger threw two blades.  One hit Chloe in the abdomen.  The other
landed firmly between the eyes of the scrawny bald man.  Both victims began a rapid age progression before dissolving into dust.  Kess appeared and immediately knocked Kalan to the ground.  I instinctively backed myself up into a corner and watched as the two of them locked in a whirring fist fight.  Kess hit Kalan so hard he flew across the room and landed on his back on the floor.  “I should have done that a long time ago,” said Kess with tremendous satisfaction.”  Kalan got up quickly, wiping the blood from his mouth before charging back at Kess.  The two of them became a blur of shimmery, metallic light as Kalan attempted to weave himself away.  Kess was drawing him back with each effort.

I was caught in a daze watching this and not paying enough attention to my surroundings. 
Jazelle vaulted toward me and to my astonishment, Professor Olrick materialized right behind her.  All at once his features morphed and then he was someone else.  He resembled Kalan, but much older. With a nonchalant wave of his hand Jazelle withered into an old woman, her face distorting into a silent scream before she crumbled into a pile of grey dust before me. He turned on Torvin next.  Raising both arms, he recited something I couldn’t understand and I watched as Torvin’s eyes rolled back before he collapsed and began a series of violent convulsions on the floor.  When he stopped, a stream of black smoke arose from his body and dissipated as quickly as it appeared.  My head jerked around at the sound of a guttural cry and I realized it was coming from Kalan.  Gen and Pepper stood in the center of the room, with Railey’s limp body between them.  Kalan was no longer fighting back because Kess’ arm was around his throat, his blade trained on his jugular. 

Gen took one look at the man that had been Professor Olrick and let go of her floppy prisoner to fly across the room
, leaping into his arms. 

“
Viigo!  I knew you were alive!”  she gushed.

“And I you my beauty.”
  Their reunion was abruptly interrupted by Kalan’s agonizing screams.  “Railey!”  he wailed.  The raw emotion in his voice was an epiphany for me.  Kalan was in love with her…and he had become a dark weaver.

Pepper
glared at Kalan defiantly and let go of Railey’s arm allowing her to slump to the floor where she began to regain consciousness through a fit of coughing.  Kalan’s eyes bulged wildly and his voice came out in a desperate croak.  “Please, Pepper help her! I beg you, she can’t breathe!”

Pepper jutted out her chin and planted her foot on Railey’s back, pushing her
down flat on her face.  “The way you helped all of us Kalan?”

“NO!”  He tried
unsuccessfully to yank away from Kess.

“Can you not breathe sis?”  Kess called out casually.

“Enough,” said Viigo firmly.  “There is only one way to save yourselves and you will either agree or it will be the end of your time.”

“Please Father, I will do whatever it takes just restore her
!”  Kalan sounded like a spoiled brat who’d finally been caught being the bully that he was.  “You will return what you have stolen?”  Viigo questioned.

Kalan closed his eyes and then met mine before answering dejectedly, “Yes.”

As if on cue, the double doors opened and two men, heavily armed with black swords at their sides appeared.  I watched as they manifested dark robes and after fitting them over Kalan and Railey, they weaved out of the room with their prisoners. Torvin was still sprawled out on his back and I had almost forgotten about him when he came to moaning and holding his head.  We watched as he sat up slowly and upon seeing Viigo and Gen he gasped.

“Your majesties, I
—,”

“No need
Torvin, it was not your doing.  You were under the enchantment of a dark weave.  I do not hold you at fault.”

Torvin
collected his cane, struggled to his feet, and bowed.

“I
have failed you both.  I will resign from the council and depart from Era immediately.”  I could not tell from his expression if he was sincere, or a master of deception.

“No Torvin, your service to this kingdom is invaluable.  You may weave the memories of this experience away, or you may retain them and learn from them, but you must stay.”  Gen nodded in agreement with her husband’s words. 

“Very well,” said Torvin before humbly excusing himself.

“Digger, I will be forever grateful for your loyalty,” said Gen.

Digger shifted uncomfortably but the smile on his face said what his words could not.  He felt appreciated, and accepted.

“It’s good to see things back to normal around here. 
I’m plum bushed, and could use a hot toddy and a hot bath.  I’ll see you all on the morrow.”  He bowed as far as his troubling middle would allow, and weaved out.

Viigo
placed his arm around Gen and turned to us.  “We will assemble the community in the morning.  For now, please feel free to take your rest.  Your accommodations have been arranged.  Pepper, if you would prefer, I can send you home and call for you on the morrow before the proceedings begin.”