Ailis was finishing up dinner as Karma and Arthur lay stretched out on the living room floor playing some war strategy board game. They were having fun and learning basic battle strategies at the same time. Multitasking at its best, Kenneth called it. Ails supposed one had to do things differently when raising the future rulers of an entire realm. She just wished sometimes that the children could have a normal childhood, like she did growing up on earth.
Movies, dates, and dances. Normal school that did not require the training of deflecting spells and hand to hand combat. "How different her life was from what she thought it would be." She thought to herself as she rested on a stool at the bar in the kitchen, watching the children concentrating on what the best next move would be.
Morgaine Carmelita Nunez, (Karma) the future Queen of Avalon and the first pure bred born Avalonian in centuries was now six years old. She had her fathers' cunning nature, her mothers' genius brain and all the power of the direct blood line of Merlin and King Arthur. She was a handful. Ailis thought to her self with an inward smile.
Arthur Kenneth Nunez the heir to the throne of the Merlin was now three years old. He had his fathers' dark temper and his mothers' total loyalty and compassion. He loved with every piece of himself but she hated to ever see what he might do to some one who crossed anyone that Arthur loved. But all in all, he was just a sweet wonderful boy.
Karma on the other hand, Ails thought watching Karma's hands start to shake as she was trying and failing to hold her temper. Author had just bested her knights for the second time in a row and Karma was not great at admitting defeat. "You Cheated!" Karma accused her brother.
"How could I have cheated?" Arthur threw back, "half the game is electronic. I can't control the computer Kar!" He told her.
"Karma" Ailis said sighing. "Control it, before I do it for you." She finished firmly as she leveled that look that all mothers prefect about the time they give birth. You know the one that tells the kids "Don't fuck with me," without saying a word?
Karma heaved a few deep breaths before slinging her arms in the air and saying belligerently "Fine!" The book shelf behind her fell over and all the books scattered across the living room.
"Great! Just Great. Karma!" Arthur yelled at her. "You scattered all the pieces."
"Enough" Ailis said firmly, her voice vibrating the walls a tiny bit. The children looked up at her shutting up immediately. "Karma, Clean this up right now." Ailis said to her daughter. Karma pouted a little but turned to raise her hands to magically replace the books on the shelf. "No." Ailis stopped her, "without magic." She finished firmly. Karma looked like she may have argued before Ailis leveled her with "The Look." and she began picking up the books to place them manually back on the shelf. Ailis bent down to pick up her Grandmothers Journal that had landed open at her feet. She picked it up noticing that the binding had come lose in the fall. "Great." She thought to herself. "I knew I should have had this put up somewhere." Just then a folded piece of paper fell out of the middle of the front cover binding and Ailis' stomach did a flip flop. This could not be good. She thought as she bent down to pick up the paper. Standing, she noticed that it was a piece of old notebook paper that was folded in half. She opened it carefully and read the handwritten poem on it.
***
When the two species have finally become one.
The child must pass trial else all will be undone.
Within a test of no small measure,
The child will be given the choice of a treasure.
The road may be dark and and more than dreary
But the child must not stop no matter how weary.
Be careful the deceiver that lies in wait,
Wanting the child to consume the bait.
Mind the Viper that stays at rest,
Waiting for the chance to administer the test.
The child must move forward ever mindful of the goal,
Always trust in thyself and listen to thy soul.
***
Ailis stood there rereading the poem over and over again with her heart falling to her toes and a feeling of dread creeping up her spine. Nothing good ever came from anything in her grandmothers journal. She became aware that she was being called and looked up from the poem to see Karma and Arthur staring at her. She noticed that all of the books had been replaced.
"What was it you said?" she asked the children, not even sure which of them called her.
"What's that you're reading?" Karma asked her again suspicion evident in her tone.
"Yeah" She heard Kenneth's voice say through the door behind her. "What's that?"
Ailis shrugged her shoulders hoping she looked more relaxed than she felt as she answered the kids. "Oh. Nothing, just some old recipe of your grandmother's" She told them placing it back in the binding and placing the book back on the shelf as if it were nothing of interest. She knew that if Karma thought she was missing out on something she would make it her mission to find out. They were going to have to tell the kids this sooner or later. But not until Ailis had time to figure out the latest in her grandmother's infamous riddles. Even dead, the lady could still play a mean game of Clue. Damn that woman, Ailis thought with a smile before turning to take the lasagna out of the oven to cool. The children went back to their game.
"What was that?" Kenneth asked through their shared mental link.
Ailis looked up at him. "Trouble." she answered in the same way looking at the children now enthralled in their game. She looked back at him helplessly. "real big freaking trouble babe." She finished as he took her into his arms. "What are we gonna do?" She asked sounding sad and helpless even in his head. "Whatever it is that spoiled brat wants to do to us now, we'll get through it love." He told her looking down into her eyes. "We always figure it out." He finished.
Ailis looked over at the children again and his eyes followed. "It's not us I'm worried about figuring out what it is she wants." she answered him not looking away from the children.
Dun dun duuuun!!!!
Holy crap. That was intense. You thought they were done. Yeah. So did I but you will find out as I did that nothing is ever that easy. You are probably thinking how the heck I could consider all that I have just told you easy. Trust me. When I tell you more, you will see that compared to what is coming next, what has already happened was easy. I know you are dying to know what happens next but I am totally wiped out right now. I need a break and I have a feeling you really do as well. Take some time. Let the secrets I have revealed float around in your head. Do you know whats going on yet? I bet you don't. Stay tuned for the next installment of my story entitled Legacy Foretold and find out which "Child" the strange new Legacy was talking about.
أنت تقرأ
Legacy Forgotten
العاطفيةAilis has spent her life pretending she didn't have powers and that things did not go bump in the night. Ailis is now a homicide detective. She is very good at her job and she's pretty sure the serial murders her unit is investigating aren't being c...
