“Would you mind if I asked for your aid? I can’t quite understand some of the problems Kaevin and Alora have experienced. I read detailed histories of hundreds of soulmated couples, but Kaevin and Alora have some symptoms I can’t explain… symptoms I once believed were a result of the soulmate bond, yet were not recorded with any other couple.”
His brows lifted. “You no longer believe they are soulmates?”
“No, they’re soulmates… of that much, I’m sure. Certain characteristics of their bond are the same as every other soulmate couple. For instance, all their gifts are enhanced beyond the level of a normal gift. They are able to sense each other and communicate with emotion, if not words. But there are some other aspects that don’t fit the pattern.”
“Now my curiosity is piqued.”
“I hope your curious mind is better at solving this riddle than mine has been. Here’s the first discrepancy. A soulmate couple should only need contact once per day to renew the soulmate bond. They should not feel weak or experience any symptoms from separation until they have been separated for at least a full sun’s cycle. Yet Kaevin and Alora often experienced headache and weakness after being separated for only a few fingers.”
Bardamen twisted his lips. “I thought their symptoms only developed when they were utilizing their gifts. Alora’s transports seem to draw a lot from the soulmate bond. Of course, there is the fact they are not married, so their physical contact is less intimate.”
“This is what we originally believed. However, the other couples were able to use their gifts repeatedly without drawing energy from the soulmate bond. In fact, only time and separation should deplete the bond.”
“It still seems possible the lack of physical intimacy is the issue. Perhaps this problem would disappear if they were married. Were any of the other soulmate couples unmarried?”
“No, that much is true. All of the other couples were married. All of them were much older, as well. In the past, the soulmate bond developed when the youngest had twenty-two years. None of the couples were separated in age by more than three years. During the period when soulmate couples were abundant throughout Tenavae, it was common to delay marriage until one acquired twenty-five years, lest a soulmate bond develop with someone other than one’s mate.”
“What is the youngest soulmate you discovered in your readings?”
“None as young as Alora and Kaevin.” Raelene chewed her lip, trying to recollect the stories she’d read. “I found two examples of soulmate bonds developing with one of the pair having twenty-one years. Perhaps there were some who were younger, but none were recorded.”
“Could their age be a factor in the draw of power on the soulmate bond?”
“I suppose it’s possible, but that wouldn’t explain the other discrepancy. Kaevin and Alora can feel each other’s pain. If one is wounded, the other weakens from that injury.”
“Is this not true of all soulmates?”
“Not a single story was written regarding shared pain or weakness. It’s a complete mystery. I simply can’t fathom the reason for it.”
“Fascinating. It almost seems like an example of an extreme gift in empathy. But that makes no sense; neither Kaevin nor Alora is gifted in empathy.”
“Great mountains! You may have it… Alora could be gifted in empathy.” Raelene’s mind churned with the ramifications of this possibility.
“But empathy is a minor gift. She would have known years ago if this were one of her gifts. It’s not a very common gift, at that.”
“Alora grew up in Montana with no knowledge of gifts. We never thought to ascertain the identity of her minor gifts because we were so concerned with her major ones. A gifting in empathy might not be noticeable as anything out of the ordinary unless it were enhanced…”
“And becoming a soulmate with Kaevin would certainly have enhanced the gift.”
“She must be open to Kaevin almost constantly… sharing her pain with him and sharing his, as well. She has no idea she’s using the gift and, by now, it’s second nature to her.” Exhilarated with this discovery, Raelene considered how to best teach Alora to control her gift.
“That could explain the shared pain and weakness, but how do you explain the power drawn from the soulmate bond? Especially in light of the fact they are sometimes weakened almost to the point of death.”
“I have no idea.” Raelene’s elation slipped away like sand through her fingers. “Why is their soulmate bond so susceptible to this draw of power? What’s different about Kaevin and Alora? How is their soulmate bond unlike every other pair with the bond?”
“Let’s consider all of the differences of which we’re aware. They are young. They aren’t married. Alora grew up in a different realm. She developed her major gifts before she had sixteen years, and she’s extraordinarily gifted. Without being conscious of it, she’s using her minor gift of empathy with Kaevin…”
“Wait… from where does Alora draw power when she uses her gifts?”
“From stone. Also from water, since her father is Vindrake. And from forest, since your husband—her grandfather—was from Forest Clan.”
“How do we know she draws her power from these sources?” A dawning knot formed in Raelene’s stomach.
“She must. Where else could she find the power to use her gifts? Did yo
u not teach her how to draw her power when you were training her?”
“She seemed to already draw her power naturally. I assumed she was drawing from the elements so readily available around her; I never actually taught her to seek a source.”