Ch. 12


    We werete and of course Eryn scolded us about how important it is to be on time. That we make a


    bitter since taking the crown.


    Eric was already practicing while we were being lectured. He''d make a face behind Eryn every now


    and then and I had to try hard not tough. He''s a goof like Ash.


    Honestly Grandpa Artie retired a lot earlier than we all thought. He said he needed to beat his inner


    demon before it surfaced again. Whatever that means. He left the kingdompletely. He is now a


    councilman for the werewolves instead. We talk every 3rd Sunday of the month. He told me he got rid


    of that demon, so I guess he''s doing good now.


    Archery went well after the long lecture from Eryn. I love the feel of a bow in my hand. The whoosh of


    the air when I release my arrow knowing it will strike true. It''s an exhrating feeling. We ended training


    and headed in to eat.


    "We need to talk to mom after dinner." Ash reminded me and I sighed. I am not sure how mom will take


    it. I wish Talia would emerge already and give me answers.


    Dinner finished faster than I would have liked. Ash eyed me, making sure I wouldn''t just run away. I


    sighed and he and I made our way to our mom.


    "Hey, we need to talk to you." Ash told her.


    Mom''s emerald eyes looked at us seriously. She knew whatever we had to say was not going to be


    good.


    "Okay. Let''s go to my office." She led us quickly there and closed the door behind us. "What''s wrong?


    Did something happen at school? Do I need to bring you back here?" She shot her questions in rapid


    session. She was in protective mom mode.


    "God no." I said too quickly. "It''s not about school. It''s about me." I mmed up after that. For some


    reason I couldn''t just say it. I looked at Ash for help.


    "She found her mate and it made her wolfe out." Ash told her.


    Mom''s hands found her mouth as she gasped. Her eyes started misting as she looked at me.


    "I knew she was in there. I''m so happy for you Ember. What''s her name? Can I meet her?" She asked


    me.


    "The thing is she told me she was behind a barrier and that it was ced there to keep me safe. She''s


    been resting since she came out. She said it was exhausting for her." I told her.


    "I can help give her energy, if that''s something you would like for me to do." She offered. She was


    trying to be helpful.


    "That''s not all." Ash added, pressing me to tell her about today.


    "I''ve been hearing people''s thoughts. I heard yours yesterday when we hugged, but I thought that was


    an idental mind link. Today, however, I read a human''s thoughts."


    Mom''s face got serious and she started pacing the floor. She always did that when she was thinking


    hard. She''s a genius so if anyone can figure this out it would be her. Mom did be a doctor after all,


    even after having Ash and I during her first year of college.


    "Ember, we need to talk to your wolf. I''ll take you with me to her. I''ll heal her and then we can ask her


    what she knows. Your wolf knows more about you than anyone else right now. If she doesn''t have


    answers then I''ll ask the tree of life. Don''t worry, honey, I''ll figure this out." She ced her hands on my


    shoulders making sure I heard her words.


    "Yeah, okay, but can Ashe too?" I don''t want to do this without him.


    "Of course. Everyone take a seat and grab hands." She told us, and we did just that.


    I closed my eyes, focusing my attention on mom''s magic running through me. I could feel a slight pull


    inside me.


    "Open your eyes Ember." I heard mom''s voice.


    I opened my eyes and found us in a grassy field. The grass was about 3 feet tall. It swayed in the wind


    beautifully. Everything seemed a bit dull in color though. Kind of like we were in ck and white. That


    doesn''t seem normal. Past all the grass was a small creek that ran quickly. I saw the light grey wolf


    there, her white patch on her face made her so beautiful to me.


    "Talia." I whispered her name.


    "She''s beautiful, Ember." Mom squeezed my shoulder.


    She approached Talia cautiously, very slowly. Talia seemed out cold though. Mom ced her hand on


    Talia''s back and they both began to glow. I forgot how warm the air felt around mom''s healing magic. It


    always seemed to heal my heart a bit when I was near it. Talia began to growl and mom stepped back.


    "Talia!" I called her name and her eyes met mine, one blue and one gold.


    "Ember? How''d you get in here?" She asked surprised.


    "My mom." I told her. "She helped heal you. We need answers."


    She huffed, blowing at the grass in front of her.


    "I thought you would. I''m sorry I couldn''t exin a lot to you when I first came out." She bowed her


    head apologetically. "Come here."


    I took a seat in front of her. Mom sat to my right and Ash to my left, but behind me so they weren''t too


    close to Talia.


    "Tell me about the barrier." That one has been bothering me.


    "The barrier was made by your dragon and I to protect you when you were first born." She started and


    my heart almost shattered. She did this to us?


    Wait, I have a dragon too?


    "You see your mother here consumed too much magic when she was pregnant with you. It was dark


    magic, extremely potent." Mom gasped, probably remembering what Talia was talking about.


    "Lien, your dragon, and I couldn''t filter the magic fast enough so we created a cell of sorts. The n


    was to siphon the dark magic bit by bit and turn it to light magic as you grew. The bigger you got the


    stronger your magic would get. However, things obviously didn''t go as nned." She nodded her head


    in shame.


    "Somehow the magic trapped us with it. We''ve been slowly converting the magic to light while trapped,


    but there''s still so much left."


    Mom was silently crying beside me. She''s wracked with guilt right now. What dark magic did she


    consume? Why would she do that?


    "If we would have taken the barrier down you would have been consumed by darkness. You still could


    be if we took it down now. Lien told me to go when you found your mate. She wanted you to have at


    least one of us with you. We both feel so terrible for not being able to be with you the way we want, all


    this time. We''ve felt all your emotions and know all about you, but you know nothing of us. We''re so


    sorry."


    I was crying now. I had a wolf and a dragon and magic this whole time. This whole time they were in


    me.


    "What about her being able to read minds?" Ash asked. He was worried about me.


    "That''s because of me. I''ve always had the ability to read a wolf''s mind, but because I consumed some


    of the magic over the years the ability seems to have grown. I can help you control that. I''ll also slowly


    start releasing some of the light magic we''ve converted over the years to you. I don''t want to release all


    the light magic at once because it''s a lot and you need to adjust to it slowly."


    "When can I meet Lien?" I asked her. My dragon. She''s a part of me. I need to know her too.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "After we give you some of your magic, I''ll teach you how toe back here. You can meet her


    through the barrier. You won''t be able to ess her until all the dark magic has been filtered." She


    exined.


    "How much is left?" My heart pounded, waiting for her answer.


    "There''s still about half left. Once you get a handle on your magic you''ll be able to help her filter the


    magic. Hopefully in a few years we''ll be able to have her and all your magic."


    "A few years?! That''s so long. We can''t leave her there alone. That''s not right." I shook my head upset.


    "That''s how it has to be, Ember. She understands it. If you have a destined one and find them she''ll be


    able toe out like I did. Your dark magic would stay trapped alone that way." Talia exined.


    I sighed, it''s going to be a while before I get to have my dragon. I hope Lien is okay alone in there with


    dark magic.


    "He has the same thing. Only he consumed less dark magic than you did." She pointed to Ash with her


    snout. "His dragon and wolf have been filtering it out over the years. That''s why he keeps getting


    stronger andrger every year." She exined.


    "Oh goddess. My children, I am so sorry. I never thought that anything like this would happen." Mom


    was a weak shell of herself right now. Her sadness and guilt was so immense I could smell it in the air.


    ''He was going to kill us all. I should have killed him instead. Goddess damn you Evandrus.'' I heard


    mom''s thoughts. An image of someone that looked a lot like grandpa Artie entered my mind. The fight


    yed out in mom''s head and my own.


    "Mom, you didn''t have another choice. You didn''t know we were going to gobble it up. You thought you


    had filtered it for us." I am starting to understand mom more and more heretely. I wish she would


    share more of her post with us. She always tried to shelter us from anything bad or dark.


    "One other thing. Now that I''m out, your twin and you will have a stronger bond. He holds my twin in


    him. Levi''s ability will manifest now. He is an oracle, so Ash will start to see the future soon."


    "That''s so awesome!" Ash sounded so excited.


    Taliaughed. "I see why Levi chose you. Just as yful as he is. Ember I''ll release some of your


    magic tonight. Be careful tomorrow, it''ll only heighten our ability."


    I nodded my head at her. Please don''t let me hear anyone''s thoughts tomorrow. At least nothing bad


    anyway.