Page 31 of Twisted Fates
“Hello, Owen, I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“Um, thanks, sir,” Owen said. “The pleasure is mine.”
“Elias, what happened? I felt like I was dying earlier.”
“The staff took too much of your life force. You almost did die, or at least would have gone into a coma. You were lucky Orville had experienced similar situations before.”
“So, is this something that can happen again?” Owen asked. “If so, how do we prevent it from hurting him?”
Elias took a moment to think.
“I kept the tea with me at all times. It’s simple to make, and Orville has the recipe, although I doubt he knew why he was making it. However, if you’re ever in a situation like that again, you can drink the tea, and if someone is close to you and willing to give their life force for you, they can help you recover. They simply need to drink the tea, and it’ll happen automatically.”
“Is it dangerous? Could it hurt or kill the other person?” I asked.
“No, the spell prevents the other person from being harmed. It can’t take more life force than they can handle, but you will both be tired or need some way to rebuild your forces.”
“Like sex?” Owen asked.
We couldn’t hear the sounds Elias made, but when he responded, it was clear he was laughing. Or at least I assumed he was.
“Yes, sex is a powerful tool for rebuilding your life force.”
“Fun too,” I said, and Owen snorted behind me.
“Um, Elias, sir, if I drink the tea, and Damian is in danger or passed out like he was this time, does it still work? Or does he have to have it, or…well, Orville gave it to me earlier.”
“The tea is enchanted, at least when made in the attic space. The spell I cast long ago there will remain in effect as long as the attic exists. So, you can make the tea, or Orville can make it for you. Then you can carry it on your person. But both Damian and youmustdrink it before it’ll work. If he is unconscious, pour a drop into his mouth. Even a drop will work.”
“Good to know. Thank you, sir.”
I turned toward Owen, who appeared perplexed, if not concerned about everything. I went over and hugged him. “It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll be okay.”
“Owen, since Damian has decided to share our connection with you, I would like to educate you on a few things you should prepare for. Legacy wizards are warriors—soldiers for the light and all things good. We serve the light while keeping the balance, which means we must allow some dark to permeate the world. As long as innocents are not harmed, we don’t stop the dark because doing so would create an imbalance. I share this with you because Damian knows this innately, but you are something new—an experiment. The dark wants more power. They push to upset the natural balance on our planet. In space, darkness controls all, yet there are forces, such as the sun, that shed light in the dark. The stars themselves are evidence that light exists throughout the universe.
When the dark forces come for Damian; they will use everything at their disposal to fight him. That puts you at extreme risk. I have created tools to help you and called upon servants of the light to assist you in times of need. However, and this is for both you and Damian, if you find this too much for you, don’t be embarrassed to step away. You have special qualities, or you would never have been attracted to Damian, and vice versa. However, it is unlikely that you are a wizard or a witch. I have to assume you are simply of the light, a torch thatburns in the night. I doubt it was never your destiny to fight the dark forces, simply to be that torch.”
“Is his life at risk?” I quickly asked.
“No more than any other innocent on Earth. However, the dark will try to use him to manipulate you, as it will all your friends and relations. Nothing is sacred to the forces who work against you. Keep your eyes open, Owen, and if ever you feel you are in danger, you should be able to call upon the light to help you. Sometimes that may be Damian, but it could also be other guardians of the light. Don’t fear the darkness that gives them power, but call upon the guardians when you need help.”
“You said the dark will attack my friends? Are they in danger?” I asked, fearing for Molly all of a sudden.
“The guardians are all around you, Damian. Even when you can’t see them, they are there. If an innocent is taken or about to be harmed in any way, they will protect them. However, if your friends or even you, Owen, choose the dark or use the darkness for personal gain, there is little the guardians will do to save you. Even Damian’s powers are limited when it comes to helping a darkling.
“What…a darkling?” I asked, but even as I did, I knew instinctively that he meant anyone who used dark energy to get what they wanted. Sure enough, Elias confirmed that to Owen.
“So, the rule is don’t use dark energy. I’m beginning to get an image of what that means, so I’ll sharethat with Owen,” I said as a list of dark things filled my mind. It wasn’t stuff that we didn’t understand. Aggression for the sake of aggression, murder, lies, greed, the biblical seven deadly sins, for example, minus gluttony. Interesting that was left out.
I got dressed while Owen asked more questions. I realized I already knew the answer to some, but I liked that he had access to my mentor. That’s what I saw Elias as, via his parchment and quill. Owen was some sort of experiment. That was strange to me. It also concerned me. I would wait until it was just Elias and me to learn more about that, but for now, I knew I needed to protect him, and I didn’t trust Elias had done everything he could.
Chapter twenty-two
Owen
The kitchen smelled amazingwhen we came down the stairs. “What’s that?” I asked.
“That would be cook,” Alice said as she floated out of the wall toward the kitchen.
