He said one day I could perform the elemental ones without requiring the words, but for now I needed all the practice I could get.
We stayed like that for the next couple of hours, until Marcus decided to call it a day. We agreed to meet up every day for my training and although we never actually agreed not to tell Lawson and Kat about our plans, I did kind of gather that it was implied.
I felt they wouldn’t appreciate that we had been discussing them and I didn’t want Kat to think I was interested in Marcus in the romantic sense. Although we had become friendly with one another I didn’t doubt she would be pissed if she believed that he had moved on so easily, especially when that was far from the truth.
So that was how the rest of the week continued, with me spending my nights at Mihaela’s, occasionally going around to Addy’s, even though it felt kind of awkward to me now. Seeing as I hadn’t told her about everything that had been uncovered, I just didn’t know how she would react to it and I did not want her to see me any differently. I knew I should have had more faith in her and I probably would have felt guilty if I had been a normal person, it was in moments like those that I was kind of relieved I was so different.
The day of my training with Lawson arrived, but Marcus and myself agreed to do our training first. It could be very tiring, heavy-going and all-consuming but he was clearly taking it easy on me this time.
We had been working solely on perfecting my elemental control and I could now light a single candle without it trying to engulf us both. He had told me that the following week would be the summer solstice, which was a very important time for beings like us. It was where we would have a complete power surge and I would have an understanding of what I would be capable of when I finally hit eighteen.
“So, are you nervous about your training with Lawson?” he asked, as we were sitting down taking a break from my new focus on controlling the earth. I had unwittingly caused a minor earthquake when I attempted to make a flower bloom and we decided we should probably leave it there for the rest of the day.
“Not at all, I asked him to train me anyway, and it’s not as though I’ll be in any real danger,” I replied in a matter of fact way, but this time when he visibly flinched, I refused to ignore it.
“Ok Marcus, seriously you need to explain to me what the big deal is with me spending time with Lawson, you’ve practically been trying to turn me against this day for the past week, and enough is enough.”
“I’m sorry Unya, it’s just that I know things about Lawson that make me worry about you, I wish I could tell you what they are but out of respect for Kat, I can’t.”
I did not appreciate his obvious avoidance and I wasn’t willing to let it go, I felt as though I deserved some proper answers for once.
“What has Lawson’s business got to do with Kat?” I asked, trying to portray annoyance, rather successfully if I do say so myself.
“Because she was the one that told me in confidence, she was having trouble with the weight it had placed on her and she confided in me. Just because we are no longer seeing one another, it does not give me the right to break that confidence.”
“Fine, but if you’re not going to answer me on that, then maybe you would do me the courtesy of answering a couple of other questions that having been plaguing my mind lately.”
He nodded his consent, as he kept his gaze down cast towards a book that he had been unsuccessfully trying to read for the past five minutes.
“Ok question one is, are you the reason that Lawson was able to find me up on that cliff that day? And number two is do you have any knowledge of an apparent prophecy that was made about someone within my bloodline?”
I noticed his pupils dilate, even though he still refused to look at me, which I believed was quite rude of him. So, I placed the tips of my fingers under his chin and forced him to finally make eye contact with me.
“I did a locating spell to find you, I hadn’t wanted too but he made Kat get me involved. It’s one of many reasons why their relationship is so strained now, as far as Kat is concerned, he pushed her too far and she isn’t willing to harbour that friendship anymore. As for the prophecy I do need to ask how you came to know of such a thing, and while we’re on the subject, how did you even come to know of what you were in the first place?”
I hadn’t really anticipated him asking me about that, but I knew I could not reveal Mihaela to him, even though I knew I could trust him, I could not betray her like that.
“All I can tell you is that somebody brought it to my attention, I wish I could tell you, but I can’t break their trust, which I’m sure you could understand.” I knew I was using his
loyalty to Kat to make my point, but I had no regrets about doing such a thing.
“Yes, I do understand. Look as far as the prophecy is concerned, I have heard whispers about it, but nothing conclusive, all I know is whoever they spoke of is highly sought after. For your sake I hope it isn’t about you because you would be in great danger. But if knowing the exact words to it are important to you, then I will be willing to ask around, but it will take time.” He said this, but I could tell that he wasn’t happy about offering it to me,
“You would really do that for me?” I asked, not understanding how I had earned such a level of kindness from him.
“Of course I would, Unya I consider you a friend and I intend to help you and look out for you as best as I can, I care about you.” His eyes were alight with an unknown emotion and even though I did not know what that meant, I still clasped his hand within mine and thanked him for coming into my life.
I spent the rest of the night researching what an Erinyes really was, it was hard to fathom that Kat could be one once I found out enough to know
Chapter Twenty-Six
Unya
I had finally arrived at Kat’s and was surprised to find that only Lawson was in, I asked about Kat and he just said that she had important matters to attend too. He didn’t offer any further information and I didn’t ask, instead he took hold of my hand and led me down into the basement. It had clearly been converted into a training room and I was gobsmacked to see what they had stored down there.
There were various kinds of swords hanging on the walls, anything from a broad sword to the Japanese katana and even a scimitar. There was also daggers in various shapes and sizes, lances, wooden fighting sticks, I’m still not entirely sure of their actual name, nunchucks, bow and arrows, crossbows and even a wide array of guns.
“What the hell is this place?” I asked, failing to keep my question to myself.