Beckoning Light (20 page)

As soon as I got close, the woman reached for my hand, and I instinctively let her have it.  Instantly, I felt a flow of energy and intense heat, as though my very blood was on fire. As quickly as the sensation had begun, it stopped. I felt exhausted, and I had to fight with myself to stay sitting up.

“Child, the feeling will pass,” the woman said in a low voice.

“What… what did you do to me?” I asked, startled to see her looking much healthier and vital. 

“I took some necessary energy, but it will replenish, I assure you,” she told me kindly.

“Who are you?” I asked hesitantly.

“My name is Ruth.” She smiled. I didn’t need her to say anymore; suddenly, it made sense.

“You were the Essence before my mother?” I asked excitedly.

“Yes. I was the Essence for over a hundred and fifty years.”

“But that would make you…” I started to do the math, but she interrupted.

“Very old, yes.” She laughed lightly. “An Essence generally lives a very long life.”

“So you were why I needed to get sent down here, right?” Without waiting for an answer, I continued, “But why?”

“Let me start with a story,” she said quietly. “For all time, there has been an Essence.  How this Essence is chosen remains a mystery, but she always passes through the same bloodline. Usually Essences are born at least a hundred or more years apart, in many ways beings of different times. For as long as there have been Essences, there have been Guardians, men tasked with protecting the Essence at all costs. Although all Guardians are strong and born to protect, one of these men has always been designated as the Gerard. The Gerard has the same protective drive as the other Guardians, but he also has an intensively deep bond with the Essence, a love more powerful than any other. This love serves multiple purposes. It ensures that the Essence and the Gerard stay together, with the Essence always protected. It also checks the power of the Guardians, for the Essence will always have enough power over the Gerard through her love. A Gerard could never hurt his Essence; he could never fight the instinctual love enough to betray her.”

“So then, Blake didn’t have anything to do with my mom’s death? It really was an accident?”

“Blake was not the Gerard, Charlotte. Please let me continue,” Ruth said calmly. I nodded, desperately wanting to hear more.

“More than twenty years ago, your mother participated in the same ceremony that you did last night. She recharged the power and selected her Gerard. Like all Essences, she was deeply in love with him, as he was with her. They dreamed of their future and the continued peace between the many worlds. One day, her Gerard was called away. His closest friend on the Guard had heard of an imminent threat in a distant village that only the Gerard could quell. The Gerard, always true to his duty, left Emma in the hands of the remaining Guardians, most specifically, her two brothers. Several days later, the friend returned with the Gerard’s lifeless body. The Guardian spoke of how they had been ambushed in an attack by warriors from several worlds. He claimed it had all been orchestrated by the Zatamans who wanted to capture the Essence.”

“Naomi’s people?” I asked, surprised to hear the name.

“Exactly. The Guardian also spoke of how in his last dying words the Gerard had appointed him to be his successor and pledged him to be the supreme protector of the Essence. Emma was wary; she did not trust this Guardian. None of us really did. The friend pushed his affections on Emma, but she denied him. Emma likely would have remained, still so broken by the death of her love that she really did not see any other option, but the Guardian pledged revenge against the Zatamans and all other worlds who aided them. They had killed the Gerard, and war was the only answer. Emma fought against this, trying to rally her people, explaining to them that causing war would only lead to more death and destruction.”

Ruth paused and looked at me, “Charlotte, you will learn that at our core, an Essence wants nothing more than peace.” 

I understood what Ruth was saying. I had already felt the change in me, the desire to quell any conflict and keep everything tranquil.

Ruth continued, “The Guardian railed against Emma, saying that she had lost her mind after her Gerard’s death, had become a traitor to her people, and needed to be controlled. The public, angry, hurt, and scared, listened to the Guardian, finding solace in the idea of revenge.”

“This Guardian was Blake, right?” I already knew the answer.

“Of course. Blake managed to turn most of the Guard against Emma. They wanted to protect her, but he convinced them that she had lost her mind and the best protection would be to keep her under lock and key. Only one guard would not agree, her younger brother Monty.  When Blake threatened to lock Monty up as well, he took his chance, released Emma, and ran with her to the gateway to the lost world, the one world that was not part of the rest.”

“You mean my home?”

“Yes. Your mother and Monty were able to escape and set up a new life for themselves.  Emma knew that as long as she stayed close by the gateway her power would be close enough to keep her people strong, even though its effectiveness would gradually decline. She hoped that before that time, peace would be restored, and she could return. She met your father quickly and was pregnant with your brother within months of getting married.”

“Did my mom love my dad?” I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to hear the answer.

“Yes,” Ruth explained. “Of course, that love was nothing like her love for her Gerard, but it was a comfortable love. I know all of this because an Essence is always connected to the others that remain.  In this way, you and I are connected.”

“Did Blake kill my mom?”

“I cannot prove it, but I can feel that her death was no accident,” Ruth said after a moment’s hesitation.

“But why? Didn’t killing her end the power and throw Energo into darkness?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

“I do not know for sure. By then, Emma’s power was dwindling; it had been too long since she had connected with the water. I believe that Blake had spoken to the elders and read through the history enough to realize that, although the Essence usually skips many generations, if a source were to die young, a new one would quickly appear. Blake assumed it would be Theodore’s daughter who would be the Essence, so he kept her in the castle.”

“Theodore?”

“Your mother’s older brother.”

“Oh.” I suddenly remembered that Ruth had said the Gerard had left my mom in the hands of her two brothers. I had no idea that my mom had another brother.

“When Theodore’s daughter failed to show signs of being the Essence, he probably worried that his plan had failed. But then, elders began reporting that young men were showing signs of the Guard, including Blake’s son, James.”

“Wait, so who is James’s mother?”  

“She was a villager Blake met after your mother left. She died in childbirth,” Ruth said quietly. “When no one showed the signs of the Essence, he must have realized that Emma’s daughter was the Essence and sent James to lure you in. But it was not James who really lured you, was it?”

“No,” I admitted.

“Growing up outside of Energo, you are unique among Essences. You were given no warning, no instructions. How confusing it all must have been,” Ruth said gently. I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

Ruth explained that once my mother left, the fighting only intensified until Energo was at war with all of the nations. This completely destroyed the Pact, an organization consisting of representatives from the different nations designed to keep peace. It was similar to the United Nations. As long as my mother stayed within close proximity, Energo still had the power, and they were virtually undefeatable. Ruth looked sullen as she detailed the destruction that Energo had perpetrated on the weaker nations, all under the auspices of revenge and protection.  

“How did you get here?” I asked, when Ruth stopped speaking for a few moments. I still didn’t understand how she had come to be locked in the dungeon.

“When I heard that they had found the Essence, I realized that the only chance we had was if I could get to you, try to recharge some energy and teach you,” she said with feeling.

“Teach me?” I asked, confused.

“Charlotte,” she said slowly, “as the Essence, you hold unbelievable power, but you must learn to use it in order to be effective. We have little time and must start immediately.”

“Why do we have such little time? What’s happening?” I asked nervously.

Ruth’s eyes blazed. “Help comes for you. We must get you out of Blake’s hands until we can build a true resistance and take back our nation.”

“The way you describe it, the current Gerard is really the one with the power, right?” I ventured. She nodded. “Then why is Calvin so set to follow Blake?” I asked, still trying to understand why we couldn’t just appeal to Calvin.

“My dear, Calvin has been raised knowing nothing else but the stories propagated by Blake. He truly believes that his duty is to continue the fight. Blake is a very powerful man, not only physically, but also in ways of persuasion. The Gerard’s one weakness is the love he has for his Essence. If we are to overcome him, which we will have to do to get to Blake, you will have to use that. I know how hard that will be, but I am impressed you had the fortitude so early in your bond to break away and convince him to throw you down here. I can feel the hurt it caused you both. I do not underestimate the toll it may take.” I sensed that she really could feel the hurt.

“Is there no chance we can get Calvin to join us?” I wasn’t willing to give up yet.

“Of course, there is always a chance, but that chance is not one we can take now,” she explained gently.

I found out from Ruth that Naomi, true to her word, had been in contact with my family. I was surprised to learn that Monty and Kevin weren’t the only ones to enter Energo; Liam had joined them. It was hard to imagine Liam in Energo, but it didn’t surprise me that he had come with Kevin and Monty; I knew he would want to help them in any way he could. Ruth assured me that they were being trained with the finest instructor, and that both Kevin and Liam had shown tremendous promise. It made me sick to think about Kevin, Liam, and Monty risking their lives for me, but I also understood enough to realize that the rescue wasn’t completely about me.

I contemplated the reality that my family and friends were in so much danger. Then Ruth pulled me back from my thoughts. “Now, the time for storytelling is over, it is time to learn.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Charlotte

The first step was fasting. It didn’t seem so hard to avoid eating the stale bread they gave me. Ruth explained that only at my weakest could I begin to understand my abilities. I assured her that I would be weak pretty quickly; skipping one meal could have me passing out. I sat in the cold, dank cell listening to my stomach rumbling. I was having trouble picturing myself with any powers. She had also explained that the use of my abilities required complete focus; I would need to completely clear my mind. I didn’t expect that part to be too hard, as I found my focus much sharper since the ceremony, but it seemed like every time my mind cleared, I thought about Calvin and the hurt on his face the last time I saw him. Other than the pain I felt about Calvin, the worst part was the thirst, I had had nothing to drink in more than twelve hours, and I was feeling it.

With Ruth’s encouragement, I finally pushed everything from my mind.  I closed my eyes and, before long, I saw an image of a flowing basin of water. I could almost taste the cool liquid as it went down my throat. Suddenly, Ruth grabbed my arms, shaking me. “Stop! Charlotte, open your eyes.”

I listened to her, opening my eyes to realize that I was wet. The floor to the cell was damp, with deep puddles forming in several spots.

“It must really be true what they say. If an Essence is born of an Essence, her powers are even stronger,” I heard a voice say from the cell next to us.

I ignored the voice, and asked, “Where… where did all of this water come from?”

“The ground, the earth under this dungeon,” Ruth said calmly. “You brought it up, Charlotte.” Dumbstruck, I looked at Ruth.

“As the Essence, you are naturally connected to the earth and its elements,” she said, looking at me seriously. “Have you ever noticed anything like this happen before?”

“Making water appear out of nowhere? No.” 

“It did not just appear. You pulled it from the ground,” Ruth corrected. “You must remember that there is a limited supply of all elements and energies; you have the power to move these entities, not create them.”

I suddenly remembered the bird. “Does the Essence ever have the power to heal?”

Ruth looked at me curiously. “You have healed before?”

“Well, there was a wounded bird that flew away after I touched it,” I said slowly. She nodded, encouraging me to continue. “It happened the first time I entered Energo, when I met Calvin.”

“Interesting. That must be why Monty never saw the signs before. If they existed, they must have been weak in the other world,” she said almost to herself. She must have noticed the quizzical look on my face because she tried to explain. “An Essence usually shows some signs of her powers before the ceremony.” I nodded, more because I could think of nothing to say than because I understood.

“We cannot let Blake find this out. How will we explain this?” The voice from the next cell suddenly said.

“Charlotte will have to send it back down,” Ruth responded, as though it were the easiest thing possible. “I believe that you will need to quench your thirst first, because that is what made you bring the water up to begin with, was it not?”

Instead of finding it unsettling that she seemed to know some of my thoughts and feelings, it just felt natural. I wished my mother were still around so I could share this gift with her. I looked around, confused. The thought of drinking water off the floor did not thrill me, but considering the circumstances, I realized that there were far worse things to do. I used my hands to cup water into my mouth and was soothed as I swallowed the cool liquid. I tried not to think about how dirty the floor was.