A Little Touch of Magic | The Callers #1

Chapter Twenty-Five

I followed Father into a dark room that he must have made into his personal study. I understood him not wanting to work in what had been Mr Ravencroft's office, but his space was slightly creepy. I was almost afraid to sit down in one of the chairs in front of the desk, but I didn't want to show him that I was scared.

'I assume you know a little about what you are,' he said, sitting down in his chair. 'They wouldn't have missed the chance to tell you.'

I nodded, still eager to know what it was he had to say.

'Then what I'm about to tell you might make you see their side of things from a different perspective.'

He opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper, smoothing it onto the desk before him and nodding at me to look at it. I leaned forward to see the words on the page.

Born to the girl with hair like a golden sun, the saviour of the Caller kind will rise. A child of amber hair and unique gift, they will banish the darkness and all who listen to it. In their twelfth year, the darkness and light will clash and the child shall bring peace among them once more.

I re-read the passage two more times before glancing up at Father. He was watching me closely.

'Ravencroft thinks I'm the darkness and that you will be their saviour and banish me forever,' he said, quiet.

'You did seem like a scary presence at the Home,' I said, my voice low too.

He tilted his head as he regarded me again. 'Yes, I suppose you would see it that way.'

I frowned, it was as though he thought there was any other way to see it.

'I understand my past actions may not have painted me in a good light to you,' he continued, 'especially considering the first contact you had with your true world, but I can assure you that I am not the enemy and never have been.'

'But then... why did you attack the mansion?' I asked.

'I would have thought that was obvious,' he said. 'I wanted to get you out. I wanted to get you away from those people. They're poisonous, Ilaina, and they don't have your interests at heart.'

'But you do?' There was a strange feeling blooming in my stomach. I wanted so badly to believe him.

'Of course, I'm your father,' he replied without hesitation.

We lapsed into silence as I mulled over what he had told me so far. If the prophecy was about me, then it made sense that Mr Ravencroft was so fiercely protective of me.

'How did this prophecy get made?' I asked. If I was going to know what I was getting myself in for, I wanted to know everything.

'There were Seers, many years ago,' Father said. 'Many prophecies were made and then they were attacked, wiped out. The prophecy believed to be about you was the last one ever made.'

'Wiped out? By who?'

'Callers,' he replied flatly. 'They want to think that they're the saviours of the human race, but really, they're after power. They want to control the world and everyone in it.'

'And you? What do you want?' I was almost afraid to ask. So much was different to what I had already been told and believed.

'I want peace. I want our two worlds to live in harmony and co-exist,' he replied. 'We've hidden ourselves well up to now and I want that to continue. The Callers want to expose our worlds and claim the power that the humans have to offer over each other.'

He paused for a moment, studying my face. I knew I was frowning, it was so much to take it.

'Listen,' he said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. 'I don't want you to worry. As long as you're with me, I'll protect you. We'll figure out this prophecy together.'

The sensation in my stomach lifted, like that feeling on a rollercoaster as you edge over the top of the big dip. I could do anything with my father at my side, but it still felt wrong to think about Mr Ravencroft and the others in such a terrible way.

Did they really just want to use me to get rid of their rivals so they could take power over the human race? They just didn't seem like those kind of people.

Then again, Father had seemed like a bad guy, keen on kidnapping children. I had almost forgotten about that.

'Father, why were you trying to tempt the children away?' I asked.

'I've known for a long time that a war is coming between my people and the Callers,' he replied, running a hand over his face. 'I've been taking children who I know will grow to be strong young men and women so that I can prepare them early for the battle to come. I never stole anyone. I gave them a choice. If they didn't take it, they could return home.'

He glanced over at me again and smiled.

'You were always such a nuisance for interrupting me before I could start.'

I grinned back at him, glad for the lightness of that moment after such heavy talk.

'So, did you ever get anyone from my Home?'

'One or two,' he said, standing up. 'I can take you to see them tomorrow, if you would like?'

'That depends on who you got,' I replied, smiling again. 'I didn't always get along with everyone there.'

He laughed; a deep, throaty sound that made my skin tingle. It was catchy and soon I was giggling too.

'That's fair enough,' he said once his laughter had passed. 'We'll get up early and head to our base. This house has given us all it can.'

'I thought this was your base,' I blurted out.

'What did you think we did before this place? Wander around like lost children?' His smile was back on his face.

'Well... no?'

He laughed again,putting a warm arm around my shoulders. 'Oh child, you're going to fit in just finearound here.'

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There's only TWO chapters left until the end! I hope you've enjoyed reading the story so far and are looking forward to finding out how it ends.

If you've enjoyed this chapter please do leave a comment down below and give it a vote, it's much appreciated.

I'm so excited to be finishing this story soon. There will be a small break of one week and I'll be writing book two in February so keep an eye out for updates of that during February (although I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to publish the whole book here on WattPad or not).

Be sure to follow me for updates on the Callers series, I plan to publish A Little Touch of Magic later this year after editing and will keep you guys updated.

Have a great day!

Heather x