Darkness The Diary of Samantha Owen (23 page)

Phoenix got up with his Golden book in his hands and left expecting the young man to follow him. When Eric caught up with him he continued his walk to the dining room.

Eric reflecting started to ask the wizard the things he considered to be important.

“When will you cast
the spell?”

“Well, it needs to be in a key moment. That is
to say, when all of you are safe, that way you can run further away and fight with more strength or whatever you want to do.”

“And if it doesn´t work
, what?”

“That
, we will have to deal with in that moment.”

They arrived to an ample dining room with high stone ceilings and a great table in which fifteen people could be seated.

“Why do you have such a big castle just for you?” Eric asked suddenly, allowing his curiosity to be seen.

“
Previously, I taught witchcraft and many of the students came to live here with me as long as their learning lasted. There were also great magicians that during a time joined me to transmit out teachings. But I was corrupted. I wanted everything and I ended up with nothing,” he said moving his hands towards the table, “there is nobody anymore.”

“What happened?”

“I became unfriendly and mean. I found the way to be immortal, the formula that allowed me to live forever. From that moment I started to distance myself from the people in my life, until there was no one left. On the way I messed up lots of things. Once, a great wizard worked out how I harmed innocent people for my own benefit and told him that if he wanted to use it he should serve me. I have wasted my infinite life in things that are not worth anything. And now, after so many years, I realize that all of that evil serves for nothing. Now I feel alive, I feel like I am contributing to improve something and that makes me feel good. For that, my dear boy, I should die.”

Eric didn´t know what to say to such words. He had heard many rumors concerning the great immortal wizard, but he had never believed them to be true.

“So, do you believe that you have lived too long?” Eric asked as to confirm.

“Much more than you can imagine.
It seems strange that Elizabeth has not visited us today,” he said trying to change the subject.

“Yes it is somewhat strange.”

They started to eat in silence. Then Eric started to remember the passionate night he had spent with Samantha. He almost couldn´t believe it. He loved her so much that he couldn´t imagine that something bad would happen on the day of the battle. If he lost her, his head and his life would go with her.

Phoenix, aware of the expressions that Eric made as he thought, opted to check what was happening to him.

“Young man, may I know why you are pulling such strange faces?”

Eric looked at him surprised
that he would ask him such a thing; he thought that he had been dissimulating his inner dialogue better.

“I miss her
,” he replied looking at his almost empty plate.

“Oh, I once loved like that. I know how hard it is to be separated from the person you love most. I suppose that it is mutual.”

“It is,” Eric smiled happy that it was.

“Take good care of her, a love like that happens only once.”

Eric nodded. He knew it. He knew that she was his one and only true love.

Gaia
walked slowly observing the plants that surrounded her. She had to choose them well if she wanted the spell to work. The sun was about to set; a ray illuminated her hair making it visible to Ian again for his peace. Her short black hair now started to brush her shoulders.

“Don´t go too far Gaia
,” Ian whispered in her ear as she turned to collect another plant.

She had an old wicker basket in her hands, she had collected some early mushrooms and some plants but soon, with the darkness of night she should abandon the search and finish the collection the next day.

She put something inside the basket, when suddenly the bottom broke, letting all the leaves and plants that it contained fall.

“How could that be possible? The most powerful fallen one that
ever existed isn´t able to choose a basket that works,” she scorned him in a low voice as she collected the plants from the ground.

“What are you mumbling about witch?”

Gaia got up angrily and gave him the plants for him to take in his hands. She turned round indignant and continued collecting.

“What
do you think I am a transportation mule?”

“You could have given me a recipient that wasn´t so burst, don´t you think? That way I wouldn´t annoy you and you wouldn´t have to help me
,” she said in a mocking tone without turning around.

Ian with his hands in mode basket looked at her smiling in an evil way.

He moved discreetly towards her and grabbed her neck from behind cutting her breathing.

“Remember little witch that you are the one who is helping me. I don´t want to remind you how much you will suffer if you dear messenger dies in the hands
of one of my rotten and stupid wanderers,” he said in her ear. “You are lucky to still be alive. You were not my first choice for this job. However, they have told me that you do well whatever it is that you do, so don´t speak to me that way. Now, obey me.”

He let go of her neck letting her fall to her knees on the ground. The witch put her hands round her already swollen neck as she began to breathe again. A tear of anger rolled done her face when she noticed how a hot liquid came from her nose. Ian had reminded her of how fragile she was in his hands and there was no way of changing that. The rules were dictated and she had to comply.

She got up still with her head drooping, she took everything that Ian had in his hands and went towards her house. That night she had to start the spell if she wanted everything to turn out well.

Eliz
abeth opened the door before Ian could touch her. Her face reflected her tiredness and her dirty clothes reminded Ian that she had just woken from her short coma. He didn´t cross a word with the girl he saw entering, he didn´t even look at her. She just looked at Ian and went to her room.

Ian guided Gaia to the basement stairs and sat her down on the bed, releasing her arm.

“Have a good night,” he said turning around to leave.

“Wait, and the cauldron and the things I need. If I don´t start to make the potion today….”

“Today you won´t do anything,” the fallen one cut in, “tomorrow you will have time to cook up what you want.”

He left the wall to move behind his back, Gaia got up running to try and stop it, but failed. She struck the stone without success and let herself fall, sitting on the cold floor of the room. She cried
without comfort seeing that she had no choice.

She was drying her tears when something under her bed called her attention. She dragged it and pulled the sheet to be able to see better what it was. With a smile on her face she took out and old black cauldron, old and not very clean. Inside it was a note.

     
I hope that this helps you. It is all I could get a hold of. Soon I will get your out of here. I promise you.

                               E
. O.

Gaia, happy for the first time since she had been in this room, hugged the note and stored it in a safe place. She got up and took the cauldron. She put it over the desk and in a blink of eyes it was floating on top of a blue fire. She started to mix some herbs, letting the smoke permeate the room. After a long time cooking at a low heat she took a small bottle from the desk and poured a green, thick liquid into it. She covered it and secured it, storing it where nobody could find it.

She returned to her
bed after erasing all trace that the magic could have left. She could not help but think about the messenger, as she looked distracted at the ceiling. Every second away from him seemed like torture.

“Does nobody know where Francis is?” Argi asked in a desperate tone.

Fairiel looked at him without knowing what to say. After interrogating Susan he had left and not returned.

“This situation is a disaster,” Elias White shouted, on the border of hysteria. My daughter is putting pressure on me and with good reason. The ministers of each Kingdom need to know what to do and how to act. But if we are not all here, we cannot go to speak to the empress. This situation is getting out of control.”

“We well understand this Elias
,” Peter answered with his eyes fallen, “my son is also demanding explanations. And all that I can tell him is that he should be patient and wait. But we have our hands and feet tied. Nobody knows when they will attack.”

“They will attack soon
,” Argi replied looking through the window towards the sky which was turning grey. “In two nights there will be a full moon. They are waiting for something, it could be that.”

“Argi, how did that not occur to us before? You can substitute Francis, or do you not remember any more?” Angelica asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Something like that cannot be forgotten Angelica, but in such an important issue as this we should all be here. Nobody can be substituted. It is in the manuscripts.”

“Fairiel, you are
the Chief of Defense. Do you have any idea how we can proceed?” Peter asked hopefully.

“I have never been in a situation like this one. The rules are clear, if everyone isn´t here, the empress will not concede a visit to be able to debate the matter with her.”

“That is out of place,” Elias said angrily, getting up from his seat. “I propose that we take action. The empress had bluffed us for a long time and you know it,” he said looking at all of them. “She is not interested in the Kingdom and that is why her laws are so absurd. We need to do something for the good of this city and its inhabitants.”

They all looked at each other knowing that he was right. They had to arrive to an agreement.

Chapter
17

I sat on the chair, stunned. Everyone moved around about me whilst I appeared to be a statue. I tried to memorize every detail, the color of her hair, the form of her nose and her lips; her small but strong hands. I had my mother in front of me. It shocked me that Kenneth would tell me who she was; that I had looked at her without recognizing her. She didn´t look like the woman in the photo that he had showed me. She seemed older. It was like she was my grandmother. I didn´t understand, nobody did, except Kenneth.

“Sam, Sam
, are you there?”

His words seemed to come from afar. When I knew they were directed to me, I made the effort to look up and pay attention. It was Francis who called me.

“Sam, are you alright?”

I nodded lightly with my head almost without looking at him.

“I will bring you some water,” he said seeing that I made almost no effort to listen to him or to maintain a conversation.

I couldn´t allow myself to take my eyes from her. I was afraid that if I did she would vanish before my eyes. I inspected her up and down. I paid attention to her hands. They were
leaning on her stomach. With a great deal of care I bent over and took her left hand; I veered it upwards and all my hopes were dashed seeing she had no scar. I inspected her other hand without finding anything. Her skin was clean. She had no type of mark.

“She doesn´t have a mark
.”

Gabriel and Kenneth looked at me in unison without understanding what
I was saying. I looked at them fixedly with tears in my eyes.

“She doesn´t have a mark
,” I repeated in a loud voice.

“Samantha, the marks are not hereditary
,” Gabriel responded patiently and with a soft voice.

“So
, how do I know that she is my mother? She is not the woman in the photo, she is older. We don´t grow old. That is what I have been told,” I accused them. “She is not my mother. She had never been with me. I never knew my parents, I don´t even have a physical link to them. Not even a birthmark,” I said with a thread of a voice. “This woman could go and not return. It might be that she wasn´t my mother. Eric told me that they had me sleeping. I only remember my life with Anne, but I was much older. Did she grow old while I slept?”

“Sam, calm down, she is going nowhere
,” Kenneth said while he held my hands, seeing how the pain and the fear consumed me. “She is not going to abandon you, she never did.”

“But I don´t know her
,” salty tears sprung from my eyes crossing my cold cheeks. “And if she doesn´t recognize me? She might say that I am not her daughter.”

“Samantha, listen to me
,” Francis said leaning his hand on my shoulder, with a firm voice, unusual in him. “Your mother has fainted because she recognized you. We don´t know what she was doing in the forest, but you can be sure that when she wakes up she will not let you away from her side. She loves you.”

I took the glass of water that he extended to me. I felt how the water ran through my body. I close my eyes trying to clear my ideas.

I cannot allow fear to dominate me. I was asking questions and no explanations came from anywhere. I cannot be afraid that she will abandon me again, because she never had. I had wanted to know her since I was aware that she existed. So I had to be strong. When she woke up I would ask her everything I wanted to.

I opened my eyes with my thoughts in order and apologized to the boys. I left to get some fresh air and sat on the wooden bench that was on the porch. I bent my knees up onto the bench and surrounded them with my arms.

I leaned my head on them and closed my eyes. I found myself to be at peace. But I did feel a little alone. I didn´t have by my side the person who understood every part of me.

<,>> I whispered in my mind, <>

<> I soon heard an all so familiar and sweet voice made me instantly smile.

<>

<>

<> I said hopeful.

<>

<>

There was a silence in my mind and it made me ask myself if I was just hallucinating.

<> I asked not sure that I would get an answer.

<,>> he responded shakily.

<>

<>

<<
Why?>>

<<
Because the empress is there. You know the punishment. If she sees me with you she will kill me>>.

<<
I won´t let her. She is not going to kill you and much less in front of me,>> I said in an angry and decided tone.

<<
You always make me smile,>>, he said in such a sweet tone that I wanted to kiss every centimeter of his face until reaching his mouth.

<<
You never remember that I can see what you are thinking, do you?>> he said in reply to my unspoken thoughts.

<<
I love that you have seen that,>> I smiled, even though I knew that he couldn´t see me.

<<
I have to speak to Phoenix. I don´t know if it is a good idea that I leave when there is so little time left. Is the empress awake?>>.

<<
No. She fainted when she saw me. I don´t know how long it will be until she wakes up.>>

<<
I will do everything to try to go, okay? But there is nothing sure yet.>>

My face lit up as though a thousand lights were pointing towards me.

<>

<<
I love you,>> he said very slowly.

<<
And I you.>>

I felt happy again. I was happy. I had seen the appearance of my mother as something bad, when it was really something positive. At last I had found my mother and my boyfriend loved me so much that he would try to come and see me. At that moment I felt very fortunate.

I stayed sitting there looking towards the forest. It was starting to get dark. After a few minutes I got up and went in the direction of the trees. I started to pay attention to every one of their branches and the seams in the leaves. I closed my eyes and touched the hard and rough trunk. I left my hand leaning there and started to connect with the Earth. I could feel every leaf in the forest. I wanted to climb up; I opened my eyes and looked up. I wanted to climb to the top of the trees. I closed my eyes and imagined the peaks appear before me, but when I opened my eyes I was still on firm ground. I closed my eyes again and asked the trees if they would allow me to go up. All of a sudden I felt how a branch wrapped itself around me. The tree had a natural balancing movement and its branches moved firmly until reaching the peak. Once up there I sat on one of the biggest branches I had ever seen and I supported my back on the trunk. I breathed in the freshness that nature gave me and relaxed. I could see the whole valley that we had been training in this very morning and on the other side was the city. Its lights were few, but thanks to them I could see the silhouette of the buildings.

It was already night-time when I heard someone calling me. I was happy thinking it would be Eric until the voice sounded closer. I looked down and saw a small Gabriel looking around about the house.

“I am here,” I shouted down.

He looked up unable to believe where he found me.

“How did you get up there?” he shouted so that I could hear him.

“With my powers
.”

“Can you come down?”

“Is my mother awake?”

  “No.”

“Then why do I have to come down?”

“Because I am supposed to be looking after you, making sure that you are well and safe. It is really difficult to do that if you are up there
,” he emphasized moving his arms in my direction.

“Okay I will come down
.”

I closed my eyes trusting that the appearing would work anywhere. I opened my eyes and found myself just behind Gabriel.

“Hi,” I said smiling.

He turned round, surprised that I had come down so quickly.

“Come on, Kenneth wants to speak to you. You haven´t eaten anything all day.”

I followed him silently into the house. I looked to the left when we entered and my mother was still there, immobile. We continued to the kitchen and we sat all four around a table that occupied almost the entire room.

By the sight of things, Francis had made supper while I wasn´t there. And he was pretty good at it.

“Francis, this is really great
,” I exclaimed putting another fork wrapped in spaghettis into my mouth.

“Thank you
,” he smiled recovering the fun air that he always had.

“Is it a family recipe?” Gabriel asked, he didn´t stop eating either.

“No my dear, it is my own recipe, it has taken me many tries to perfect it, but now it is jolly good,” he said moving his fingers round his mouth, confirming that it was delicious.

“Samantha, I have to comment something to you
,” Kenneth spoke, he hadn´t said a word since I entered the kitchen. “Venice, I mean, your mother…” he paused, ”I don´t know when she will wake up.”

“Is she alright?”

“Yes, calm down. I just want to say that she hasn´t fainted. It is as though she were in a trance.”

“Why?”

“The night you disappeared, a wizard cast a spell on her. The wizard made her immortal.”

“Supposedly
,” said Francis under his breath.

“Yes, supposedly
, but he told her that although she wouldn´t die, she would grow old from the pain of not finding your sister and you.”

“That is why she is so different?”

“That´s right, and I believe that what has happened is that seeing you, her pain vanished, something in the spell has changed, making her body take charge of her mind. Her body needs to sleep in order to regenerate itself and free itself from all those years of pain which changed her aspect,” he concluded.

             
“Do you have any idea approximately how long this process will take?” I asked wanting to receive an affirmative answer.

             
But it was not the case.

             
“No,” he responded not knowing what to say.

“And what happens if she doesn´t wake up before the battle. We cannot leave her here
,” I said distracted.

“After considering that question, they all looked at me amazed that that detail had escaped them.”

“She is right. She cannot stay here,” Gabriel affirmed finishing off the plate of pasta.

“I have a house in the human dimension where we can take her. She will be safer there
,” Kenneth replied while Francis looked at him in a suspicious way. I didn´t understand what was going on but I didn´t want to get in the way either.

We finished supper and I went to the lounge.
I sat beside my mother and it surprised me to see how her face had changed. She had less wrinkles and her hair had more shine to it. I concluded that Kenneth was right. I don´t know how long I was by her side until Francis woke me softly.

“It is late, princess. You have to rest. We still have a day of training.”

I went upstairs while I felt the heaviness and tiredness of my legs made me go slowly. I sat on the bed without wanting to turn the lamp on and looked towards the window. The moonlight came through it. I got up and moved towards the window to be able to see better, it still wasn´t full but there wasn´t much missing. My mind was clear, when I woke up it seemed like the tiredness had gone and didn´t want to return. I turned over in the bed when I saw a blurred silhouette. I moved towards it trying to see it better when it started to move towards me.

I keep moving closer carefully until I was at his side. Without waiting more I pounced on him, throwing him onto the bed.

“I thought that you weren´t going to recognize me,” Eric whispered in her ear as he hugged me in his firm arms.

“I knew it was you ask soon as I turned
,” I smiled in the darkness.