I threw my hands up in the air and blared, “Sure! Why not? It goes right along with everything else!”
Standing was a good idea.
“I’m the vessel? Who in their right mind would make a half god human the vessel?” Obviously his voodoo wasn’t working, since my heart pounded against my skull while it oozed a thick glob of something through my veins.
There was an urgency in his voice. “Spirit Lights are souls, and humans receive souls.” He was almost begging me to understand.
“They want my soul?” The words came out shrilly. “Why now? Why are you telling me this now? And why didn’t I have a dad?”
John’s voice got a little louder and tense. “First, you have to understand the logic. When you were a month old, I got called away to a war that broke out on the other side of the universe, in a different realm.”
More shock and disbelief. “You can really go to the other side of the universe?” I asked, and before he could answer, I looked to Zack. “Why...does that not surprise me? Tell me, why?”
Zack chuckled.
“You’re a big help,” I pouted.
John continued, “That war broke out because the Pyre was informed the vessel had been born and the Spirit Light given.”
My voice moved up at least five more octaves. “Why don’t they have more traitors feeding you information? Why does it seem like you’ve been overrun with traitors?”
That’s when I realized it was real. I sank back into my chair, and what came out was scarcely a whisper. “Why am I not dead?”
Zack put his huge arm around me. It felt like someone laid a dumbbell across my shoulders.
Mom sucked in a sob. John tightened his grip around her. “They didn’t know who. They only knew it was a Half Light. To protect you, all god and human parents separated that year...and that’s your answer to the very first question. You weren’t the only Half Light that grew up without one parent.”
Why not? Just throw a little guilt into the mix, might as well. Now I’m responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of kids growing up without a parent.
But even with that added onto the already overflowing pile of crap, I couldn’t help but feel blessed. My parents loved me enough to live apart from each other, and that calmed me right down. “So you left us to save me?”
Mom smiled as John answered, “Of course, Saydi. Oh, don’t think your mother and I haven’t had our time together secretly.”
“Eww! I don’t want to hear that!”
It tickled me to hear the laughter, including Mom’s. John chuckled, kissing her head, then said, “Your mother and I love you very much. There was no way we would risk you.”
In that moment he was my dad.
Dad. My very own father.
He gave the ultimate sacrifice to save me: His love. “Dad, what would have happened if they did find me when I was a baby?”
He and Mom gave each other a long glance with smiles wrapped on their faces. John quietly said, “She called me Dad!”
Mom put the palms of her hands on his cheeks and kissed him gently. “Yes, she did, Dad.”
As his face swiveled toward me, the tears ran softly down his cheek. “Had they known about you as an infant, they would have...” He swallowed hard and sat up straight. “They would have planted Pyres throughout your life, tempting you with things that eventually would lead you to do their bidding. Basically, they would have molded your personality to suit their needs, and when you turned eighteen, they would strike.”
There I was, ready to send him to the firing squad, when all along it wasn’t just me that had lost a lifetime of togetherness...so had my mom and dad. It sunk in. “Why eighteen?” I practically whispered.
Mom smiled tight. “All children are innocent and all wicked deeds are forgiven when you’re a child. Not only are you considered an adult by the government at eighteen, you are as well in the spirit realms.”
The original hardness in my tone faded away. “Okay, back to my earlier question. Why now?”
“You’ve been a secret from not only the Pyres, but from all realms,” Dad said, looking at Mom and kissing her tear-stained cheek.
Then he whispered, “It’ll be all right, Adina. We’ll all be with her.”
Mom stared at the ground while Dad finished. “Today we were informed from within the Pyre realm that they know who the vessel is, and they’ve known for almost two weeks.”
Zack not so gently pulled me into his side and held me.
I whispered, “It’s real, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t a question that needed an answer, but Zack felt compelled to answer anyway. “Yes, Miss Saydi, it is. But don’t worry, we’re all here to help you, train you, and make you strong. You’ll fight with skills and bravery, of this there is no doubt, and your Spirit Light will be powerful enough to destroy the Rondure.”
Zack’s confidence didn’t rub off. “Is there really going to be a battle with...demons?”
Dad nodded sadly. “The prophecy will come to pass. The battle will happen if you don’t give up your Spirit Light willingly.”
I heard Mom gulp.
I wonder if there will be witches, goblins, werewolves... Oh, oh! Maybe even vampires will show up.
“John!” Mom cried, snapping me back to reality.
“She’s fine, Adina.” As he touched her cheek lovingly, it was still obvious that worry clouded his features. He was staying strong for Mom. “This battle will not be anywhere near as big as the Two Thousandth Year War, as we’d always believed.” Watching me closely, he explained, “It will only be fought by a few, but they will be the strongest of both the Tov and Pyre—the outcome of which will deliver the fate of all mortals.”
The stress showed on everyone’s faces. I was so involved in how it affected me that I hadn’t paid attention to how it affected them. “How did they find out?”
My ageless dad seemed to, well, age just a bit. The anxiety was there, just under the surface. “Recently they discovered the vicinity of where you were, yet still didn’t know who you were. The range could be hundreds of miles.” He chuckled tightly. “Of course, we had you well guarded when we discovered what they were up to, but we kept it from most, just to keep everyone calm and acting normally. We couldn’t risk someone giving it away.”
It was like living in a dream state. I’d been tossing them questions as if I needed answers for some ordinary, everyday occurrence...yet both the questions and answers involved souls, demons, and such.
Surreal.
“How does the Rondure work?”
Dad held my hand. “When the vessel’s Spirit Light completes the Rondure, the evil that lies within it right now will feed off that Spirit Light, gaining strength and self-support...nothing will be able to stop it then.”
“Will it actually eat away at me physically, like an alien feeding off me from the inside out?” It was a legitimate question.
André looked caringly at me. “Saydi, your Spirit Light is the light that guides you, just as a flashlight illuminates the night. It will leave you and enter the Rondure. The Rondure is a real sphere of fire that’s hollow in the middle.” He couldn’t seem to look me in the eye. “In essence,” he continued, “they steal your light, plunging you into a dark existence.”
Oh! Sure, why not!
“Well then, how does my...light...destroy it? It doesn’t make sense, because if my light completes it and Dad says nothing can stop it at that point, how can it destroy it before it completes it?”
Mom stayed hidden in Dad’s chest as he patted my hand and tried to console her. “We’re not sure, Saydi, but we suspect it means your Spirit Light must be stronger than the evil so it will feed off of it, instead of the other way around, and when it does, it will ultimately destroy it.”
Aha. So my light works in reverse, converting evil into ‘fuel’ so that I can destroy it,
I thought, but being sarcastic added, “Since you don’t know for sure, I’m assuming it’s another one of those things that got lost over the years?” The question was more for my own self.
“How will we know if it’s strong enough?” I continued.
Complete silence.
“Well?” I pushed.
André licked his lips. “The only way is by giving up your Spirit Light to the Rondure.”
Even if the whole story were a cockamamie lot of stuffed words, the fact that there was no clear instructions on how to play the game scared the crap out of me.
On to the next question. “For them to get it...I have to give it up, right?” It was another rhetorical question, no answer required. “Who in their right mind would give it up willingly?” I pressed.
Mom sniffled. “Saydi, honey, you know how they work, tempting you with things you normally couldn’t achieve or have. Then when you take the bait, you’re hooked on the drug, wanting more and more, until...it’s too late and they’ve tangled you in the web.”
André’s words stuck in my mind, pulsating continuously until they registered. I laid my head against the wall and spoke the worst out loud, “Mom...” I hauled my very heavy head up and exposed what everyone seemed to miss. “I will have to give it up willingly. If I don’t, we’ll never know if I can destroy it.”
André whistled through his teeth. “She’s right.”
“It’s a good thing only our leaders know of the scroll’s contents,” commented the white-haired lady, who looked softly at me with a smile.
“Yes, that’s true, Pearle. As it is now, the Pyre only know that they have to tempt her through normal means—slow going temptation,” Dad informed.
And with answers came more curiosity. “Um...question.”
“Yes, sweetheart?” Dad answered.
“To destroy it, I have to give up my soul. Doesn’t that mean I’m soulless anyway after the fact?”
Such love, fear and torment laid just below the surface of his strident, tough exterior. “No, no. If you give it up yourself to destroy it, and you’re successful, it will come back to you.”
“What if they take it while I’m trying to destroy it?”
Everyone kind of sighed heavily.
Dad explained, “Saydi, if they intercept it, it won’t matter, because either your Spirit Light has the strength to destroy it or, if not, they gain control anyway.”
Mom broke down, Dad bundled her in his arms in a flash, kissing her whole face.
Buying time to digest all of the pieces of the puzzle, I stated, “I need some water.”
Before I could make a move to get it, Mom sprang to her feet. “Of course, honey,” she offered and quickly made her way through the crowded kitchen toward the sink. “Do you want ice?” I knew what she was doing; she needed to keep busy.
“Sure, Mom... Thanks,” I said, then laid my forehead on my arms. “And a straw, too, please.”
“Okay,” she answered. I heard the tap water running and the sound of ice plinking in a glass.
“Are you okay?” Dad asked, concerned.
Mom placed the drink in front of me. I sipped it, feeling the cold liquid working its magic as it hydrated my brain.
“If you don’t mind...” I began, hesitating for fear of being rude, “Can you give me a sec to figure all this out? I just need a few minutes to absorb this crazy new reality.”
After all, I’d just learned I have a father who’s a god, that I’m half-god, that he’s been watching me my whole life, that he separated from me only to save me, and that I’ll live to be one hundred and fifty or so. Oh—and that I hold power over evil and could possibly prevent a demonic meltdown!”
Mom stroked the back of my hair gently. “Would you like to lie down, honey?”
I nodded, looking at the clock. It was only ten-thirty, but it felt like we had been discussing the issue for days. Odd how it had only been a couple of hours since leaving Norma’s.
She smiled. “How about lying on the couch? We’ll give you some space, and I’ll make some sandwiches.” There she went again, doing stuff to keep busy. “Are you hungry?”
“She likes grilled cheese,” offered Dad. “With Doritos.”
“Wow, Dad, you really have been watching all these years!” I laughed for real for the first time that night, even though I felt exhausted. The thought of lying down almost had me excited, especially when the couch came into view—a shuffling of feet followed me.
“Hey!” Mom demanded. “I said we would give her some space! She needs a breather, so time out.”
The shuffling went back toward the kitchen, making me feel guilty—how rude it seemed to banish an entire group of gods to one tiny kitchen.
Mom was in protective mode. “She doesn’t need us breathing on her right now...”
I interrupted. “Mom, it’s okay. Some real alone time would be good. I’m just going to go to my room and that way you can have the living room.”
“That’s sweet of you, Saydi,” Dad said. “Mom or I will bring your sandwich and chips in.”
“Thanks.” The thought of my room and some total privacy sounded heavenly and I could use a little heaven...considering I was destined to take on the demon world.
My bedroom was my only true sanctuary, and once the door latched, I dove onto my bed. Pulling the comforter up, I sat crossed legged, collecting myself. Then I fluffed two pillows behind me and lounged against them, grabbing a notebook off my nightstand. It seemed the only way for me to wrap my head around the whole thing, was to write it down.