The Connor Chronicles: Bronze

  ‘Yeah, she did. She met me as Electra in the Realm of the Gods, looks like our families go back a long way. Mother and Electra are good old friends, both Nephele’s’ I tell her.

  ‘Yeah, mum mentioned that word. Oh yeah, congratulations on being the official God of Thunder and I’m sorry about your loss’ she continued, ‘I heard about Leucetius. Mum told me everything’

  I then placed my right arm around her and brought her closer to me. I kissed her forehead and tell her, ‘I love you’ as I looked into her eyes. ‘I love you too’ she replied while holding her gaze into my eyes and laid her head to rest on my chest, with her left arm gently rubbing my back while one arm played on my bare chest.

  Chapter 21 - Sarah to Iris

  After enjoying each other’s company in the woods, we make our way back to my cottage. We spoke of many things, mostly of the Realm of the Gods, of transformation from mortal to God. Sarah was nervous and anxious of the whole process, just like how I once was. However, as Sarah came from a lineage of Nephele, her transformation would be different from mine. It was sunset when we decided to ride back to my cottage. My cottage had remained as it is although Jake and Savannah made their presence known occasionally.

  When I opened the door, there was dead silence in the house I called out, ‘hello! We’re home!’ as Sarah held my arm, walking behind me. ‘We are in the kitchen!’ mum shouted from the kitchen. When we reached the kitchen, I saw Mother, Nara, Jake and Savannah munching a piece of what looked like Sarah’s wedding cake. Sarah immediately recognized the cake and burst out, ‘That’s my wedding cake! Was! I meant’

  What was once a three-tiered wedding cake was now reduced to a single-tiered cake. It was beautifully decorated with fine floral motifs and had a base of sugar flowers consisting of roses, daisies and lilies. ‘Yes, dear, and it’s delicious! Have some, Aidan, Sarah’ Nara said as she gave Sarah a piece of the cake with the floral motif on it. Sarah offered me the cake and I grabbed a piece and asked, ‘how did this cake get here?’

  Jake then clasped my shoulders and said, ‘when you live with a Nephele, who is a close friend of the mother of a God, anything is possible!’ he said as I answered, ‘stupid question!’ and we both laughed and grabbed another cake and Savannah answered, ‘stupid questions receive stupid answers!’ as she smiled and gave Sarah a tight hug. Sarah and Savannah had become good friends and it was amazing that they got along so well.

  ‘Aidan!’ Nara called as she brought Sarah towards me. Mother had joined in while Jake and Savannah went upstairs. They had become such good friends and no one questioned what they did when they were alone.

  ‘Yes, Nara’ I answered politely. ‘Both of you best get some rest. Aidan, please bring out Iris in Sarah, I know Iris is in there somewhere and we, Marella and I know, that only you can bring Iris out’ Nara continued.

  ‘I understand. Training starts tomorrow, love! The cake is good, isn’t it?’ I said to a stunned Sarah who was gobbling a piece of cake. ‘She looks cute, eating like a kid’ I thought to myself.

  ‘First, we need to get you of that gown’ Nara said as she wiped butter cream icing from Sarah’s lips. ‘Yes, Aidan, would you help me undress?’ Sarah said coyly as she looked at me lovingly. Everyone else in the room looked embarrassed.

  ‘NOoooo! You two can undress each other some other time’ Nara said as she marched a happy Sarah up the stairs. ‘Aidan! We’re using your room!’ Nara shouted at the top of the stairs, ‘I kept Sarah’s change of clothes there’

  ‘Yeah, no problem!’ I shouted back from the bottom of the stairway. ‘So, did you finally tell her?’ Jake asked curiously as I turned and walked towards the kitchen with Mother and Jake following me.

  ‘Yeah, did you?’ Mother asked as she trailed behind Jake. Savannah was watching me, trying to read my mind but failing miserably. ‘Anyway, the good news is that the demons have remain low for some time but we shouldn’t take that for granted’

  ‘Mother, I’m prepared for them’ I tell her as I flash a fire arrow across from the back door into the sea. A thick wave catches the fire arrow and it soon disappears from sight. ‘You have a good game going with Poseidon’ she said as she laughed as I turned towards the kitchen and suddenly raise both my hands outside the back door to stop and push a three meter high wave back to the ocean. ‘Poseidon! That was a big one!’ I shouted out the window.

  I then turned to the three of them and said, ‘Yes, I told her and feelings were mutual’ as I filled a glass of water and gulped the water in one gulp with Jake, Mother and Savannah jumping in excitement. ‘When’s the wedding?’ Savannah suddenly asked.

  I looked at her as I placed my glass under the tap for another glass of water and said in a surprised tone, ‘wedding?! What wedding? Whose wedding?’

  ‘Your wedding, of course, to Sarah! The two are getting married, right?’ Savannah asked me as she gave me a confused look. ‘You know the two are meant to be together!’ Jake said somewhat pleadingly. ‘Did I miss anything?’ Nara said as she walked down the stairs’

  ‘No, not really, these two were asking about our wedding’ I tell her as I point towards Jake and Savannah while holding my glass of water and sipping it slowly. ‘When is it actually?’ Nara looked at me, teasingly.

  ‘Not you too!’ I answered her and said, ‘my soon-to-be mother-in-law’ I tell her as we all laugh in unison. ‘But you two are meant to be together, to complete the sacred union!’ Mother said as I bring Mother and Nara closer to me and give them a group hug.

  ‘I know we are meant to be together but in due time, we shall see, no wedding bells at the moment’ I said as I drank the water while side hugging Mother. ‘We’re taking it slowly; it’s good enough we are together now, with no obstacles in our way’.

  I looked at Mother and said, ‘and about that sacred union, please tell me that some other time’ I tell her as I placed the glass in the sink.

  ‘It sure didn’t sound that way’ Jake said as he mimicked Sarah’s request on undressing. I look at him and flame my eyes a bright red and Jake says, ‘ok, ok, don’t spontaneously combust me!’

  ‘I can’t spontaneously combust you even if I wanted too!’ I said as I laughed and held Jake by the waist. ‘Ok, then, don’t touch me, you can break my non-existent bones!’ Jake continued as Mother, Nara and Savannah laughed.

  Mother comes by my side as I laughingly tease Jake and Savannah with my flaming red eyes, making them jump onto the sofa and run around the living hall in circles and she says, ‘that explains the smile she has been having on her face since both of you came in’ as she joined in the commotion.

  ~~

  In Aidan’s room, Nara placed Sarah’s skinny blue jeans and white peasant blouse on Aidan’s king sized bed. As Nara sat Sarah down, Nara began gently removing the pins on her hair. Sarah handed the tiara and veil to her mother as she sat admiringly at the bluish green seas ahead of her.

  ‘It’s really beautiful’ Sarah said as a gentle breeze brushed against her cheek. ‘Yes, it is. It’s the best room in this cottage. It was Aidan’s when he first came to this place as a tenant of this inn’ Nara told Sarah as she unzipped the gown and motioned Sarah to the bathroom. ‘Everything you need is in there’ Nara said as she closed the bathroom door. ‘Your clothes are on the bed, I’ll be downstairs’

  Sarah entered the bathroom and was amazed at its size. There were two white sinks on a marble counter top. In front of the sinks was a long tub which could fit two people comfortably. At the side of the long tub was a shower rose, the shower head was of a rainfall shower with side showers. As Sarah adjusted to ambient lighting for a cool relaxing bath, she adjusted the knobs of the shower to suit the temperature she wanted and once it was set, she stepped into the shower, closed her eyes and allowed the water droplets to fall on her hair and body.

  After almost an hour, Sarah walked out, feeling refreshed. She had draped herself in a white towel and a kimono robe as she walked towards the bed. Nara had closed the curtains jus
t before going downstairs. Sarah then changed and wore the skinny blue jeans and white peasant blouse and made her way to join the others downstairs. She was happy now, to be with Aidan, finally.

  ~~

  The next day, we got up late and spent our day doing nothing. Mother, Nara, Jake and Savannah busied themselves with outdoor activities, such as grocery shopping and made a day trip to the Realm of the Gods, while Sarah and I spent more time together, taking walks in the woods and picnicking by the beachside. She told me that she was afraid of her transformation and I reassured her by saying, ‘don’t worry love, I’ll be there and according to Dea, your transformation is a much easier one, just visualizations. This is what my mum told me and I think you should know it, always focus, visualize and create’

  The day after that, Mother and Nara who shared the same bedroom in my cottage were up, bright and early. Sarah had put her cottage for sale in St Just and it was sold to a young couple with two kids who used it as their holiday home. Nara, Sarah, Jake and Savannah had moved in with Mother and I soon after. Mother and I didn’t mind and there were more than enough rooms for everyone. However, Sarah and I slept in separate bedrooms, next to each other, Mother and Nara didn’t like the idea that we should share the same bed until after our marriage to which Sarah and I gladly agreed. The clangs of pots and pans woke me up from my slumber. I slowly got down from my bed and opened the curtains in my bedroom using my hands to draw the curtains apart. I gently waved both my hands to the left as the curtains drew and revealed a beautiful sunrise over the horizon. The sea was calm and there were some ships further in the distance. I loved the view of my room; it never failed to make me smile.

  After I freshened up, I headed downstairs, stopping by Sarah’s bedroom which was next to mine. I gently opened the door and saw her lying in bed, in deep slumber, oblivious of the noise in the kitchen below. Just as I had sat on the bed beside her and gave her a kiss on her forehead, she turned and towards me and locked her arms against mine. With my left hand, I brushed her hair and released the locked grip, without waking her up, ‘If only I could read her mind’ I thought to myself as I stood up, placed the blanket over her, closed the door and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

  The aroma of freshly baked bread, scrambled eggs, bacon and blueberry banana pancakes wafted through my nostrils. Mother and Nara had made breakfast for us despite being in a rush.

  ‘Wow! It’s been a while since this good food was laid on this table’ I commented as I took a fork and picked up the scrambled eggs and ate it in one bite.

  ‘Aidan, Nara and I would be going to a secluded point in Buzzards Bridge campsite; I’ll give you our exact location once we have found it. We need a refresher course where our abilities are concerned, you know, we need to keep up with you. You can bring Sarah there later. We want to see her transformation into Iris’ Mother said excitedly as she tapped Nara, who nodded in agreement and said, ‘bring her there, but make sure she has rested sufficiently. Her powers won’t be at its optimum if she is tired’

  ‘Instead of a secluded point in Buzzards Bridge, why not just go to the Eastern or Western Estates of Dea’s palace. Those places have sufficient space and you have no worries about endangering camping mortals’ I told Mother and Nara as they both looked at me, then each other and thought to themselves, ‘why didn’t we think of that?’

  ‘You’ll let us know once Sarah’s transformation begins’ Nara asked curiously as Mother and her side hugged each other.

  ‘Yes, I’ll let Mother know’ I tell Nara, assuring her and giving her a hug.

  ‘Ok, but her transformation may not take one day and knowing her full capabilities could take days, months or even years and I have not seen them for myself, so, it’s difficult for me to comment on Iris right now’ I tell Mother as I pick up a couple of blueberry banana pancake and douse generous amounts of maple syrup on them. ‘What about Jake and Savannah?’ I asked as I looked around for both of them

  Just as I looked around, I see Jake stumbling against the sofa and sleepily head towards me, in a dazed sleepy tone, he pats my back and says, ‘we’ll be there’ and walks through the wall to the bathroom to freshen up. Savannah was still sleeping on the bed.

  Once Mother and Nara had left, I saw Sarah walking down the stairs. She had freshened herself and looked radiant in her silk spaghetti strap ankle length nightgown. She comes towards me as I kissed her on her lips and said, ‘good morning, love!’ to which she replied the same as she placed her head against my chest. We both feed each other pancakes until Jake and Savannah quietly walk in.

  ‘What’s our plan for today’ Sarah asks me enthusiastically.

  ‘Today, Sarah becomes Iris’ I answered matter-of-factly. ‘Yeah, that’ Sarah said as she forked another pancake on her plate. ‘Eat well’ I tell her.

  ‘I will, have you decided where Iris is to appear?’ Sarah asked as she poured maple syrup on her pancake.

  ‘Yes, I have … go get dressed after you have eaten. I’ll do the clean-up’ I offered as I began clearing the plates, pots and pans. Once Sarah, Jake and Savannah made a beeline to change, with a wave of my hands, I started the clean-up with the plates, pots and pans being washed, the dining table was wiped clean and I swept and mopped the floor till I could see my reflection when I looked down to the floor. When I had finished cleaning and placed everything back in its place with a flick of a finger, Sarah had come down, she was wearing her blue jeans with a cap sleeve pleated collar turquoise blouse. She looked at the clean kitchen and said, ‘wow! That was fast?!’

  ‘Yeah’ I said as I looked around at my accomplishment, ‘being God sure does have its benefits’ I thought to myself. ‘Jake, Savannah … are you two ready?’ I shouted as Sarah closed her eyes and ears, as if I were screaming in her ears.

  ‘Yeah, we are here!’ they say in unison as they appear in front of us.

  ‘Gather around in a circle and hold each other’s hand. We are going to Buzzards Bridge now’ I say as I take them into a cloud of mist and we soon vanish before Sarah has a chance to say anything.

  ~~

  When we opened our eyes, we were in the wooded valley just outside the secluded area in Buzzard Bridges. There was an opening within the fir and pine trees, giving just enough sunlight to the small area and secluded enough in that there were no mortals around. Jake opened his eyes and gradually Savannah and finally Sarah, they all looked around and were in awe of the natural beauty that surrounded them.

  ‘I never knew this place existed!’ Jake said to Sarah and Savannah to which Sarah and Savannah reply in unison, ‘yeah, we didn’t know about this place either’

  Jake continued as he nudged me and said, ‘can we see Taran first?’ as he looked at me. He then held my arm pleadingly in a joking manner, ‘please, please … it’s been a while and … and … Savannah hasn’t seen your true self either’

  I looked at Jake, Savannah and finally Sarah, who had the widest grin and a sparkle in her eyes as she nodded in agreement and said, ‘it’s been a while since I met Taran’

  I gently release Jake’s grip from my arm, pace myself two steps back into the sunlight area and looked at Sarah, ‘watch and observe, you are next, Iris’ as I removed my jacket and gave it to her to hold.

  As I stepped into the sunlight, my skin which was visible from my unbuttoned top two buttons began to shine a pale golden color. I could see Savannah was stumped and began covering her eyes. Jake became excited and chanted, ‘bring the rains, bring the rains!’ I then closed my eyes and raised my arms to waist level, I visualized a gentle drizzle over us and was in my element in no time. As I opened my flaming blue eyes, I had fully transformed into Taran with my long overcoat swaying as the winds I had created pushed it behind. I descended from the sunlight and walked towards Sarah, who was in awe, my flaming blue eyes had turned sky blue and we gazed into each other’s eyes until Savannah screamed, ‘awesome!!’ Jake jumped beside her when she screamed.

  That scream took us by surp
rise and we came out of our gaze, I had transformed and was still in my true form. I was about to stop the drizzle when Sarah held my arm and said, ‘leave the drizzle, its beautiful!’

  Mother and Nara came immediately after I called them during my transformation. ‘Your turn now’ I say as I walk Sarah towards the sunlit area, ‘focus, visualize and create’ I reminded her. As I bring her closer towards me and hug her, I kiss her forehead and say, ‘Iris is deep within you, she has been dormant for some time now. Talk to me and tell me everything as you go along’ I tell Sarah as I sit her on the rock. Jake comes by her side say, ‘yeah, don’t worry. We are all here! You can do it babe!’ with Savannah nodding in agreement and gave Sarah a tight hug just before I sat her down. Savannah did not look at me directly until Jake telepathically sent a message to me saying, ‘Savannah is shy, she has never seen you as God. She’ll get over it by the time Iris appears and darn! You look good as God! Maybe that’s why she is shy?!’

  ‘Sarah, it’s your turn now, baby’ Nara said as she waved a flying kiss towards her daughter who caught it.

  One Mother, Nara, Jake and Savannah had seated on nearby rocks, I came and stood in front of Sarah, just a few feet from her, in the event her transformation went out of control, I could stop the process in time.

  Once Sarah was calm, composed and seated, I began by telling her to, ‘close your eyes and dig deep into to your soul. Tell me, what do you see?’