CHAPTER 27
Avalynn sat at the base of the waterfall staring into the pool. One time before while here she had seen Arlana in the water. Her sister was dancing with a handsome man. Arlana had a crown on her head and she seemed happy. Avalynn had fallen asleep here once before and had met Arlana in a dream. Arlana didn’t know who she was but Avalynn knew that her sister could dream walk.
Avalynn was trying to remember how she pulled her sister’s image in the water before. She concentrated on her sister while staring at the pool but nothing happened. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what led up to the image. As hard as she tried she couldn’t remember anything special about that day. She knows she had been missing Arlana but that was every day.
“There you are darling. Marika is looking for you. Something about the wedding.” Kellam said as he sat down next to her. He smiled at her and looked at the falls. “You know this is where I would always find Arlana when she went missing. She loved it here. I think we were the only two people that knew this place existed. Perhaps that is why she spent so much time here. It was our sacred place.”
Avalynn smiled sadly and looked at Kellam. He seemed to miss Arlana as much as she did. At first she felt envious but then she realized that Kellam loved her sister but was in love with her. The three of them had spent their lives doing everything together. Well until Sophia died and then she and Kellam did everything together and Arlana was with them during their time in the mangroves. Kellam always hurt for Arlana. Avalynn never realized how alone her sister was forced to be until Kellam finally explained how Marika treated her. Avalynn always thought that Arlana was the one that caused the animosity between the two but he enlightened her to Marika’s cruelty. Avalynn loved Marika like a mother but this made her more cautious around her.
“What are you doing up here Avalynn?”
Avalynn looked at Kellam and smiled wanly, “I have been trying to see Arlana again. I know I have the ability but I just don’t know how to do it. UGH! If only I could figure out how I did it before.”
Kellam opened his mouth to respond when the ground began to shake. The shaking was violent. The trees began to fall and a crack opened in the ground near the base of the waterfall. If they hadn’t been sitting down both Kellam and Avalynn would have fallen down. A bolt of lightning hit the waterfall and it began to glow a brilliant blue. Avalynn screamed as a tree nearby fell towards her.
At the last minute the tree exploded. The shaking stopped. Avalynn looked at the waterfall and in the glow of the waterfall she saw Arlana kissing Cole. She couldn’t see where they were but she realized that Cole had finally found her and the curse was broken. She turned to look at Kellam and found him looking at her strangely.
“Kellam, are you ok? Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked.
“Avalynn, you are glowing. How, why, how did you make that tree explode?” He asked in awe.
Avalynn looked at her hands and found that they were glowing with a blue hue. The same color Kellam glowed at the immortality ceremony.
“I don’t know why I am glowing. I didn’t make the tree explode. It just exploded. Maybe lightning hit it like it did the waterfall.” She said breathlessly.
“Avalynn the lightning shot from you to the waterfall and the tree. How did you do that?” Kellam asked while slowly walking away from her.
“Kellam? Why are you walking away from me? What is wrong? I don’t understand what you are talking about?”
“We need to see your father. Let’s get back to the main house.” He said and turned to walk back to the camp.
Avalynn felt confused by Kellam’s reaction but excited because the curse was over. Maybe Diokles would let her see Arlana again. She turned and followed Kellam.
Diokles sat in his study staring at the mess of books and broken glass caused by the quake. He looked up as he heard Marika enter the room. “Diokles! What was that? How could an earthquake ever happen here?” She asked sounding on the verge of panic.
Diokles stared at her for a few moments gauging the best way to answer her. “That my dear is my daughter breaking one of my strongest curses I have ever cast. She truly is an amazing girl. Mother was right.”
“What? He found her in time? How? When? Where? We must stop them!” Marika said incredulously.
Diokles smiled. “Do not underestimate my children Marika.”
Marika grimaced and sat down. “Well now what shall we do? She can’t be allowed to come back here. Not after what she did to her sister. She is a vindictive child and should not be allowed to exist!”
Diokles glared at Marika, “I have already cursed my daughter! I will do no more. She knows she is banned from Mikoko Moyo and I doubt she will want to be here. For now we will let things be. She is never to be mentioned and we will continue to live as though she does not exist. I forbid you from looking for her.”
Marika opened her mouth to say something but closed it again feeling shock at what Diokles had just said to her.
“Mother, Father, I am glad you are both here. Something has happened to Avalynn! Please Father! Help her!”
Kellam and Avalynn walked into the study. Avalynn was still glowing and radiating a heat too hot to stand near. Kellam had wanted to be by her but the heat radiating off of her was unbearable.
Diokles looked at his daughter in shock. “Tell me what happened.” He commanded.
“Father, the earth shook and lightning hit the waterfall and then a tree started to fall on us but it exploded and then Kellam said I was glowing. What is happening?” Avalynn asked fearfully.
“The lightning shot out of her. She started glowing and then the lightning shot out of her and hit the waterfall and then another bolt shot out of her and hit the tree.”
Diokles smiled. “My daughter your power has finally formed. I have heard of our kind having the power to create lightning and fire. My darling, my people would call you a Moto Pumzi or roughly translated a fire breather. It is a rare ability. Marika, Kellam, leave us. Avalynn has manifested her first power! I must work with her to get it under control.” Diokles looked at Avalynn with pride.
Once Kellam and Marika closed the door to the study Avalynn looked at Diokles and asked, “Father? Does the quake mean that Arlana is free of the curse?”
Diokles looked at Avalynn curiously. “Would it matter if it did?”
“I miss her father. I think we were wrong to accuse her of stealing my immortality. You said she is powerful on her own accord. I want to see her.”
“Avalynn, you are correct. She did not take your immortality. You are glowing because you are immortal. It is the only way you could have survived your power’s manifesting. I will not lie to you. Your sister thanks to her protector has broken the curse but she cannot be allowed to come back here and you must never see or speak of her!” Diokles said sternly.
“But, if she is innocent then why must we continue to punish her father? I miss her and need her.”
“Avalynn, your sister’s existence breaks many laws in my world. No one can know of her. If any of us let on that she exists we will put her in grave danger. I will do what I can to protect her but we can never see her. My mother being aware of her means that we are not hidden to the world I am from. We must protect your sister at all costs.”
“Yes Father. I will protect her at the cost of my happiness. “Avalynn responded sadly.
“Now let’s work on your control. My goodness you radiate too much heat. No wonder Kellam stood so far from you.”